Fantasy Character Workshop #006

William O'Connor

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.

Enjoy

WOC

______________________________________________________________

Fantasy Character Workshop #006 

Race: Dragonnoid

Gender: Female

Class: Paladin

Armor: Splintmail/ Large Shield

Weapon: Rapier(Fire)

Missile:  xxx

Motiff: Pegasus

Equipment: idol,

After a bit of a break for the holidays and to meet some important deadlines, I've returned to my Fantasy Character Workshop.  This one was unusual and exemplifies what I enjoy about these challenges.  A dragonoid female character wielding a large shield and a rapier.  Usually these hulking figures are depicted as brutish warriors using weapons such as clubs and battle axes, so the thin blade of a rapier as well as the more graceful design of a female paladin was a refreshing mash-up.
I drew from the "steed" list for a coat of arms motif on the shield.

Enjoy

WOC

   

Fantasy Character Workshop #004

William O'Connor

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.

Enjoy

WOC

______________________________________________________________

Fantasy Character Workshop #004 

"Gladiator of the Frost Dragon"

Race: Half-Elf

Gender: Male

Class: Gladiator

Armor: Chainmail

Weapon: Rapier(Frost)/Mace

Missile:  Blowgun

Motiff: Dragon

Equipment: Rope, Coffer, Award, Flute

This was a direct study of the generated character.  Sometimes you need to keep it simple and tell the story using the details you're given.  In this case, with a dragon motif and a frostbrand rapier I thought of a large frost dragon skull helmet, but then I realized, that would hide his racial identity.  So I went in the opposite direction and shaved him bald and painted a white dragon on his face.  much scarier.  Fighting two handed would make him quick so the chainmail became a gladiatorial tunic that would allow for free movement.  The award for his victories is attached to his shoulder.

Note: This sketch was a test for my brand new Wacom tablet.  Taking some time to get all the new buttons and preferences just the way I like them.  Usually, I turn off about half of the functions.

Enjoy

WOC

Fantasy Character Workshop #003

William O'Connor

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.

Enjoy

WOC

______________________________________________________________

Fantasy Character Workshop #003

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Class:Wizard

Armor:None

Weapon: Flail

Magic: Acid

Familiar: Owl

Missile:  Crossbow

Motiff: Lightning

Equipment: Rug, Spork, Bottle, Coffer

This character design was a fun challenge.  Initially focused on the flail and the owl, I finally realized that the off-hand addition of the rug, would make for an exciting addition for a wizard as an enchanted flying carpet.  Balancing on a flying carpet gave the figure a twisting, surfing effect, while the cape and the addition of a scarf added movement and speed to the design.  The lightning motif was incorporated into the carpet, the cape and the spell casting.

Enjoy

WOC

all text and images are ©William O'Connor Studios

Fantasy Character Workshop #002

William O'Connor

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.

Enjoy

WOC

______________________________________________________________

Fantasy Character Workshop #002

Race: Dragonoid

Class: Fighter

Gender: M

Armor: Scalemail

Handedness: Single Weapon/Shield

Weapons: mace/shield

Missile: crossbow

Equipment: bracelet, sewing kit, food, paintbrush

Motiff: feathers

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.

Enjoy.

WOC

Fantasy Character Workshop #001

William O'Connor

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.

Enjoy

WOC

______________________________________________________________

Fantasy Character Workshop #001

Race: Human

Class: Fighter

Gender: M

Armor: Ringmail

Handedness: Dual Handed

Weapons: Rapier/ Sickle

Missile: Sling

Equipment: Reliquary, Spurs, Compass, Torch

Motiff: Wolf

As a two handed weapon wielding character, and wearing ringmail, the design of this character needs to be fairly fleet looking.  Flowing hair and cloak will help in this aesthetic.  While a slick design might be a good first thought the inclusion of the wolf motif, the sickle and the compass details made me think that this character would be more ranger-like.  The sling was tucked into his belt, the compass strapped to his wrist and the spurs, brought this Mongul-esque character into focus.

Joan of Arc: Part 4 Finish

The Maid of Orleans

2016

24"x48"

oil on wood panel

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.

Enjoy

WOC

 

 Maid of Orleans- Detail

Flight of the Paladin

A brave and stalwart paladin riding his steed into battle against a rampaging fire breathing dragon! The classics are always the most fun.

This recent project made for an excellent example of my process and I thought I would share some of that with you.

For a full, streaming evolution watch the painting unfold on video:



©2012 William O'Connor Studios

The Deck of Many Things

Every once in a while you are thrown a curve ball as an illustrator and a funky project lands in your inbox. I had actually forgotten about this assignment since it was commissioned so long ago. "The Deck of many Things" was a 23 card assignment to produce playing cards that would be used as props in the game "Madness at Gardmore Abbey" (Wizards of the Coast, 2011.) Actually the deck was commissioned to be released with the D&D online magazine, and was presented as a rush job to be released the following month. With roughly twenty business days to produce the artwork I presented a mock-up image to the art director of what I felt confident I could produce under the tight deadline and still deliver on schedule. In the end the project was shelved and the rush was not necessary. (The foibles of publishing). The image shown here represents the original card back that I was rather partial to. Months afterward I was commissioned to re-design the card back because a yin-yang symbol would not be contiguous with the game universe.

Aesthetically the challenge was not to make the images look like contemporary cards, but rather like antique objects or an old woodcut tarot deck. It was a fun assignment, and a lot of work to complete 23 images in 3 weeks, but one of those assignments that only comes along once in a blue moon.

Enjoy

WOC

Artist of the Month-Marcel Duchamp

"I don't believe in art. I believe in artists."
M. Duchamp

More than anyone else the face of Modernist hatred seems to be focused primarily on Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). I think this stems from a fundamental lack of knowledge and understanding, which is a shame, because his work is so accessible. Personally I love Duchamp. There's nothing to get. Its not about classical mythology or esoteric historical figures. His work is funny, self-deprecating and iconoclastic, qualities that I admire in any artist. Duchamp was the ultimate anti-art-artist. (Banksy and Warhol are amateurs compared to Duchamp). He went up against a centuries-old academy of stuffed shirt authorities with their Victorian salons and Gilded-Age aesthetics and tweaked their handle bar moustaches.

You gotta love Duchamp for the absolute punk he was. At a time of classical ateliers and Ecole de Beau Arts he was the first garage artist. Nothing was sacred to this guy. If it was classical or institutional he laughed at it, turned it upside down, drew a moustache on it and pissed on it. (literally and figuratively.) You don't have to like it. You're not supposed to like it. If you want nice, easy, likable pictures, look at Bouguereau, but if you want art that challenges, look at Duchamp. He was a crazy, Dada-Surreal, Steampunk, Mad-Scientist! The Einstein of the art world. Art became Relative. He wasn't saying that an upside down urinal is art, he is saying that ALL art is upside down urinals. 500 year old traditions of smearing colored mud on canvas with sticks is just as silly and random (or more) as bicycle wheels on stools. There is nothing intrinsically sacred or artistic about paint or marble, but rather the conceptual, creative process of the artist is where the value lies, and he reveals that with humor and sacrilegious glee. He was the first Concept Artist. If inspiring emotion is a prerequisite of art than Duchamp does it in spades. It is a hundred years later and he's still pissing people off. He makes every sophomore painting student scream in red faced wrath, "Its not Art!!" and Marcel just smiles from the grave and sardonically quips, "Exactly." For that alone Duchamp is awesome.

Enjoy.

WOC

at top:
Bicycle Wheel
1913 mixed media
Museum of Modern Art. New York

















Fountain
1917 porcelain and ink
Tate Gallery. London.

The Legend of the Golden Dragon

"The Legend of The Golden Dragon (Tong Long Huo)"
12"x16" pencil and digital
©William O'Connor












click on images for larger view

The Legend of the Golden Dragon

A new Cover for a project coming out soon by the same name. Thought I would share some of the images and the process work. This was a great deal of fun because I got to play with Asian/Chinese design which I have always loved since my early work on Legend of the Five Rings.

Thumbnails:












Working in a sketchbook on thumbnail designs for the project is always the first step. The narrative was one that entailed great joy and celebration in victory. I wanted to denote this by a grand upward sweep in the composition. Confetti and balloon-like lanterns would give a frenetic and active element to the design to help enhance that sense of movement.

Finished Drawing:

Whether I draw digitally or traditionally is decided from project to project. I have been returning to more traditional techniques over the past year, favoring traditional pencil work.
This graphite on ledger drawing is 11'x14"

After doing some research I realized that the floating lanterns of china are not round but rectangular.




Painting Process:














Right from the start of painting I realized that I didn't like the square lanterns. They did not give the sensation of floating and appeared like bricks, so I changed them back to my original concept sketch with round lanterns. Although the lanterns are tethered, their balloon shape look like jelly fish and the perception of lightness and floating reads better.

The painting progresses in this manner for several days until complete.



Enjoy.

WOC




©2011 William O'Connor Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Chesley Awards

Two of my paintings have been selected by the Chesley Award committee as suggestions for nominations this year.
The Chesley Awards are the annual awards selected by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Only Members can vote, so join and vote early and vote often!
ASFA




















"Dragon Song"
Unpublished (Rights Available)
oil on panel 24"x36"
SOLD

















"Paladin's Charge"
Institutional (2011 Art Order Calander)
12"x16" digital



THanks.

WOC

Conquest of Nerath

"Conquest of Nerath"
(2010) 16"x24" digital
©Wizards of the Coast


The most challenging compositions are when you either have to go extremely big or extremely small. In the instance of this painting I had to go very Big!! Juggling a two page long art description with dozens of image files of reference, leaving room for graphics and bleed is like running an artistic marathon...exhausting but very rewarding when finished.

"The Conquest of Nerath" (2010) was illustrated for Keven Smith at Wizards of the Coast for a D&D board game, of the same name, slated to be released in June 2011, and has been included in the Dungeons and Dragons 2011 Calendar .

A lot of students and young artists always ask when they see a complex work like this "Where do you start?" The answer is the same for every painting, at the thumbnail-design stage. Develop a simple design motif. In this example, the aspect of the art description that struck home for me was "Good vs. Evil". That was the heart of the image. As you can see by the attached thumbnail I quickly developed a concept based loosely upon a yin-yang symbol. This motif was reinforced by the idea that as a board game (similar to a chess game) the color coded game pieces of both sides should be given equal prominence. In this instance the description detailed Silver&Blue vs. Black&Red.



Once I have a design established I can start developing details like costumes. This is the part of the process I love the most and I think is the most creative. I often spend several days doodling in my sketchbook developing costume designs. As you can see by the attached sketch, the central figure was originally an elf on a unicorn, which got altered by the designers to a human on a warhorse.







The rest of the painting follows the stages that I have demonstrated in earlier blogs. The real work for this image was the hours and hours of rendering detail. There's no magic trick-just lots of time!
















Enjoy.

WOC




©2011 William O'Connor Studios
www.wocstudios.com

Yes, Samantha, there are unicorns....

My daughter, Samantha (4), is going through, as most girls do, a Unicorn phase. Possessing the beauty of horses and the magic of fairies unicorns have become her new "thing". Everything we draw and almost all the stories we tell have to include a unicorn.
I suppose I could buy a "My little Pony" and a copy of "The Last Unicorn" and be done, but Samantha is the daughter of a fantasy artist, and that just wouldn't do!
Fortunately for us we live not far from the most beautiful Unicorn art in history. The famed "Unicorn Tapestries" of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are housed in The Cloisters, which in itself is a work of art. Five unicorn tapestries are the centerpiece of this medieval art and architecture complex overlooking the palisades of the Hudson River, and are one of the best art destinations in NYC.
As a young man fascinated with medieval art and culture I would beg my parents to go to the Cloisters, but now living so close we go several times a year. This Sunday my family and I decided to see the "Unicorn Castle" again. Strolling through the halls of art and the stone cloisters on a cold November day, we had the museum to ourselves. We went from room to room finding griffins and dragons, and a whole bestiary of creatures carved into capitols and frescoed on walls, glazed into stained glass, gilded in candelabras and, of course, woven into tapestries. From the point of view of a four year old (and a forty year old) it was magical. I don't think I'll be taking up weaving or unicorns anytime soon, but a trip to the Cloisters is always an inspiring day!

Enjoy!
WOC

to learn more about The Cloisters visit:
Metropolitan Museum: The Cloisters














©2010 William O'Connor Studios
www.wocstudios.com

Illustration Process "Centaur"

I've been wanting to show more of my work process than I have in some of the more recent posts. The finished drawings are fun, but I've like to demonstrate the steps that I go through before I get to that finished stage, as well as many of the steps that follow the finished sketch.
For this demo I'm using my Centaur painting "Valkyrie of Pelion" as an example.
















Sketchbook Thumbnails.
At night, after I've retired from the studio, my work usually continues. Almost every night I sit with my sketchbook, either watching TV or falling asleep and doodle in my sketchbook. Sometimes these doodles are for a client, sometimes for myself. These quick design sketches are almost always done in pen. I like pen because it is very graphic and doesn't allow for me to make corrections. If I were allowed to erase or fudge a sketch, I might not be willing to abandon it and move on to a better idea, also, I love the graphic starkness of pen. When I'm fleshing out a design, I don't want subtlety , I want bold graphic design elements, they either work or they don't. 90% of these imaes are never seen, and never amount to anything. Maybe I'll do a post on my vast slush pile of misfit thumbnails....
In the two doodles above the 1st is a simple design comp with no detail, the second is a costume design sketch to work out the mechanics and aesthetics of the wardrobe. These are like shorthand notes to myself before write a first draft.


Finished Sketch:
Once I've settled on a strong design I move to my sketch phase. This is either done in pencil (as in this example) or in digital. At this point I try to work out as many of the details as possible. This makes the painting process easier since these decisions will not have to be made later, and its very important that the client see exactly what they are going to get.
It's at this point that sketch revisions happen with the client. The art director may have aesthetic or design alterations and the other departments will usually have detail corrections (such as: "She should have a long sword, not a sabre",) One or two rounds of corrections should be plenty to make every one happy.

Under Painting:
At this stage I begin to flesh out my lighting and under painting. I limit my palette to a very muted color. This allows me to focus on form and light. This image is done in photoshop, but the technique is identical when I'm working in paint. When working with a client I usually do not present a color comp unless its requested or if I'm presented with a stark difference of options. (like sunshine vs. moonlight) but again, the lighting and color is often dictated by the setting or details in the art order. (If the description says the character is in a swamp carrying a flame sword, your palette is pretty much decided for you.)
For this piece I've chosen a muddy earth tone palette that will allow me to "pop" bright colors later on.

The Finished Painting (Top Picture)






I render the finished illustration using lots of consecutive layers of texture files. Some of these are home-made and some are from texture libraries. I love to experiment with what layer modes and effects can do. Like glazes. Some are Multiplied, others are Color Dodged and others are lightened. This goes back to my early years as a multi-media and photography student.

The rendered detail and color just takes time and patience with lots of brush strokes. Working digitally gives you the opportunity to create an infinite number of brushes. Experiment to find which work for you, and don't just use the default brushes, (Or someone else's). Popping highlights, and laying in dark shadows brings the finish into focus.

Have Fun!

WOC

©2010 William O'Connor Studios
www.wocstudios.com

DRACOPEDIA

DRACOPEDIA
The Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World

"A Great Idea, Masterfully Realized, with Stunning Artwork."

ImagineFX Magazine

Dracopedia is now available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon in Hard Cover.
I'm very excited about this book, and all the hard work put into it.
160 full color pages, over 500 illustrations and a full color fold-out poster all about Dragons, their nature, habitat, behavior and a guide to drawing them.
I hope that artists and Dragon enthusiasts alike will enjoy the book.


Thirteen chapters divide the dragons of the world into 13 distinct families, and explain how they live and shows their wide range of forms, colors, environments and species.
Enjoy a brief sneak preview of some of the art, and take a look at the websites for more details and to purchase a HC copy before they're all gone!







Also be sure to follow along at my Dracopedia Project Blog, where I explore many of my dragons and techniques.



Thanks.

William O'Connor
















































©2010 William O'Connor Studios
www.wocstudios.com