The Science of Invention Painting

As Senior Artist with Rockstar Games from 2001 to 2016 Stephen Bliss helped establish the highly recognisable illustrative style that defined the look, feel and positioning of the gaming mega-franchise Grand Theft Auto. He painted video game box covers, posters, billboards and magazine covers for GTA and many other successful game titles such as The Warriors, LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption. Bliss also headed Rockstar’s Lifestyle Branding department, creating non-game related imagery and products that helped reinforce Rockstar’s reputation as a creative powerhouse. Stephen Bliss started his career in 1986 working as in-house designer with Japanese fashion pioneers Hysteric Glamour. After 4 years Bliss returned to London where he established himself as a freelance illustrator, focusing on painstakingly detailed comic strips for Sega’s Sonic the Comic, Deadline and the Guardian. His cartoon style revealed a Japanese influence perfectly meshed with Western culture, and a morbid sense of humor. He found homes for his quirky design aesthetic at Wall of Sound Records, BMG Records, MTV, Aardman Animation, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Cartoon Network, Pepsi, Sony, Burton Snowboards, GQ, The Sunday Times and Massive Attack (No Protection album cover). In the late ‘90s Bliss moved away from commercial illustration to concentrate on his own personal artwork. He also started a t-shirt company called Steroid, selling his designs through high end fashion stores in the UK, Singapore and Japan. After leaving Rockstar Games in 2016 Bliss returned to his roots as both a commercial and ne artist with 2 sold out shows: “I, Frankenstein” at the Monorex Gallery, LA and “The Mystery of Doomed Romance” at the West Bank Gallery, London. Recent commissions have included campaigns for Coca Cola and Coors Wicked Beer, posters for the band Pixies, movie posters for All Eyez On Me and Atomic Blonde, as well as murals for the Miami Ad School (Queens, NY) and Space 52 recording studio (Miami). Bliss is currently working towards the release of 2 clothing / art labels Bliss v Brood and The Head Sect and planning a solo show for Tokyo in late 2018.