Raised in south Manchester and now studying Comic and Concept Art at Leeds Arts University, Josh Hyman has recently had one of his pieces featured in Artist Talk Magazine, a prominent art publication: “My cousin in America had been featured in a previous issue, so that’s how I came to know about it. I looked up the magazine and there was an open call for artists to be featured in it, so I submitted and got accepted.”
The piece takes inspiration from popular fantasy-based tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons: “This was a piece that I did for university. Personally, I think it’s one of the better ones that I’ve done. I’m very proud of it. It was one of those moments where you’re thinking ‘did I make this?’ The prompt for it was ‘a place of reflection’ which combines both spiritual and natural aspects. I went for a combination of mythology, magic, and fantasy, so I could combine a few of my interests.”
As a second-year student, Josh is constantly working on improving his artistic abilities: “I’m currently working on designing characters and storyboards from a story that’s told in a song in the film The Last Five Years. The song’s called The Schmuel Song. In it, one character is telling another a story they’ve made up, and the message of it is to not give up. I’ve just started so I don’t know where it will go yet, or if I’ll finish it or not. I’m very good at procrastination.”
Once he’s finished his degree, Josh has big plans for the future: “It’s extremely difficult to get into, but I’m hoping to find a way into being a character design or storyboard artist for companies like Pixar, DreamWorks, or Disney. That’s my current dream job.” You can see more of Josh’s art at Joshhymanart.squarespace.com or on Instagram @jhymanart04