Ian Dean

Ian Dean

Editor, Digital Arts & 3D

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creativebloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and leading video game title Official PlayStation Magazine. In his early career he wrote for music and film magazines including Uncut and SFX. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on AI, digital art and video game art and tech, and more to Creative Bloq, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5. He's also a keen Cricut user and laser cutter fan, and is currently crafting on Glowforge and xTools M1.

Articles by: Ian Dean

Day in the life; a woman stood in front of a stack of books and drawings

A day in the life of Apple TV+ graphic designer Gina Alessi: "We're surrounded by flurries of paper, set drawings and research photos"

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art A day in the organised chaos of a film's art department.

Pro 3D art technique; Cornelius Dämmrich

3D art advice: a pro's time-saving tip for easier subdivision surface modelling

By Ian Dean published

3D Cornelius Dämmrich shares his shortcut.

Artist in residence; inside the art studio of Charles Ratteray

Artist in Residence: inside the bustling studio of Marvel, Netflix and Disney artist Charles Ratteray

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art Library meets laboratory in this artist’s studio.

Lux Aeterna AI tools; people mill around in a VFX studio

Inside Lux Aeterna: how AI tech and USD is helping to build CG wonders

By Ian Dean published

3D "We're able to compete on a global level," says CEO Rob Hifle.

Graphic design in Apple TV's Manhunt; wanted poster

"A weird, wonderful and demanding job": How Gina Alessi made the graphic design in Apple TV's Manhunt

By Ian Dean published

How we made There's an art to recreating 19th century America.

Best CGI movies of the 90s; a t-rex and a mouse

The best CGI movies of the 90s

By Ian Dean published

VFX The VFX films of the 90s that influenced filmmaking.

Rob Dwiar game art book; a book in a game environment

Game environment design is a growing art form, reveals new book

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art Planting new ideas.

The best 3D pens; three 3D pens, two white and one black

The best 3D pens: model and design in 3D

By Ian Dean published

3D The easiest way to bring your creations to life (literally). 3D pens are suitable for both adults and children - and really fun.

Xencelabs Pen Display 16 hands-on; a large OLED pen display with a stylised illustration on its screen

Hands-on with Xencelabs Pen Display 16: a 4K OLED drawing tablet for everyone

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art It sets a new standard.

Jules Wittock; a long mazy painting

Artist Jules Wittock reveals the hidden secret to his mesmerising maze paintings

By Ian Dean published

Graphic Design "People can go inside of my mind."

Autodesk Star Wars droid challenge; a robot stands on a desert planet

Star Wars superfans can now design their own droid

By Ian Dean published

3D Autodesk celebrates Star Wars with a unique challenge.

LeiaPix; an image of a field

Don't hate me, but I think this new AI art tool could have a use

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art LeiaPix turns 2D art into 3D animation.

Songs of Silence art contest; an illustration of a fantasy character

Get published - enter the Songs of Silence art contest

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art Your work could feature in a new video game art book.

Marvel Art of Russell Dauterman; Marvel comic characters

Marvel artist Russell Dauterman's new book is a work of art

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art The Marvel artist celebrates a decade of comic art.

Nothing Ear review; two ear buds on a wooden table

Nothing Ear and Ear (a) review: eye-catching designs meet high-end tech, for less

By Ian Dean published

in-ear headphones Sounds like something you'll need, but which is right for you?

Unreal Engine 5.4 features; an animal with a rock

Unreal Engine 5.4 is here, and it's good news for filmmakers and animators

By Ian Dean published

Motion graphics New motion graphics, virtual camera and animation tools.

Vertex 2024; two men on a stage

Vertex 2024 - our best bits and some surprises

By Beth Nicholls, Natalie Fear, Ian Dean published

vertex We had a blast at Vertex 2024, here are the highlights.

Nvidia ACE AI; a game character sits in a leather chair

I tried Nvidia's AI for games, with comically realistic results

By Ian Dean published

game development It's 2062 and everyone still loves Taylor Swift.

Nvidia RTX vs M3 Max; two laptops on a wooden table

I just watched an Apple MacBook Pro get mauled by a Razer Blade 16

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art Has Nvidia just started a new hardware war for creatives?

Evercade EXP-R; a black handheld retro console

I'm confused by Evercade's new retro console (but I still want one)

By Ian Dean published

Gaming The Evercade EXP-R looks visionary, but who's it for?

iPad mirroring Windows laptop display using Duet Display

How to use an iPad as a drawing tablet with a PC

By Jon Stapley published

Tools Want to use an iPad as a drawing tablet with a PC? There are a number of ways to do it

Zapbox hands on; two men in a room, one using a AR headset

I tried Zapbox, it's like Vision Pro AR without the wild price tag

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art Your iPhone can be a Vision Pro.

Harold Halibut review; two characters look at a diver

Harold Halibut review: this stop motion sci-fi life aquatic won’t be for everyone

By Ian Dean published

game development A wonderfully handcrafted game, but you'll need to persevere.

Best CGI movies of the 80s; a neon street in the film Tron

The best CGI movies of the '80s - VFX that changed filmmaking

By Ian Dean published

VFX Iconic CGI visual effects from TRON to Star Wars.

Our Brilliant Ruin transmedia; a party scene

Designing the giddy Art Nouveau fantasy world of new game Our Brilliant Ruin

By Ian Dean published

game development "We've embraced the chaos," says art director Andy Foltz.