Futuro is an annual festival of digital art which takes place in Varna, Bulgaria for several awesome days during the summer. Each year, Futuro gets more and more popular and is attended by more and more people who seek inspiration and knowledge from masters in the industry. This year, for the 5th one in a row, Futuro unraveled the intricacies of digital art in front of over 160 artists, art enthusiasts, and lovers. Like every major festival, Futuro was opened by the mayor of the city Ivan Portnih.
Source: RuskiKuker
Source: RuskiKuker
Freshly inspired by the undeniable talent, amazing work, and invaluable insight which 12 lecturers shared with us, we are eager to tell you how the whole event went. But first…
What makes Futuro different
- You meet world-famous names in the industry.
You get the opportunity to meet with professionals in the entertainment industry who work with the biggest companies worldwide and take part in even Oscar-winning productions!
- A friendly atmosphere in which you can actually talk to the lecturers.
Like, personally! Besides the traditional QA sessions at the end of each lecture, the atmosphere of Futuro allows you to approach the lecturers personally during the breaks, show them your work, ask for feedback, etc. Moreover, each evening during the event days, you can attend the officially announced evening parties on the beach and talk to your favorite lecturers and idols in a relaxed and informal environment.
- An inspiring location that adds up to the whole experience.
The location of Futuro – Varna, also known as the Sea Capital of Bulgaria, is the biggest city on the Bulgarian seacoast. The city is famous for its incredibly inspiring sea view and even more inspiring history. Varna is an old town with a rich history dating back to 575 b.c. While Futuro is an amazing occasion to visit the city, we would highly recommend you to also see The Roman Thermae, the cave monastery complex Aladzha Monastery, The Retro Museum, the Historical Park, and more.
Source: RuskiKuker
Source: RuskiKuker
What people said about Futuro 5
This year, the fifth edition of the event gathered over 160 people under the same roof and captivated their hearts. We eagerly wanted to learn what people thought of the festival, so we asked them. Here is what they said about the experience.
“It’s awesome. It’s getting bigger and better. Awesome lectures!”
“It’s a blast… As usual!”
“It’s an amazing event. You meet a lot of beautiful people. It’s a unique event for Bulgaria.”
“I’d definitely recommend it. Other people recommended it to me!”
Check out the video to feel the Futuro’s atmosphere and hear more about what people think.
11 Awesome lectures that happened at Futuro 2019
Three days filled with inspiration and invaluable advice from true masters in digital arts. Here is what happened at Futuro 5 and how our lecturers kept the whole audience engaged and inspired during the whole event.
#1
Wardenlight into the Spider-verse
by Jessica Rossier & Bastien Grivet, Art Directors and Concept Artists at Wardenlight Studio
Jessica Rossier and Bastien Grivet are a talented duo who have worked on the Oscar-winning production Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In front of over a hundred excited and curious faces at Futuro, they threw light into the working process of the huge production and the challenges they faced.
The experience they shared with the audience was invaluable to everyone struggling to believe in themselves and their own capabilities. Jessica and Bastien taught us that challenges help us grow. Even super successful people experience ups and downs. You simply have to work hard, trust your instincts, and success will inevitably come.
Check out our exclusive interview with Jessica and Bastien.
Some of their work:
View Jessica’s Portfolio
View Bastien’s Portfolio
#2
Character development with Wouter Tulp
by Wouter Tulp, a Freelance Illustrator and a Character Designer
Wouter Tulp is a freelance illustrator and character designer who, at Futuro, shared his deep insight on how to improve your work when designing personages. Wouter’s experience was very valuable to everyone in the audience. He explained that when it comes to developing a personage, the character’s personality matters a lot: What is the character’s story? Where does he/she come from? What does he/she love?
Wouter compares the developing of a personage to an actor’s play. Each actor first has to understand the key personality traits of the character he is depicting. The same goes for character design.
Check out our exclusive interview with Wouter Tulp.
Some of his work:
#3
Color and light in illustration
by Denis Zilber, a Freelance Illustrator
Denis Zilber is a freelance illustrator, a master of color and light in illustrations who presented at Futuro in front of the audience thirsty for knowledge. Denis’s lecture was useful to everyone involved in digital art and illustrations, no matter what kind of art you are occupied in.
The skillful illustrator explained how to use light and color in your illustrations in order to improve them. He also explained the role of the spotlight and shading in the composition in order to create focus and in result, better illustrations.
Some of his work:
#4
The world of Jean-Baptiste Monge
by Jean-Baptiste Monge, a Freelance Illustration Artist
Jean-Baptiste Monge is a freelance illustrator who has worked with world-famous studios in the entertainment industry like Walt Disney Imagineering, Sony Pictures Animation, Blizzard Entertainment, and more. In front of Futuro’s audience, he performed a live demonstration of how he works with ZBrush software to create 3D characters.
Jean-Baptiste shared his know-how and key principles he uses in developing 3D personages. The lecture-demonstration engaged the attention of every viewer in the audience, leaving them amazed by the skills which the master of illustration revealed.
Some of his work:
View Jean-Baptiste’s Portfolio
#5
The journey that led me to do whatever the hell I want
by Khasis Lieb, a Freelance Illustrator and Caricaturist
The lecture of Khasis Lieb captivated the hearts of Futuro’s audience, as it was actually his real-life story of how he made his dream come true. Khasis shared his valuable experience and made people in the audience easily relate to his lifetime choices, ambitions and dreams.
The talented illustrator and caricaturist put an accent on the importance of taking risks, following your dreams and working hard in order to achieve them. He told the audience how he decided to quit his high-paid job in a visual studio in order to become a teacher and work only on projects that he really enjoyed.
Some of his work:
#6
Concept art for visual development
by Hristo Chukov, an Art Director and Concept Artist at Gameloft Sofia Studio
Hristo Chukov is an art director and concept artist at Gameloft but for his lecture at Futuro, he decided to show the audience some of his side project work. Hristo focused on explaining how the whole working process goes – from developing the concept to realizing the final composition. His lecture was useful and inspiring to young artists who wanted to know what happens “behind the stage” of a single project step by step.
Some of his work:
#7
Peculiarities and Benefits of Being a Character Artist in a AAA Game Studio
by Zlatina Ganeva, a Character Artist at Ubisoft Sofia
Zlatina Ganeva is a senior character designer at Ubisoft Sofia and a team leader of talented artists. The position she now holds was once only a dream for her which made her whole story and now her lecture at Futuro a true inspiration for the young artists.
The talented character designer shared her journey with the excited audience, explaining how she was offered a job as a junior character artist at Ubisoft Sofia’s studio without having any professional experience in the field. How? Well, hard work and devotion certainly helped. When she decided to pursue a career in character design, she started developing personages in her free time and start building her portfolio. Ubisoft saw her talent and… The rest is history.
Zlatina did have a lot to learn once she got into Ubisoft, growing from a beginner to a lead character designer with the help of the team in the studio. Her lecture taught us that you can achieve anything if you work hard and follow your goals.
Some of her work:
#8
Progressive imaginary lights and their use in everyday life
by Lyubomir Sergeev, a Photographer at Sergeev Studio
Lyubomir aka Lubo Sergeev is a world-class photographer and a master of photo manipulation who, at Futuro, gave insight on the use of progressive imagery light in photography. Lyubo explained that working with light is a major part of photo manipulation and editing. In his work, he usually uses multiple photos in order to create a single composition. Compounded by many different elements, the major requirement for the composition is to look realistic. In this process, light plays a major role.
Lubo’s lecture was a true inspiration for the audience, as it was the only photography-related lecture at the event.
Check out our exclusive interview with Lubo Sergeev.
Some of his work:
#9
Publishing and how to stay sane
by Spiridon Giannakis (Spiros), a Freelance Graphic Designer and Illustrator
Spiridon Giannakis talked about publishing – a subject that is an important part of being a freelance artist and a subject which was of huge interest to the audience at Futuro. Spiridon started his career as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator but soon, he realized he actually wanted to do something else. Ever since, he’s been occupied with publishing.
At Futuro, he shared his interesting approach. Spiridon uses Kickstarter campaigns to sponsor and organize the artbook publishing of famous artists. He is also the coordinator and the organizer of the whole process. The lecture of Spiridon sparked the interest of the audience and certainly gave a lot of ideas to artists on how to popularize their art.
Some of his work:
#10
The Psychology of the Environment Concept Art
by Eddie Bennun, an Art Director at Ubisoft Sofia
Eddie Bennun is an art director at Ubisoft Sofia whose lecture was devoted to spatial depth in art. By using a real project he has worked on, Eddie explained the concepts of depth planes (foreground, middleground, and background) to the audience at Futuro and how he emphasizes space in artwork. Eddie explained that the enrichment of elements in a spatial perspective help you create more realistic illustrations. A lecture that all digital artists in the audience loved!
Some of his work:
#11
Sculpture – Dynamic shape
by Zhivko Donchev, a Freelance Sculptor and 3D Artist
Zhivko Donchev is a freelance sculptor and a 3D artist who at Futuro, explained the ins and outs of achieving dynamic shapes in sculptures. Zhivko’s lecture was different from the rest since he talked about physical shapes and forms and how to convey emotions through them. Aggression, dynamics, love, tenderness – every emotion can be recreated through a rightfully adjusted position of the body.
The lecture of Zhivko – How to create forms and movement of the human body in sculptures, was useful to everyone involved in character design, especially for 3D artists.
Some of his work:
Futuro 5 in pictures: Coming soon!
All in all,
Futuro has been an amazing experience for both visitor and lecturers, leaving everyone inspired, motivated, and filled with new ideas. If you want to be a part of the experience, don’t miss out Futuro 6 next year. Stay tuned and follow the official Futuro page on Facebook, so you make sure you catch the early bird tickets once the dates are announced. Also, check out the official Futuro website for more information on the event.
