{"id":761986,"date":"2026-06-26T07:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T07:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/761986\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T07:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T07:22:14","slug":"the-biggest-advice-i-would-give-myself-as-a-young-artist-is-to-do-more-of-the-kind-of-art-i-like-and-not-just-what-the-industry-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/761986\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest advice I would give myself as a young artist is to do more of the kind of art I like, and not just what the industry demands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Based in Nuremberg, Germany, Niko Gesell is a freelance Concept Artist who’s worked for the likes of Blizzard and Deep Silver. He focuses on creating digital artwork that feels authentic, immersive, and visually striking.<\/p>\n

We caught up with him to learn more about his work and what advice he would give his younger self. Niko uses various tools, including Rebelle 8 Pro<\/a> and Blender (see our guide to the best digital art software<\/a> and the best drawing tablets<\/a>).<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the last piece that you finished?<\/p>\n

I just finished my first aerial-shot painting called Second Place. It\u2019s about two airplanes racing through the clouds and is much more about selling an idea and getting a mood across. <\/p>\n

So something that would probably be used in pre-production or to pitch something \u2013 very different from doing tile sets that later get assembled in the game itself. <\/p>\n

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Second Place, created in Rebelle 8 Pro. \u201cSuper happy how this one turned out!\u201d (Image credit: Niko Gesell)What advice would you give to your younger self to aid you on the way? <\/p>\n

I honestly think ignorance was a blessing. If I had known the amount of hours it would take, I might have been discouraged early on. The biggest advice I would give myself is to do more of the kind of art that I like, and not just what the industry demands. <\/p>\n

Do not always mould yourself into a cookie-cutter form. But there are obviously huge upsides to making sure your art can be used in productions. That being said, I love the journey I\u2019ve had so far <\/p>\n

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The Driftwood Shipyard. \u201cPart of a larger project based on the idea that \u2018Driftwood Vikings\u2019 rely on items washed ashore due to limited resources on their own land.\u201d (Image credit: Niko Gesell)<\/p>\n

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Scenes from the animated short film, NOKORI (Image credit: Niko Gesell)Has digital art changed since you\u2019ve been working in it? <\/p>\n

Not really, no. I think people are struggling more than they were a few years ago. The prevalence of AI has scared a lot of people away from investing in games and has just created general insecurity among artists. It\u2019s much more about being unique and having your own voice. <\/p>\n

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Herbologists Room. \u201cI wanted to play around with Blender\u2019s Eevee renderer for a while and this is the end result!\u201d (Image credit: Niko Gesell)What character or scene that you\u2019ve painted do you most identify with?<\/p>\n

The Estate (the orange house). It\u2019s actually based on a house in the surrounding area of N\u00fcrnberg and feels most like home. There is something about old but colourful buildings that speaks to me. My dad used to do a lot of renovation work on old buildings, so I think I was taught to appreciate those. <\/p>\n

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Reading Corner. \u201cMade as a practice piece, the goal was to further improve environment and background art skills.\u201d (Image credit: Niko Gesell)What is your next step in art or life?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a huge film fan my whole life and have recently moved into that industry with my work. A lot of the knowledge from games does translate very well, but there are so many new things to learn and understand. <\/p>\n

In addition, I\u2019ve had the chance to direct my first animated short film, NOKORI, recently, which plays at a few festivals. I think I want to do more of that! <\/p>\n

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\u201cStudying at the Temple can be relaxing!\u201d (Image credit: Niko Gesell)<\/p>\n

You can see more of Niko’s work on his ArtStation profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos From\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX<\/a> to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.<\/p>\n

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