We had terrible winter weather here in Hawke’s Bay the last two weeks, including torrential rains, heavy snowfalls, and gale force winds that caused a widespread power outage across the region this past weekend. And now my kids are home sick, including me. I’m writing this post with glazed eyes and a brain high on prescription meds. Got to love the winter. It’s a far cry from sunny Brazil where the 2016 Olympic Games kicked off with great fanfare and jubilation this weekend.

Talking about Brazil, our artist today hails from São Paulo, Brazil. Mike Azevedo is an illustrator and concept artist and has worked on projects like League of Legends (Riot Games), Hex (Cryptozoic), and Legends of the Cryptids (Applibot). Some of his clients include giants like Blizzard, Guerrilla Games, Games Workshop, and Direwolf.

Below is a small collection of his awesome work. Each image links back to the artist’s  gallery.

I love the clear brush strokes and overall painterly feel of Mike’s paintings. There is a visceral element to his work that makes his illustrations stand out more and his expert use of shadow and dynamic lighting draws the eye to unexpected detail and texture. Let me rephrase that last bit. At first sight, you see a lot of detail in his work, but when you take a closer look and study his lines and composition, you’ll note how rough and coarse they are. It is then that you realise the importance of shadow and lighting and how they accentuate the tone and detail in his paintings. Really masterfully done.

Let me know what you thought below. Remember to check out this week’s Art of Science Fiction over on Kōsa Press’ blog.

Cheers!

Woelf