Recently I completed work on a personal painting for the upcoming IX artshow in Reading PA. Below are a series of work in progress images that show the various stages of development of this large oil painting.
I hope to see many of you at IX where I hope you will stop by to see Dragonspell in person and get to meet old friends and new!
Working as a fantasy illustrator
for over twenty years I have created hundreds (maybe thousands) of
fantasy characters. When I was a student I would draw the characters of
all the players in my gaming group. later working for various games I
would be commissioned to illustrate and design characters from stories.
As an artist many of these commissions became derivative to the point
of becoming boring (Dwarf Fighter with an Axe, Elf Ranger with a Bow,
etc.) so I strove to change things up and make sure that I was always
coming up with new combinations. I created my Random Character
Generator. (attached below). This was based upon the appendixes that
were listed in the back of the D&D Dungeon Master's Guide when I
was a kid. I started using this generator routinely, and still employ
it when creating characters and when teaching character design to
students.
This series is intended to use my generator
to create characters on a regular basis to share the process with you. I
will try to be as faithful as possible to the attributes that are
created, as the series is meant to challenge my skills, and make the
characters as difficult as possible.
When we think of Halflings usually images of Bilbo and Frodo come to mind, but Halflings are not Hobbits. Halflings are cunning and agile adventurers with sharp minds making them ideal quest wizards. Innately attuned to the natural world a Halfling wizard would very likely have a wild animal familiar like a hawk and the use of a common wooden cudgel would be quite effective in experienced hands. Never judge a character by his size.
Several years ago I was approached to develop an illustrated edition of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I was extremely enthusiastic since it was a favorite of mine and a literary classic. For several months I read and researched the work and produced a folio of sketches, color comps and diagrams based on my interpretations of the novel.
My immediate take on the early 19th century gothic tale was how scary it was. This was one of the first real psychological thrillers and works of science fiction. Grave robbing, corpse mutilation, zombies, paedocide, serial murder, mental illness and drug use were all front and center in the plot. Eventually however the project was canceled and I was left with a file full of concept art that never got finished or published. I'm attaching a sampling here for the first time for you to see my take on this literary classic in all its dark and horrific detail. Perhaps one day I'll get to finish it.
Enjoy!
WOC
"I will glut the maw of death until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends!"
Ingolstadt
"We perceived a low carriage, on a sled, and drawn by dogs, at the distance of half a mile, a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature."
"...what I held in my arms had ceased to be the Elizabeth that I loved and cherished."
"The dissecting room and the slaughter house furnished many of my materials."
"As I still pursued my journey to the northward, the snows thickened and the cold increased in a degree almost too severe to support."
Working as a fantasy illustrator for over twenty years I have created hundreds (maybe thousands) of fantasy characters. When I was a student I would draw the characters of all the players in my gaming group. later working for various games I would be commissioned to illustrate and design characters from stories. As an artist many of these commissions became derivative to the point of becoming boring (Dwarf Fighter with an Axe, Elf Ranger with a Bow, etc.) so I strove to change things up and make sure that I was always coming up with new combinations. I created my Random Character Generator. (attached below). This was based upon the appendixes that were listed in the back of the D&D Dungeon Master's Guide when I was a kid. I started using this generator routinely, and still employ it when creating characters and when teaching character design to students.
This series is intended to use my generator to create characters on a regular basis to share the process with you. I will try to be as faithful as possible to the attributes that are created, as the series is meant to challenge my skills, and make the characters as difficult as possible.
A fun challenge to do a dragon-man! I like these guys because I love dragons, and I helped design the Dragonborn race in D&D 4th edition. Usually depicted as brutish characters I kept with this steryotype making his costume seem cobbled together out of pieces and bits. The scale armor helps enhance the dragon aesthetic, but that was sheer luck of the generator. I made the shield have a sharp, spiked silhouette that also should help enforce the dragon-esque look. The details of the small sewing kit with scissors and the paintbrush on his belt are just fun- maybe he's an artist!, while the feather motif lent to a tribal necklace of feathers and bird skull. All in all, an useful character that can bash skulls and mend socks.
The completion of my painting Joan of Arc was delayed by a series of personal misfortunes. I broke my foot this past spring and was confined to crutches for two months, followed by a case of pneumonia which landed me in the hospital for a week. After what seemed an intolerable convalescence I was finally able to get back to work on the painting in June. The first week in August I had completed the painting and was able to bring it to Gen Con in Indianapolis where it received glowing reviews from friends and fans. At the end of August the painting was displayed again at The Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington where it had acquired a distinctive frame.
This month I was finally able to get the painting professionally photographed in order to document and share the painting to its best effect.
The final details of this painting were possibly the most important and rewarding stage of the work. Compositionally designed to be graphic, the finishing details are what brought the piece to life. Each form of the image was individually detailed with painstaking brushwork to create a patchwork quilt of textiles, metal, leather, chainmail and gold brocade. In this respect the painting achieved the Gothic impression that I was striving for, stitched together like a tapestry.
I hope you enjoy the details work as much as I enjoyed working on them. During the week of October 20-23, 2016 I will be attending Illuxcon in Reading, PA. I hope you get the chance to come see the work I in person.
I have the opportunity to share a work in progress for a book cover that I'm painting. This is a pencil drawing and a grayscale rendering in photoshop to establish my values. The final will be in oil. I hope to share with you when its finished. I'm looking forward to working in oil for a client again. Its a lot slower but I like the process.
Once moving to paint my technique is a process of layers with some alla prima touches. I use glazes to enhance color and tone.
This image I created expressly to use as a demonstration of my technique. A fun little character design and painting. Attached below are the sketch and painting stages .
