Interview
I want my art to
make humanity
better. It’s a big
dream, but we can
get there one day
from the streets. In a series called
Edge, she constructs an oriental
metropolis from light and shade, using
a limited colour palette and from
unlikely angles. Her personal work
takes in a range of character studies
as well, from dark horsemen to
baroque princesses.
“Creating personal artwork is a
meditative process for me,” says
Donglu. “It releases me from the
constraints of video game production
and I can explore new techniques
and subjects.”
ALLOWING AN IMAGE TO BREATHE
However, she still loves the slightly
unfinished appearance of her concept
art and has no leanings towards
finishing a piece in fine art fashion.
“I like to keep the rough look,” Donglu
says. “The loose parts enable the
audience to complete the image in
their imaginations and allow an image
to breathe.
“When I paint, I make artistic
choices about what to render. They’re
the things I want to talk about most
and the contrast between loose and
detailed is what makes an image
visually appealing.”
While continuing to work at Ubisoft
in Montréal – she loves her team, and
the city – Donglu would like to work
on projects with a socially conscious
element to them. Child slavery, famine
and global warming are issues she
wants to highlight. “I want my art to
have an impact and make humanity
better,” says Donglu. “It’s a big dream,
but with small steps I believe we can
get there one day.”
As for new projects to watch out for,
the artist is currently working on
something big but, as is the norm in
the games industry, it’s all under
wraps. We’ll tell you more as soon as
it’s unveiled...GOTHIC CASTLE
In this personal work, Donglu
depicts a medieval city, based in
part on real-life references from
Spanish and Italian fortified cities.TEMPLE
The atmosphere inside one of
Far Cry 4’s temple settings
illuminated in Donglu’s
masterful concept art.EDGE
Another densely detailed
but minimally coloured
Eastern street scene from
Donglu’s Edge series.