Arise

Arise

Wildborn Series.©Ralph Horsley.

Acrylic, Approx 11" x 15"

Original artwork for sale: $400
Image available for license.

I have been very gratified by the response to my first set of 'Wildborn' paintings, and this has spurred my efforts to try and fit in some more  paintings for the series.

I have always been inspired by Mountains, I guess helped by growing up in  a very hilly part of England - The Lake District, especially the effect light can have on them. This piece proved great fun in exploring that.

Here is a walkthrough of my process.

Facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ralph-Horsley/270339214891

Book of Vile Darkness

The Book of Vile Darkness was a very popular book for the 3.5 edition of D&D. and quickly acquired a cult following because of  its subject matter, which dealt with the darker side of the gameworld.

You can then imagine how thrilled I was to be asked to work on the new publication for 4th edition D&D, and better still that I was offered two chapters starts; lovely double page spreads that I could really go to town on.

This was especially true of the first, which was the opening chapter in the book, and needed to show the legendary Liche Vecna using the book to unleash the forces of evil upon the world  in all their chaotic bloodthirsty fury.

Evil Unearthed

Approx 21" x 19"

Acrylic on board.

Original SOLD

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

As I wanted to show a vast broiling battlefield I deliberately chose a restricted palette with a sickly colour range, whilst reserving the blue light to pinpoint Vecna.

The composition needed to fit within a strict template which effectively bisected the image into a left-hand third, and right-hand two thirds. This is how the mock-up looked:

The second illustration was equally enjoyable, allowing me to really sock it to one of the good guys - a Gold Dragon in it's own temple - ouch!

Smitten

Approx 21" x 19"

Acrylic on board.

Original SOLD

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

and the mock-up:

Feywild

Viltham

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 14" x 17"

Original Artwork For Sale

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

Illustration work continually produces fresh challenges, sometimes that can appear simply to create a fresh dynamic scene conveying a particular story, but  it is always compounded by further factors; those might be as straightforward as dimension restrictions, format, and typesetting, or they may be even more complicated.

Viltham the Gnome was created as a painting for Dungeons & Dragons Fortune Cards: Fury of the Feywild. He needed to look undeterred by the burning of his forest home around him, and ready to retaliate with his own powerful magic, but also fit within a very specific format  for his role as cover star of the booster cards packaging.

Booster Packaging Template

Above is the template I was provided with. I was directed that his head should bleed over the upper line to allow a cut-out effect, and that the top of the card packs would line-up along the lower dotted line, additionally I should provide the whole figure on a larger image area to allow full flexibility of usage. I always relish these challenges, but they do provide compositional conundrums, which I believe I met, and here is the finished packaging:

Not only did I provide the packaging art, but I was also happy to contribute three cards to the set, a couple of whom appear on the sides of the display box too.

Keldar

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 8" x 11"

Original Artwork For Sale

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

Andronus

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 8" x 11"

Original Artwork For Sale

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

Lyrindel

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 8" x 11"

Original Artwork For Sale

Copyright Wizards of the Coast

Statuesque

Statuesque

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

© Ralph Horsley

This is my fourth painting in the 'Wildborn' series, and completes a set depicting the seasons; Sentinel - spring, Glimpse - summer, Glimmer - Autumn and Statuesque - Winter.

I liked the idea of working with  a limited, desaturated palette that would contrast strongly with the lowering sun. The Dragon deliberately blends in with the snow and ice around, yet is pinpointed between those two bright orbs.

Here are some process shots:

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Wildborn

Glimpse

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

© Ralph Horsley

Glimmer

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

© Ralph Horsley

Sentinel

Wildborn Series.

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

© Ralph Horsley

It is a long time since I created a painting solely for myself. I am grateful that my schedule has been full, but I have also been hampered by the desire to make an epic work. However on returning from Illuxcon the itch has grown, but the timetable has, thankfully, remained as packed.

Then it occured to me that I should aim for something more achievable, and which would also be a good exercise.  Thus the idea for 'wildborn' arose; smaller landscape paintings showing dragons in a naturalistic setting.

I took my inspiration from landscape photography, trying to create a more naturalistic look, and one that started with loose sketches so that the painting could be freer.

Here is a walkthrough for Glimpse, showing my process.

A loose sketch. it lays out the key elements, but doesn't concern itself with detail.

Old habits die hard. I start working from back to front, blocking in the value range and colour transition.

I move onto the rocks doing the same. I am keen to blur the shadows between rocks and trees. the water is also loosely mapped in - trying to keep a light touch here for now.

The trees are beginning to be refined, and I startt to pay attention to the shadows on the cliff.

Further refinement, now on the rocks.

Begining to add detail and colour accents/variation within the value range.

I pulled out the gels for the water. A transparent glaze for the mistiness and lots of heavy body gel for an almost impasto finish on the foaming water.

Lords of Waterdeep

Lords of Waterdeep
Acrylic, 19" x 22".
Original artwork for sale.

When I first started working on Dungeons & Dragons my initial commissions were for Forgotten Realms, and one of the first products was the Waterdeep supplement. Consequently it was  a great thrill to be asked to work on the forthcoming boardgame; Lords of Waterdeep. I enjoyed helping create some iconic 'Lords', and the central figure gave me a good excuse to pull lots of armour out for reference.

I also created a good number of character portraits for cards within the game, something I'd also love to share, but sadly will have to stay under wraps until publication next year.

Illuxcon 2011

My Stand

I returned from Illuxcon just  a week ago, and whilst it has taken nearly that long to physically recover from the travel, jet lag, and late nights, I still feel fired up by the great experiences I had.

A Blank Canvas

I was one of the first to arrive at the venue, where I added my art-laden suitcases to the crate that was already waiting for me. There was a real buzz beginning to awaken in the heritage center, and I was keen to get my work out and on display.

!!!

Though my first step was to see if the paintings had made it in their original form...

The Show Opens

It is an incredibly impressive space when it is full to bursting with awesome original artwork. Additionally the great benefit of the show is that the restricted numbers mean that I also had plenty of time to browse, and chat to the other artists. As always I was delighted by how open and friendly everyone is; working alone in the studio can be isolating, and getting to chat so freely to other artists about their work and processes is genuinely inspirational.

An Overview

The show itself is only a portion of what is on offer. Throughout the days lectures, panel and demos are ongoing; all of which  offer some new insight or observation. On the Friday there was also the showcase, which acts as an overflow exhibition for more artists that couldn't quite squeeze into the main space. Furthermore all the socialising spills over late into the night as everyone gathers in the hotel bar and lobby.

It was a busy, and very rewarding event, but with a relaxed genial atmosphere. I had  a great time sharing work experiences with the other artists, students and collectors; many of whom I consider to be very good friends, even I only get to spend facetime with them once or twice a year at places like this.

Now I just need to put my inspiration into practise, by producing the best work I can, whilst beginning to look forward to next year.