Image of the month

Ahhhh… aargh! In the real world, petting a cute-looking critter is usually pretty safe. But in a fantasy environment, don’t even think about it!

Sezar Salzer is a self-taught painter with a keen eye for charismatic character designs. “My main inspirations,” Sezar says, “are the gorgeous work of Disney and Pixar artists. I try to create similar characters, in the same style.”

Munich-based Sezar, who works anonymously using a pseudonym and avatar, created Cute but Deadly using Photoshop. He began without line work, instead blocking in monochrome before switching to colour with a separate layer for blending styles. The result is a green and furry, but dead-eyed and vicious, creature that’s slain a monster more than twice its size. “It was a challenge,” Sezar says, “to keep the creature sweet and deadly at the same time.” But then, by definition, challenges aren’t meant to be easy.

MYFX title: Cute but Deadly Winner: Sezar Salzer (SZR) Gallery: http://ifxm.ag/salzer0

All Entries: http://ifxm.ag/cutedeadly

MYFX title: The Dream Catcher Winner: Bon Jovi Bernardo (Bon) Gallery: http://ifxm.ag/bernardobonjovi

All Entries: http://ifxm.ag/catcherdream

“This was my first time entering an ImagineFX art challenge, and I’m grateful to those who voted for my work to be the winner. The captured dreams turn into images that will later be bound into a book by the Dream Keeper. The bowl of water or mirror-like object is a special element called a Dream Finder. With the help of my Dream Keeper, I hope all of my dreams will come true.”

MYFX title: It Came from the Deep Winner: Jon Abbiss (Zinc) Gallery: http://ifxm.ag/jonabbiss

All Entries: http://ifxm.ag/fromthedeep

“It was good fun creating a trashy, straight-to-video movie poster – complete with beasty, bikinis and a cheesy tagline. If I’m being honest, I probably bit off more than I could chew, considering the time limit. However, it enabled me to experiment with more of the options in ArtRage – a cheaper alternative to Corel Painter, with tools that replicate watercolours and oils.”

Congratulations Sezar – you’ve won two ImagineFX specials of your choice! To get your hands on similar prizes, see our Forum challenges at www.imaginefx.com/forums “I love the story in Sezar’s piece and how the highlights bring out busy textures in the...

In the world of fantasy beasts, nothing is what it seems. Clearly, Sezar’s furry creation doesn’t like to be tickled behind its ears!

“I enjoyed painting the Dream Keeper character,” says Bon. “It feels like I’m creating a precious dream while at the same time capturing and depicting it through the painting.”

Jon says he found it tough painting under the challenge’s time constraints, but nevertheless his final image was a winning effort.