Draft:Jesse van Dijk

Overview

Jesse van Dijk is regarded as one of the world's best digital landscape artists. In addition to having experience at prestigious game companies like Guerrilla Games, he is currently employed as an art director and concept artist at Bungie Studios in Seattle. Together with his personal endeavors, Van Dijk works as a freelancer for several big Hollywood publishers and film studios.

Biography

Jesse was born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in the year 1977. Art and design played a significant role in Jesse's childhood, and he eventually decided to fully peruse it as his full time career. He enrolled in Delft University of Technology to earn a master's degree in industrial design engineering, and then finished his degree in 2003. Prior to joining Guerrilla Games in 2009, he worked for a number of smaller game development teams following his education.

Artistic Career

His contribution to great video games like Guerrilla's Killzone series and Bungie’s Destiny titles is twofold. He promoted these games through his multitude of beautiful concept art of regions located within the respective game series. While working on destiny, his art truly began to hit its stride, and his work was getting a lot more recognizable. As art director at Bungie, he is responsible for the world building of the games destiny and destiny 2. Gameplay mechanics, user interface design, and art are often at odds with each other, and Van Dijk must ensure that in the end the game world works for the player. He must always remember not to go to overboard with his landscapes so the programmers who actually create the game itself can make sure the world can be optimized properly. Along side creating art for video game promotion, he is notorious as a freelance artist, for his many unique book covers and works in several magazine lines. Alongside his own art books which he created for Killzone Destiny and Destiny 2, and have all since been published.

Book Publications:

◆The Art of Killzone 3, Penguin books, 2011 ◆Digital Art Masters 6 - 3Dtotal, 2011 ◆Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 2 - Focal Press, 2010 ◆Exposé 8 - Ballistic Publishing, 2010 ◆Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 1 - Focal Press, 2009 ◆Exposé 7 - Ballistic Publishing, 2009 ◆Exposé 6 - Ballistic Publishing, 2008

Magazine specials:

◆Sci Fi Art Essentials (via ImagineFX, 2010) ◆Fantasy Art (via Advanced Photoshop Magazine, Dutch, 2010)

Various magazines:

◆Imagine FX, 2D artist mag, It's Art, Advanced Photoshop magazine.

Book cover illustrations:

◆2011 - Tad Williams - Schaduwereld 4, Schaduwhart ("Shadowheart"), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2011 - Adrian Stone - Rune, Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2011 - Alexander Lohmann - Ring der Elemente, Bastei Luebbe◆ 2011 - Wolfsblad 3 - Wolfsblad voor altijd ("Warlord", Hythrun Chronicles 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2011 - Blake Charlton - Spellbound (Spellwright Trilogy 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - De Dwergen - (Dwarves series 1, in Dutch), Luitingh Fantasy 2010 - Markus Heitz - De Strijd van de Dwergen (Dwarves series 1, in Dutch), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - De Wraak van de Dwergen (Dwarves series 1, in Dutch), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - Het Lot van de Dwergen (Dwarves series 1, in Dutch), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Paul Hoffman - Die linke Hand Gottes, Der Club◆ 2010 - Tad Williams - Schaduwereld 1, Schaduwgrens ("Shadowmarch"), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Tad Williams - Schaduwereld 2, Schaduwspel ("Shadowplay" / Shadowmarch 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Tad Williams - Schaduwereld 3, Schaduwval ("Shadowrise" / Shadowmarch 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Darren Shan - Stad van Slangen ("City of the Snakes", The City Trilogy 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Monika Felten - De Nevelelfen ("Die Nebelelfen", Saga von Thale 4), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Monika Felten - Elfenwake ("Die Hüterin des Elfenfeuers", Saga von Thale 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - Die Zwerge (Dwarves series 1, in German), Piper◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - Der Krieg der Zwerge (Dwarves series 2, in German), Piper◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - Der Rache der Zwerge (Dwarves series 3, in German), Piper◆ 2010 - Markus Heitz - Das Schicksal der Zwerge (Dwarves series 4, in German), Piper◆ 2010 - Blake Charlton - Taal der Spreuken (Spellwright Trilogy 1), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Jennifer Fallon - Damin Wolfsblad ("Warrior", Hythrun Chronicles 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Jennifer Fallon - Marla Wolfsblad ("Wolfblade", Hythrun Chronicles 1), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Alexander Lohmann - Lichtbringer, Bastei Luebbe◆ 2010 - Adrian Stone - Ziel van de Duivel, Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Karen Miller - De Hamer Gods ("Hammer of God", Godspeaker 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2010 - Karen Miller - Eiland van geheimen ("The Riven Kingdom", Godspeaker 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - Karen Miller - Keizerin ("Empress of Mijak", Godspeaker 1), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - Monika Felten - Elfenkracht ("Die Macht des Elfenfeuers", Saga von Thale 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - Monika Felten - Elvenvuur ("Elfenfeuer", Saga von Thale 1), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - D.B. Shan - Helse Horizon ("Hell's Horizon", The City Trilogy 2), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - Alexander Lohmann - Der Tag der Messer, Bastei Luebbe◆ 2009 - Adrian Stone - Zoon van de Duivel, Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2009 - Adrian Stone - Profeet van de Duivel, Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2008 - Sara Douglass - Sterredans ("Starman", Axis Trilogy 3), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2008 - D.B. Shan - Een stoet van doden ("Procession of the Dead", The City trilogy 1), Luitingh Fantasy◆ 2008 - Helmut Pesch - Der Ring der Zeit, Bastei Luebbe◆

Style and Influences

When it comes to inspiration, he takes most of it from real world places and landmarks. Including a large verity of a natural picture esc landscapes and cityscapes. Through his travels, he will frequently come across old landmarks such as old keeps, castles or towns such as Bruges in Belgium. His style is hyper realistic, with heavy saturation and a large emphasis on lighting. He mainly creates landscapes of alien worlds, ruined apocalyptic city's or massive battlefleets of flagships. He occasionally makes humanoid figures and faces to fill these scenes with, but most of the time they serve to make less of an impression than the backgrounds themselves.

Awards and Exhibitions

He has received multiple honors during his career in the field, and Kotaku.com named him "one of the best video game concept artists on the planet" in 2013 in recognition of his Destiny concept art. Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://www.cookandbecker.com/en/biography/7/jesse-van-dijk.html Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://medium.com/@conceptrootsocial/jesse-van-dijk-desinty-killzone-concept-artist-bef7288c1dc7 Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://jessevandijkart.com Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://jessevandijkart.com/about Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fjessevandijk Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://www.cookandbecker.com/en/artist/7/jesse-van-dijk.html Jon Matteo (talk) 22:02, 15 May 2024 (UTC)https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessevandijk/