We worked with Hungarian artist Dániel Taylor and Sony Interactive Entertainment to create a unique new art print for thatgamecompany's Journey, celebrating the video game's 7th anniversary! The unique, emotional and moving experience that the game presents and minimalist art & design direction have made Journey a modern classic and a staple of museum exhibitions about art and games.
Artist Daniel Taylor (@mrtaylordani), known for his dreamlike and surreal illustrations, seemed like the perfect artist to us capture the magic of Journey in a beautiful new art print. We interviewed Dániel and asked him a few question about himself and his inspiration for the Journey illustration he created.
Cook and Becker: Firstly, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Dániel: My name is Dániel Taylor and I live in Budapest, Hungary. I’ve always been an artistic person, but I only started to actively pursue it as a career a few years ago.
We only came in contact with each other late last year. You actually found us before we found you and your work.
Yeah, I follow Daniel Isles (DirtyRobot) on Instagram and I saw that he collaborated with you on a print for SEGA. I thought that was cool and that is how I found your website. A couple of emails later, and we were on our way to working together.
What was your motivation for wanting to do a Journey art print?
I actually only recently played the game as I didn’t have a console at the time when it came out, but I really liked the feel and world it took place in. Also some of my personal artworks from last year resonated with this feeling when I was creating those.
Having grown up in Hungary, can you tell us something about how you became and artist? And what games did you grow up playing? How did they influence you?
Honestly, I don’t think Hungary is a very art oriented country. None of my friends work in this industry and it’s definitely not as appreciated as it is in other countries. I think the only reason I really got into it is because I watched a lot of foreign cartoons as a kid, for example "Batman: The Animated Series". Also my Dad used to do a lot of airbrush paintings when he was younger and I thought those were really cool.
As for games, we had a SEGA console which I loved. I played a lot of Streets Of Rage, Sonic, Mortal Kombat, Altered Beasts, X-Men and a lot of games I can’t remember the name from anymore. I still play games, but not nearly as much as I used to as a kid.
What was your main inspiration for the illustration you made?
I wanted to create something a bit different, to use a night scene for my Journey artwork. I first started to create an image that pictures a usual sunny day in the desert, that type of warm image you associate with the game. But I just wasn’t liking how it was coming along and decided to scrap that whole idea. I then sent over a sketch with the new idea of a night-time setting and luckily that received a positive response, so I continued to work on it.
Can you tell us about your style and how it has developed most over the past years?
A few years ago I only did photo manipulations, montages and did barely any drawing or painting. Luckily, I got bored of that quickly and picked up some 3D softwares which helped me a lot. I have this workflow wherein I use 3D to help me explore a scene from different angles, lighting conditions or compositions without having to rework everything from scratch.
What do you look for when deciding on a commissioned work?
If it’s something I’m really interested in and also pays well then that’s perfect :). But usually you have to choose from one or the other. I've had clients who weren’t paying as much, but I really liked the project so I decided to work on it for less than usual.
What question do you wish people would ask you but they never do?
“Do you want my 500 million dollars?”
The fine art print Journey (2019) comes in a standard-size limited edition of 150 and a large limited edition of 12. Both prints are available in our online store.
Artist Daniel Taylor (@mrtaylordani), known for his dreamlike and surreal illustrations, seemed like the perfect artist to us capture the magic of Journey in a beautiful new art print. We interviewed Dániel and asked him a few question about himself and his inspiration for the Journey illustration he created.
Cook and Becker: Firstly, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Dániel: My name is Dániel Taylor and I live in Budapest, Hungary. I’ve always been an artistic person, but I only started to actively pursue it as a career a few years ago.
We only came in contact with each other late last year. You actually found us before we found you and your work.
Yeah, I follow Daniel Isles (DirtyRobot) on Instagram and I saw that he collaborated with you on a print for SEGA. I thought that was cool and that is how I found your website. A couple of emails later, and we were on our way to working together.
What was your motivation for wanting to do a Journey art print?
I actually only recently played the game as I didn’t have a console at the time when it came out, but I really liked the feel and world it took place in. Also some of my personal artworks from last year resonated with this feeling when I was creating those.
Having grown up in Hungary, can you tell us something about how you became and artist? And what games did you grow up playing? How did they influence you?
Honestly, I don’t think Hungary is a very art oriented country. None of my friends work in this industry and it’s definitely not as appreciated as it is in other countries. I think the only reason I really got into it is because I watched a lot of foreign cartoons as a kid, for example "Batman: The Animated Series". Also my Dad used to do a lot of airbrush paintings when he was younger and I thought those were really cool.
As for games, we had a SEGA console which I loved. I played a lot of Streets Of Rage, Sonic, Mortal Kombat, Altered Beasts, X-Men and a lot of games I can’t remember the name from anymore. I still play games, but not nearly as much as I used to as a kid.
What was your main inspiration for the illustration you made?
I wanted to create something a bit different, to use a night scene for my Journey artwork. I first started to create an image that pictures a usual sunny day in the desert, that type of warm image you associate with the game. But I just wasn’t liking how it was coming along and decided to scrap that whole idea. I then sent over a sketch with the new idea of a night-time setting and luckily that received a positive response, so I continued to work on it.
Can you tell us about your style and how it has developed most over the past years?
A few years ago I only did photo manipulations, montages and did barely any drawing or painting. Luckily, I got bored of that quickly and picked up some 3D softwares which helped me a lot. I have this workflow wherein I use 3D to help me explore a scene from different angles, lighting conditions or compositions without having to rework everything from scratch.
What do you look for when deciding on a commissioned work?
If it’s something I’m really interested in and also pays well then that’s perfect :). But usually you have to choose from one or the other. I've had clients who weren’t paying as much, but I really liked the project so I decided to work on it for less than usual.
What question do you wish people would ask you but they never do?
“Do you want my 500 million dollars?”
The fine art print Journey (2019) comes in a standard-size limited edition of 150 and a large limited edition of 12. Both prints are available in our online store.