Andrzej Dybowski: concept artist interview

"Witcher 3" and "Dying Light" concept artist Andrzej Dybowski shares his workflow, background, and inspirations for his Photoshop creations...

3dtotal: Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?
Andrzej Dybowski: I'm a concept artist from Poland. I grew up in a picturesque city by the Baltic sea, Sopot. My city borders with one of the biggest cities in Poland, Gdansk, and maybe that's why I love both nature and urban zones. My mother is an architect and my brother is a director of photography, so most of my family consists of artists. Throughout my childhood I often travelled with my family to various places around the world, and maybe that is one of the reasons my imagination is good enough to be a concept artist, something I'm very thankful for.

3dt: Where did you find the inspiration for your latest gallery entry? What's the story behind its creation?
AD: I was so amazed by the high level of artwork sent to ILM Star Wars challenge that I was a little bit upset and angry at myself that I didn't participate in it, so I decided to paint something close to the Star Wars universe. Also, lately I've been painting more and more cyberpunk concepts because I think there is still a lot to discover in this genre.

3dt: What software and plug-ins did you use to create this image? Did you face any difficulties, and how did you overcome them?

AD: This was a pretty straightforward painting in terms of construction so I used only Photoshop. A lot of people use 3D software to block objects and establish composition and light, but I think this process kills creativity and the painterly look of the image. I wanted this image to be painted rather than photobashed, so I supported myself with photos only slightly.

3dt: Do you normally use this software in your workflow? What other software and plug-ins do you favor?

AD: I only use Photoshop and no other software. Sometimes at work, especially during the later stages of a game production, I do over-paintings over screenshots from the game engine. When I design interiors from scratch, I often use the Lazy Nezumi plug-in which enables you to draw in perspective. What it does is it snaps brushstrokes to virtual perspective lines so you are 100% sure you will not make any mistakes in perspective. Sometimes this plug-in is a lifesaver.

3dt: What are your artistic ambitions?

AD: My biggest ambition is to finally paint something that I would like for more than 10 minutes. But I guess it is a crucial part of evolving as an artist, so I got used to this permanent state of disliking my artwork. I just hope that someday I will look at old masters paintings and I will say to myself that my skills are not so far away from theirs' anymore. What fascinates me the most is light and color, so I will try to explore these elements in my images as much as I can.

3dt: What software would you like to learn in the future to expand your portfolio and skillset, and why?
AD: When I look at my character artist friends and their artworks, and see what magic can be done in a sculpting software, it makes me want try to put my hands to it. It is amazing how quickly nowadays you can sculpt non-organic objects in such software like ZBrush or Mudbox, so if I ever have to turn to 3D software, I would like to try one of these. I do know 3ds Max and Maya because I used to do architectural visualizations and animated movies, but if I do not have to use them I prefer to stick to Photoshop.

3dt: How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?
AD: It is very difficult to keep a portfolio up-to-date when you work at the studio on amazing games like The Witcher 3 or Dying Light. I do not make as much personal paintings as I would like to, so recently I came up with an idea that maybe I will start a project on the Patreon website. This way I will be forced to stop wasting time on Facebook and Instagram and start to do something useful for me and the world.

3dt: Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?
AD: I think that of one the reasons I started to make concept art is because of Polish concept artist Maciej Kuciara. I also love John Park and Jaime Jones paintings. They look so painterly and effortless. I guess these artists have so much fun doing their job. Recently, I have found an artist called Sung Choi, and I immediately fell in love in his paintings. Especially the ones for Destiny. I think that my favorite traditional artist is Richard Schmid. My dream is to translate the way he paints to the digital painting universe.

3dt: What can we expect to see from you next?
AD: It is really hard to say because as a concept artist I have a million ideas a minute, so it can be literally anything. Maybe I will finally make up my own IP and focus on it instead of making each new painting from a totally different genre. Time will tell.

Related links

Head over to Andrzej Dybowski's website
Check out The Making of "Campsite"
Buy a copy of Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop: Sci-fi & Fantasy