The Magic Art of Volkan Baga 

I'm VERY late to this party, but Elspeth, Knight Errant is one of my favorite pieces in MTG art. Baga is one of my favorite MTG artists, and I love the realism he puts into the fantastical. This, to me, perfectly envisions what a magic character would be if they leaped off the card and into reality.

the art of MTG is literally the reason I fell in love with this game. keep up the great work!this series is fantastic!

Crainial Archive from khans of tarkir is the only magic card I've kept on my desk for 5 years. The beautiful and haunting art of Volkan keeps me staring at it sometimes and the flavor text is a slam dunk on top of that. It is, I think, my favorite magic card that I probably won't ever play.

It's wild to me that these are even hand panted at all. They're fantastic.

I would just like you to know that this "Artist Studies" video series you've done is positively my favourite series of MTG related videos I've ever seen. I'm an avid competitive player but watching these studies has reignited my appreciation for Magic that extends beyond the competitive game itself. There truly is beauty in this game, and it's not just about winning: it's about the soul of the game itself, and these artists contribute to that soul like no other. Thanks, Volkan Baga, and thank YOU, TheMagicManSam.

Holy shit Sam, your videos are really amazing. I mean, production quality-wise, it's by far the best magic related content channel. Please tell me you'll do a video on Terese Nielsen or Rob Alexander soon!

I got to meet Volkan Baga at MKM Series Frankfurt in may. Without a doubt one of my favorite Magic artists.

My favorite Baga piece would have to be The Chain Veil. I love the elegant power it conveys, combined with the unsettling air surrounding the shrine.

Volkan Baga's art literally got me back into playing Magic after falling out for a few years. The painting he did portraying the vampire lord Edgar Markov instantly captured my imagination and made me want to dust off my old Zendikar vampires deck. I even purchased a print of it from his website.

Man, Stoic Angel is, I think ,my favorite. It drew me in from the very first time I saw it. Far past it's powerful effect was the art, it just captured me. I think the art did the same thing as the card does. That's some next level artistry.

Good golly, artists are freaking magic. I can't wrap my head around how people can create images this beautiful.

My favourite is Elspeth, Knight-Errant. I love the classical look and the swirling robes, combined with her commanding and direct presence looking at the viewer as if to issue a tactical order. She reminds me of knights from Heroes of Might and Magic. I also love his work on lands such as Halimar Depths and Seaside Citadel.

When I saw angel of enjoyment I was captivated by the artwork. Definitely one of my favorite pieces.

This series is such a blessing. I really need to take more time checking the little artist names on cards. I just took a quick scroll through Gatherer and I never realized just how many cards Baga illustrated that I have fond memories of. Along with great artists like Reynolds, Walker, Guay and Nielsen, his art is simply what Magic looks like to me. His brush strokes have shaped the image of the game that I'll always have in my head.

Thanks for introducing me to the depth of design that goes into the art on these cards. I've recently been taking a fondness to art of nils Hamm among others.

I got my Temple Garden playset signed at GP Birmingham yesterday by this man. He was really approachable and left a huge impression on me the same way Greg Staples did the previous year. It's amazing to think my fondest memories at these tournaments is meeting such talented individuals.

ANOTHER UPLOAD? INCONCEIVABLE! but really keep it up ur awesome

his Plains from Throne of Eldraine with Ardenvale in the background and the little orbs is my fave land

I'd have to say one of my favorites is his version of Demolish. It shows a picture of a large Akroan statue being destroyed in a fiery explosion in the background with the statues head flying toward the ground in the foreground. The action of the scene is pretty awesome, and it looks like the flaming statue's head is looking at you as it's plummeting toward the ground.

I really like his Chrome Mox. I never realized he was the artist behind so many cards I liked in part because of the art.

the art is my favorite part about magic. the artists have such amazing talent and there are so many stunning pieces love this series so much

Came here after seeing his new Edgar Markov art in high resolution. That piece is incredible. Great artist!

God Sam I can't believe how much I have missed your content. Like it is always so passionate and informative and highlights all the best things in cards.

Sam I've said it before and I'll say it again you are the best mtg channel around and you have my full support financially and as a dedicated viewer.

I'm not a fan of pieces with such realism and neo classical style of brush work, but your way to explain the work are incredible, loving your series and learning something about art history. And that is pretty important to me, as an animator.

I love it when I see new uploads by you :)

love how you pronounced "Dritte Melodie" (1:40). you kinda made it sound swiss-german. i love your videos, thanks alot for making them.

I think my favorite Baga's cards are Mindslaver and The Chain Veil: I play both of them in my Daretti EDH deck!

Cranial archive is probably my favorite recent work his

Shimmer of Possibility is my favorite of his and is so underrated. Fantasy and realistic. Beauty in the colors.

What a wonderful video. Superbly researched and narrated.

capturing the memory of the moment is perfectly said

I really like his art for Elspeth. She often has that marbled look you mentioned.

Excellent work Sam.

Panharmonicon, beautiful gold and white lines

I loooove this serie! It would be even better with a better microphone or just a less compressed sound.

i really appreciate the quality of these videos

Great video. I always liked Bağa's art but this video made me understand and love it more.

I'm stoked and overwhelmed at the same time with your videos about Magic art. It's really a FANTASTIC job. I'm digging this so much that I have to say "Thanks", really. I love art, and the art work was what made me start playing the game. I'm sure you get a lot of request to videos about several artist, so I'm gonna make my request :P Steve Argyle, death rite shaman, liliana of the veil, emeria angel (promo) are my favorite arts from him, also favorite cards to play, but those artworks "DAMN", they're great art pieces. =) So, once again, thanks for the time you dedicate to this incredible work you do! Cheers P.S. really love this video, Baga is one of my favorite artists

Awesome work! Please do a video on Rob Alexander

Another solid video on the art of MTG Sam! Baga is one of my favorite MTG artists!

Volkan Baga is indeed one of the best artist working on illustrations for Magic. I adore every piece of his work and was blow away of the many new illustrations for Kaladesh. My favourite illustration however is for Tymaret, the murder king. I was just interested for the card as tiny leader was on it's highs and I sniped a chinese foil with Bagas signature for just 5 bucks. I never was into illustration of artists before but here I started my special adventure about the world of magic arts as I begun to appreciate the artwork of Baga. If you think about the next artist: look for Magali Villeneuve. She was responsible for the art of many unique cards and brought them to life with her remarkable style. Titania, Leovold, Rashmi, the new chandra are her work for example and especially my favourite of Narset, enlightened master. It's really worth a closer look!

I need more videos like this.

Loving everyone of these videos. Im almost done watching them all. 😥😢😭

The rhino in the beginning looks off. Like it was a Minotaur originally then they changed it to a rhino thing so he just pasted regular rhinos head over the Minotaur's head. The neck even sits right on top of the chest belt and the necklaces dissappear under the rhino head

How can these videos have so few reproductions. They are fucking gorgeous, as soon as I have a salary I'll become a patron

Excellent video young man. Please keep them coming.

Elspeth is my favorite MtG art!

I remember opening packs as a kid i got a sword of fire and ice from like mirrodin or whateer block it was. I always remember it was the most expensive card i had, something like 40 bucks.

I bought some Baga prints a while ago from his site. He does great stuff

Just got a signed mox opal mox opal alone makes him my favourite artist in general

New found appreciation for the artist.

Hey Sam, Im glad you're back. Just wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic video, always high quality content from you, always such a pleasure to watch. Mtg art has become the thing that has kept me playing this game throughout time, even though I love the game itself as well. My favorite piece from Volkan is definitely Elspeth, knight-errant. I find the piece beautiful, yet akin to imagination, the background is hauntingly beautiful, as well as Elspeth herself, both her physical traits and determination as well as that strict yet ethereal sense on her face. I love the artwork of Terese Nielsen, Magali Villeneuve, Winona Nelson and moreover that of Rebecca Guay. If one day, who knows? :) As always, love your content, cheers!!

Great video! Love these art videos on your channel.

love this series, gives such great insight into the artists styles. Great video as usual

Ur work is incredible sam. Thx for sharing

Gosh your videos are amazing, 100% well done!

What a great artist and what a great research you've made! Congratulations for this video, it's wonderful. Your videos about artists inspires me to do something like that in my own channel. Thanks for this content!

Dude, your videos are amazing. Keep going

My favourite work from him is Increasing Ambition because its the first card of him I discovered and it feeted perfectly in the first ever EDH deck I builded, Dralnu lich Lord, and im still playing this commander today and Increasing is still in my deck, I love to MkKinnon Entomb it and found it the most beautiful card in my deck with Dralnu.

realms uncharted and elspeth are my fav from baga. realms uncharted always remind me of cartographer by donato, another favourite

Wow! what a great video, really enjoy listening to such a beautiful voice. Really great at narrate. Would love to know if it comes naturally or did some sort of course. Keep the great work ;)

Love his work. Using Angel of Invention card sleeves. :p

Cheers, great work!

You make me understand the beauty in art that i dont nessesarily like on first glance

Love your videos! keep up your amazing work!! :)

Greatvideo, Stoic Angel is one of my favourites since the first time I saw it. Elspeth is my favourite by him, actualy since the first time I opened on an Alara booster

Great video! But a favorite piece by Volkan Baga? That's impossible.

My favorite Baga piece is Chrome Mox!

This is a great video. I'm a massive fan of Volkan Baga, I got my Panharmonicon signed by him, and I really appreciated this video. Thank you.

It’s funny that my favorite piece piece is also his favorite piece Stoic Angel is such a beautiful card.

i enjoy your style and i feel like you could do a video on the definition of the word spoon, and make it interesting this is affect is amped when you are talking about very interesting things, as well keep up the good work

You always make exceptional videos Sam. My only gripe is you don't make more : )

Love it! Do Daarken next!!

Amazing work. Mtg could use more MagicManSam

Cranial Archive is one of the best.

My favorite has got be the flying robot bird hydra itself: Thopter assembly!

keep is up i love how u do your vids

So hard to choose, I really love almost all of his pieces!

@4:03: Only an artist as talented as Volgan Baga can make a painting which shows a person's face and her ass in the same painting, without making it looking weird. This feat in itself is a sort of "realms unchartered" in the art world.

Yay! More magic man Sam!!

All of his Moxes are Absolutely Amazing, How much I wished it was possible to get the revamped original ones in playable cardboard size.

You are amazing dude! :D

I love your videos so much, im commenting on all of them to assist with the RU-vid Algorithm.

Reminding us why we love magic.

thank you for this :)

Dude! Your videos are awesome!!!!!

This series is EPIC

And now he made Edgar Markov, telling the story once again, that plays perfectly into cards mechanics.

Do richard kane ferguson next

...And now i know why I love Panharmonicon so god-damned much.

the second art renaissance happened thanks to board games, following the "crazy times" of Picasso and others... univ. professors will say 400 years from now.

"Everybody's favorite Rhino..." *Gets triggered*

Love snapcaster and woman by the sea

I must find these “Goash” paints you speak of

Can you do Peter Mohrbacher, Rebecca Guay, Steve Prescott, Noah Bradley or Jasper Esjing?

Look at the goddamn eyes on that Increasing Ambition. Fuck. You could just have that face on the card, and it would still work as the art.

The unbanned Moxen for me. All foil, all BEEEEE-AUTIFUL~!!!

Increasing Ambition

Hi highly recommend watching all these videos on mushrooms. WOW