Since the release of Fortnite, the gaming industry has seen an expediential growth in the popularity of cosmetic items. This is in large part to the daily Fortnite Item Shop, which has constantly innovated the scene and continues to every day, especially with the release of the Marvel-themed battle pass.
Now more than ever are we also seeing artists showcase their work all over social media, and some have even been graced with the opportunity to have their art featured within Fortnite.
One artist, in particular, has seen a metric rise in their social media following; and has risen to become one of the most well-known concept artists.
'D3NNI' now bolsters over 35,000 Twitter followers and has aspirations of one day getting his art into Fortnite.
We spoke to D3NNI, to get a better sense of what it takes to make this concept art; along with the community reaction to his concepts.
Here's our full interview and be sure to check out D3NNI all over social media at the following links.
Twitter: @D3NNI_ytEpic Support A Creator Code: DenniD3NNI's full art portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/d3nni
Q: First off for those who do not know; tell us a little bit about yourself. What you do, background and why you have over 35,000 Twitter followers!
D3NNI: Hi I’m Denni aka D3NNI on Twitter! I’m a thumbnail artist & aspiring 3D concept artist. I mainly do Fortnite related art & it’s my dream to one day work for Epic Games! I’m 22, born & currently living in Montreal, Canada. To answer your question on why I have 35k, I have no idea. I guess people really like my art!
Q: Being a Fortnite concept artist/thumbnail designer is a competitive industry, especially with the landscape of YouTube. How would you describe your style of art, and why does it stand out compared to other artists?
D3NNI: I personally think I stand out because I’m always coming up with new ideas & new ways to innovate things that may be overdone or that people have seen before. I always go the extra mile to make sure what I create is unique & my own. This art scene is very competitive though and I find my style to be copied by others quite often, but I take that as a compliment! It’s always cool to be the one to start trends haha.
D3NNI's concept art is among the best we have seen in the Fortnite community
Q: Some of your concept Fortnite skins have exploded in Twitter popularity in recent months. Most notably your Academy Calamity collection which granted you a feature article by Forbes themselves. How has the public reception been to your concept art, as well what motivates you to continue designing skins?
D3NNI: The public reception has been absolutely crazy lately.. but in a good way! I seriously never expected to get that kind of reaction for Academy Calamity & some other recent concepts. The support & love seriously warms my heart so much and motivates me to create more. Another main motivation of mine is to get Epic’s attention so that one day I could potentially get a skin concept of my own into the game!
Q: We have seen Fortnite artists have their concepts implemented into the game from time to time. What skin that you have personally designed or have an idea of would you like to see added into Fortnite?
D3NNI: If I were to choose what got in, I’d have to say Academy Calamity. She is by far my favorite design that I’ve made so far! And of course... maybe one of my Ariana Grande skin concepts... but that most likely won’t ever happen LOL
D3NNI's Academy Calamity skin propelled his social media following
Q: Talk me through the process of designing one of your Fortnite skins, what applications do you prefer to use, and how long does it take to typically make a concept?
D3NNI: I first come up with the idea in my head. I look through the hundreds of existing Fortnite skins to get some reference. I then put together all the pieces and sculpt the 3d model to my liking. Once everything is put together exactly how I want it, I move onto texturing/materials! I really try to keep the Fortnite aesthetic when texturing as my goal is to keep the look as authentic as possible. When starting out, I used to use Cinema 4D. I have fully moved onto Blender this year and it’s been a blast. For texturing, I mainly use Photoshop. I recently started using Substance Painter / Zbrush for textures/materials & custom sculpted models. Those two programs have been a total game changer! Time really depends on how complex my idea is. If a skin has multiple styles, it could take up to a week to fully complete. If it’s just one standalone skin, I’d say around 2-3 days.
Q: Back to the notion of getting skin in Fortnite, has Epic ever contacted you regarding adding one of your designs into the game?
D3NNI: Epic has unfortunately not contacted me yet, but I still have hope! Just gonna keep working hard towards my dream. I’m determined to get there one day! :D
Q: Do you have any long term plans when it comes to designing art, would you want to work at a game studio down the line. Or would you want to continue freelancing working on projects for creators and YouTubers?
D3NNI: I’d love to be able to still keep my job making thumbnails, but also design skin concepts during my free time. Preferably I’d like to do both of those from home for now, but in the future when the world goes back to normal, it would be cool to potentially work in a game studio!
Q: Thanks again for taking part in this interview! Do you have any shoutouts you want to give or say anything to your rising fan base?
D3NNI: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure answering your questions and I’m honored that you want to feature me in an article. As for some last words, shoutout to my very close friend Sharktoofs, you’re amazing & super inspiring! To my followers, I know I’m away from twitter right now, but I am working very hard on a new concept & i’ll be posting it sometime soon! Keep an eye out ;)
We cannot wait to see D3NNi has in store for the community next, and he is certainly an artist that deserves a skin to be featured in Fortnite soon.
Keep an eye out on him within the near future!
As well, D3NNI's friend Sharktoofs is another concept artist that can be found here!