Chris is a game designer and author who specializes in the relationships between video game aesthetics and user experience—particularly the physical movements of players.
He is an author of two books:
- Drawing Basics and Video Game Art, endorsed by John Romero
- Interactive Stories and Video Game Art which has been described as gaming’s equivalent to the screenwriting classic, Story, by Robert McKee and is endorsed by film director, Marc Forster:
“Chris Solarski’s book gives content creators crucial insights into interactive story composition and how to adapt these concepts for transmedia storytelling.”
―Marc Forster, Film Director and Producer
Chris is currently collaborating with an internationally renowned artist, Phil Hale, to develop an indie game based on the Johnny Badhair series of paintings. He also lectures at SAE Institute in Zurich and coordinates the IGDA Switzerland Chapter.
Get in touch with Chris
Key Takeaways
“Always think big, 1000% bigger because even if you achieve only 10% of that, it’s still incredible!”
- Chris is a game designer who wrote two books about game design in connection with fine arts
- He is taking pictures of his progress to motivate himself. It’s always good to see your own progress!
- Best advice, Chris received was to always study the old masters and the craft of bringing everything to life.
- Best education in arts is to take artwork of your favorite artist and copy it as precisely as possible. You will study the details and the reasoning and technique of why did the artist do certain things in certain ways
- Chris has a practical advice for communicating with clients – always follow up with your communication to show a real passion for projects or when reaching out to artists you admire. Your initial messages may get lost, but if you show you really care, you will get an answer eventually!
Resources mentioned
Note: some of the resources below may be affiliate links, meaning I get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.
- Chris’ books:
- Drawing Basics and Video Game Art,
- Interactive Stories and Video Game Art which has been described as gaming’s equivalent to the screenwriting classic, Story, by Robert McKee
- Chris’ Influencers
- Andrew Jones (founder of Massive Black)
- Brendan Kelly – fine arts knowledge – your art depends on your life experiences
- Books
- Framed Ink, by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
- Master Class in Figure Drawing, by Robert Beverly Hale
- Bridgman’s Life Drawing, by George Bridgman
- Drawing the Head and Hands, by Andrew Loomis
- Classical Drawing Atelier, by Juliette Aristides
- Classical Painting Atelier, by Juliette Aristides
- The Practice and Science of Drawing, by Harold Speed
- Oil Painting Techniques and Materials, by Harold Speed
- Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Drawing, by John F. Carlson
- The Elements of Drawing, by John Ruskin – victorian style, difficult to read – basis for a course
- Drawing Manual Lecture Series, by Glenn Vilppu
- Art tools and mediums
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Special thanks to Chris for joining me today. See you next time!
All artworks by Chris Solarski, used with permission