Poster designer
Felix Tindall has a unique - often imitated but never duplicated - art style. He can take a 60+ hour video game and sum it up into a single, eye-catching graphic.
Felix Tindall was one of the first artists to join Pixel Empire back in 2016. Having a designer of such high caliber join our ranks truly lent a ton of credibility to a company that had just evolved out the garage-start-up phase.
Four years and over 40 designs later, I’m proud to announce that Felix Tindall is our first Featured Artist of the month. I thought I would take this opportunity to ask Felix a few questions about his work and process.
How long have you been designing alternative movie/video game posters? And at what point did you decide it was worth pursuing full time?
I've been designing poster art for roughly around 5 years now. I find it kind of crazy writing that into words, now realizing how long it's been. It started, as I'm sure is the case for many artists, as a hobby. I was never very good with drawing as a kid but, later on through high school with the help of creative software like Photoshop, I discovered an interest in graphic design, particularly with manipulating and editing video game box art which happened to be the first stepping stone in my early career.
It was during 2016 when I was approached by my first gallery (Gallery 1988) to create officially licensed work for, what was at the time, my first big gig (Rick & Morty) where I began to take what I did seriously and start to put myself out there. Since then I've strengthened my relationships with galleries, clients, signed on with agencies, and had wonderful opportunities to create cool stuff. And of course, continue to create fan art in between!
Close up of Felix Tindall's Death Stranding Alternative Video Game Poster
I always thought video games deserved the [movie] poster treatment but we don't see a lot of it around.
-Felix Tindall
Doom Alternative Video Game Poster by Felix Tindall
Halo Alternative Video Game Poster by Felix Tindall
Red Dead Redemption 2 Alternative Video Game Poster by Felix Tindall
You’ve created posters for many popular video games such as Doom, Halo, Red Dead Redemption, and more. What is it about giving a video game the “movie poster” treatment that you enjoy most? As well as having been into videogames for almost all of my 24 years of life on this earth, I always thought video games deserved the poster treatment but we don't see a lot of it around. I feel videogames have an equal amount of character, wonder, and intrigue as any movie out there if not more, and deserves the format to showcase and encapsulate such things. Just as films do, videogames need visually eye-catching marketing/imagery/promotional material. And I enjoy doing so in the way of alternative poster art, even if it's just for fun and because I'm a fan of any given subject.
Joel & Ellie / Walter & Jessie Headshot Sets by Felix Tindall
While your style could be considered minimalist, your designs are never lacking in color or detail. After what design, if any, would you say you locked in your unique style?
This is a difficult one for me to answer! My work has had many gradual transformations across many fields. Colour, composition, detail, etc. I think in many ways the work I gravitate towards to and produce today is a lot more refined and simplified. But I don't think I could precisely pinpoint a particular piece that has that notable shift.
The Evil Within 2 Alternative Poster by Felix Tindall
But for the sake of picking something, I'll go ahead and choose The Evil Within II. Striped back composition, less intrusive silhouetting, more negative space, and gritty brush strokes and texturing.
Limited Edition Cyberpunk 2077 Alternative Video Game Poster by Felix Tindall
Close up of Felix Tindall's Cyberpunk 2077 Poster
You recently designed a poster for the (as of right now) unreleased video game Cyberpunk 2077. Were there any particular challenges in designing for something you haven’t played yet?
More often than not there usually will be, which is why I typically like to wait for the release of any given subject to get my hands on it and draw inspiration from my own experiences, take screenshots, capture particular moments, etc. However, on occasion, if the idea is straight forward, I have enough context or access to certain imagery I will jump on the hype train and whip something up beforehand. With something like that Cyberpunk2077 piece, it wasn't too much of a task to think up and create because I had enough to go on and it was fairly basic in concept.
2014 vs 2019 Godzilla Poster Concept
In your 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters print, I couldn’t help but marvel at the cleverness of making the cityscape part of Godzilla’s character design. Can you share the process that goes into making an original design based on a franchise that so many other artists have contributed to?
Haha well, it's funny you should mention that - the spikes/cityscape concept is actually an idea I got from a poster I did many years earlier for the 2014 Godzilla film. Generally though, in theory, I like to try to tackle a poster from a different angle, especially if the "scene" is oversaturated with similar designs or I have seen too much of the same ideas. It's sometimes a challenge, but it's part of the fun in the creative process. Then once I have something that I feel is different, I'm excited to dig in.
Drive Minimalist Movie Poster by Felix Tindall
Interstellar Alternative Movie Poster by Felix Tindall
La La Land Alternative Movie Poster by Felix Tindall
I can’t wait to see what new designs you have in store for the rest of the year. Is there any particular dream project you would love to work on?
I'd LOVE to be hired to do official key-art for either a film or video game one day. I've come real close with various other opportunities and projects I've had the honour of being part of and I'm very grateful for that. But Yeah, seeing my dumb art being blown up on a build board or outside a convention center would be awesome. Even if just a thumbnail for a digital-only indie game. Contact me!
God of War Alternative Video Gam Poster by Felix Tindall
Look for the Light / Alternative The Last of Us Poster by Felix Tindall
Do you have any parting advice for all of the aspiring graphic artists out there?
Keep on creating. Put your work out there, don't worry too much on refinement. Surround yourself with the things you love and let them inspire you. Let your concerns for establishing a style come later. Just make stuff.
If you'd like to view more of Felix Tindall's work, you can view his storefront
HERE or visit his personal website
HERE.
