Dylan Cole is an American Digital Matte-Painter and concept artist specializing in work for film, television, and video games. Cole received a degree in fine arts from UCLA.[1] He is best known for his work on feature films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avatar,[2][3] Daredevil, Alice in Wonderland, Tron: Legacy, Maleficent and The Chronicles of Riddick. He recently published his first book, The Otherworldly Adventures of Tyler Washburn.[4][5]
Cole co-authored the book D'artiste Matte Painting: Digital Artists Master Class[6] in which he shares of his work process and industry experiences throughout his career, and through the Gnomon Workshop has released instructional DVDs featuring his digital matte painting techniques.[7][8]
As part of the team that created the artwork for James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar Cole received a 2010 Directors Guild of America Award for Excellence in Production Design. He also received nominations from Art Directors Guild for Excellence In Production Design For A Fantasy Feature Film for both Alice in Wonderland and Tron: Legacy.[9] Cole stated that his inspiration for the forests of Avatar came from a trip on the Kuranda Skyrail.[10][11]