FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Illustration

Anime, NeoWave, and Adventure Meet in the Art of Oska

The graphic artist Oska describes the influence and process behind his surreal, neo-futurist creations.
A lone figure stares down a mega-structure in “Reality Check”. All photos and artwork by and courtesy of Oska/Gabriel Levesque

A faceless giant stares down at a small figure, a hooded shade hovers in the forest, and a thousand pathways peel off into space. Conjuring images reminiscent of everything from Dalí to Tron to Blade Runner to Myst, the work of Gabriel Levesque (better known as Oska) combines surrealism and neo-futurism with a dash of anime. Making original creative works and album art commissions for musicians, Oska pushes clean design and simplicity into the sometimes “maxed-out” world of neon sci-fi NeoWave. The Instagram darling gave The Creators Project a window into his influences, the creative process, inspiration, and creating small scenarios to help motivate the work.

Advertisement
Haywyre - Endlessly - Artcover.png

Geometric structures dominate this artcover for Haywyre’s 'Endlessly'

Oska attempts to create “worlds in which I'd personally love to go and explore. That is also why in most cases I will include a contemplative silhouette; like putting myself (or the viewer) inside the landscapes.” He uses a multi-medium approach to making art, starting, “by making a very rough sketch of the composition, and depending on the project, I might jump in Cinema4D [3D rendering program] to create a base for my illustrations. But most of the time I work directly in Photoshop, where I'll start by drawing the main shapes and gradually add details to them.”

Discovery.png

“…I will include a contemplative silhouette; like putting myself (or the viewer) inside the landscapes,” says Oska, as exemplified in this piece, Discovery

Though viewers can trace all sorts of visual references, Oska’s most inspired by the work of Kilian Eng. “I'm a huge fan of his work, and the ‘atmosphere’ he sets in his artworks is just sublime and enchanting. I feel like what really influences my ideas the most is space and our mind/consciousness. We know so little about them, I think that's why I'm naturally drawn towards those themes in my work; I want to find my own answers to the questions they offer us, such as ‘who are we?’ and ‘why are we here?’ for example. I find those questions to be incredibly inspiring.”

UZUAZO - You Should Know This - Artcover.png

A figure seems lost in this artcover for UZUAZO’s “You Should Know This”

There’s also a narrative quality to the pieces Oska produces. From characters standing at the precipice of a sprawling mega-city to a journeyman in a molten landscape, the pieces seem to ooze story. “I create small scenarios in my mind every time I work on a piece,” the artist explains. “Nothing too extreme, but it helps me come up with ideas. I also really hope that my work can evoke stories in the viewer’s mind, I personally love those pieces that can pull that off and take you on an adventure.”

Advertisement

Follow along with Oska’s adventure via Instagram. Find your next favorite artist on The Creators Project's Instagram feed.

Related:

NeoWave Posters Resurrect Psychedelic Space Art

Trip to 'Epsilon,' a Sci-Fi Base Station on an Alien Planet

Futuristic 3D Love and the Museum of Virtual Art