This website provides a comprehensive glimpse into the illustrious career of Frederic St-Arnaud, who is also renowned under the name of Starno. The name "Starno" originally served as Frederic's artist pseudonym and nickname, and was subsequently used as the name for his VFX studio STARNO.net founded in 2015. This decision was driven in part by the fact that the name "Starno" was already highly recognized and respected within the global VFX community, thereby helping to establish a strong reputation for the studio right from the start. Initially established in 2002, at a time when the field of Digital Matte Painting was still in its infancy, the site has since evolved into a condensed and smaller portfolio of Frederic's professional and personal creations spanning several decades. Alongside a showcase of notable artworks, the website also presents an extensive work experience and a thoughtfully crafted resume presentation.
The section below presents a collection of notable still image artworks, curated from a period spanning two decades, between 2000 and the present.
The artwork featured includes both personal and professional illustrations, concept art, and mesmerizing matte paintings.
Each piece is a testament to the artist's skill, imagination, and attention to detail.
While the images displayed on this page are presented in small resolution, I invite you to explore a complete portfolio on Art Station.com by following the link provided below.
There you will find a broader selection of artworks, along with more detailed information and higher-resolution imagery.
Matte Painting
matte painting
Poster art / Key art
Matte Painting, set extension
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Concept Art
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Concept Art
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Concept Art
The upcoming section boasts a selection of videos, each showcasing reels and an in-depth breakdown of the intricate visual effects. These videos are not only entertaining but also serve as excellent tutorials to learn the artistry and techniques behind the creation of these stunning visuals. It is my sincere hope that you will find both enjoyment and educational value in these offerings. Should you desire additional video content beyond what is presented on this webpage, we kindly invite you to visit Frederic's YouTube and Vimeo pages. There, you will find a wider selection of videos and reels to explore at your leisure.
This section offers a visual assortment of posters from a range of noteworthy film, advertising, and game projects that I have been involved with throughout my career. Each of these posters is a testament to the passion, creativity, and dedication that I have brought to my work, and serves as a reflection of my artistic vision and expertise.
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Backdrops
Visual Effects
CG Environment
CG Environment
Concept Art / Previz
Concept Art / Previz
Visual Effects
Concept Art / Previz
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Visual Effects
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting, Cyclorama, Sky domes
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting
Matte Painting, CG Environments
Matte Painting, set extension
Matte Painting, CG Environments
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting, CG Environments
Matte Painting, CG Environments
Concept Art, Matte Painting, Backdrop
Set Extension, Matte Painting
Set Extension, Matte Painting
Matte Painting, Set Extension
Matte Painting, Concept Art
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Set Extension
Art Direction
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Art Direction
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting Supervision
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Set Extension
Matte Painting Supervision
Matte Painting Supervision
Matte Painting Supervision
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting Supervision
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Set Extension
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Character Animation
Concept Art
Matte Painting
Matte Painting
Frederic St-Arnaud is a visual effects artist and a business entrepreneur, with over 25 years of experience. His career has been primarily focused on digital Matte Painting (also known as Matte Art or Digimatte), set extension, and concept art mainly for the film industry. Since 1998, Frederic has built a stellar reputation in the VFX community, and his remarkable talents have garnered him immense success.
Frederic's career began during a time when there were only a few Digital Matte Painting artists in the world, inspired by some of these pioneers who paved the way for new methods and approaches during the monumental transition from traditional matte painting to the world of digital computer graphics imagery. This was a time before the arrival of powerful computers and advanced 3D software, where Matte Painting was virtually the only method or so for creating photorealistic and believable high-end environments in visual effects. It was a time of great challenge and innovation, where Frederic and his peers were lucky enough to blazed a trail that would change the industry.
In 2015, Frederic founded a VFX boutique company, STARNO (www.starno.net), which quickly became a renowned industry leader.
After six incredibly successful years, Frederic made the decision to sell STARNO to Rodeo FX (www.rodeofx.com) in 2021. This was a powerful merger of two highly talented teams, coming together at a crucial juncture in the industry's evolution.
Prior to the merger, STARNO.net had just completed a project with a major Montreal film studio and had several virtual production projects in progress. Following the merger, Frederic St-Arnaud now leads the matte painting department at Rodeo FX, and STARNO's employees and current projects were seamlessly integrated into the new team.
Frederic's impressive filmography includes over 100 feature films, including blockbusters such as The Amazing Spiderman, Sin City, Elysium, The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim, Resident Evil, Terminator Salvation, Babel, and Silent Hill.
To learn more about Frederic's incredible achievements and expertise:
[IMDB Frederic Profile] and [Linkedin Frederic Profile]
STARNO headquaters in Montreal, Canada in 2021
STARNO headquaters in Montreal, Canada in 2021
Photoshoot for a gaming project in 2015 at STARNO Joseph on the right was disapointed to get the smaller gun props!
Some STARNO team parties and gatherings between 2018 and 2021
Head of Matte Painting
Rodeo FX (Privately Held; 1-800 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
April 2021 to present - Montreal, Canada Area
Owner
Starno.net (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
April 2014 to 2021 - Montreal, Canada Area
Art Director
MELS (Privately Held; 500 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
May 2013 to February 2014 - Montreal, Canada Area
Digimatte Artist
ILM - Industrial Light and Magic / Lucas Arts (Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
September 2012 to April 2013 - Vancouver, Canada Area
Matte Painting Supervisor
Rodeo FX (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
January 2010 to March 2012 (2 years 3 months) Montreal, Canada Area
Concept Art Teacher - Environment Design Teacher
Centre NAD - UQAC (Educational Institution; 11-50 employees; Animation industry)
January 2011 - Present (11 months) Montreal, Canada Area
Digital Matte Painter
Rodeo FX (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
July 2007 to December 2009 (2 years 6 months) Montreal, Canada Area
Matte Painting Teacher
UQAT University (Educational Institution; 1-10 employees; Education Management industry)
November 2009 to December 2009 (2 months)
Mokko Studio (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)
March 2007 to December 2007 (10 months)
Meteor Studios (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
July 2007 to August 2007 (2 months)
Digital Dimension (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
November 2005 to July 2007 (1 year 9 months)
Alpha-Vision(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Animation industry)
June 2005 to October 2006 (1 year 5 months)
FX Cartel (Public Company; 1-20 employees; Animation industry)
August 2006 to September 2006 (2 months)
Intelligent Creatures (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
March 2006 to April 2006 (2 months)
Digital Matte Painter / Concept Artist / Texture artist
Hybride Technologies (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
December 2001 to May 2005 (3 years 6 months)
Character AnimatorFly Studio (Privately Held; 15-40 employees; TV Commercial Industry) September 1999 to December 2001 (2 years 4 months)
Enzyme (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Management Consulting industry)
September 1999 to September 1999 (1 month)
Klik Animation (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
August 1998 to August 1999 (1 year 1 month)
Tube Image (Privately Held; 20-100 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
July 1998 to August 1998 (2 months)
Jules Verne Production
August 1997 to December 1997 (5 months)
Cinar Animation (Privately Held; 250-500 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)
January 1997 to February 1997 (2 months)
2006: Matte painting Master Class by Yanick Dusseault (NAD Center - UQAC, Montreal, Canada)
1997: Cartoon Animation and 3D intensive program at ICARI (Montreal, Canada)
1996: One year of Communication Arts at Universite Laval (Quebec City, Canada)
1995: College of Fine Arts at Cegep de Sainte-Foy (Quebec City, Canada)
1992-94: Polyvalente Le Boise (Victoriaville, Canada)
2012: The movie Rango won the VES Awards 2012 for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture in which I participated
2011: Keynote Speaker at NSCC Nova Scotia Animedia Festival April 2011
2009: Silver Honour at Campaign's Big Awards 2009 for the illustration Finantial Times -St-Bernard
2009: Silver Honour at The Creative Circle 2009 for the illustration Finantial Times -St-Bernard
2009: Conference Speaker at School Design of UQAM University for the program Graphic Design and Culture
2008: the movie The Golden Compass won an Academy Award in 2008 for Best Visual Effects in which I participated
2008: BAFTA 2008 Award (British Academy Film Awards) for Special Visual Effects in the movie The Golden Compass
2008: Speaker at the ADAPT Montreal Conference 2008
2008: Coverpage artist of the book D'artiste Matte Painting II from Ballistic Publishing
2007: Award Winner at Pixel Theory 3D with the artworks "Decline of Babel myth" and "bear vs. hiker"
2007: Excellence Award at 3Dtotal with the artwork "Decline of Babel myth"
2006: Excellence Nomination Award for the book EXPOSE 4 with the artworks "Tourism on Venus" and "Time Square"
2005: CG Elite on www.CGchannel.com
2005: Award Winner in the book EXPOSE 3
2003: Award Winner at CGsociety with the artwork "Waterfall Castle"
2002: Award Winner of the Graphika Awards Contest 2002 with the Fly Studio team
1997: Canada's Teletoon Animation Scholarship Award Finalist
(United Kingdom)
Les Editions Oracom, September 2011 (France)
Self publication (Canada)
Issue #8 2010 (Netherlands)
Issue 01, April 2010 (Brazil)
March 2010 (United Kingdom)
April 2009 (France)
(Germany)
November 2008 (Canada)
(Australia)
August 2008 (Canada)
Issue 32 (UK)
Learning Book by youngjin.com inc. 2008 (South Korea)
Article Interview and Cover. Janvier 2009 (Canada)
(Australia)
2008 (France)
Magazine number 32, 2007 (Taiwan)
August 2007 (UK)
August 2007 (United States)
(Australia)
January 2006 (United Kingdom)
APAG Editions (France)
Issue 26 (United States)
(Australia)
Delta VII (Germany)
August 2000 (United States)
If you would like to connect with me, I kindly request that you utilize the private messaging feature on LinkedIn.com. Here is the link to my Linkedin profile. This ensures the highest level of privacy and professionalism in all communications. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.