Featured Pro Portfolio: Leon Tukker
This week’s Featured Pro Portfolio interview is with Leon Tukker, a Freelance Concept Illustrator and Environment Designer living in the Netherlands. Using the ArtStation Pro website builder, his amazing artwork looks great with the large display Bombastic theme he chose for his homepage.
Check out Leon’s ArtStation-powered website.
In 2011, he accidentally discovered 3D software and found out he wanted to create things. After finishing game design school in 2016, Leon started as a freelance artist and has been doing that ever since. Now, his clients include Paizo Publishing and Paramount Pictures. His typical workflow consists more or less of experimental workflow in Cinema 4D. Images are then painted over in Photoshop to achieve a final look.
Scroll down for his interview to read more on his tips, ArtStation challenge experience and more!
What is the most important thing to include in your portfolio?
I will probably say this a lot of times but for me, the most important thing to see in a portfolio is that you love what you do! Every person has a different background, history and personal preferences/heroes and it is great if the portfolio reflects that.
What is it like participating in an ArtStation Challenge?
I thoroughly enjoyed my first ArtStation Challenge. The briefs were very clear and looking at the names of the judges gave me a lot of motivation. Who doesn’t want a chance for Sparth to look at your portfolio?! The challenge gave me the chance and time to really sit down and think about the paintings I was about to make. It also gave me some time to practice a few old techniques and a few new ones. To me, it was very exciting to see all the submissions coming along. Being able to support other artists and giving feedback on their work during the competition felt great. It gave me some sort of “we’re in this together” feeling. The idea that 3D artists competing in the second phase could use the works made in the first phase was simply amazing. It is such a humbling feeling when a talented 3D artist turns your flat image into an entire world. Being able to walk through your painting in real time really makes it magical. Good luck to everyone during the judging period!
What are some common mistakes you see?
Where do you get your inspiration?
When I try to come up with worlds I tend to look at things we can find here on earth. From sattelite imagery to microscopic photos. There are great colors and shapes to be found everywhere! I am also very much inspired by architects like Santiago Calatrava and the late Zaha Hadid.
What kind of training/experiences helped you get to where you are now?
When I started out, I knew I wanted to learn how to paint environments. It was just a personal preference back then. I did two environment design courses at CGMA. James Paick was the teacher at the time. He tought me the basics of perspective, values, story and design. I defenitely owe him a lot! I would advise anyone to visit his brainstorm academy and do a few courses with him!
See more of Leon’s work on his ArtStation Pro website. To find out more about ArtStation Pro portfolio websites, click here.
