The Art War's 3rd place winner Konstantin Porubov claimed a spot in the top 3 with a stunning illustration and concept sheet.

We're super excited to present this interview we had the pleasure of conducting with him to learn more about who he is and how he got to this level of excellence!

Check out the full interview below and have a look at a selection of his gorgeous art.

Miscellaneous facts about Konstantin:

• Average number of layers when you paint ➖ I try to use the minimum number of the layers in my works, in progress I combine them according to my plans. A couple of layers on the background, a couple on the foreground and so on. Usually, I am using 10-15 layers
• Inspirations ➖ My first source of inspiration are the games developed everywhere. I regularly browse the artstation in search of new projects. Also I like the cinema, I try to see new movie once a week. I am fond of books, however, lack of time results in predominate reading in metro on the way to my office. You can get interesting descriptions of images from reading books and revive them using only your imagination
• Coffee or tea ➖ I prefer tea, with bergamot
• Good habits ➖ Usually I get up early in the morning since morning is the most wonderful and fruitful time for a creative work. Probably, early rising is my best habit
• Bad habits ➖ Bad habits make our life not so boring, however, hard work prevents us from enjoying them too much
• Favorite movies ➖ Among my favorite movies I would like to mention the Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson has done something incredible with my favorite book, I am revising the entire original trilogy couple of times a year
• Favorite games ➖ Its not easy to choose the favorite game, but ... let it be Total war Medieval
• Favorite music while doing art ➖ During my work I like listening soundtracks of my favorite movies, for example, from the "Braveheart" or "The Lord of the Rings", or some music from the movies by the Disney or Pixar companies
• Future goals ➖ My main goal is to acheive the drawning level higher than I have now
• How do you bounce back from a bad day ➖ The best remedy for a bad day is hard creative work. Draw something good and the day immediately becomes better
• What is a good day ➖ A good day is a day when I paint something admirable

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Konstantin and I'm from the most beatiful city in the world. You have guessed this is Saint Petersburg. I'm an artist, I've worked on several board games, now I'm dealing with social games.

What got you into 2D art, when did it all start?

I decided to become an artist during my study at the University at the end of the Bachelor stage. I was pushed to this by the love to the games and movies, I wanted to create new concepts of heroes and the atmosphere of the action in illustrations.

How did you get to the level you are at today? Did you study in any particular way you would recommend?

I never studied the Art at the special school, so I simply bought a tablet, installed Photoshop and started to learn computer painting. I cannot reach the level of my current knowledge of myself, I attended on-line courses and some advanced classes.

To rank this well against hundreds of other contestants is an amazing feat, why do you think you did so well, and what are some things you would do differently?

It seems to me, I was lucky to occupy such a high place in competition. For the first time, I tried to draw a composition with many figures.

Other than your own hard work, are there any particular things you can think of or people you can point to that helped you get to the level you are at today? Basically, is there anything you're thankful for?

I would like to thank my colleague Vladimir Kafanov who suggested me to attend the contest, he also entered the top 10!

I would like to say special thanks to the guys from the art school Skills Up, without their classes, I certainly would not have reached my place at the contest. Another very important role is played by feedback. My colleagues also following the progress of my work giving me suitable advice. Thank them very much for their fresh look at my work!

Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring artists out there who might be looking to get to your level one day? What's your recipe for success?

My recipe for success is only long and hard work. You need to review thousands of others' works, analyze other people's techniques, do not forget about basic knowledge, composition and color. The most importantly never rest on our laurels, set new goals and to continue to move forward.

What do you think the Art War experience taught you, and would you participate again next year if you could?

I would happily take part in the next Artwar, I really like such competitions, on my opinion, they are excellent in spurring the work and in raising your level. In particular, I've first tried to draw a battle scene.

Any final thoughts? Anything you want to add?

Thank you very much for this contest, for the opportunity to participate in it. I've seen so many cool things here! I want to wish everyone good luck! Draw and be happy! See you at the new art arena!

Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @100011723112065

Website: artstation.com/artist/ikostya