Ian Dean

Ian Dean

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & Design at Creative Bloq. Ian is the former editor of many leading magazines, including digital art focused ImagineFX and 3D World and leading video game title Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched the magazine X360 in 2005 and has relaunched many others. In his early career Ian wrote for music and film magazines, including Uncut, SFX, and assisted on The Idler. With over 25 years' experience in both print and online journalism, Ian has worked on many leading video game and digital art brands. With a passion for video games and art, Ian combines his loves to bring the latest news on NFTs, video game art and tech, and more to Creative Bloq. In his spare time he doodles in Corel Painter, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5. He's also a keen Cricut user and laser cutter fan, and is currently crafting on Glowforge and xTools M1.


Articles by: Ian Dean

AI animation

Lazy AI animation needs to to be stopped

By Ian Dean published

Animation But it isn't going anywhere yet.

Remedy logo; a red logo in a wood

Gamers can't get enough of Remedy Entertainment's new logo

By Ian Dean published

Logos Finally, a rebrand everyone likes.

portrait paintings; a painted eye

These modern portrait paintings are inspired

By Ian Dean published

Digital Art And you can own them.

Warner Bros logo; elvis

I love these inventive Warner Bros logo variants

By Ian Dean published

Design Spot your favourite?

animation rules; director del toro peers through a window of a model

The 8 rules of movie animation, according to Guillermo del Toro

By Trevor Hogg published

Animation The rules of animation everyone should know, according to filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

PSVR 2 VR Skater; a render of a skateboard being kick-flipped

Is VR Skater the best thing to happen to PSVR 2?

By Ian Dean published

Design Wheely good game design.

PS5 rumours; a render of a PS5 handheld

Is this really what a PS5 handheld would look like?

By Ian Dean published

Design I'm not convinced by this fan render.

Affinity Publisher, one of the best InDesign alternatives

The 7 best InDesign alternatives to try in 2023

By Tom May published

Software The best Adobe InDesign alternatives that don't require a subscription.

ROG Ally; a white handheld PC games console with an angular design

ASUS's ROG Ally looks like the Tesla Cybertruck of video games consoles

By Ian Dean published

Video games (And I think I like it.)

Nreal Air AR glasses; a pair of black AR glasses on a wooden table

I tried Nreal Air, and I finally get AR glasses

By Ian Dean published

AR AR glasses you'll actually find a use for.

NFT collection; a cartoon scene of weird characters

How to launch an NFT collection in 2023

By Ian Dean published

Art Thinking of releasing an NFT collection? Matthew Liu, co-founder of Origin Story, shares his advice.

Best sublimation printers; two white printers on a yellow background

The best sublimation printers April 2023

By Ian Dean published

Design We have the best sublimation printers, whether you need a t-shirt sublimation printer or one for creating art.

Unreal Engine 5 plugins; a woodland scene rendered in Unreal Engine 5

The best Unreal Engine 5 plugins

By Paul Hatton published

Video games The essential Unreal Engine 5 plugins will take your video games to a whole new level.

BAFTA Game Award winners; a photo of a BAFTA award, a golden face

Why God of War's BAFTA Game Awards upset is a huge deal

By Ian Dean published

Video games A shock result, but what does it mean?

Maya Creative review; a cottage in a leafy forest

Maya Creative review: cheap and accessible but lacks features

By Paul Hatton published

Design Autodesk releases Maya Creative, a new low-cost edition of its leading 3D software. Is it right for you?

CG scattering tools; a forest of trees

The best CG scattering tools for 3D artists

By Paul Hatton published

3D Speed up your CG workflow with the best scattering tools for Cinema4D, V-Ray and more.

AI art banned in video games; a zombie on a beach

AI art is now banned in video games - can it last?

By Ian Dean published

Video games Game over, maybe.

New design shape; an optical illusion

This shape never existed before (and I'm mesmerised)

By Ian Dean published

Design What does it mean for design?

Blender 3.1 review; a cartoon girl holds a smiling mushroom

Blender 3.1 review: keeps getting better, and it's still free

By Paul Hatton published

3D modelling Faster than ever before, Blender is recommended.

OctaneRender 2022 review; a colourful forest scene rendered in OctaneRender

OctaneRender 2022.1 review: a confusing release schedule, but faster than ever

By Paul Hatton published

3D Lacks some promised features, but OctaneRender 2022.1 is a fast and stable real-time renderer.

FIFA 23 women; a bad model of a FIFA player

Footballers react in horror at their FIFA 23 characters

By Ian Dean published

Video games It's all kicking off.

ZBrush 2023 review; a complex street scene modelling in ZBrush

ZBrush 2023 review: digital sculpting has never been easier

By Paul Hatton published

VFX New tools and Redhshift integration ensures ZBrush remains the industry's best sculpting software.

Unity; a pair of characters in a cyberpunk scene

Unity 2023: discovering the next-gen CG tech every artist needs

By Paul Hatton published

Design Exploring the latest updates to Unity 3D software, one of the leading real-time creation tools for video games, VFX and more.

The Amazon logo on a cloudy background

NFTs aren't dead, and Amazon's new digital art gallery could prove it

By Ian Dean published

NFTs Will a new NFT marketplace launch next month?

PSVR 2 Horizon Call of the Mountain; a hand reaches for a rope

Horizon Call of the Mountain review: shows off PSVR 2 perfectly

By Oscar Taylor-Kent published

Video games A physical workout for PlayStation VR 2 gamers.

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