For anyone looking for digital art inspiration, the work of the Concept Art Awards 2025 winners is a great place to start. We recently published the full list of winning pieces. The headline awards went to artwork created for some of the year's biggest movies, series and games, including Wicked and KPop Demon Hunters. But the CAA also recognises artistic talent in independent projects.
That's the aim of the CAA Beacon Awards. These celebrate artists creating original work outside of official studio projects in three categories: Environment, Creature and Storyboard. The Beacon Award for Environment went to L.O.E by Jonathan del Rosario AKA JDR.
The LA-based artist entered the field in 2022, and he has gone on to work in visual sevelopment at Dreamworks. Influenced by films like Requiem for a Dream and directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson, he says he aims to create images with a similar emotional energy and impact. Below he shows us three examples.
Hi-score
This piece was inspired by JDR's childhood memories or arcades. “I focus on energy and movement, using bold brush strokes over a 3D base to shape lighting and depth,” he says of his technique. His tools of choice are Photoshop, Blender and ZBrush (see our guides to the best digital art software and 3D modelling software).
Hainanese chicken
“This was inspired by the small food restaurants that I visited in Singapore. I wanted this piece to feel lived-in and honest, like a place you’d return to for comfort. I always order Hainanese chicken rice.”
Moving in
“I wanted to convey the uneasy feeling of moving – how everything feels slightly off-balance and temporary,” JDR says of this piece. “The warped car and tilted perspective push that sensation of discomfort, emphasising that you haven’t settled yet.”
You can see more of JDR's work on his ArtStation profile.
For more inspiration, see our piece on how to create concept art by Marvel Studio artist Rodney Fuentebella as well as George Brad's concept art fundamentals.
Creative gear to get started
If you need the gear to start developing your own concept art, don't miss our comparison of the best drawing tablets, or see below for current deals on drawing tablets that we've reviewed.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
