Brad Rigney, also known as Cryptcrawler, is a freelance concept artist and yes, he’ll knock your socks off or send a chill down your spine, or both, and in that order. Brad worked on Halo Reach and Halo Cost, Magic the Gathering, and Legend of the Cryptids as you’ll obviously see from some of the paintings here.

Below is a small sampling of his work. Each image links back to the corresponding gallery. Enjoy!

Yep, we went slightly dark again this week. What makes this artist stand out is his use of a photorealism-like approach. Combining that with fantasy elements gives you imagery that jumps out at you. You can’t disappear into your make-believe world because what you’re seeing seems so real you have to take a moment to confirm you’re not looking at a photo. And yet, you are.

Brad has fine-tuned and seemingly mastered the art of photo-referencing and composite paint-overs.  He is so good you can’t tell the difference. You only see the completed whole. His scenes are seamless. The paintings are disconcerting in their realism even though we know they are simply renderings of the fantastic. I obviously love his composition and style and although I prefer a more illustrative approach, there is no denying Brad’s talent or ability to impress. He is that good, which explains why he’s so sought after.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to know. Also, remember to check out this week’s Art of Science Fiction over on Kōsa Press.

Cheers!

Woelf