Celebrating MMOGames.com’s year of incredible video game artists!
11 Mind-Blowing Video Game Artists to Inspire You
Written by Alex Sinclair Lack at 12/21/2022, 07:17 AM
During 2022 at MMOGames.com, we did something a little special. This time last year, we were in the final moments of our Game Artist of the Year Award Contest (not to be confused with our equally illustrious MMO Games Awards). After giving out over $1000 worth of prizes to our winners, we went onto choose a video game artist to showcase for every month of the year.
From digitally illustrated character portraits to polymer clay World of Warcraft creations, we've featured artists of every style, experience level, and medium -- showcasing their artwork while digging into their creative processes via a Q&A.
Seeing as we made it through to December, now we're honoured to show you a quick rundown of all of them.
January's Video Game Artist: THE MIGHTY YUHANG WENG
Yuhang Weng was the winner of our Game Artist of the Year competition. A Chinese student, studying in England -- Yuhang has an absolute mastery of colour work. We were particularly drawn in by Yuhang's maximisation of space to create paintings that are as dramatic as they are detailed. Yuhang is a perfectionist who insists on breaking the mould and playing by their own rules.
I refuse to save the world.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
February's Video Game Artist: THE INCREDIBLE BETSY WEYMOUTH
Coming second place in our video game artist competition, we have the artist that made the greatest impression on the MMO Games team. Betsy Weymouth was only 16 years old when she entered our competition but her uniquely emotive, thought-provoking artwork floored us. Each image is a powerful piece of storytelling conveying mature emotions through fascinating scenes.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
March's Video Game Artist: THE WONDERFUL NANA
If you're into cuteness, whimsy, and joy then Nana -- a budding game artist from Thailand -- may be exactly the artist for you. She specializes in colourful cute chibi characters based on her favourite games mixed with Thai traditional apparel. If you've ever wanted to see Valorant or Genshin Impact but 100 times more adorable, then you're going to want to have a look at Nana's work.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
April's Video Game Artist: THE BRILLIANT CHRIS BINNS
Chris Binns' action-packed pieces are filled with character and adrenaline in equal measure. We loved the variety in his work, from airpod axe wielding mice to fantasy taverns inhabited by arcane bootleggers. Undeniably some of his greatest pieces, however, are those on Arcane -- the animated Netflix League of Legends show. Digitally illustrated in pinks and purples, the characters leap out of the screen in the grips of deadly combat.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
May's Video Game Artist: THE ALMIGHTY JESSE VAN WEIDEN
Hopping over to Scandinavia now for Swedish Jesse Van Wieden's awesome Halo artwork. Jesse is someone who clearly never paints the same thing twice -- each of the images he submitted to his showcase were wildly different and yet all extremely compelling. Our favourite was the stunning Halo piece below. To accompany the Q&A on his creative process, Jesse submitted fascinating draft-images showing each step of its creation.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
June's Video Game Artist: THE ASTOUNDING ORLANDO FLUSBAND
Here's one for the sci-fi art lovers out there. Each of Orlando Flusband's artworks depicts a fascinating sci-fi scene, from futuristic Mongol Hordes to giant floating cargo ships. His imagination leads him to worlds that we wish we could inhabit. His brush work and striking use of dark and light give his images a sense of movement that help bring the pieces to life.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
July's Video Game Artist: THE MAGNIFICENT MELINDA LACK
We adore Melinda Lack's artwork; her wistful female character portraits have a touch of magic about them. Each of her portraits look like they're eyes are holding secrets that we'll never know -- we're left only to guess at them from the clues scattering the background. Inspired by an eclectic mix of games, many of Melinda's images toy in the intersection of drama, horror, and fantasy.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
August's Video Game Artist: THE CAPTIVATING ELLEN PAYNE
Sometimes the way an artist leaves space can be just as captivating as the way they fill it. Whether its Ellen Payne's mystical landscapes which draw your eye along their crooked ridges or her stunning and mysterious character pieces. Many of her beautifully colour-matched pieces marry the earthly and traditional with aspects that seem alien -- creating pieces that are as intriguing as they are beautiful.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
September's Video Game Artist: THE TERRIFIC HANNA HAMMAR
Our second Swedish artist is Hanna Hammar whose wonderful work is based around games close to our hearts: Elder Scrolls Online and World of Warcraft. Art was Hanna's escape from chronic migraines that plagued her youth. Now she has made that escape her life's work, and as a result we have a range of stunning portraits that help us to reimagine the worlds of Tamriel and Azeroth.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
October's Video Game Artist: THE DELIGHTFUL DREKKY DRIMM
While sadder emotions get their fair share of exploration, the majority of Drekky Drimm's work is unapologetically colourful, vivid, and joyful. As a great gaming fan, Drekky Drimm is often inspired by what she plays: World of Warcraft, Genshin Impact, Heroes of Might and Magic, Baldur's Gates 3, Tunic, Hades and Stray. One gets the feeling that art, for Drekky, is not only a therapeutic escape but a call of defiance that yells "This is who I am, and this is what I love!".
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
November's Video Game Artist: THE ASTONISHING JOSE VILLANUEVA
Like several of the game artists featured this year, Jose Villanueva started his artwork as a project for his children -- crafting their favourite video game characters out of polymer clay. After realising he had a talent for it, he moved onto more complex creations and started his own YouTube channel where you can find anything from Fall Guys beans right to Jaina Proudmore with a water elemental.
Check out their video game artist showcase here.
We'd like to thank each of these artists for taking the time to speak with us, share their work, and speak so honestly about their process. We encourage you to visit their showcases and social media pages to show your support.
Don't forget that the artwork belongs to the artist -- use of their work without express permission is art theft, and there's already AI seemingly doing plenty of that. The image used as the cover photo of this page is another brilliant piece by Orlando Flusband.