Anna Kulakovskaya: concept artist interview

Hi! My name is Anna, I'm 27 years old and I'm living in a small city near Moscow, Russia. Almost all my life I have dreamed about making games and creating new incredible worlds. So when I could, I tried to learn how to draw and use 3D software. When I graduated from university I got my first job in the game industry – 3D artist at Wargaming Saint Petersburg. But my dream was to create concepts and illustrations, so I left after two-and-a-half years there, and focus on my drawing skills. It's been a couple of years since then, with some freelance jobs, and some full-time work, and constant learning.

My latest gallery image is Valley of the Giants. I am deeply loving Shadow of the Colossus, and there were some ideas to make a tribute for this game. So I had an idea about a caravan going through the sacred canyon, and instead of mountains and rocks, there are bodies of ancient giants.

The workflow for this image was quite basic for me: I had the idea, then made really rough thumbnails to fix the idea and composition, then sketched some elements: giants, mech-spiders, altars. After that it was time for a good detailed 3D base. I usually love to spend a good amount of time on this stage. Then a few render passes and carefully gathering them together in Photoshop.

I think I learn new techniques with all my personal projects, because there’s always new knowledge and techniques out there. And all the projects are a small challenge for me: how to tell the story correctly, so that other people understand? Which lighting option will be the best and more interesting? Do those details on giants distract too much from the focal point? There are many elements in the picture, and sometimes I can spend too much time on something small, but it might ruin the composition of the whole piece. So I try to stay focused on the main elements and the whole image, not on the tiny details.

Plus, I'm always analyzing my works and process. Sometimes I give myself goals – no 3D in this image, specific light in that image, maybe try some new mood or different camera angles, or I give myself a hard deadline for a project, to see how I can work in a short time (actually for this point I usually participate in different challenges). For this piece, my goal was to use all my skill and knowledge and to show what I can do at this moment.

I've tried many different software over the years. Right now my favorite 3D tool is Blender. There I make all my 3D bases and scenes, texturing, and rendering. I liked that software from the first attempt. For me, it's super quick and comfortable for modeling. The more I learn of it, the more I realize how multipurpose it is. And then there is Eevee real-time render, it's super simple and quick – I really love it! All my recent projects are done here. Of course it's not 100% perfect – nothing is perfect – but for now, it's best for me. In case I need something highly detailed and fast, I use 3D-Coat. It’s super fast and easy for sculpting, and some 3D sketching. If I need a dressed character, or some tricky hanging fabrics, I use Marvelous Designer. And of course, for sketching, drawing, photobashing, and matte painting, there is the one and only Photoshop.

Oh... It's just I think in our profession you always have to grow, because technologies don't stay still, and the competition is always high. I think there are always some basic drawing skills that I can improve, and I always do it as much as I can. And take a look for new quick tools from time to time (but I think that we all have to find 2-3 software that work best for us, and learn it well, so while you’re working, you shouldn't waste time on technical moments, and focus on design, composition, mood, and so on). And don't be afraid to try new things – composition, techniques, and themes. Try to step up a little bit from your comfort zone every time. Maybe some random person wouldn't notice that, but you will know.

I guess I aim for many things, but mainly I just want to be part of different talented teams and help to build those beautiful new worlds for games and movies. But since childhood, games are my main passion. It would be great to create something charming and immersive which a lot of people would fall in love with. Maybe one day, I and my fiancé will make our own indie-game, we have a lot of ideas. Maybe one day I will make a comic book, because I want to tell my stories in different ways, but for now, I just need to work a lot on my drawing and storytelling skills.

Woah, there are too many! I love to follow Jama Jurabaev’s progress, that guy is always on the edge and that is a good example of how to never stop learning and growing up, plus he's always super optimistic, and after his streams and masterclasses, I have so much energy and great mood!

Just recently, I discovered the amazing Leonid Koliagin, and his works are so clean, with simple composition, great designs, amazing light and colors. Quentin Mabille is creating places that I want to explore right now! Great mood and colors, I love his style! And there is so many more – Stephan Wootha Richard, N Kayurova, Aaron Limonick, Eythan Zana, John Sweeney, Alexander Dudar, and dozens more.

I have a lot of plans for the rest of the year, and I hope I will be able to combine work and personal projects. There are some sci-fi pieces in the works; I want to continue my old project Unknown War. Inktober is coming! I’ve participated in this challenge for the last three years and plan to do it again. This year I think I’ll focus on environments from the beginning and make a bunch of little tributes to my favorite games. And besides that I want to try my skills in the big Russian contest Concept artist RPG – there are about 16 works in a month, including props, characters, and environments.