Over the past couple of weeks, I've been working on some new pieces to represent my style and work for mobile game companies. I started out designing pumpkin characters in my sketchbook, then explored ideas of how I could use the jack-o-lantern face in different characters for a cohesive cast of characters.
Currently working on the next set of characters.
The Minotaurs of Orbis live in the grass lands spending most of their time slowly traveling across the plains during the day and resting in a group at night.Their groups can be huge, causing stampedes destroy the land and anyone that stands in their way. They track deer herds to feed the group and will steal cows from near by farms. With a burst of speed, they attack their prey dragging it back to the group for meals. When desperate for food they have been known to kill with in the group for food, but that hasn't been recorded since the First Age when a drought dried up the wet lands and farmers to lose their crops. When faced against a minotaur, it's often recommended to not engage in battle, other minotaurs will be nearby unseen resting in the grass and will kill a deemed threat.
Here are the illustrations I shared the last two days of the 5 Day Art Challenge
GOBLINS
My favorite Monsters (in color)
Last week I was nominated by my friend Darrenn E Canton to share my work on Facebook. While I'm not a huge Facebook person I took the opportunity to share my work. Here are the first 3 days of images I shared.
Day 1- Sketches
Day 2- Ink Drawings
Day 3- Digital Illustrations
After goblin week, I wanted to draw something that was completely different. Heres a pumpkin headed ghost I designed a while back and colored last night. I might create some other characters to go with it for my concept art portfolio but I want to make some changes to the design first, so we'll see. That's it for now, back to photoshop to work on coloring props.
All of the drawings for this year Goblin Week
Last day of Goblin Week and I'm happy with the results of the drawings that will be added to Goblin Guild. Today's goblin is apart of the bombers. These goblins have to be brave since they are a walking explosive. They carry huge barrels full of gun powder to place near walls or buildings to collapse the structures. They also have an array of small bombs to lob into battalions or through windows. Bombers are targets of the battle fields for their enemies hoping to cause chaos on the goblins side instead of there own. Many have exploded from flaming arrows piercing the barrel leaving the goblins in a bad place.
Todays goblin is an alchemist. The alchemists work in labs creating new explosives. They contain the explosive potions in glass bottles that will shatter when hitting a target. Some of the potions are acidic to cause damage to people while others are meant to light buildings on fire. The alchemists fill barrels with gun powder and roll them towards enemy lines and blow them up. Most cases it back fires on their own ranks, but the alchemists are determined to make it work.
Rus Dread-gouger returns, renowned assassin of the goblin guild. When a job needs to get done they call on Rus. He's so skilled that even outside of the guild he is hired for hits, but won't go after his own. He spends most of his time in the capital city, hiding in the shadows and knife on his hip, ready to strike in the night when your back is turned.
Today's goblin is a hobgoblin archer. One of the main cities goblin cities, Gnashgor, is located in a cavern under a mountain in the Dragon Spine Range. Since the location is rocky and their is an easily seen mouth to the cave system, the guild sets up archers to protect intruders from entering. These goblins are specially trained in archery, having a good aim is not a common skill for goblins. With there elite training, they scout the areas to warn of oncoming intruders who pose a threat to the city but most of the time they sit in the ridges and eat.
Today for Goblin Week I drew a portrait of a goblin scholar. I haven't thought of who this character is yet but with more sketching to explore his personality I'm sure he will reveal himself. One thing is certain, he doesn't seem to be the friendly sort.
Second day of Goblin Week.
Goblins aren’t known for their education, but there are members of the guild who work as scholars in different areas such as war tactics, engineering, and literature. The scholars are also in charge of the library holding all the guilds documents and were the guild scribes work.
Its that time of the year again, were lots of people all over the internet contribute to Goblin Week created by Evan Dahm. This year I will be creating more goblins for the Goblin Guild that will be added to the project I am working on that will include a brief history of the guild, the classes of members, and 2 short stories. So for the first day of goblin week I give you a line up of the goblin races.
A Crystal Rock Elemental for my Mobile Gaming Concept Art Portfolio. Recently I was talking to the One Fantastic Week illustrator community and gave me great advice to promote my illustrations to gaming studios. I live close enough to New York City to commute by train. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be formatting a new portfolio with some of my existing work and creating new work to show my process and thinking when it comes to character design.
Over at the Art Order, they were holding a challenge to create an illustration, concept, etc. based on 4 cards randomly assigned. I got chain mail, crossbow, tattoos, and half mask. I sketched out a bunch of ideas and decided to create a halfling spy crawling up a building. Then figured I could create an illustration for Oribs.
The assassin guild The Night Maggots, is a very secretive organization living in the darkest corners and deep in the sewers of Muruspatria (capital city of Orbis). Getting in contact with the Maggots is a difficult task, when some one wants a contract done, they either have to find a Maggot in the sewer or go through a chain of people to get to the group. It costs a large amount of gold to have an expert assassin kill a target since they won't stop till the target is down. Joining the guild is even more difficult then finding them. They secretly hide among the crowds watching the best thieves, magic users, and fighters to recruit, even the process to join is top secret and is unknown to people outside the Maggots. But it is easy to know when a Maggot has killed, one bolt to the chest.
Troll Witch has been a character I've drawn on and off for a while. She started as a piece for my portfolio and slowly started to develop into a character in a story I'm working on.
Troll Witch is a master of herbal arts and a friend of many. She lives in a house made of trees and river stones. Most of the season she wanders the woods collecting plants and herbs for her potions. Meeting lots of creatures along the way and helping out when she can. During the colder months, she stays at her home taking in visitors out of the freezing cold. She once had a whole party of gnomes, three dwarves, and a minotaur in her house at once, feeling more like a tavern then anything else. But once the snow melts, she leaves again to replenish her supply.
Rock Elementals live in the craggy, rocky lowlands and mountains. They sleep for long periods of time, usually weeks, months and sometimes even years or decades. They start life out as a small rock, adding other rocks to themselves to add better mobility and grow in size. There are rumors that some of the mountains and volcanoes of Orbis are actually Elementals who are in a deep slumber. This hypothesis has not be proven but there is evidence that elementals are difficult to detect and often go unseen to untrained eyes.
Tobis Calgrim is a gnome inventor who spends most of his time tinkering with his automatons. He is famous for his horse automaton that can travel long distances without rest unlike real horses. Very few exist due to the amount of time and gold that is needed to create the automaton. Though many of his small automatons are seen all over orbitis. From his orb bot (which he is holding in the drawing) delivering letters to massive golems digging tunnels for dwarves. Tobis has a large workshop to for building and employs many gnomes to aid him in construction. The location of the workshop is unknown, a few people believe that dark magic is needed to bring life to the automatons and thats why the lab is hidden.
Here are some pages from my current sketchbook that I've been drawing in since September.
Starkens live in the vast fields of Orbis. Spending most of their life traveling the lands following game rather than settling in one select area. There lives are built to move, their yurts can fold into smaller parts and carried on bison. Traveling for weeks on end before establishing a settlement is normal for Starkens from a young age, you carry what you own. Starkens govern in a true democracy, all voting on laws, rules, and travel. Rarely Starkens have been involved in war, they prefer to create peace then get involved in others politics. The only reason for having warriors is to hunt and protect the group while they migrate. Starkens are skilled martial artists that focus on the spiritual side being trained by monks who teach them the philosophies of their society and of the world beyond their own.