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Matteo Ascente: concept artist interview

Italian concept artist Matteo Ascente completed his Masters Degree in Concept Art and is now creating exciting projects for clients and other work…

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Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?

Matteo

Hi! My Name is Matteo Ascente. I’m Italian, living in Cosenza, a small city in the south of Italy. I started to learn digital painting eight years ago, when I was at High School. Later on I started the University but at the same time I followed the Art Camp course by Noah Bradley to improve my skills, and this has given me some work as a freelancer illustrator. This year I took the Master's Degree in concept art at the Big Rock Institute of Magic technologies, and now I’ve some more projects on the way. I am a member of the artist collective Aurora project, we usually release an exhibition online every 6-7 months.

quick space sketch concept art design

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Tell us about your art: Your style, themes, genre, and some of the favorite projects you have worked on.

Matteo

I usually don’t have a standard style, I mean I can change, and it depends project by project. I’m a fan of fantasy and mythology, but lately I’m starting to appreciate the sci-fi theme. And my favorite project right now is the thesis I did for my Masters; a sci-fi virtual reality experiential video game. The title is “Another Day” and it will soon be on Steam VR and Vive port for free.

skull canyon

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Can you describe your typical workflow, and the software/hardware you normally use when creating your artwork?

Matteo

Usually I do everything in Photoshop; I start with thumbnails for environment, or shape research for prop and character design. Then I develop the work, adding details with the help of texture or photobash. Sometime when I need to develop quick concept or complex visual images, I use Maya for an initial 3D block out.

girl paint concept art

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What inspires you?

Matteo

I try to get inspired by anything around me. But when I need a precise reference, I love to browse the works of the MTG world, or my favorite artists on ArtStation.

lonely fisherman and the gods concept

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How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?

Matteo

It’s hard; I usually don’t upload all the stuff I do, simply because I like to update the portfolio only with works I really like. Quality is more important. If you really want to post sketches or spare works you can do it on Facebook or Instagram.

concept design operative room

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Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?

Matteo

I like neoclassical artists from the past, they’re always an inspiration. My favorite and also inspirational digital artists are Craig Mullins, Jaime Jones, Eytan Zana, Noah Bradley, and I could still continue… I like them especially for their brushwork, and the freshness they have. They are enviable.

concept art spaceship design

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What can we expect to see from you next?

Matteo

As I said, I’ve some projects on the way, and a lot of stuff ready to be finished. So I think next month there will be a showcase of new works.

concept art tid dinosaur dino eggs

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