Daniel Schmelling - Designer
Professional Freelance Digital Artist/Designer for over 5 years, specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery.
Request a quote
Verified identity
Overview
Hello, my name is Daniel, as you probably guessed and I am a freelance digital artist and designer dedicated to environmental, landscape and scenery art, including space art, for different kinds of media such as for websites, books and more. Besides, I also provide photo editing and graphic design.
Very early on in my career, I had a kind of fascination with landscapes, space and environments. There are so many different kinds of characters in landscapes, from the good natured, like vibrant with water flowing, the sun shining between tree crowns, to the darker elements, like thunderstorms, deep gorges and volcanic skies.
My approach to new projects is very explorative, abstract, rough and open minded. Usually my work-flow at the beginning of projects is putting down thumbnail ideas on the canvas in Photoshop. Once the ideas are nailed down, I refine and add the intricate details, always keeping the clients needs and feedback in mind.
If you are interested and would like to work with me or have any questions regarding my service or work, please feel free to send me a request.
I am based in Germany so my design skills can be offered in both german (native) and english (fluent).
Very early on in my career, I had a kind of fascination with landscapes, space and environments. There are so many different kinds of characters in landscapes, from the good natured, like vibrant with water flowing, the sun shining between tree crowns, to the darker elements, like thunderstorms, deep gorges and volcanic skies.
My approach to new projects is very explorative, abstract, rough and open minded. Usually my work-flow at the beginning of projects is putting down thumbnail ideas on the canvas in Photoshop. Once the ideas are nailed down, I refine and add the intricate details, always keeping the clients needs and feedback in mind.
If you are interested and would like to work with me or have any questions regarding my service or work, please feel free to send me a request.
I am based in Germany so my design skills can be offered in both german (native) and english (fluent).
Languages
English
Fiction
Action & Adventure
Epic Fantasy
Gaming & LitRPG
Mystery & Crime
Post-Apocalyptic
Non-Fiction
Earth & Space & Environmental Sciences
Awards
- 3DTotal Excellence Award
Work experience
Freelance Artist and Digital Artist/Designer
Self-employed
January, 2014
–
Present
(about 6 years)
Creating Promotional Paintings, Graphic Design, Photo Editing/Optimization/Retouching, Book Covers, Photo Manipulation, Concept Art, Backgound Art
Background Artist
State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe
November, 2016
–
December, 2016
(about 1 month)
Background Art for exhibition America after the Ice - Man and Megafauna in the New World.
Featured Artwork
2DArtist Magazine Issue 128
August, 2016
–
August, 2016
(less than a minute)
Artwork featured "On The Edge" in 2DArtist Magazine Gallery.
Concept Artist/Skybox Artist
Special Circumstances Games
June, 2015
–
January, 2017
(over 1 year)
Background Art, Skyboxes for Shallow Space Game.
Concept Artist
CaveBear Games
March, 2015
–
September, 2016
(over 1 year)
Design, promitional paintings, concept art ingame content.
T.S. Orgel - der Blausteinkrieg Book Cover
Random House
January, 2015
–
March, 2015
(about 2 months)
early concept art and scribbles fantasy novel.
The Art Of Daniel Schmelling Artbook
Self-employed
August, 2014
–
May, 2016
(over 1 year)
Freelance Art / Design Project, Artbook Layout and Graphic Design
Graphic Design Print
Art Platz Berlin
April, 2014
–
September, 2014
(5 months)
Graphic Design, Corporate Design, Digital Illustration
Portfolio (7 selected works)
Forever Fantasy Online (FFO Book 1)
Rachel Aaron, Travis Bach
In the real world, twenty-one-year-old library sciences student Tina Anderson is invisible and under-appreciated, but in the VR-game Forever Fantasy Online she's Roxxy--the respected leader and main tank of a top-tier raiding guild. In the real world, her brother James Anderson is a college drop-out struggling under debt, but in FFO he's famous--an explorer who's gotten every achievement, done... read more
Last Bastion (FFO Book 2)
Rachel Aaron, Travis Bach
Bastion was supposed to mean safety. It was supposed to mean a break from fighting for their lives and a chance to talk to someone who might actually know what’s going on. Access to their gold and some beer would have been nice, too. They got none of those things. When Tina and James arrive in the capital, they find a city on fire in more ways than one. Players and non-players hunt each other ... read more
Reflection: The Final Principle of Light (3)
Nicholas Authement
August and Riley have been separated in different pockets of time, AI partners swapped. In the past, Hoddgins discovers the unconscious August and failing Athena in the Garden of Eden, forcing an uneasy acquaintance. They along with others must put an end to the king’s destructive path before his scheme fully unfolds at the annual Festival of Life.Meanwhile in the present, Riley discovers Ares... read more
The Once King (FFO Book 3)
Rachel Aaron, Travis Bach
Leylia’s secret could unite them all or lead them to an eternity of undeath.After the loss of Bastion, everyone who’s not a zombie has holed up in FFO’s sole remaining safe haven: the lowbie town of Windy Lake. But the undead armies never rest, and it’s only a matter of time before the Once King’s forces come to crush what’s left of life in this world. But Tina, James, and the rest of the play... read more
Somnas (The Monarchs Collection Book 1)
Patrick Ament
Once you've been bit by a drastworm, there's only one choice that matters. 'Die now' or 'die later'.Marya lives with her family on an isolated, peaceful farm in the land of Faya. Stories of heroes, magics, and grand cities are just that--stories. When Marya's eldest brother discovers that a lethal parasite has burrowed into his flesh, there's no hope of survival. The family must prepare to los... read more
Lost in the Moments that Follow
Adam B Davy
"A beautifully wrought, highly interior drama that challenges you to look at the beating heart of humanity as it quietly bleeds." - Bill Moran, author of Oh God Get Out Get Out ------------------------------------------------- The crew of lunar outpost System One can not recall life before the Earth went silent. They call it 'the Black'. With their past erased, and in the wake of the planet's ... read more
A return of a long defeated threat changes everything for a Master Shaper of the elements.Serving as the Master of Spirit leaves Tolan with little time for anything beyond teaching. There’s no time for the research he enjoys, no time to explore ancient ruins, and no time to search for strange elementals in the land beyond the bleak waste where no magic can exist. During a Selection of new stud... read more
Daniel has 5 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Daniel is easy to work with and consistently professional in his approach. He takes pride in his work, and produces high quality results.
Adam Davy, September 2019
Daniel was an excellent artist to work with! I submitted queries to five different artists for my project. Daniel responded very quickly and his offer was the most competitive I saw. I’m so glad I decided to work with Daniel—he had the finished product ready before the estimated completion date and every time I asked for a modification, he was able to take my feedback and create exactly what i ...
Read more
Patrick Ament, August 2019
Daniel is fast, good, and professional. I hired him for all three covers of my main series as well as recovering the original book 1 art done by someone else. The fan reaction to his covers has been enthusiastic and spot-on with the audience we wanted to court.
Travis Bach, August 2019
Fantastic freelancer. Absolutely a joy to collaborate with. Very driven to deliver a product that you are happy with. To give some background, I'm an indie fiction author. I'm about to self-publish my third book in a series and decided to up my cover art from the last book. I started looking around and found Daniel Schmelling. I've never used Reedsy before this. I saw his portfolio and loved th...
Read more
Nicholas Authement, December 2018
Daniel wow'ed me right out of the gate with his ability to quickly hone in on the cover art I wanted. He was great through out the whole process.
Travis Bach, November 2018
Explore the Reedsy Community
Reedsy is a community of top publishing professionals. Join Reedsy today to browse 1000+ profiles.
Jeff Brown
Sci-fi and fantasy specialist with 400+ covers. Experience with 14 of the top 100 Amazon authors in SF&F & 100+ Bestselling Books.
Joe Slucher
I am a digital painter best known for recent illustrations for the game Magic the Gathering. I love both action and quieter scenes.
Cincinnati, OH, USA
