Marko Djurdjevic
Encyclopedia
Marko Djurdjević is a German
illustrator
and concept artist of Serbia
n descent, best known for his character designs. He currently works for Marvel Comics
, and has produced a large body of cover art
, as well as promotional designs, character concepts, and interior artwork. He currently resides in Berlin
, Germany
with his wife Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic.
Germany. As a child he exhibited a talent for drawing, inspired by cartoons such as He-Man
. Visual art was not encouraged in his household, and so Djurdjevic was forced to teach himself how to develop his abilities. As a boy he was unaware that other artists he admired often used pictures and photos to draw inspiration from, assuming that they made it up out of their heads. This later contributed to his not using any references in his work process, relying on a visual library that was developed through memorization. When Marko was 11, he discovered Burne Hogarth
's book Dynamic Anatomy (1958), a major turning point in his self-education. Studying the guide for two years, Djurdjevic then put the book away and began to add a layer of realism to his drawings. He used what he learned from Hogarth as a foundation, while at the same time pulling ideas from his everyday life observations.
As a teenager, Djurdjević became influenced by American
comic books such as Spider-Man
, a foreshadowing of his later career as a Marvel Comics illustrator. He rejected the comic style of drawing a couple of years later, citing it as "too stylized" and "exaggerated", which was contrary to his training early on. At the age of 17, Marko began working professionally as an illustrator. He mostly produced black and white drawings for tabletop rpg companies such as White Wolf, Inc.
and FanPro Games.
. The two had been creating a network of friends through their website, and were in the process of forming a company devoted to producing concept art for videogame companies and the film
industry. Djurdjević was offered a position in the group as a senior concept artist, focusing on human character and creature design. He accepted and became one of the original members of the company now known as Massive Black.
Massive Black started off as a group of professionals who collaborated over the internet. As more projects developed, the company was forced to create a physical headquarters in San Francisco, California
. Djurdjevic left his home country and moved to the U.S., where he resided for the next 3½ years. During this time, the conceptart.org community leaders and professional instructors began to hold workshops in various locations, with the intention of teaching fledgling artists directly. This served as a way of connecting with the artistic community that the website had formed on a more intimate level. Through the events, Djurdjevic garnered attention as a generous, and enthusiastic teacher. He many times stated how important teaching was to him, never having had a teacher when he was younger. Marko's prolific nature, hard work ethic, and emphasis on quality turned him into an extremely popular artist within the industry and on the conceptart.org's forums.
In 2004, Djurdjević was contacted by Christian Gunther to work on a post-apocalyptic themed rpg known as Degenesis. Gunther had previously released the game in 2001, but it received little attention. Gunther was hoping that a revision of the game, along with a strong artistic direction, would give the game a larger audience. Djurdjević was commissioned to design most of the game's look, as well as the bulk of its interior artwork and character designs. This project allowed Djurdjević to showcase his ability to create original, yet believable worlds on a large scale. He quickly became associated with the style of the characters in the game, with their asymmetrical designs, horrific themes, and focus on gesture. Marko often stated that the post-apocalyptic genre was his favorite genre to work in.
Djurdjević continued to work in California as a concept artist for the next few years. The founders of the conceptart.org website decided to start developing tutorial DVD's that could be sold to the general public. Marko was asked to be the first artist to produce a DVD, showcasing his process and intuitive ability to create game characters from start to finish. He accepted. Around this time, Djurdjević (at the urging of his friend Nic Klein), re-created 18 characters from a long-time favorite series of theirs, the X-Men
. Djurdjevic finished the drawings in a mere three days, and posted them on the conceptart.org forums. The response was huge, and Djurdjević was immediately flooded with fan and hate mail over the creations. The designs increased his popularity online, and the characters were eventually discovered by an editor working at Marvel Comics. The sketches were well-received by the company, so they contacted Djurdjević and offered him an exclusive contract to produce illustrations for some of their title's covers. He accepted the offer after producing a test cover for the series X-23
.
Unknown to the community that had helped skyrocket his popularity, Djurdjević had fallen in love with an artist named Jelena. The opportunity to sustain himself through his illustration work with Marvel caused Djurdjević to give up his job as a concept artist for Massive Black and move back to Germany to be with Jelena. The two were married shortly after his return to Europe
. At the end of 2006, Massive Black released the DVD Character Ideation. This event cemented Djurdjević as a world-renowned artist.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and concept artist of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n descent, best known for his character designs. He currently works for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, and has produced a large body of cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
, as well as promotional designs, character concepts, and interior artwork. He currently resides in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with his wife Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic.
Early life and work
Djurdjević was born in KoblenzKoblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
Germany. As a child he exhibited a talent for drawing, inspired by cartoons such as He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
. Visual art was not encouraged in his household, and so Djurdjevic was forced to teach himself how to develop his abilities. As a boy he was unaware that other artists he admired often used pictures and photos to draw inspiration from, assuming that they made it up out of their heads. This later contributed to his not using any references in his work process, relying on a visual library that was developed through memorization. When Marko was 11, he discovered Burne Hogarth
Burne Hogarth
Burne Hogarth was an American cartoonist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his pioneering work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books.-Biography:...
's book Dynamic Anatomy (1958), a major turning point in his self-education. Studying the guide for two years, Djurdjevic then put the book away and began to add a layer of realism to his drawings. He used what he learned from Hogarth as a foundation, while at the same time pulling ideas from his everyday life observations.
As a teenager, Djurdjević became influenced by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic books such as Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, a foreshadowing of his later career as a Marvel Comics illustrator. He rejected the comic style of drawing a couple of years later, citing it as "too stylized" and "exaggerated", which was contrary to his training early on. At the age of 17, Marko began working professionally as an illustrator. He mostly produced black and white drawings for tabletop rpg companies such as White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
and FanPro Games.
Conceptart.org, Massive Black, and Degenesis
Djurdjević continued working in Germany as an illustrator for the next few years, building upon his personal style which took on an almost sketch-like quality while retaining anatomical accuracy. He was convinced by a friend to begin posting some of his designs and pictures on a relatively new online art community called conceptart.org. He gained immediate recognition for his ability to conjure extremely believable figures from his imagination in a short amount of time. Djurdjević's popularity was noticed by the founding members of conceptart.org, Jason Manley and Andrew JonesAndrew Jones (Artist)
Andrew Jones is a U.S. visual artist working in the fields of concept art for movies and video-games, fashion design, body painting, illustration and digital performances...
. The two had been creating a network of friends through their website, and were in the process of forming a company devoted to producing concept art for videogame companies and the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
industry. Djurdjević was offered a position in the group as a senior concept artist, focusing on human character and creature design. He accepted and became one of the original members of the company now known as Massive Black.
Massive Black started off as a group of professionals who collaborated over the internet. As more projects developed, the company was forced to create a physical headquarters in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Djurdjevic left his home country and moved to the U.S., where he resided for the next 3½ years. During this time, the conceptart.org community leaders and professional instructors began to hold workshops in various locations, with the intention of teaching fledgling artists directly. This served as a way of connecting with the artistic community that the website had formed on a more intimate level. Through the events, Djurdjevic garnered attention as a generous, and enthusiastic teacher. He many times stated how important teaching was to him, never having had a teacher when he was younger. Marko's prolific nature, hard work ethic, and emphasis on quality turned him into an extremely popular artist within the industry and on the conceptart.org's forums.
In 2004, Djurdjević was contacted by Christian Gunther to work on a post-apocalyptic themed rpg known as Degenesis. Gunther had previously released the game in 2001, but it received little attention. Gunther was hoping that a revision of the game, along with a strong artistic direction, would give the game a larger audience. Djurdjević was commissioned to design most of the game's look, as well as the bulk of its interior artwork and character designs. This project allowed Djurdjević to showcase his ability to create original, yet believable worlds on a large scale. He quickly became associated with the style of the characters in the game, with their asymmetrical designs, horrific themes, and focus on gesture. Marko often stated that the post-apocalyptic genre was his favorite genre to work in.
X-Men Re-designs, Character Ideation, and Marvel
]Djurdjević continued to work in California as a concept artist for the next few years. The founders of the conceptart.org website decided to start developing tutorial DVD's that could be sold to the general public. Marko was asked to be the first artist to produce a DVD, showcasing his process and intuitive ability to create game characters from start to finish. He accepted. Around this time, Djurdjević (at the urging of his friend Nic Klein), re-created 18 characters from a long-time favorite series of theirs, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. Djurdjevic finished the drawings in a mere three days, and posted them on the conceptart.org forums. The response was huge, and Djurdjević was immediately flooded with fan and hate mail over the creations. The designs increased his popularity online, and the characters were eventually discovered by an editor working at Marvel Comics. The sketches were well-received by the company, so they contacted Djurdjević and offered him an exclusive contract to produce illustrations for some of their title's covers. He accepted the offer after producing a test cover for the series X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
.
Unknown to the community that had helped skyrocket his popularity, Djurdjević had fallen in love with an artist named Jelena. The opportunity to sustain himself through his illustration work with Marvel caused Djurdjević to give up his job as a concept artist for Massive Black and move back to Germany to be with Jelena. The two were married shortly after his return to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. At the end of 2006, Massive Black released the DVD Character Ideation. This event cemented Djurdjević as a world-renowned artist.
Marvel
- Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
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#1 (2010) - AvengersAvengers (comics)The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
: The Children Crusade #1 (2010) - Black PantherBlack Panther (comics)The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
, vol. 4, #1 (2009) - BladeBlade (comics)Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
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(2009) - The Hood, miniseries, #1-5 (2009)
- The List - Avengers (cover and interior art) (2009)
- Fantastic Four
- Dark Wolverine #75 (2009)
- Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural (2009)
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#600-603, Giant-Size Finale #1 (covers and interior pencil art) (2009-10) - Thor: Ages of Thunder, miniseries, #1 (2010)
- Thor: Man of War (2010)
- Thor: Reign of Blood (2008)
- Thor, vol. 3, #7-8 (interior pencil art)
- Thunderbolts #110-121, 144-147 (2007-10)
- Ultimate Captain AmericaUltimate Captain AmericaUltimate Captain America is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is an alternative version of the mainstream Marvel continuity Captain America that appears in Marvel's Ultimate line of books...
Annual #1 (interior pencil art) (2008) - Ultimate Hulk Annual #1 (interior pencil art) (2008)
- Ultimate Fallout, miniseries, #1-6 (variants) (2011-)
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, vol. 2, #73 (2009) - Wolverine: OriginsWolverine: OriginsWolverine: Origins is a comic book series written by Daniel Way, published by Marvel Comics and starring Wolverine. Steve Dillon drew the series from the first issue through issue #25.-Publication history:...
#13-19 (2007-08) - Wolverine: Weapon XWolverine: Weapon XWolverine: Weapon X is a 2009 comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the superhero Wolverine. The series is written by Jason Aaron, writing his first ongoing series starring Wolverine after writing several one-shot and limited series featuring the Marvel mainstay character...
#2 (2009)
External links
- Six More Vodka - Official site
- Six More Vodka - Blogspot
- Catalog on Marvel.com
- Marko Djurdjevic on the Marvel Database Wikia
- CGchannel interview
- Marko Djurdjevic Pen & Paper Art Gallery