Digital artist Carla Cordelia has made a name for herself by crafting evocative environment concepts that transport viewers into immersive worlds. Drawing inspiration from her travels across different countries and her deep appreciation for cinematic storytelling, Cordelia has developed a comprehensive approach to creating atmospheric art that serves as the backbone for movies and television series.
Cordelia's journey into environment design began with her childhood fascination with animated films like Ratatouille and How to Train Your Dragon. "When I watch a film, the thing that stands out to me are the environments. Places really set the mood of the entire movie," she explains. "Growing up, it was these movies that made me realize good world-building is what it takes to create an amazing, immersive film." This early inspiration shaped her understanding that environments are not just backdrops, but active participants in storytelling.
The foundation of Cordelia's approach lies in using environment design as a narrative tool. When designing locations in towns or cities, she considers the age of the place, the stories it has witnessed, and how well it has been maintained over time. "Has time worn it down, or left subtle marks? These questions shape how I build the scene," she notes. "No alleyway or shop is ever flawless – there are always cracks, scuffs and signs of wear. Those small imperfections add authenticity and depth, turning an ordinary setting into one that feels alive and rich with narrative."
Film and television continue to serve as primary sources of inspiration for Cordelia's work. She actively watches movies and TV series, paying close attention to the emotions and thoughts that surface during the viewing experience. "I never know what emotions or thoughts will surface during the experience, but I pay attention to them closely. From there, I like to build a story around that initial feeling or impression," she explains. This method helps her bring fresh emotional depth into her paintings, creating environments that resonate with viewers on a visceral level.
Real-world reference gathering forms another crucial component of Cordelia's creative process. During her travels, she photographs signs, shops, streets, and alleyways, prioritizing her own references over generic online images. "Doing this reminds me of how the space felt and the emotions I experienced walking through it. That memory gives my location more authenticity and a stronger sense of presence," she says. One of her favorite compliments is when viewers say they could see themselves walking through the places she creates or feel as if they've actually been there.
Cordelia advocates for maintaining flexibility during the initial block-in stage of painting. Rather than planning every detail from the start, she begins with broad concepts like "a night matsuri" or "a marketplace with small vendors," allowing the piece to develop organically. "Part of the enjoyment, for me, is discovering elements along the way," she explains. "This approach keeps the process flexible and playful, allowing the painting to grow naturally into something richer."
The technical aspects of her process begin with thumbnail sketches and value studies. Before adding color, Cordelia creates greyscale value studies to ensure the composition reads clearly. "A strong value structure creates depth and keeps the painting from feeling flat," she notes. These small thumbnails, each taking only a few minutes, allow her to quickly test different directions and establish a solid foundation before moving into color work.
Balancing detail with simplicity represents a key principle in Cordelia's approach to composition and storytelling. She emphasizes the importance of establishing a primary focal point that leads naturally to secondary areas of interest, while keeping less important elements softer or less detailed. "Learning how to balance where you place detail and where you hold back can take your work much further," she advises. "This approach isn't just about composition – it's also about storytelling. By controlling focus, you lead the viewer through the scene and highlight the message that you want to share."
Perspective and leading lines play crucial roles in guiding viewer attention through Cordelia's environments. She uses elements within scenes as frames for focal points, employing streets, walls, and shadows as leading lines that direct the eye toward important areas. "These lines not only highlight the focal point, but also encourage the viewer to explore secondary areas of the painting," she explains. "By planning perspective and using subtle guides, you can create more dynamic compositions that feel intentional and engaging."
Color theory and light observation form fundamental aspects of Cordelia's technical knowledge. She applies the principle that warm shadows come from cool light, while cool shadows result from warm light, using this relationship to build visual contrast. "The best way to start noticing how light and shadow and color work is to do some plein-air painting," she recommends. "I find that this method improves my sense of color and trains my eyes to see what looks natural and apply this knowledge to my digital work."
Cordelia encourages artists to challenge themselves by exploring unfamiliar settings, different time periods, and cultures they haven't experienced directly. "This helps build my visual library and design skills. Relying on what we know is comfortable, but when working on a movie, we often need to create artwork of places we've never been before," she explains. She suggests using Pinterest for reference gathering and visiting museums to study brushwork techniques that can be translated into digital art.
Her practical workflow demonstrates how to ground fantasy scenes in real-world foundations. Starting with a simple line drawing based on a reference photo, she locks this layer and sets it to Multiply mode to facilitate color blocking. Using tools like the Lasso tool to follow line art outlines and the Magic Wand tool to select areas for texture application, she builds up her environments systematically. "Having good reference pictures comes in handy as it aids me in creating a believable world," she notes.
Color palette selection plays a vital role in establishing mood and atmosphere in Cordelia's work. For forest scenes, she favors lush greens paired with complementary colors like bright pinks or red hues. "I always ask myself what kind of feeling I want the viewer to experience when they look at the painting. Am I aiming for something calm and serene, dramatic and tense, or warm and inviting?" she explains. "Choosing the right color palette is essential for building that atmosphere."
Experimentation with painterly brushstrokes keeps Cordelia's work fresh and dynamic. When seeking new ideas, she visits museums to study Old Master techniques up close, observing how they layered strokes, suggested texture, and implied form. "Once I'm back home, I try to recall and recreate some of those techniques, blending them into my own style," she says. She also creates custom Photoshop brushes to develop unique marks, including watercolor brush packs that recreate traditional media digitally.
Adjustment layers serve as crucial finishing tools in Cordelia's workflow. She uses them to fine-tune values, shift tones, and add subtle emphasis that strengthens overall mood. "They make it possible for me to push contrast where it matters most, soften areas that should recede, or introduce a hint of color to reinforce the story," she explains. Her preferred adjustment layers include Soft Light for values and Color and Lighten modes for atmospheric effects, always applied with subtlety to achieve maximum impact.
Personal memories and emotional connections infuse Cordelia's work with authenticity and resonance. She believes that paintings with the strongest impact are those that allow viewers to imagine exploring the depicted spaces or that remind them of their own memories. "As artists, we have the power to create worlds that feel familiar yet fantastical, grounding our fantasy scenes in real-world experiences while pushing the boundaries of imagination," she concludes. This philosophy drives her continued exploration of environment design as both technical craft and emotional storytelling medium.
