Andrei Riabovitchev is a Russian-born concept artist who created film designs for Harry Potter and Wrath of the Titans, and develops his own sci-fi world, Hunter.
Andrei Riabovitchev at a glance
- Born: December 1968, Apsheronsk, southern Russia
- Based in: Ascot, England (moved to the UK in 2008)
- Medium: Digital painting and illustration, with pencil sketching
- Style: Cinematic concept art, with surreal and science-fiction themes
- Known for: Creature and character design for film, and the personal project Hunter
- Education: Studied engineering in Moscow; learned art through animation studios
- Film credits: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, X-Men: First Class, Wrath of the Titans, The Wolfman
- Official portfolio: andrei.artstation.com
Riabovitchev was born in December 1968 in Apsheronsk, southern Russia. He moved to Moscow to study engineering, then spent two years in the army, where he drew portraits and propaganda posters unofficially.
A friend passed his pencil drawings to an animation studio, and a two-week trial as an in-betweener became a job. From 1991 he moved through most roles in animation and designed characters for Prince Vladimir.
In 2008 Riabovitchev moved to England, where his wife’s family lives, and started at MPC on The Wolfman, drawing Benicio del Toro’s transformation. After four years there and a stretch at Framestore, he went freelance. His credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, Wrath of the Titans and X-Men: First Class.
The work reads like film stills. He thinks in mood, lighting, composition and silhouette, the way a photographer would, and he prizes a rough sketch for the mystery a polished render can lose. Minotaurs, giants and witches share his portfolio with quiet portraits, including a pencil portrait of his daughter. He names Ivan Bilibin, Viktor Vasnetsov and Salvador Dalí among his early loves, along with the science fiction of the Strugatsky brothers.
Hunter is his own project. It began as pencil sketches made on the commute into London, first set in the Viking era. In 2015 he described it as the story of a man searching for his family, and it has since grown into a gritty science-fiction universe. His newer personal work mixes AI tools with painting and compositing, which he treats as an extension of drawing.
I think engineering never really disappeared from my work. Even when I moved into drawing and cinematic design, I still approached images structurally.
Andrei Riabovitchev, interview with Contemporary Art Collectors, May 2026
Did you know? Before concept art took over, he recorded three or four albums of cinematic electronic music, one of them released on an indie electronica label in Russia. It was titled 3:42, the time his son was born.
Quick Answers About Andrei Riabovitchev
Who is Andrei Riabovitchev?
Andrei Riabovitchev is a Russian-born concept artist and digital illustrator, born in December 1968 in Apsheronsk and now based in Ascot, England. He specializes in creature and character design for film.
Which films has he worked on?
His credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, X-Men: First Class, Wrath of the Titans and The Wolfman. He was also character designer on the animated films Prince Vladimir and Quest for a Heart.
What is Hunter?
Hunter is Riabovitchev’s personal science-fiction project, developed through concept art, writing and experimental visual sequences. It started as a Viking-era story called Vampire Hunter and grew into a gritty sci-fi universe.
Did he study art?
He studied engineering in Moscow, not art. He describes learning the craft inside Russian animation studios, including Classica and Studio DA, and his LinkedIn profile lists his education as self-education.
Does he use AI in his art?
Yes, in his personal work he combines AI tools with painting, editing and compositing. He has described AI as another extension of the tools artists have always used.
See more of his work on his official portfolio: Andrei Riabovitchev on ArtStation
