Future Dage
Posted by Artix on
In this inspired painting by www.AQ.com artist, Dage, we see a glimpse of the distant future.... where an army of soul powered mechanized Samurai battle a mysterious and unstoppable force upon a post-apocalyptic world.
About "Dage the Evil"
Dage grew up playing the original AdventureQuest and other Artix Entertainment games. He was a regular on the forums and posted his 2D weapon and armor art reguarly for the team to see. Impressed by Dage's growing skill and persistance, Nulgath took him on as an apprentice. It was not long before Dage's artwork made him a fan favorite. We offered him a full time artist position and he moved to work with us here at the lab. His story is very similiar to many of the incredible artists who build the games with us.
I walked into the lab yesterday and saw Dage drawing a sketch of the image posted above. He said, "Check this out... todays warm up painting." He worked on it for an hour or so. When he switched to working on the AQWorlds items you could tell he was thinking about his painting all day. Around midnight last night I get a text on my phone. It just said "Future Dage" and had the picture above.
What is really fascinating about Dage, and something I hope every young artist who reads this pays special attention to.... Dage pushes himself harder than anyone else ever could. He is never satisfied with the work he creates. He always strives to make it better or do something new. He wakes up in the morning, comes to the lab, and does a "warm up painting." Then he creates AdventureQuest Worlds. At the end of the day, he hits the gym, goes home, and then goes right back to work on his paintings (or plays some video games, or lately, works on Project: Omni art.)
For the past year, Dage has been focusing on his painting skills because he knows that the future of our games, both 2D and 3D will require artists with strong painting skills. Of course, no one told Dage he needed to do this. In fact, I have never given Dage a painting asignment. He has created all of the paintings that you have seen posted over the past year because "he just had to." And for those of you seeking a career in art, I urge you listen carefully. Do not wait for someone to tell you to make something. If you feel that need inside you to make something... do not hesistate, start making it immediately and force yourself to finish it. Spend your time looking at the type of artwork you want to create. Let yourself get mad because your artwork does not look that good... and study, read, and keep trying different things until you create artwork better.
Someone once told me "...being an artist requires sort of mental illness." If have a super human passion and motivation is an illness, then please tell me how to get infected!