New Beginnings – Joining Amazon Game Studios as Art Director

 

March 2015 marks an exciting new chapter for me.

I’m proud to announce that I’ve joined Amazon Game Studios as an Art Director.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects across different areas of the entertainment industr, —from video games to animation and illustration. Each experience has been rewarding in its own way, but the chance to be part of a new venture like Amazon Game Studios felt too good to pass up.

Amazon’s ambition to build something fresh and bold in the gaming world is truly inspiring. There’s a strong focus here on innovation, quality, and player experience, and being able to help shape that vision from an early stage is a challenge I’m excited to take on.

My role as Art Director will involve helping define the visual identity of new projects, building and mentoring art teams, and ensuring that the creative goals stay tightly aligned with the gameplay experience. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s exactly the kind of work that keeps me motivated and passionate about what I do.

Los Angeles is now my new home, and the energy at the studio is contagious. There’s a sense of possibility here that reminds me why I chose this career in the first place.

I’ll share more when I can, but for now, I’m just excited to be on board and ready to tackle the road ahead.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way.

Stay tuned, great things are coming.

#AmazonGameStudios #ArtDirection #NewAdventure #SimonLocheArt

Time Travel Kids – Cancelled Animated CG Series

Time Travel Kids was a CG animated series developed in Barcelona, where I worked as Art Director and Principal Concept Artist for nearly a year.

Although the project was ultimately cancelled when the investor pulled out, it was one of those rare experiences where the team, the city, and the vision all came together in a really rewarding way.

For the visual direction, I chose a simplified, streamlined style, tailored to a young audience and a very specific production context. We only had two 3D character artists, but a large team of 2D artists—so the pipeline was built to leverage their strengths. Characters and props were textured using hand-painted, illustrative techniques, and environments were created as 2D compositions with flat, stylized backgrounds.

It was a creative challenge, but one that really worked for the team and the project.

Even though the series didn’t make it to completion, I’m proud of what we accomplished and incredibly grateful to everyone who worked with me on it. A special thanks to Oscar Marquez, Victor Hernandez, Sabri Nasit, Ruben Alvarez, Marcello Alvarez, Vicente Vispo, Vincenzo Lombruno, Lluis Casals, Felix Gil, Paco Martinez, Pau Montero, Oriol Borrell, and many others who helped bring this vision to life.

Barcelona was the perfect backdrop for a project like this—creative, vibrant, and full of energy.

Great team, great memories. Kuddos to all of you.

TTK-Presentation from Simon Loche on Vimeo.

TK_003_066 from Simon Loche on Vimeo.
Project TTK from Simon Loche on Vimeo.
Project TTK from Simon Loche on Vimeo.
Project TTK from Simon Loche on Vimeo.
TK_003_027 from Simon Loche on Vimeo.
Time Travel Kids from Simon Loche on Vimeo.

Long Time, No Post – Quick 3D Test

It’s been a while since my last update, but hopefully I’ll have something new to share soon.

In the meantime, here’s a quick 5-minute test I did to experiment with turning a 2D image into a stereo 3D effect. Just a small exercise, but it was surprisingly fun to play around with depth and separation using simple layers.

More coming soon. Stay tuned.

Batgirl

Batgirl Sketch – A Teaser I Can’t Wait to Finish

Some sketches come together effortlessly. Others, like this one, demand a little more time and space to breathe. This quick Batgirl sketch definitely falls into the latter category, but not for lack of inspiration.

The new Batgirl design is just fantastic. It has such a fresh energy and strong visual identity that I immediately felt the necessity to dive in and capture something of it. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side today. What started as a quick exploration turned into a teaser for something I now really want to finish properly.

Even in its rough state, this sketch has been a reminder of how a well-designed character can completely ignite your enthusiasm. The costume, the attitude, the storytelling potential, there’s a lot to play with here and I plan to push this one further when I can carve out the time.

And while we’re on the topic, to all of you heading to San Diego Comic-Con this year, just know that I’m deeply envious. That kind of creative atmosphere is always a blast and it would’ve been the perfect place to share something like this in person.

More on this Batgirl piece soon. Until then, here’s a peek at the rough stage.

#Batgirl #CharacterDesign #Sketchbook #CorelPainter #ComicArt #Teaser #WIP #SimonLocheArt

21 DRAW - Excited to Be Part of This Upcoming Character Design Book

This is an incredible upcoming book focused on character design, featuring work from some of the most talented artists in the entertainment and gaming industry.

Artists from Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Rockstar Games, Marvel, DC Comics, Capcom, and more are all represented in one volume—and I’m truly honoured to be part of it.

The book includes contributions from Kim Jung Gi, Ariel Olivetti, Artgerm, Tom Bancroft, Mathieu Reynès, Otto Schmidt, Andrei Riabovitchev, Jeff Merghart, Alice X. Zhang, Enrique Fernandez, Gerardo Sandoval, El Guuuunto, and many others… myself included.

If you’re passionate about visual storytelling, character design, or just want to see an inspiring collection of artistic talent in one place, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

More details soon. Stay tuned.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/21-draw#home

Trying Out Manga Studio

I have to say, despite the less-than-friendly interface, Manga Studio (now known as Clip Studio Paint) is a fantastic piece of software. Once you get past the initial layout, the tools and brush engine are really impressive.

Here’s a drawing I made while testing it out—hope you’ll enjoy it! More experiments to come.

Sargent Self-Portrait Study

It’s been a while since I sat down to do a proper study, and every time I do, I’m reminded how valuable the practice is. There’s always something to learn, whether it’s about brushwork, structure, or just slowing down and observing properly.

This one is a study of John Singer Sargent’s 1906 self-portrait. A classic, and always a challenge.

Painted in Corel Painter, and for those who are curious about timing: it took exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Hope you enjoy it.

#Study #Sargent #CorelPainter

Dragon

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Currently spending some great time in New York, I'll be back soon with new drawings, concepts, and tutorials. 

Stay Tuned!