Georgia (not in US, but a small and really beautiful country bordering Russia) has a lot of amazing talent. The
Georgia (not in US, but a small and really beautiful country bordering Russia) has a lot of amazing talent. The art of Rene Gorecki is another proof that this country can give a lot to gamedev art. We’ve talked with this self-taught artist and discussed how he developed his technique and what is he looking for in a great portrait.
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Introduction
I’m 23 and I live in Tbilisi, Georgia. All the skills I have are thanks to two private tutors, who taught me how to use pencil and water-colour. I’ve studied Photoshop and digital art myself. It all started with a friend showing me his 3D bike model when I was 15. To dive into 3D I needed art basics. That’s how I came upon my tutors, forgot about 3D and fell in love with traditional art.
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From the beginning I was interested in all the styles out there, each of them had something catchy for me, but portraits have always been my priority. I’m a big fan of talents like Ruan Jia, Alex Negrea, Crow God, Nebezial, DanLuvisi ,Maxim Verehin, Brandon Liao, Theo Prins, Maciej Kuciara, Piotor Jablonski and many others. While my art is different, their works have always been a great inspiration for me.
In the meantime I was enviously looking at stylized characters – all those pretty big-eyed girls and cartoonish art, so charming and expressive. I’ve been restraining myself, thinking this style is not good for my academic skills. Finally, I gave it a try, reaching for a mix of two worlds: academic and stylized. By the way, I have to mention some artists here: Irakli Nadar, Ilia Kuvshinov, Loish, Joanes Helgeson, who inspired me.
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Digital or Traditional Art
Mostly, I’m into digital, while still trying to remember pencil and water-colour sometimes. There is no unified approach: some works start with a spot, others evolve from a sketch – it all depends on a mood. Still, I try working with the color from the first steps as black and white thing is no good for me. Even if I start with black and white, I begin coloring before my work is finished. That’s how I control the color. Then, I begin working on the details, doing my best to add everything there is to add. I finish it with filters and color correction.
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Female Image
Female image is full of mystery. My choice of models is based on different things – it might be look in the eyes, hair, gestures or type as a whole. I’m still working on perfecting of transferring these details. I stylize these models if that helps me express my feelings.
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Aiming for the Perfection
You can always paint some face in a different way, using different lighting so that it looks amazing. That’s how you make an impression! Every detail, as a matter of fact, depends on the lighting. As for the colors, to get the desired result you just have to keep trying. Sometimes I use Hue/saturation, often it’s Selective color, or Overlay, Color, Vivid light. I use Gradient Map to finalize my work in order to change the color from black to dark lilac of blue or any other suitable color.
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Career
After achieving something, I was asked to work for a local game developer, where I spent a year as a concept artist. Great experience! That’s where I learnt finalizing my work, studying a lot and doing my best. That’s also the place, where I got an offer to create some concept arts for Sci-fi strategy. I have plans on working for difference game developers and film studios. So, one day I’ll have to add seriousness to my stylized works.