Glenn Rane

Haha, thanks, and thank you for that intro. I’ve been working on a few projects. Those, of course, for Blizzard, but also a side project with a few of my buddies called InKarnate.

Pretty much. I think the superhero coloring books my parents bought me as a toddler had a massive influence. I often drew characters with capes and S’s on their chests, on objects that i shouldn’t have been drawing on. My parents say I was 2.

Thank you. It’s very difficult to tag one inspirational source. I’ve always been drawn to cool shapes; the interlocking musculature of human anatomy, sports cars, armor, the Millenium Falcon. From age 4 to 13 I wanted to design cars. When I realized drawing comic books was a job, I was all about it. At 17, I discovered D&D and Warcraft 2… My fate was sealed at that point.

My workflow starts with some thumbnail sketches that I run by the key players. Once i receive feedback I work up a drawing and color rough to make sure everyone is still on board. After I get the go ahead I work towards a final while sending in-progress updates periodically. At Blizz, the “grand reveal” rarely works out… Actually, I think that is true in most companies.

My deadlines are mostly self-imposed, but I try to push myself regardless. It’s hard to say exactly how many hours a painting takes due to changes, meetings, and day to day on-goings, but a completed piece takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Really depends on the detail level of the piece.

Yes, I studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where I received a BFA. My major was in Illustration. Art theory means a lot of things to different people, but in answering this question, to me, it means a sense of process and one’s personal taste, or aesthetic. Therefore I feel these two qualities, practice and art theory, go hand in hand. If an artist doesn’t have a sense of what quality is or a skill level they’d like to achieve, their practicing has no direction. This is fine for hobbyists and fine artists, but there is too much competition in the games industry to not have a sense of direction. So practice and figure out what “cool” actually means to you.

Well thanks. It’s awfully kind of you to say, but I still don’t feel like I’m quite there. There a a ton of exceptional artists out there. I’m just lucky enough to have the Blizzard stage to stand on. I am happy with my work some of the time, but believe me, there are often days when I look at my work and think, how did I manage to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes!? I’m still trying to improve.

Let me tell you, I’m just glad they aren’t creepy Uncles… though sometimes Metzen does hug me for just a little too long. I think Sammy has been wearing the same outfit since I started there–boots with white sock, jean shorts (jorts?), and a button up shirt with some crazy flames lighting up his chest. Luckily, he does wash his hair which makes him smell nice when you walk behind him. Seriously though, if you’ve experienced those guys at BlizzCon, then you know what it’s like to work with them. They are forces of nature and consistent characters. What you see is what you get with those guys and I believe they drive Blizzard’s entire culture. With regards to my artwork, Metzen provides the creative direction to most of my pieces. He’s usually the one responding to my thumbnail drawings and always has a few ideas to add. Sammy chimes in on occasion, but that’s usually when I’m working on Starcraft since he’s the Art Director for that team.

I’m usually trying to put some realism into my work, but am usually trying to add a lot more “WoW,” “Diablo” or “Starcraft.” So for reference, I will ask for game screenshots and search for photographic reference that supports my ideas for the illustration. However, I’m never a slave to the reference and believe strongly in artistic license and the styles of our brands. I think the ideas I have about being true to the style carry forward into how I interact and submit art to the project leads. They are not stringent, but would be if I was submitting artwork that didn’t follow the house style.

For me, it’s all about contrast. Contrasts of lights and darks, warms and cools, detail or lack thereof, and color saturation. All of them serve a purpose in how I want people to perceive the art by creating focal points, depth, and shape read. I will usually save the highest amounts of contrast for faces, which will push people’s eyes towards that point. Other characters or body parts might be slightly darker and less contrasted with other objects in the piece to draw less focus. Backgrounds might be brighter than the character to punch out characters silhouette. Contrast aids in creating a clean read, which is critical on something like a trading card.