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J.P. Targete

Freelance Concept Artist and Illustrator.

J.P. is an accomplished digital and traditional illustrator, concept artist, and art director creating art for books and video games. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York and started working professionally at 20, illustrating book covers for Avon Books. Soon after, he got his big break and began illustrating sci-fi and fantasy book covers for Berkeley/Ace Books, Bantam Books, and Warner Books. He also created work for Wizards of the Coast and many role-playing game companies. He has created art for over 300 book covers and, in 2000, he won the A.S.F.A. Chesley Award for the best paperback book cover. 


After many years of illustrating, he landed a job with NCSOFT and quickly became Art Director at NCSOFT Santa Monica, where he worked on creatures and environments for games such as Tabula Rasa and Aion. J.P. now freelances for publishers and video game companies and is working on a full-color graphic novel. His specialties include concept art, creature design, costume design, visual creative consultation, art direction, marketing illustration, and dynamic visual storytelling. His clients include Marvel Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Disney, Pixar, Sega, Gentle Giant Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, Fantasy Flight Games, Tor Books, Radical Comics, Nexus Productions, and many more.

  • Ever since I saw J.P.'s artwork on the Magic: The Gathering cards, I was hooked on his style and loved what came out of his fantastical imagination. I was even more impressed to find out that a lot of his work is created traditionally.

    - Gino Acevedo
    Gino Acevedo, Creative Art Director at Weta Digital

  • In the last two years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to join the Valkyrx Gaming team as a digital sculptor. The main focus at the beginning was to convert into miniatures some of the best fantasy concepts and illustrations that J.P. Targete made for Days of the Valkyrx. Following J.P.’s artworks, I’ve had the pleasure to sculpt multiple poses and variations of dwarves, orcs, goblins, elves, giants, and many other brutal creatures that are fighting in this epic fantasy wargame!

    - Francesco Orru
    Digital Sculptor at IDW Publishing

  • As a Concept Artist, J.P. has the unique ability to balance character, atmosphere, and scenery into a single dramatic piece. His work is always rich with story.

    - Stephen Cunnane
    Previs Artist at Framestore

  • J.P. is one of the most inspirational and creative artists I have ever known, if I could only tap into 1/10th of that creative stream of thinking.

    - Ron Lemen
    Instructor and Co-Founder Studio 2nd Street

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