Top Ten Amazing Concept Art of 'X-Men: First Class' (2011)

There are many talented artists who worked on X-Men: First Class, and while I haven't seen all the artwork, these are my favorites.

Official plot synopsis: "X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men."



1. Angel by Howard Swindell

It's not hard to make the beautiful Zoe Kravitz look good, but the coy way Angel peeks behind her extended wings really sells this piece.

2. Beast by Howard Swindell

3. Beach wreckage by Jamie Rama

In the climactic battle at the end of the film, the mutants crash onto the beach. This landscape by Jamie Rama does a great job exploring the wreckage of the X-Men's jet.

3. Banshee scream by Steffen Reichstadt (Aaron Simms Company)

Banshee was an alright character in the film, but I think this concept art makes it really dynamic. Notice the change to his throat suggesting an incredible release of power.


UPDATE: See more of Steffen Reichstadt's X-Men work soon.

4. "Havok v.5" by Alex Mandra (Aaron Simms Company)

In the film Havok is able to release blasts of energy. I'm assuming this was a scene from when Havok was trapped on an aircraft carrier and he's blasting his way out.

5. "Havok v. 4" by Alex Mandra (Aaron Simms Company)

Another great scene of Havok blasting away. Notice a couple of things. First, he's not wearing his harness, but still has control of his power. Second, notice the sword which I'm assuming was owned by Azazel. That also might explain the leg and hoof hanging in the air.

6. Azazel by Jerad S. Merantz

This image of Azazel is much more extreme than what we saw on film. With the suggestion of horns and an amazing armored costume. I'm not sure about the fur coat though. Too much?

7. Angel by Jerad S. Merantz

Another alternate view of Angel, this one is far more goth than the final result. Some nice touches are the gorgeous backlit wings and the slight hint of drool at the corners of her mouth suggesting her acidic saliva.

 8. Darwin by Howard Swindell

A Photoshop job adds gills. This is the first art I've seen that shows Darwin's transformations effectively. He created a bunch more, but this is my favorite. 

9. "Emma Frost, Preliminary Design" by Hao Wu

The lovely view of Emma Frost as being made of large diamonds with sparkling eyes. The fire in high-quality diamonds really adds to the drama. In the film the effect is a bit muddied, so I like how this one shines.

10. "Havok Firing Sequence" by Hao Wu



While the final result looks nothing like this, I like how he laid out the feel of the sequence which is sweet. Great use of colors too.

Visit all the websites of the artists for more great stuff.
http://www.aaron-sims.com/
http://www.howardswindell.com/
http://www.haosketch.com/
http://jamierama.com/
http://jeradsmarantz.blogspot.com/
http://alexmandra.blogspot.com/

Some artwork taken from conceptartworld.com
What's your favorite concept art from the film? Do you have a favorite artist?