Andy Walsh Introduces “The Whisperers”

Concept artist and Gnomon Workshop instructor Andy Walsh is building a world of his own.

The Whisperers: Oliver and the Dream World is the first book in a dark fantasy series for middle-grade readers, which Andy is writing and illustrating with his own digital art.

The story takes place in Drissleton, the “spookiest town in England,” over the month of October. Eleven-year-old Oliver is always on the run from the bullies at his new school and, above all, from the scary dreams that haunt him. When creepy clowns start taking children in the night, Oliver learns that the Dream World may hold the answers. There he can fly through the night sky, learn Dream Magic, and meet other children who can enter dreams. To catch whoever is behind it, though, he’ll need his friends in the real world.

Andy describes it as Harry Potter mixed with Stranger Things, with a bit of Goonies humor, all set at Halloween. It’s written for young readers, but he’s building in layers that adults can enjoy, too.

Concept art of a red-haired boy with a backpack walking along a decaying covered pier promenade with broken floorboards. — *Oliver walks the crumbling seafront of Drissleton, the “spookiest town in England.” Concept art by Andy Walsh for 'The Whisperers: Oliver and the Dream World.'*

Andy Walsh has more than a decade of experience as a concept artist and illustrator. He’s worked with studios such as Terraform Studios, Warner Bros., Skydance Interactive, and Behaviour Interactive on credits that include Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and Battlefield 6. And he’s bringing this experience to the illustrations and concept art he’s developed for The Whisperers. “I was heavily inspired by watching the entire creative process of the Harry Potter franchise, from writing to filmmaking and all the art and design that went into every inch of it. I want to create a whole universe you can get lost in, whether you’re a kid or an adult.”

The project is personal, too. “There are two aspects: the art and the writing," Andy explains. "When you combine those two forces, I’d say I’m enjoying bringing the world to life. It’s heavily based on my life and my younger years, growing up around a seaside and funfair and having crazy, magical friends, some of whom make appearances in the book.”

"I want to create a whole universe you can get lost in, whether you’re a kid or an adult."
Andy Walsh

Concept art of a rainy night outside Big Top Pier, beneath a giant grinning clown head. — *A ringmaster, dressed head to toe in black, leads one of Drissleton’s children into the Big Top while Oliver watches from behind a car. Art by Andy Walsh for 'The Whisperers.'*

The same techniques that bring Drissleton to life are the ones Andy teaches in his Gnomon Workshop, Creating 3D Environment Concepts with Mood & Story. Over 4.5 hours, he moves from reference and quick sketches to a finished environment built in Adobe Medium, 3D-Coat, Blender, and some ZBrush, then adds the final story layer and polish in Photoshop. VR sculpting in Medium is central to that workflow, and he still uses it today: “I reckon I uniquely use VR sculpting in my workflow," he says. "Even recently, if I need to create something really organic like a spooky tree, I’ll use Medium. In my Gnomon Workshop class, I use it to sculpt a big skull rock formation. Adobe Medium is highly underrated for things like that!”

If you’d like to follow the project, sign up at the-whisperers.com to be the first to hear when the book is released and to get exclusive artwork, illustrations, and behind-the-scenes stories from Drissleton.

Learn 3D Environment Concepts with Andy Walsh at The Gnomon Workshop