Meet the Team - Dániel Kovács

Throughout 2019 we have been introducing you to key members of our team to share insights from many perspectives on what it is like to work on Cubicle 7's award winning RPGs. We hope these posts have offered you a glimpse behind the curtains! Our team includes producers, editors, artists, graphic designers, sales, marketing, operations and customer service staff as well as many freelancers. Led by CEO Dominic McDowall and Director Elaine Connolly, our team has evolved significantly in the past eighteen months and we hope you continue to follow our journey in 2020! 

‘I am lucky enough to work on some of the best fantasy IPs out there with awesome colleagues. I never in my life thought I would be illustrating the worlds that I became so enamoured with as a child!’

Dániel Kovács, Cubicle 7 artist

This week we would like to introduce you to Dániel Kovács, one of Cubicle 7’s talented in-house artists and illustrators, as he shares his excitement and passion describing what it’s like to work on some of Cubicle 7’s RPGs. From Hungary, Dániel’s experience in mobile gaming as well as working freelance across a range of artistic fields, from video games to traditional drawing, is a welcome addition to our creative team. His love of fantasy shines through in his incredible artwork.  

If there was a common ground for C7 staff, it probably would be their fascination with the fantasy genre from an early age. For me, it was the ‘Dragonlance Chronicles’ by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman that got the ball rolling, followed by The Lord of the Rings and many other great titles.

However, I wanted to learn art because I wanted to be a concept artist for video games and film. (We had a lot of fun developing some indie games with my high school buddies, I started out doing 3D but gravitated towards 2D art later on.) After a few years of practice at home with smaller freelance gigs on the side, I learned the industry ropes in a mobile gaming company while working on my own illustration pieces in my free time. (I’d like to give a shoutout to Dávid Kozma here, who was the best mentor I could have ever hoped for, he gave me really valuable artistic guidance.)

Last winter was the turning point for me, I saw that C7 was looking for freelance and in-house artists. I applied immediately. As it turned out, concept art (especially concept art for AAA games, which I had the chance to try out in Bucharest, Romania) wasn’t my cup of tea. The lack of time to finish artwork, all the necessary shortcuts you need to use to meet deadlines, etc., was too restrictive. I wanted to do more traditional illustration (if we can consider digital illustration traditional at all), with room to breathe, think and experiment. Working freelance for the company was an amazing experience, it gave me the chance to create the first few (like, ever) character artworks for Age of Sigmar. (Oh my, what a project to start out with!) I am happy with the artwork process from start to finish, and enjoy seeing the artwork through completion. I have our producer, Emmet Byrne to thank for that, he provided me with really thorough and valuable feedback all the way.

Now that I’m working for Cubicle 7 full time, I am lucky enough to work on some of the best fantasy IPs out there with awesome colleagues. I never in my life thought I would be illustrating the worlds that I became so enamoured with as a child!

As with any new job, I still have a lot of things to learn, and I am definitely eager to do so. I think figure drawing skills are the most important thing in the type of illustration I am doing, as the expressions and gestures as well as capturing the emotions are the key elements in a great composition. It’s a very hard goal to strive for. I cannot count the number of times I felt stuck and clueless, but with a bit of practice and going back to the fundamentals helps me get out of a rut. 

Joining Cubicle 7 was probably the best decision of my career so far, this is a company I could grow old working for. Great colleagues, who I can always learn a lot from, new and exciting projects always on the horizon! As well as illustrating worlds I would get lost in for days and days as a kid, it doesn’t get better than that!

As it's the Holiday Season, it is the perfect time to catch up on our previous 'Meet the Team' posts! They are all linked below!

Pádraig Murphy, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay producer. Read on here!

Kieran Murphy, Head of Operations and Fulfilment. Catch up here!

Ben Scerri, C7 Writer. Read on here!

T.S. Luikart, Designer and Logistics Manager. Catch up here!

Jacob Rogers, C7 Writer. Read on here!

Síne Quinn, Editor. Catch up here!

Graeme Davis, legendary Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game Designer. Read on here!

JG O’Donoghue, C7 Artist. Catch up here!

Ceíre O’ Donoghue, Operations Manager. Read on here!

Chris Walz, Editor. Catch up Here!

Walt Ciechanowski, C7 Writer. Read on here!

Sam Manley, C7 Artist. Catch up here!