Ralph Horsley

Spiral of Tharizdun

2012-01-31T11:17:00.000Z

Scar

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 14" x 17"

Original Artwork For Sale

I mentioned previously about my commission to produce packaging for the Dungeons and Dragons Feywild Fortune Cards, well I must have done something right as I was subsequently asked to produce a further piece of art for another set. This time around though I was dealing with Scar, a meaty half-orc with some magic skills as well as a hefty axe.

Once again I needed to keep the focus on the top part of the image, so that the important features wouldn't be lost in the packaging. The Spiral of Tharizdun's fire helped by providing a very useful device with which to bring focus and round out the figure with some strong rim lighting.

This is how the painting appears on the packaging:

This was the initial line sketch:

Deatils of the Fortune Cards set can be found here.

Arise

2012-01-24T12:56:00.000Z

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

2012-01-03T21:49:00.002Z

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

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

and the mock-up:

Feywild

2011-12-12T22:05:00.000Z

Viltham

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 14" x 17"

Original Artwork For Sale

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

Andronus

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 8" x 11"

Original Artwork For Sale

Lyrindel

Acrylic on Board,

Approx 8" x 11"

Original Artwork For Sale

Statuesque

2011-12-09T09:40:00.000Z

Statuesque

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

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:

Wildborn

2011-11-22T10:42:00.000Z

Glimpse

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

Glimmer

Wildborn Series

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

Sentinel

Wildborn Series.

Acrylic, 15" x 11"

Original for sale. Image available for license.

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

2011-11-17T11:34:00.001Z

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

2011-11-15T14:00:00.000Z

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.

Armour Concepting

2011-10-21T11:01:00.000+01:00

I am very fortunate in that my work and hobbies are closely intertwined. My love of fantasy art came about through my love of the genre, which I explored mainly through playing games, Dungeons & Dragons in particular. Somewhat older I still enjoy role playing, and am fortunate to have a regular tabletop group to play with, additionally my Wife, Anne, introduced me to the fun of live role playing.

Recently that intertwining has grown further when Alex at the LRPstore asked me to provide some concept ideas for new leather armour sets. He is a very good craftsman, and I am excited at the prospect of seeing my drawing made up into three dimensional pieces that I will be able to wear.

Here are some of my initial ideas:

Throne of Tides

2011-10-19T11:52:00.000+01:00

The latest World of Warcraft tcg set: Throne of Tides has just been released, so I'd like to share my work on it with you.

Dulvar Hand of the Light

Acrylic, approx 11" x 14".

Original artwork for sale

Grumdak Herald of the Hunt

Acrylic, approx 11" x 14".

Original artwork for sale

In so doing I also realised that I have yet to show my work on the previous set: Twilight of the Thrones.

Incinerate

Acrylic, approx 11" x 14".

Original artwork for sale

Favor of Steel

Acrylic, approx 11" x 14".

Original artwork for sale

Explosive Hunt

Acrylic, approx 11" x 14".

Original artwork for sale

Legends of Anglerre

2011-10-13T16:34:00.000+01:00

Legends of Anglerre

Acrylic, approx 19" x 25"

original artwork for sale.

I recently had the great pleasure of working with Jon Hodgson of Cubicle 7 on one of their covers. Jon might familiar to those who have followed the Ninja Mountain podcasts from the early days as he was instrumental in setting up the NM website and podcast.

The work was for the Legends of Anglerre cover, and comprised a nice simple brief that allowed for lots of dynamism, and creative expression; an armoured woman fighter charges across a beach towards us, whilst beset by Goblins.

I followed my usual processes; starting with a line sketch that evolved from a slew of expressive thumbnails.

That was then digitally worked up into a value study. This, along with the line sketch, were submitted, and met with approval.

At this point I would then normally do a quick colour study, but for once I had a very strong mental impression of the colour scheme; strong blues, greens and yellows, offset by the lead protagonist in red.

I began by painting the background. The central cloud was chosen to frame the silhouette of the head.

Then I worked my way forward, tackling the furthermost Goblins, whilst laying a quick base wash onto their foreground companions.

Colour was then laid onto the central figure. A base wash first, and then full rendering. The base wash gives a nice underpaint to work into, but also allows me to check my colour choices as I go along. This is a lot easier to alter than a fully rendered finish.

I continue this process throughout the figure. Here I have laid in the armour base, also note I have decided to change the colour of the gorget/cloak clasp. The ultramarine was too similar to the background, and I decided to stick with the overall red based palette for the woman.

For once I saved the face for last. I wanted to keep it light to act as a focal point, and decided to resolve a lot of the other values around it first. Secondly this was the single most important element of the piece, and I lavished a lot of care and attention on it.

The woman is complete and I progress to the Goblins. I now deliberately started using larger brushes, and looser marks to help contrast with the woman, and keep her the central focus.

Just a few touches to go, and the piece is finished, and approved.

Gates of Neverdeath

2011-10-03T19:55:00.002+01:00

Gates of Neverdeath

Acrylics. Approx 34" x 31"

Original artwork for sale.

I enjoy being challenged by a piece of work. Fresh hurdles offer the opportunity to grow and improve as an artist. The Gates of Neverdeath was just such a work; whilst the subject matter allowed me to paint one of my favourite subjects (Zombies!) it was the size and multiple requirements that were trickier.
The image needed to function as an adventure cover in a vertical format, but also be usable for marketing purposes in a horizontal format. Similarly it required lots of additional space where different trade dress could be placed, or the painting cropped in multiple different ways. This all meant that what would normally be an 8.5" x 11" cover, which I would work up at 200% actual size ( 17" x 22"), became a 34" x 31" painting which barely fitted on my drawing board.

Necromancer detail

I spent quite some time working on thumbnail sketches before I was happy enough to work up my ideas into a finished graphite line sketch.

Note the guidelines which demarcate the cover area and mark room for the variety of potential trade dress.

I then worked up a loose digital value study. This guides me during the painting, and helps the Art Director (in this case the lovely Keven Smith) make sense of all those lines!

Having a clear scheme in place for the lighting, values and palette made tackling a large piece like this a lot easier. Like most of my paintings I worked from back to front. Below you can see a fuzzy photo of the work in progress.

The Necromancer has been completed and I am working my way onto the foreground elements. You can see part of my process, whereby I lay down layers of wash, before adding more opaque elements to tighten up the shadows and highlights.

After the painting was completed I sent through a scanned, uncropped, copy of the final, but I also included a mock-up of how I saw the cover working.

It is interesting to compare this with the final editorial decision, and crop, that adorned the printed product.

It was great to work on such an epic piece, containing such fun elements, but it did also serve to remind me how following the discipline of my processes made the whole painting much easier to work on.

The Court of Green Scales

2011-09-13T14:15:00.000+01:00

The Court of Green Scales

Acrylics, Approx 14.5" x20.5"

Original artwork for sale.

Every now and then I create what I think of as a 'transitionary' painting. This is a piece that seems to sum up where you have come from and where you are going artistically. A culmination and expansion... I think of 'The Court of Green Scales' as just such a piece.

It began with the art brief. The commission was a for a full page interior illustration for a Dungeons & Dragons supplement, and this was the summary:
"The Court of Green Scales. In a secluded valley, we see a Green Dragon in deep consultation with a kobold wyrmpriest (see the Monster Manual for reference for both creatures). Surrounding the dragon and the wyrmpriest are a collection of kobolds of the Green Scale tribe, including a pair of dragonshield warriors (see Monster Manual for reference)."

I loved the fact that it gave me enough information to convey the salient details and mood of the image, without being prescriptive in the detail. It showed that that the art director ( Mari Kolkowsky) had faith in my abilities to create the narrative and drama.

I wanted to emphasis the inequalities in the relationship between the Kobolds and Dragon, it might be a mutually beneficial arrangement, but it was clear who was boss. Thinking along those lines, and with the necessity for Dragons to have a treasure hoard, the notion of tribute seemed a logical step forward. The Wyrmpriest might be asking for/offering something but to come empty handed would seem foolish.

I played with that that idea further in the composition. The undercut hillside helps provide the sense of an underclass level, and has an almost throne like function. This is cut through by the two strong verticals of the waterfall and tree, allowing the sinuos s-shape of the Dragon to have a nice contrast.

The Line Sketch.

I feel that I managed to include a lot of elements which are a culmination of my craft; the storytelling, composition and detail. This was carried through into the painting through the dynamic red/green palette and value range. Where the transition takes place is in the rendering. This was the first large painting wherein I used a lot of gel mediums, in particular the 'Liquitex Gloss Heavy'. This gel gives a more buttery consistency to the paint and increases drying time. It allows for a smoother blending, and softer mark making.

Consequently I felt I managed to introduce greater contrast between tightly defined areas and looser ones. Which in turn keeps the focus more where I want it. I also played around a lot more strongly with 'lost edges' than I had previously. This is best demonstrated with the Kobold guard on the bottom right and his merging with the shadows.

I liked the qualities this addition to my tools allowed, subsequently exploring and refining it. This painting however is held in affection for being one more stepping stone on the neverending path of self improvement.

Illie Award Nomination

2011-09-05T13:12:00.000+01:00

I am very pleased to announce that one of my paintings, Neverwinter, has passed the cut and made it into the semi finals for the Illie Award.

Neverwinter.

"The Illie Award recognizes the single best traditionally created painting of the year(2010), as chosen by the members of the Illustration Exchange / IlluXCon.com."

The winner will be decided via public vote; interestingly each piece will be rated 1 to 5, and the finalists will be those with the best aggregate score. So please take the time to visit the site and vote on each picture as you see fit.

GenCon - The Return

2011-08-12T19:05:00.000+01:00

I am back from my GenCon trip, but feeling as though I am hovering somewhere over the mid-Atlantic as my jetlag eases.

I took as much of my original art with me as my cases and weight allowance permitted. Whilst this excluded some of my larger pieces I was still very happy with my display. I even managed to leave some space so that I could peek out.

The artshow was in the centre of the exhibit hall this year, which was great for feeling fully included, and allowing more casual browsing. The show spread across several aisles, and I had some great neighbours on mine; Chris Rahn one side, Christopher Burdett the other and facing Dan Scott.

There was some great art on display throughout the show, and I made sure I took advantage of being an exhibitor by going into the hall every day before it opened to the public so that I could browse properly. GenCon has over 30,00 attendees and it can be hard to grasp the overall scale of the convention centre, even this troll standing sentinel barely demonstrates the length of just one corridor.

Wandering the halls and corridors invariably threw up surprises, be it belly dancers, a steampunk band, or much abused/sculpted cards.

These were all finally trashed by coin throwing, with the latter being collected up for charity.

The last time I attended GenCon was 2008 and it was gratifying how many people sought me out again, having met me in previous years; more so when they ended up adding more of my art to their collection, bought further white-backs, or just asked for a sketch.

I was especially amused when this sketchbook appeared again:

This sums up my own GenCon attendance - though sadly I notice in 2006 I only autographed the page, at least I have made up for that since, albeit only with a simple image.

Incidentally the latest iteration was created with a brush pen I borrowed from Christopher Burdett (who was very generous in supply different implements throughout the show - thanks), and I was won over by it. Great flow, sensitivity and solid black!

Some sketches get a little more time spent on them, for instance I had good fun with this beholder:

Thanks to everyone that stopped by. Meeting the folks who play the games that my art is intended for is great. I work in the bubble of my studio and email communication with an AD such that getting out to shows like this make a lot of difference. I am also very happy that quite a number of paintings have escaped the confines of my cupboard and are roaming the world.

Other people that come by and lighten the show are the Cosplayers and costume wearers.

Indeed sometimes there were more of them than the rest of us.

However the best artistic complement was the one paid to Wayne Reynolds when a woman turned up dressed as one of the iconics he painted for Pathfinder.

I had a very enjoyable time in Indianapolis, not just in the show, but socialising with other artists in the evening. However I was grateful not to have to step outside very often as the city was experiencing a heatwave, the like of which it hadn't seen since 1936. I melted in the 90F+/35C+ humid heat, and was appreciative of the a/c everywhere.

I also had the pleasure of staying in the most interesting of hotels - it had previously been a train station. This certainly meant it diverged from the standard box format of so many modern hotels, instead cast iron beams sprouted from walls and ceilings.

and pullman carraiges doubled as bedrooms, as can be seen behind Franz & Imelda Vohwinkel.

I now look forward to my next US trip to Illuxcon, and hope I can make GenCon again next year.

IndyGenCon

2011-08-02T12:59:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow morning I will boarding a plane at Manchester airport, UK, and flying across the Atlantic to indianopolis. This due to the fact that I will be attending IndyGenCon; in their own words "the original, longest running, best attended, gaming convention in the world".

I will be taking a lot of original artwork with me, and hope some of you will stop by my stand in the artshow to say 'hi'.

Talisman the Dragon

2011-06-28T16:30:00.000+01:00

Talisman the Dragon

Acrylic, 22.5" x 22.5"

Original artwork for sale

I have been enjoying the continuity of working on the Talisman board game line, and I am happy to reveal my cover artwork for Talisman the Dragon, the latest expansion.

As usual we have a very mixed bag of adventurers attempting to battle their way to the top of the Dragon's tower and gain the treasure inside. Creating a narrative with the different archetypes is an enjoyable challenge, and better still was devising a new Dragon. I wanted to echo aspects of the Talisman boardgame's cover Dragon, whilst making him distinctively his own beastie. I feel he is suitably fierce and threatening, something helped by the dramatic perspective.

Below is the initial sketch, in the background of which you can see the Dragon Rider character. Whilst she features in the game it just seemed too confusing to have an additional Dragon on the scene - and she got dropped.

Talisman the Dragon - Sketch

Ambush! - A Walkthrough

2011-06-09T19:10:00.000+01:00

Ambush!

©Wizards of the Coast.

Original acrylic painting approx 22" x 22".

For Sale.

Around Christmas I was commissioned to work on a large interior illustration for Dragon magazine. The publication date was due April/May, however unfortunately the article was pulled at the last moment and this accompanying illustration with it. Happily the Art Director, Jon Schindehette, helped secure the necessary permission for me to share my work publically anyway.

The topic for this piece was full of drama; a pair of Thri-Kreen stop at a waterhole to refill their canteens, and ease their parched throats, when a Water Drake leaps from it's hiding place to satiate it's own hunger.

The sinuous Water Drake leant itself very nicely as a strong compositional tool. It's length encircles it's victim, whilst all the lines of force, including head and tail, point to the targetted Thri-Kreen.*

Whilst painting the picture I took a large number of photos and I have whittled these down to a selection that reveal my process. In this case a very methodical front to back, element by element approach. This is my norm, but sometimes I can lay down broader areas of colour in order to aid the colour/value balance. This time I had a very clear image in my head, and it unfolded as I anticipated - which I wish it always did.

*It was fun to revisit the Thri-Kreen , of whom I had previously created a Chesley nominated illustration. A printout of which can be seen on the top right of the drwaing board.

1.The background colour is laid down.

2. The shading and values are refined.

3. Hard at it.

4. Leading the background values through onto the rear figure.

5. The skin tones completion defines the rear figures value range.

6. Bringing in the blue and starting on the foreground Thri-Kreen.

7. Liking the red/blue juxtaposition.

8. Skin and values defined.

9. Figure about complete.

10. The workspace - with notation of ~~clutter~~ reference materials.

11. Developing the water, cast shadow, and foliage.

12. Nailing the Drake's palette and head.

13. Brought that over the whole body.

14. Drake's highlights added and the base for the dripping water started.

15. Lots of droplets!

16. The apprentice gives his input - yum, snacks.

Going Digital... Well, Sometimes.

2011-05-17T22:09:00.001+01:00

Forged in Shadow and Flame

- V1.0 - a rural idyll -

The key part of my work as an illustrator is providing the client with the image they want. It seems like an obvious statement, but it involves not just having the skill set that enables you to deliver, but also requires adopting the flexibility to make it happen.

That flexibility is best exhibited through the ability to tailor the image closely to your client's needs by modifying the work as it progresses. If this is required it is usually done at the sketch stage, and it is easy enough to alter a graphite drawing. However, rarely, a request can be made at the 'final' stage, once the painting has been completed. This can be more challenging.

I particularly enjoy working in acrylics, and whilst anything can be painted over, it is not always the easiest way to make amends - which is when I can adopt a digital process.

Forged in Shadow and Flame

- V.1.1 - Going Undergorund -

In the latest World of Warcraft tcg set I had a piece approved, but whilst I had painted a rural backdrop it was decided to change the setting to an underground location. The image, Forged in Shadow and Flame, had a very simple background, and altering this to indicate stone would have been easy enough - except that the key feature is a splintering crate with magical effect. Blending in/painting around these would have been very time consuming and awkward compared with tweaking overlay and adjustment layers in Photoshop.

I adopted a palette for the background that borrowed from the crate, and made sure this bled through onto the figure to help unify all the elements, whilst also punching up the saturation around the magical effect.

Here is a comparison image of the two side-by-side:

It is also interesting to see how differently the same colours can read when set alongside a different companion colour.

Postal Treats - World of Warcraft

2011-05-13T21:04:00.000+01:00

It is always great to get presents in the post, and better still when they have been FedEx'd all the way from the USA. I just received the latest batch of artists proofs (AKA white-backs) from Blizzard.

Postal Treat

This also means that I can get to share the latest artwork that appeared on these cards with you:

Warning Shot

Forged of Shadow And Flame

Which in turn reminded me of some other outstanding World of Warcraft artwork I can show:

Daze

Stasis

Crystals Of Power

Swift Hand Of Justice

Stakethrower

All paintings are acrylic on board, and ©Blizzard.

Illuxcon 4 Trailer

2011-05-05T09:02:00.000+01:00

A trailer for Illuxcon 4 has been posted on the Illuxcon website. It consists of footage of the 2010 event and gives a great idea of what the event entails.

It also served to get me excited about the prospect of attending again this year.

Gardmore Abbey

2011-03-24T19:15:00.001Z

Gardmore Abbey

Acrylic, 21" x 27"

©Wizards of the Coast.

It is always great to be able to work on an archetype, and with the cover to Gardmore Abbey I got to have fun with two: Orcs and a Giant. Better still the Giant had two heads, being the feared Ettin.

With this piece I really enjoyed the push and pull between the cool/warm colours and the dynamism that helps create.

The line sketch with cover template overlaid.

UK LARP Awareness Party

2011-03-08T09:26:00.001Z

I have been invited to attend the UK LARP Awareness Party on the 2nd April.

I am looking forward to taking lots of my art down to show and sell, I have also been invited to present a LARP award during the evening events.

It looks like this will be a jolly day,and I am sure to buy some more (absolutely essential) kit.

Stock Additions.

2011-03-07T22:52:00.000Z

I have been updating my shop, and in the process have enjoyed going through my collection to pick out a range of pieces. It is surprising what gets thrown up, or that I had forgotten about; in particular I enjoyed rediscovering some pencil work.

Wyvern Summoner

$80

©WotC

Dragon Rider

$85

©WotC

Arktos

$300

©Blizzard

Dragon Tutor

SOLD

©WotC

Awesome Energy

$100

©WotC

Howling Mine

$250

©WotC

New Web Shop

2011-02-05T16:49:00.004Z

Ralph Horsley: Original Art Shop

One of the pleasures, and benefits, of working traditionally is that I transform a blank piece of board into a finished painting; a physical artefact that inhabits it's own space and can be experienced in it's own unique way.

I like the fact that these pieces have a life of their own, that they can be taken into someone else's ownership, and consequently create new emotional connections in their new home.

It is incredibly satisfying when you are at a show and someone makes a connection with one of my works, whilst appreciating that they can take it home with them. I was very pleased at the end of last year to be contacted by an avid Dungeons & Dragons player who wanted to buy my painting for the Red Box. I drove over to his house to deliver the piece, to find that he already had a spot, along with picture hook, ready on his wall within his studya An office space that was full to the gunwhales with bookcases replete with gaming supplements. For him my painting crowned his collection and hobby, and I knew it was going to be much loved.

The spare room holds a multitude of treasures:

A small selection of my original art collection.

However I have realised that aside from promotions at shows I do little to make people aware of the collection of artwork I have available for sale. I have been working professionally for over twenty years, and consequently have a large body of work squirreled away. Even at shows I am limited to what I can physically take and display, and will favour more recent, larger pieces when doing so.

In order to broaden this promotion, and to help make people aware of the breadth of material available I have opened a web shop.

The initial selection is modest but aims to demonstrate the range of my paintings, both in cost (starting at a mere $30), size, materials, subject matter, and publication background. I hope you will go and take a look - if nothing else you can see what my black and white line work looked like ten years ago!

Ralph Horsley: Original Art Shop

I have also been trying to maintain an accurate list of all the artwork I have created (at least over recent years). This is in part for my own records, but has also been sent out to potential art buyers enquiring about availability. I am including it below for your interest - note that when printing this out it runs to 17 sheets of paper.

Ralph Horsley: Catalogue Resume - January 2010

The illustrations are organised via publisher, product title, illustration title*, dimension and price.

Dimension: this is presented in a simplified coded format based upon UK paper sizes, A2, A3, A4, etc and either P (portrait) or L (landscape). The choice based on the paper size I chose for the painting, and the image will fit up to those dimensions.

A4= 210 x 297 mm, or 8.27” x 11.69”

A3= 297 x 420 mm, or 11.69” x 16.54”

A2= 420 x 594 mm, or 23.39” x 33.11”

A1= 594 x 841 mm, or 23.39” x 33.112

Price: Is in UK £ Pounds Sterling: GBP
A currency converter can be found here.
*Whilst I have tried to update the latter into the published title where applicable some will have slipped through with their working title intact.

Wizards of the Coast

Magic the Gathering

Anthem of Rakdos SOLD

Boseiju, who shelters all SOLD

Fishliver oil – A4L - £150

Gate hound – SOLD

Nine-ringed bo – A4L - £150

Ocular halo A4L - £150

Rag dealer A4L - £150

Reminisce A4L - £100

Seal of doom– SOLD

Seal of fire– SOLD

Seeds of strength - A4L - £150

Stormscale anarch - A4L - £150

Twisted justice - A4L - £200

Veteran armorer A4L - £125

Krovikan scoundrel - A4L - £125

Martyr of ashes - A4L - £150

Frozen solid - A4L - £150

Hurkyl’s Recall – SOLD

Howling Mine - A4L - £175

Shields of veils Vel - A4L - £150

Boggart Birth Rite – NFS

Fistful of Force - A4L - £100

Hillcomber Giant – SOLD

Elvish Branchbender - A4L - £175

Bosk Banneret – SOLD

Frogtosser Banneret - A4L - £175

Ballyrush Banneret - A4L - £200

Stonybrook Banneret - A4L - £200

Brighthearth Banneret - A4L - £200

Negate (promo) – A3P - £200

Honor of the Pure (promo) - A4L - £150

Initimidator Initiate - – SOLD

Fire-lit thicket – SOLD

Furystoke Giant - – SOLD

Strip Bare - A4L - £150

Balefire Liege - A4L - £175

Glamerdye - A4L - £175

Endure - A4L - £100

Thopter foundry - A4L – SOLD

Veinfire Borderpost - A4L - £175

Viscera Dragger - – SOLD

Arsenal Thresher - A4L - £200

Cruel Ultimatum - A4L - £200

Bewilder - A4L - £150

Controlled instincts - A4L - £175

Fathom Seer– SOLD

Thick-skinned Goblin - A4L - £125

Ignite The Clonotron – A3P –

The Pieces Are Coming Together – A3P -

4e Dungeons & Dragons

4e Covers

Divine Power – A2P - £1000

HS1 – The Slaying Stone – A2P - £1700

Marauders of the Dune Sea – A2P - £1700

Player Essentials – Heroes of the Fallen Lands – A2P - £1700

Player Essentials – Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms – A2P - £1700

Tomb of Horrors – A2P - £1700

Martial Power 2 – A2P - £2000

Nerverwinter Nights Campaign Setting – A2P - £1800

Gardmore Abbey – A2P - £1500

Red Box: Enter The Lair – A2P – SOLD

4e Advertising

Troll Evolution. – A3P- £500

Rules Compendium

Taunting Memory – A2P- £1700

Healing Hand – A3L - £300

Heroes of Fallen Lands

Falon Iconic Warpriest – A3P - £250

Duel – A2P - £1700

Arcane Power

Chapter 5 start – In the mist –A2L- £800

Dungeon Master’s Guide

Random Encounter – A4L- £150

The Descent: Chapter Start-A2L - £1600

Dungeon Master’s guide 2

Fire Giants: Chapter Start –A2L - £1500

Draconomicon 2

Mercury dragon - Aerial Combat – Chapter start –A2L- £1500

Orium Dragon - Jungle Encounter – chapter start –A2L- £1500

Manual of the Planes

Portal Traveller –A4P- £150

Azzagrat –A4P- £75

Tytherion –A3P - £150

Graz’zt – A3P - £150

Monster Manual

Orcs –A4L - £200

Shifters – A4L - £150

Skeletons – A4L - £200

Monster Manual 2

Frost Giants – A4L - – SOLD

Primodridal Collossus – A4P - £75

Ghost Legion Squad –A4L - – SOLD

Demon 2 – Anibyss – A4L - £ 75

Remorhaz – Chapter start – A2L –

Monster Manual 3

Spirit Summoner – A2L - £1500

Player’s Handbook

Fellcrest – Chapter Start A2L - NFS

The Discovery – Chapter start – A2L- £1600

Circle Portal Ritual – A4L - £150

Player’s Handbook 3

Monk in the Underdark – Chapter Start – A2L- £1500

Dragon Magazine

Cover #375 – The Monk – A2P- - £1000

Cover #392 – Fightback! – A2P - £ 1700

Issue # 361

Dark Churches – 113886 – Orc Vs Dwarf – A4L - £100

Dark churches – 113887 – Female Human & Elf discussion – A4P - £75

Dark churches – 113888 – A4P - – SOLD

Celebrity Villagers – A4L - £ 100

Dungeon Magazine

Cover #177 – The Master - A2P- SOLD

Eberron: Campaign Guide

Warforged Titan – A2L - £1500

3/3.5 Dungeons & Dragons

Forgotten Realms; Lost Empires of Faerun

Ahjuutal rising- SOLD

Ioulaum destroys orc horde - SOLD

Ruins of Shoonach- SOLD

Ruins - SOLD

Sunmaster - A4P - £45

Forgotten Realms; Champions of Ruin

Diluvial torrent – A4L- £60

Eldreth Veluuthra – A4L - £125

Jonara & A’hatzl – A4P - £90

Kennedril inspects (commissioned, and accepted, but unused) – A3P- £75

Forgotten Realms; Champions of Valor

Rewarding valorous behaviour –A4L- £125

Imperfect champions – A4L - £150

Dornavver – A4P - £30

Staff of celestial might – A4P - – SOLD

Druids of the tall trees – A4P - – SOLD

Ramas Teth – A4P - £50

Tall trees – A4L - – SOLD

Forgotten Realms; Serpent Kingdoms

Ebarnaje & Terpenzai – A4L - £90

Ssharstrune ghost naga –A4L - £90

Khaasta raiders – A4L - £100

Lizard Queen – A4P - – SOLD

Sarrukh – A4P - £80

Shiertalar – A4P- – SOLD

Forgotten Realms; Shining South

Great rift deep defender - SOLD

Sticks & stones – A4P - £90

Mantimera – A4P - £50

Marketplace in Cayondat – SOLD

Death battle – A4L - – SOLD

Mhair jungles – A4L - £90

Guardian of the dwarf crypt – A4P - – SOLD

Forgotten Realms; City of splendours,Waterdeep.

Battle of burning cliffs – A4L - £150

Dweomervore - SOLD

Lords of Waterdeep (commissioned, and approved, but unused) – A3L - £75

Muiral the misshapen A4L - £150

Walking statue - SOLD

Wilora – SOLD

D&D; Monster Manual III

Battletitan dinosaur – SOLD

Hangman Golem - SOLD

Mastadon – SOLD

Ssvaklor – SOLD

Warbear – SOLD

D&D; Monster Manual V

Arcadian Avenger – A4P - – SOLD

Ruin Chanter – A4P - £40

Dragons – the Great Game – A4L- – SOLD

Gruumsh – blooded Orc – A4P - £75

Spectral Rider – SOLD

Bridge Haunt – A4P - £100

D&D; Cityscapes

The undercity – A3P - £100

Urban druid – A3P- £150

Kicking back – A3P - £500

Clyrrik & Seer – A4L - £50

D&D; Complete Mage

The Controller A4P - £200

Boneyard – A4L- £150

Soulheart pool – A4P- £45

Summon weapon – A4P – £100

Crystalline memories – A4P- £20

D&D; Complete Psionics

Ven’do – A4P- £125

Illumine soul – A4P - £45

Awesome energy – A4L - £150

Mind cleave – A4P - £90

Thri-Keen – A4P- £100

Erudite – A4P - £45

D&D; Complete Champions

Air devotion – left – A3P – only sold with AD - right

Air Devotion – Right – A4p - with AD left £ 125

Companion Spirits – A3P - £150

D&D; Dungeonscape

Chapter 1 – page header –A3P- £75

Chapter 2 – Page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 3 – page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 4- - page header –A3P– SOLD

Chapter 5 – page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 6 – page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 7 – page header –A3P-£75

D&D; Elder Evils

Illo 04-1 – Golem wall smash – chapter start – A3P - £50

Illo 04-2 – Standing stones – A4L- £100

Illo 06-1 – Chapter Header – Party battle Mummy -A3P - £50

Illo 10-5 – The lost city – A4L -£75

D&D; Exemplars of Evil

Chapter 7 – Fire Giants – Chapter Header – A3P -£50

Immortality –A3P- – SOLD

Madness – A3P - £ 200

The Much Kill –A3P- - SOLD

D&D; Red Hand of Doom

Drellin’s Ferry – Chapter Header – A3P - £50

D&D; Fiendish Codex

Dissection of Dretch –A4P- £90

Bar-Igura - – SOLD

Fraz-Urb’luu– SOLD

Yeenoghu –A4P- £90

Demonic minions –A4L- £150

Thanatos –A3P- £200

The gaping maw – SOLD

The endless maze – SOLD

Androlynne – A4L - £150

D&D; Players Handbook II

Chapter 1 page header –A3P- £75

Chapter 2 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 3 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 4 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 5 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 6 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 7 page header– SOLD

Chapter 8 page header– SOLD

D&D; Races of the Dragon

Chapter 1 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 2 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 3 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 4 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 5 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 6 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 7 page header –A3P-£75

Chapter 8 page header – SOLD

Chapter 9 page header –A3P-£75

D&D Dragon Magic

New base Class – A4P - £100

Chapter 1 page header– SOLD

Chapter 2 page header– SOLD

Chapter 3 page header– SOLD

Chapter 4 page header– SOLD

Chapter 5 page header– SOLD

Learning about dragons together –A4L- £150

Dragon funeral – A4L - £150

D&D; Spell Compendium

Consumptive field – SOLD

Daggerspell stance - A4P - £90

Energy vortex – A4L - £50

Fly, mass – A4P - £150

General of undeath – A4L - – SOLD

Nauseating breath – A4L - £100

Shard storm – A4P - £90

D&D; Expedition to Castle Ravenloft

Chapter 4 page header – A3P - £50

Battle at the crossroads – A4L- £75

Torture chamber – A4P - £75

Castle overview – SOLD

Castle front view – SOLD

D&D; Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde

Mialee prepares her spells – A3P - £500

Hanoo the blessed – A4L - £100

Suthra Galadan – A3P - £75

Shinsestra Fireplume – SOLD

Cerowain the Gaunt – A4P- £45

Maug – A4L- £100

Howler trap – A3P - £200

Living pictures – A4L - £50

Blind giant – A4L - £100

Fang dragon – A4L - £125

Ark – A4L - £75

City of Sumberton – A4L - £100

Fantastic Locations; Caves of Chaos

Cover – A3P - £750

Fantastic Locations; City of Shadows

Cover - SOLD

D&D; Miniatures game starter set

Wood elf ranger Vs orc bully; cover – A3 P - £500

D&D; Miniatures War Drum booster packs

Arcane ballista; cover -A4P- £400

Aspect of Hextor; cover – A4P- £400

War troll & orc Wardrummer; cover – A4P- £400

D&D; Miniatures booster packs

Drow demon binder – A3P - £600

Shadow mind Flayer – A3P - £600

Iron dragon prowler – A3P- – SOLD

Miniature Designs

Gargantuan Blue Dragon – 5 views - £100

Legend of Drizzt White Dragon – 5 views- £100

Goliath Cleric of Kavalki – 2 views- £50

Tavern Brawler – 2 views – SOLD

Tordek Dwarf champion – 2 views - £50

Small Black Dragon – 2 views - – SOLD

Green Slaad – 2 views – SOLD

Hill Giant Barbarian – 2 views - £50

Ogre warhulk – 2 views - £50

Fire Giant Forgepriest – 2 views - £50

Soldier of Bytopia – 3 views - £50

Hierophant of the Seven Winds – 2 views - £50

Shadowbane Inquisitor – 2 views - £50

Large Gold Dragon - – 2 views – SOLD

Raistlin – 2 views – SOLD

Wild mage – 2 views - £50

Hobgoblin Marshall – 2 views - £50

Skeletal Courser – 2 views - £50

Carnage demon – 2 views - £50

Orc Thunderback Rider – 2 views - £50

Defiant Rake – 2 views - £50

Shade Knight – 2 views - £50

Wyvern – 2 views - £50

Ettin Jack of Irons – 2 views - £50

Rakshasa – 2 views - £50

Wererat – 2 views - £50

Azer Defender – 2 views - £50

Adult Blue Dragon – 2 views – SOLD

Owlbear – 2 views - £50

Fire Giant raider – 2 views - £50

Skilled Fighter – 2 views - £50

Goristro – 2 views - £50

Fire Giant Titan – 2 views - £50

Watchman – 2 views - £50

Glay Golem sentinel – 2 views - £50

Lightning panther Barbarian – 2 views - £50

Yuan Ti Fangblade – 2 views - £50

Frost Giant Fury – 2 views - £50

Unique mind Flayer – 2 views - – SOLD

Goblin Black Blade – 2 views - £50

Blizzard

World of Warcraft tcg

Arktos – A3P - £250

Sha’lin Nightwind –A4L- £100

Leader of the Darkcrest–A4L- £175

Bulvai of the Watch–A4L- £150

Roena Trailmaker–A4L- £150

IcemistressGal’ha–A4L- £175

Dread Infernal–A4L- £75

Stella Forgebane–A4L- £175

Zaistor the Vigilant – A4L -– SOLD

“Spider legs” McGillicutty–A4L- £175

Wipe or Snipe–A4L- £175

Touch of Ice–A4L- £100

Joren the Martyr – A3P- £250

Blinky–A4L- £175

Christopher the Devout – A4L - – SOLD

Magma Shackles–A4L- – SOLD

Nature of the Beast–A4L- - – SOLD

Raene’s Cleansing–A4L- £200

Manhunt – A4L - – SOLD

Zenith Shadowforce – A3P - – SOLD

Ambush–A4L- £175

Stalwart Protector–A4L-£150

Kallas Sunflame–A4L- £200

Fork Lightning–A4L- £200

Flint Shadowmore–A3P- £200

Life-Staff of the Web lair–A4L- £155

Betrayal–A4L- £200

Illiyana Moonblaze–A3P- £200

“Bladehands” Spigotgulp – A3P- £350

Planned Assault–A4L- £150

Emmi Sprinklestrike – 2 views – A3P- £350

Boggspine Knuckles – A3P- £200

Elder Zeez–A4L- £200

The Sigil of Krassus–A4L- £175

Glimmer of Hope–A4L- £75

Swift Nightsaber – SOLD

Ryno the Short–A4L- £175

Defender Kaniya–A4L- £100

Bloodseeker–A4L- £100

Nerves of Steel–A4L- £175

Ogrimmar Grunts–A4P- £100

Blessing of Sanctuary–A4L- £150

Raena the Unpredictable–A4L- £150

Equal Opportunity–A4L- £200

Blood Knight Kyria–A4L- £175

Ring of Trials–A3p- £175

Explosive Flames – A3L - £150

Bronthea The Resolute – A3L - £200

Hemet Nesingwary – A3P - £300

Swift Palomino – A3L - £150

Skeletal Courser – A3l - £150

Swift Hand of Justice – A3 - £200

Stakethrower – A3L - £150

Crystals of Power – A3l - £200

EA – Mythic

Warhammer Online – concept art

The Horror – A3L - £100

Tzeentch Chaos Staves – A3L - £100

Fantasy Flight Games

Talisman 4th Edition

Cover – Talisman 4e - SOLD

Board – Talisman 4e – Very Big - £500

Cover – Talisman – Dark Reaper - SOLD

Cover – Talisman – The Dungeon - SOLD

Cover – Talisman – Frostmarch - SOLD

Cover – Talisman – The Highland – SOLD

Cover – Talisman _ The Sacred pool – A3P - £1000

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Cover – Career Compendium – A3P - £600

Paizo

Pathfinder

Beyond the vault of Souls; Cover – A3P- £1300

Osirion, Shadow of the Sphinx; Cover – A3P- £1600

Taldor; echoes of Glory; Cover – A3P- £1300

Games Workshop

The Bugman’s game

Board artwork – big - £400

Dwarf Counters - NFS

Dwarfs & tables

Fight & Bugman cards 1

Fight & Bugman cards 2

Food & Drink 1

Food & Drink 2

Rowdy revellers & table counters

Thrown Objects

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Realms of Sorcery; cover - SOLD

Tome of Corruption; cover - SOLD

Thousand Thrones; cover – A3P- £600

Tome of Salvation; cover – A2L- £2000

Novels

Cover – Grey Seer A3P - £600

Cover - Temple of the Serpent god – A3P- £900

Cover – Runefang – A3P - SOLD

Cover – Curse of the Necrarch –A3P- £2000

Savage city; Cover - SOLD

The Corrupted; Cover - SOLD

Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Guns of Tanith; map

Gaunt’s Ghosts: Honour guard; map

Gaunt’s Ghosts: Straight silver; map

Gaunt’s Ghosts: Necropolis; map

Inferno!

I did a series of illustrated features/stories for this magazine, all of which from issue 6 onwards I wrote and designed myself.

Issue 0; Empire Steam tank 2pp

Issue 1; the siege of Gisoreux 2pp

Issue 2; the Siege of Kazad Grund 4pp

Issue 3; Tomb raider 2pp

Issue 4 the true story of Eric the lost 4pp

Issue 5; Splitskull stockade 2pp - SOLD

Issue 6; the History of Bernhardt the brave 8pp

Issue 11; the Celestion 7pp

Issue 12; A Family curse 6pp - SOLD

Issue 13; The Battle for Nis-Pazar 8pp - SOLD

Issue 15; Kristheim keep 7pp

Issue 19; Ogryn ripper gun 2pp

Issue 24; the Monster & the maid, Part I, 8pp

Issue 25; the Monster & the maid, Part II, 8pp

Issue 28; the Battle of Bhavnager 8pp

Issue 30; Necropolis – the siege of Vervunhive 8pp

Issue 36; the siege of Praag 8pp

Issue 41; Vampire raider 2pp

Issue 45; Wood elves – cover - SOLD

Black Library publications

The 13th Black Crusade; Author portrait, SOLD

Imperium unite! - SOLD

The Loathsome Ratmen; Miragliano ratcatchers - SOLD

Storm of Chaos; Siege of Middenheim, Chaos - SOLD

Siege of Middenheim, Empire - SOLD

Sabbat; Recruitment figure, A4P - £35

Sabbat;Warmaster Macaroth –A4P- £75

Battlefleet Gothic

Various ship designs

Warhammer Monthly

Kal Jerico: Above & Beyond. (Pencilled by Wayne Reynolds, inked by Ralph Horsley) For sale 30 pages @ £75 ea.

Sabertooth Games Inc.

Most of the card titles used below are the working titles. I never received complimentary copies of most of the cards, and am not aware of how they were named for publication.

Horus Heresy

Machadon rampager squad –A4L- - SOLD

Tyche Attack bike squad -A4L- £40

Sigvard Claw assault squad –A4L- - SOLD

Dhauske veteran squad –A4L- - SOLD

Commander–A4L- - SOLD

Assault squad2–A4L- - SOLD

Seek & destroy – A4P- £20

Khalid Heavy support squad -A4L - £100

Veterans 3–A4L- - SOLD

Keilorol bike squad _A4L-£40

Fanatical Defenders –A4P- £75

SOS Maiden Support – A4L- £100

War Cry

Thorgrim’s trollslayers –A4L-- SOLD

Dieter Menschaff, Empire Wizard (also featured in WHFRP) A4L - £100

Siege of darkness –A4L- £75

Aura of futility–A4L- £75

Increased supplies –A4L-- SOLD

Replenish–A4L- £75

Misdirection–A4L- £50

Kordel Shogaar–A4L- £75

Vorn Thugenheim–A4L- £75

Empower weapon –A4L-- SOLD

Spectral divination–A4L- - SOLD

Pigstikkas–A4L- £100

Knights of the realm - SOLD

Thagrund’s Longbeards–A4L- - SOLD

Luril’s Guardians–A4L-- SOLD

War is cruelty–A4L- £50

Death comes to all–A4L- £50

Grave guard–A4L- - SOLD

Mounted wight lord–A4L- - SOLD

Free company–A4L- £100

Great cannon–A4L- £75

Final blow–A4L- - SOLD

Zelekendel, Blade of Khaine–A4L- - SOLD

Zelenkendel’s blackblades–A4L- £100

Favourable timing –A4L-- SOLD

Renewal of power–A4L- £100

Seeing the other way–A4L- - SOLD

Baron Porthos the outcast–A4L- £100

Gotrek & Felix –A4L-- SOLD

Fey Enchantress –A4L- £100

Kouran, Cpt of the Black Guard–A4L-

Gluttonfist–A4L- £75

Hogshead Publishing

WHFRP

Realms of Sorcery; cover - SOLD

Dwarfs, stone & steel, cover - SOLD

Marienburg, sold down the river; Poster map - SOLD

Nobilis

Yggdrasil – the tree of life – SOLD

The alchemy of flowers - SOLD

Mongoose Publishing

Classic play book of ~ Adventuring, cover - SOLD

Classic play book of ~ Strongholds, cover- SOLD

Classic play book of ~ Encounters & Lairs, cover A3P-£350

Lone Wolf ~ the roleplaying game, cover - SOLD

Lone Wolf ~ the Darklands, cover - SOLD

Lone Wolf ~ Magic of magnamund, cover £400

Lone Wolf ~ Dawn of Damnation, cover- SOLD

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Crossbreeding, cover- A3P- £200

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Constructs, cover- A3P- £150

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Shamans, cover- A3P- £200

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Illusionism, cover (with Anne Stokes) - SOLD

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Enchantment, cover- A3P- £150

Encyclopaedia arcane ~ Elementals –A3P- £100

Cities of fantasy ~ Stonebridge, cover (with Anne Stokes) - SOLD

Cities of Fantasy ~ Skraag, cover- A3P- - SOLD

The slayer’s guide to ~ Sahuagin, cover- A3P-- SOLD

The slayer’s guide to ~ Orcs, cover- A3P-- SOLD

The slayer’s guide to ~ Amazons, cover - SOLD

The slayer’s guide to ~ Derro, cover- A3P- £100

The planes ~ Zahhak, cover- A3P- £100

Q Workshop

Dwarf Runes – A3P- £300

Triking

Anachronism

Rasputin – A4L-- SOLD

Twilight Creations

Hidden conflict

7 x Zombie tokens

Quarto Publishing

Diseased Zombie – A4P- £75

Centaur – A3L- £150

Night elemental - SOLD

JAGS

Wonderland; Cover - SOLD

Kaltland

Human Knight - SOLD

Lich - SOLD

Woman Brigant – SOLD

ProFantasy Software

I created line drawing icon designs for several software sets of Campaign Cartographer and the like. I have lots of pages of these available.

Bottled Imp games

Lords of the Night: Vampires, Cover – A3P- £500

Lords of the Night: Liches, cover – A3P- £150

Lords of the Night:: Solace: -A3P - £400

Lords of the Night:: ash Vampire – A3P - £100

Pelgrane Press

Dying Earth RPG

The Kaiin Player’s Guide, Cover – A3P- – SOLD

Turjan’s Tome of Beauty & Horror, cover – A3P- £300

Cugel’s Compendium, cover – A3P - £300

Interior greyscale illustrations –a good number available.

Misguided Games

Children of the Sun RPG

A number of A3P greyscale illustrations

Neverwinter Nights

2011-02-02T13:45:00.000Z

Neverwinter Campaign Setting

Acrylic, 21" x 27"

©Wizards of the Coast.

Neverwinter is a classic DnD campaign setting and being given the opportunity to work on the cover for this product was a real treat; that might have been enough in itself, but I also got to include an Undead Dragon.

Line Sketch

The bridge leading to the rocky outcropping towers of the city provided a wonderful device for giving depth to the image, whilst the crashing waves helped add movement and drama.

Value Study

Values

2011-01-14T12:01:00.000Z

I mentioned in my previous post that one of the areas I have been concentrating on in my work is value range. This is especially important in creating a depth of field and allowing different elements to read clearly one against the other.

I tend to work from back to front, and maintaining the right value range is one of the more challenging apsects. It is important for me to visualise the whole painting, even though I am only working on one small part of it. At the start this is even trickier as there is nothing else on the page against which to judge the values I am laying down.

I have developed techniques to assist me; the simplest is to first lay down paint in the areas of the lighest and darkest values. This then provides the ends of the spectrum I am working within. Additionally I usually create a loose digital value study of the line sketch, this helps reinforce the mental map I already have, besides aiding with the lighting scheme.

Fightback! - The Value Study.

Painting digitally one has the useful tool of being able to switch modes from full colour to greyscale, this gives a quick and simple check of the values. Clearly this tool isn't available to the traditional painter, but I have recently starting using a tool which approximates that approach: Artgizmos Selectatone Tonal Spectacles.

Selectatone Spectacles.

The spectacles are fitted with a red filter and by donning them it lets you look at a work in progress as a monchrome image. I have found this a very useful addition to the arsenal of approaches for helping determine the value range, and it is easier than standing at the other side of the room whilst squinting.

2010 –Contemplation and Reflection.

2011-01-08T20:11:00.001Z

The personal always impacts on the professional, whether it be a change in childcare that results in a corresponding change in my work routine, or flu that lays you up for a couple of days. However I have always felt that is the rough and tumble of the freelancer, and that being professional means accommodating those disruptions within one’s schedule without showing those upheavals to your employers.

This last years work has been particularly impacted upon by the personal; in August my Mother was diagnosed with the return of her pancreatic cancer, and that it was now terminal. I took advantage of the one thing a freelancer has, flexibility, and heavily rolled back on my schedule so that I could take as much free time as feasible to be with my parents. Her decline escalated as the year progressed; she fell very ill in December and passed away on the 22nd. I was very fortunate that I was able to spend the last few days with her.

Much as I tried my best to balance my deadlines, and maintain a professional service there was an inevitable impact upon my work, especially due to the unpredictable nature of the illness. I can only thank the art directors working with me for their support and understanding.

Whilst freelancing is essentially ‘piece rate’ work, and therefore naturally inclines one to work longer hours, striking a good work/life balance is essential for one’s well being. This was brought home again by the valuable time I managed to spend with my Mother, but also by my own health difficulties earlier in the year.

From 2009 I had been suffering odd twinges in my right wrist, elbow and shoulder. Typically I dismissed this as symptomatic of computer use, and a short-term problem easily fixed by taking breaks that limited my time on the PC. Around Easter 2010 the condition dramatically altered to the point where I experienced shooting pains down my whole right arm from shoulder blade to wrist and was unable to hold a pencil. Very worrying.

Visits to my Doctor, and subsequently a physiotherapist, diagnosed Repetitive Strain Injury. A condition that had probably been compounded by a poor computer set-up, but which actually stemmed from years of drawing and painting that has lead to compacted nerves at the base of my right shoulder blade. A point that is part of the network which sends/receives the signals down my arm, thus leading to all the pain along with the ‘golfer’s elbow’ I have also acquired.

I have adopted methods to counter the symptoms – better computer set-up, a lumbar support cushion, fitting foam grips on my pencils, posture awareness, and a series of stretching exercises.

I am glad to say that these have all offered considerable benefit, but I am now living with and managing the condition. This means accepting the general low level aches and pains, but also that pulling long work sessions over several days will cause it to flare up badly.

The Master

First use of Gel mediums leads to softer edges

and more texture in the background.

(Oh, and I also swapped this with Erik M Gist at

IlluXCon for one of his masterful zombie pieces)

The demands of sharing childcare for a 3 year old had already altered my schedule before this year, and I had also made a conscious career decision about the commissions I want to work on; in particular this has meant that I am now focusing primarily on covers, card art and full page interiors. I have very much wanted to focus on the quality of my output, rather than the quantity of it.

I am aware that some freelancers are very mindful of their hourly pay rate, and will always favour the most economic commissions. This might mean that they would prefer to work on four quarter page illustrations – single figures with minimal backgrounds – over more complex full page images, which pay equivalently, but take more time.

In some ways I have reversed this approach; I want to work on pieces that most satisfy my artistic drives, and those are the more complicated multiple figure compositions, further I feel that this presents the opportunity to create work with a greater impact. It is hard to stand out from the crowd with a simple quarter pager.

I think that this last year has seen my approach rewarded, especially with one of my main clients – Wizards of the Coast and their D&D range. I feel that I have managed to create some powerful images, and that this has fed through into repeat cover work, whilst being trusted with producing a good outcome with complicated briefs, or more often being given lots of leeway with a refreshingly sparse outline.

Taunting Memory

Tightness Vs Looseness works to create focus.

However this approach to producing personally satisfying and professionally strong work has not been based solely upon the size of an image or it’s complexity. I do consider my drawing and compositional skills create a solid bedrock for my work, but I have also felt that there were areas of my art that could be developed to aid readability and impact. In order to strengthen the focus of my images I have been especially concentrating on edges, tightness/looseness of my mark making, value range and lighting, though my efforts have in no way been limited to these areas.

Constant evolution of ones work as part of the striving for improvement seems to me an essential necessity in the life of an artist - stagnation is anathema.

Part of the evolutionary process has involved a re-examination of the tools I use. At the start of the year I began to introduce some gel mediums into my work, this has allowed a different approach to blending and glazing, and have proven especially useful when wanting to soften edges or create a looser feel to parts of a painting.

Latterly I have revisited artists’ acrylics; for many years I have worked exclusively with miniature paints, I enjoyed their consistency, opacity, fine and vibrant pigmentation, along with a very rapid drying time, interestingly it is the variability in these qualities that I have now enjoyed experiencing in my work.

Fightback!

I felt it all came together in this one to create a strong image:

Composition, Lighting, Saturation and Value Range.

I have been genuinely excited by these explorations, and the vistas that appear to have opened up to me – indeed discussing these possibilities was an enjoyable part of a lot of my conversations at IlluXCon – of course there is always the concern that by pushing forward one can leave behind something of value. I have started off down false turnings before, but hopefully have a clearer vision and more wisdom these days.

The last year has been challenging in a number of ways, but I do think I have managed to achieve a better, and necessary, work/life balance, whilst combining this with artistic development that has also fed through into professional and career progress. I look forward to the coming year, with all its challenges and opportunities. It certainly helps when the first bit of feedback I received from an Art Director this year included the following comments; "You made me a happy man when I saw these… one of my favorite card paintings ever…great foreshortening and dynamic angle. You just proved yourself a monster on these.”

IlluXCon 4 - attending in 2011

2010-12-15T09:32:00.000Z

IlluXCon's popularity continues to grow exponentially, and to such an extent that this coming year the exhibiting artists have been selected through a jury peer review. The judges were Jon Schindehette (AD for Dungeons & Dragons), Jeremy Jarvis (AD for Magic: the Gathering), Todd Lockwood, Robh Ruppel, and Donato Giancola.

I am happy to announce that I made the cut and will be attending alongside an impressive list of fellow artists.

Already looking forward to it.

D&D ImagineFX

2010-11-29T21:49:00.000Z

D&D Revisited:

Part of the ImagineFX article.

The Christmas issue of ImagineFX, No. 64, has a special article on the history of the art of Dungeons & Dragons. I was very happy to be asked to contribute to the article, and it is very gratifying to see myself arrayed alongside an amazing peer group of fantasy artists that have worked on D&D.

My passion for fantasy art was spurred on and inspired by playing D&D; to have seen those childhood dreams transform into a career still humbles me.

IlluXCon 2010 - A Review, or, I'm Back.

2010-11-24T10:55:00.001Z

At My Stand.

Just over a week has passed since I returned from IlluXCon, and whilst the fatigue of the travel and socialising has faded, I still feel the absorption of the experience is only just beginning. In this review I am not going to try and list all the goings on, but rather give a narrow perspective based on my own approach to attending a show.

All credit should be given to Pat and Jeannie Wilshire for organising a unique convention. It was a thrilling experience to see so many fantasy artists gathered in such great number, and says something about the desire amongst us to participate in our community. A number of other shows provide artist's alleys, or art shows, but none other caters for us in such a direct and focused way. So often we work alone in our studios, and that can easily become somewhat isolating, so it's great to engage in such a direct way with other artists and their work.

A Panoramic View.

Prior to deciding whether or not to attend a show I attempt to assess it through three criteria:

Sales: Is the trip going to be profitable, or would I make more money staying at home?

Business: Am I going to reinforce and/or expand my existing client base?

Community: This is more nebulous, and is about connecting with my fellow artists, getting out of that aforementioned 'studio bubble', but also about being inspired, and learning from my peers' work.

The Centre Was A Great Space.

If I feel I can successfully tick two out of the three categories then I judge the show to be worthwhile. For this trip I already knew that a transatlantic journey with it's correpsonding overheads was a poor starting point to plan for this as a 'Sales' trip. However I was right to feel optimistic about the other criteria.

I can have had email correspondance with an art director for a number of years, and yet find that relationship improved immeasurably with a half hour chat. This show was no exception as I caught up with a number of clients I work for, oh, and it was very gratifying to be offered work from a new client I was wanting to meet even as I was still setting up my stand.

I had Some Interesting Neighbours:

Jordu Schell's Awesome Masks.

However the show scored biggest in my last category. Not only did I catch up with a lot of established friends, but also made some good new ones. There already exists a commonality between all the artists through the shared work we do, and it always feels very easy to build upon this. I was also impressed by the number of artists attending the show who weren't even exhibiting (primarily because of their digital backgrounds, in what is oestensibly a traditional art show), this goes back to what I said at the start of the blog.

On Both Sides:

Tom Taggart's Mantrap.

I also couldn't fail to be massively inspired, and motivated by the overwhelming quality, and diversity of the work on display. I was also gratified by the positive feedback I received on my own work; it is very informative to observe what aspects other artist's pick up on in one's work. In particular I was happy at the number of people who commented on my colour use, an area I hadn't necessarily thought of as one of my strongest qualities.

I had a very stimulating and engaging time at the show. I want to thank everyone who stopped by and said hi. I welcomed the fact that I had a proper opportunity to talk with those who did, but also to visit other artists at their stands and discuss their work and developments. I am already looking forward to next year!

Lastly I wanted to say thanks to Christopher Burdett for his help at the show, oh, and I lifted the first photo in this blog from his own , which give a much more thorough overview of the show, and which I recommend reading.

Illuxcon 2010

2010-11-03T12:20:00.000Z

This time next week I will be on a plane speeding over the Atlantic as I head towards Illuxcon.

I hope to see many of you there.

Fightback! -Dragon #392 Cover.

2010-10-27T11:21:00.000+01:00

Fightback!

Acrylic, Approx 26" x 23"

©Wizards of the Coast

Original artwork for sale. £1500.

I had the great pleasure of working on the lastest Dragon magazine cover. A piece which had lots of fun elements to work with, but which also presented a challenge with the composition.

One of the key aspects I enjoy about illustration is the storytelling, and this brief had a compelling narrative. An Elf, battered and beaten, is cornered by a fearsome War Troll, when a Dwarf Cleric intervenes by throwing up a defensive ring of obsidian spikes, then fighting back with her earth's grasp power. Oh, and of course this needed to work in two formats, the full one above, and a second cropped version for use internally, as below.

The cropped value study.

I decided to emphasise the cornered predicament of our heroes by using the Troll as the framing device, and also to elevate our point of view. Looking down upon someone helps make them appear more vulnerable. Whilst placing the Troll in the foreground like this gives him that imposing mass and big silhouette.

The Trolls body and sword provide a neat triangular window through which to see our protagonists. I combined this with stronger 'spot' lighting upon them to really make the beleagured heroes our focus. The white Elf shield also aids in letting the Dwarf head stand out clearly. Important as she is the source of the action with her spell going off.

The earth's grasp presented the biggest challenge. An illustration is a 'frozen moment', yet the spell required some clarification, and a sense of movement. The Dwarf seizes a handful of dirt, throws it into the air, where it transforms into a grasping stone hand that grabs, and starts to crush, the Troll's face. The trailing dust cloud allowed me to cover both those bases. Plus the swirling 's-shape' is given energy by breaking the frame set up by the Troll, and is further emphasised by the contrasting, saturated, red of it's magical effect.

Initially this might give the impression of a final stand, but really it is just the start of the Fightback!

Portfolio Theft

2010-10-12T20:40:00.000+01:00

I have been very saddened to learn that Scott Altmann had a portfolio of his work stolen from his booth at last weekend's New York Comic Con.I don't need to say what I think about this. Instead check out his blog
where he is beginning to post images from the stolen collection, if you see any of these pieces anywhere you know what to do.

Rules Compendium - Focal Points.

2010-10-01T15:02:00.000+01:00

Taunting Memory

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 22"

©Wizards of the Coast.

Original artwork for sale.

The Dungeons & Dragons supplement Rules Compendium has just been released, and I am very happy to have a couple of pieces in the book. Whilst showcasing them I am also going to discuss how I try to bring focus into my work.

Taunting Memory was great fun as for once it depicts a group of characters socialising after the fight. Usually I find myself showing a combat in progress, but this time we get to see how the Dark Elf behaved when faced with a Beholder - although I also like the fact you could interpret this as a prophecy of events yet to happen - either way he doesn't look too happy about the telling.

The viewers first attention is drawn to the Dark Elf by the strong contrast of his skin and hair. Something further reinforced by his clear profile and the framing element of the light coloured picture on the wall behind him. The row of heads helps keep our attention in the upper part of the picture, whilst various lines, the Elven staff, Dark Elf's sword and scroll case, Dwarf's arm and roof beams, help draw the eye towards the conjured memory. This in turn is more saturated than the surrounding elements, again, hopefully, getting our attention.

Healing Hand

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 12.5"

©Wizards of the Coast.

Original artwork for sale.

Healing Hand has another appearance from Falon (I'm getting quite familiar with this guy now), this time helping out Shara, who nearly bit off more than she could handle by taking on that Troll.

Shara's red clothing helps provide the colour contrast to make her and Falon the focal point, with the nice glowing hand provide the pinpoint. The softened, light. background, also helps pull our eye that way, whilst strengthening Shara's silhouette. It also allowed me to lose the edges around Falon, adding to the mystical feel.

Falon the Warpriest.

2010-09-24T11:55:00.000+01:00

Alerted.

Acrylic, Approx 8.5" x 20"

Original Artwork For Sale

©Wizards of the Coast.

Wizards have just released the Heroes of the Fallen Lands, a player's essentials supplement. Not only did I create the cover artwork, depicting a new set of iconic D&D characters, but I had the pleasure of portraying one of them, Falon the Warpriest, inside as well.

I didn't design the concept for the character, but when you get to work with an iconic they do get moulded a little bit towards your own sensibilities, and a sense of part ownership accrues. At the very least he acquired an extra pouch and potion bottle.

With the two internals I added a little narrative that hadn't initially been asked for; so that above we have a lone single character shot, but one that directly relates to the piece below...

...this is what happened next:

Duel

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 21"

Original Artwork For Sale

©Wizards of the Coast.

Making those additional connections and being able to add that little bit more is always very satisfying.

Here is the cover artwork, which was shown in a previous blog post.

Heroes Of The Fallen Lands

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 21"

Original Artwork For Sale

©Wizards of the Coast

World of Warcraft

2010-09-15T13:39:00.000+01:00

It is a little while since I have shared any World of Warcraft work, and as a new set of cards for the trading card game has just been released now would seem an ideal time to catch-up.

Hemet Nesingwary
Acrylic; original for sale.
© Blizzard Entertainment.

Skeletal Warhorse
Acrylic; original for sale.
© Blizzard Entertainment.

Swift Palomino

Acrylic; original for sale.
© Blizzard Entertainment.

Branthea The Resolute

Acrylic; original for sale.
© Blizzard Entertainment.

Explosive Flames

Acrylic; original for sale.
© Blizzard Entertainment.

Red Box

2010-09-07T21:50:00.000+01:00

Enter The Lair

Acrylic, Approx 19" x 19"

Original Artwork For Sale

©Wizards of the Coast.

The 'Red Box' holds a legendary place in Dungeons & Dragons lore. It was one of the original introductory starter packs, featuring iconic artwork by Larry Elmore, and was a portal through which many gamers entered the hobby.

You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that Wizards of the Coast were going to revisit that product, and that they would like me to do likewise with the artwork. The look of the D&D red dragon has changed in the intervening period, as has the appearance of the heroes, but I wanted to capture the feel of the original, and pay homage in my own way.

This is the original, and now current as well, version of the box, as presented on Wizards' web site.

Here you can see my artwork being used on the rules manuals.

This project was a great thrill to work on, albeit challenging to homage such a famous painting, and I take great pleasure to think my own work will be an instrumental part in the next generation of players gaming experience.

Here's where you can find out more about the 'Red Box'.

Fantasy+

2010-09-01T12:03:00.000+01:00

I was very happy to be selected for inclusion in a newly released artbook; Fantasy +, The Best Hand-Painted Illustrations.

It is a celebration of fantasy artists who work traditionally, and being included amongst the twenty contributors was great. It is a nicely produced, full colour, publication, with each artist having 10 pages to showcase their work, alongside which we provide insights into each piece.

The other illustrators featured within this 200 page book are: Donato Giancola, Don Maitz, Volkan Baga, Brian Despain, Eric Fortune, Lucas Graciano, Petar Meseldzija, Peter Ferguson, Raul Cruz, Ron Spears, Shaun Tan, Steven Belledin, Tom Fowler, Eric Joyner, Ciruelo Cabral, Therese Nielsen, Greg Staples, Adrian Smith and Daren Bader.

Find out more here.

The Sacred Pool

2010-07-20T11:46:00.000+01:00

The Sacred Pool
Acrylic, approx 12" x 17".
Original artwork for sale.
© Fantasy Flight Games/Games Workshop.

Fantasy Flight Games have just announced the release of the latest Talisman boardgame supplement The Sacred Pool , which in turn means that I can now share my cover artwork.

The image follows a similar format to The Reaper and The Frostmarch, featuring a strong central figure, with three heroes in the foreground. However this time we have a 'goodie' as the main character, and a full scene, rather than a movie poster-style collage.

I have enjoyed working on the whole Talisman series, it is always great to be associated with one particular product, especially when it is painting the covers. This is one of my favourites so far, maybe because it was a slight change of pace to do something 'softer'.

One Good, Two Better! - the Cloneforge process.

2010-07-13T20:18:00.000+01:00

My second component card in the Doomsday Machine was Ignite The Cloneforge and I also took photographs of this painting as it progressed. Here follows a walkthrough of my painting process.

Masked and Washed.

My first step was to mask off the Cloneforge with some masking film. This meant that I could get some nice big loose brushstrokes onto the background without worrying about the integrity of this part of the image. I loosely applied a wash across the whole page in a blue/grey tone. This helps give a base underpainting to work into and fixes the graphite.

The Background.

I had already decided that the Dragons would be Red and Blue, and therefore opted for a complimentary indigo-ish shade for the background. However the colour was deliberately desaturated, and the contrast very low, so that the focal elements would stand out clearly against the background. I also faded the elements out towards the bottom of the image. The lack of clutter would help the wires and cables I would be painting there to read clearly, plus it helped create the sense of a large space.

Foreground Elements.

As with the background I painted the foreground cogs and gears with low contrast, and deliberately looser marks. Again this would help keep the focus where I wanted it; tighter rendering and high contrast help attract the eye. I also opted for dark values to seperate these elements very strongly from the background. Although the Cloneforge has no rendering at all yet it is already crying out to occupy that middle ground.

Mapping Out

The foreground has had some highlights added. it needed a little bit more attention than the background, and this has also helped define the features somewhat.

I have then made first pass on the Cloneforge. Red and Blue for the Dragons ties them in with the overall background colour scheme, but also gives them huge contrast with each other. The brass of the device itself then contrasts nicely with all the surrounding elements.

As with the first wash at the start of the painting this pass fixes the graphite, and provides a basic layer to paint into.It also allows me to see the colours clearly mapped out. At this point if I didn't like the interaction of these colours I could make chnages. Later on it would become a lot harder.

Dragon Cloned.

The Dragons have been rendered, and I am beginning to make inroads on the Cloneforge itself. The colours appear quite saturated in contrast to the fore/background elements, and this aids their readability.

Cloneforged

The Cloneforge is nearly finsihed, and the additional cables have been painted in. The latter deliberately fan out in all directions, helping place the Cloneforge in it's own space. The details are tightly rendered, and the contrast between them and the foreground features is very noticeable.

Completed.

Finally I add in the walkway. This is almost a silhouette with the same colour scheme as the rest of the foreground. It helps add further depth and scale, especially when one picks out the figure at the control panel.

Scanned, Tweaked And Approved.

Acrylic. Approx 14" x 19.5"© Wizards of the Coast.

How it came together

2010-07-05T13:53:00.000+01:00

Whilst painting 'The Pieces Are Coming together' I took a number of photographs of my process. I am presenting them here in chronological order.

As is usual for me I worked from back to front, with the strongest highlights, from the magical effect, being added last.

The Pieces Are Coming Together

Acrylic. Approx 14" x 19.5"
Original Artwork for Sale: £500
© Wizards of the Coast.

Doomsday Machine

2010-07-02T16:58:00.002+01:00

The Pieces Are Coming Together

Acrylic. Approx 14" x 19.5"

Wizards have recently published a new set of Magic cards that follow an unusual design. These are the 'Archenemy' decks, and their unusual quality comes both from their oversized nature (these are BIG cards), and that in play several players gang up in an attempt to defeat the one Archenemy.

I had the pleasure of working on two cards; Ignite The Clonotron and The Pieces Are Coming Together. These both feature in the deck Assemble The Doomsday Machine and depict magical machinery of awesome scale and ability.

Ignite The Clonotron

Acrylic. Approx 14" x 19.5"

The designs have a further distinction from normal Magic cards as the explanatory text box is semi opaque. This meant the image needed to fill the entire card space, thus the portrait, rather than landscape, aspect, whilst ensuring the image would still read clearly. This explains why the focus is weighted heavily to the top part of the illustration.

Spirit Summoner - A Walkthrough

2010-06-15T12:30:00.000+01:00

Spirit Summoner

Monster manual III - chapter start artwork.

Dungeons & Dragons. ©Wizards of the Coast

Acrylic, Approx 21" x 19".

Original Artwork for sale; £1200

The Monster Manual III has now hit the stores and I can share the Gnoll Spirit Summoner I created for the book.

I really wanted the central, shaman-like, figure and the spirits to stand out in this image. To that end I chose warmer less saturated colours for the background, which was rendered with softer edges and lower contrast than the foreground. The latter has tight definition and saturated cooler colours with higher contrast. The difference between these two approaches is what helps keep the image clear and readable.

The following is a walkthrough showing how I arrived at this final point.

The Line Sketch

My starting point is a line sketch done with graphite onto board. I like to resolve a lot of the aspects of the image at this stage, and subsequently create a tight render.

About a third of the way in from the left you can see a faint vertical guide line that marks where the guttering will fall on this double-page spread.

My Working Space

Here you can see my set up. The painting is mounted onto the drawing board, with palettes and reference in place. Note the helmets tucked away at the back right. The nearest being sat on a floor standing speaker - music always helps.

The First Pass

I always favour working from back to front, with the focal elements usually rendered last. This is no exception, and you can see that I have painted in most of the background and am moving onto the foreground.

I have also loosely blocked in the ghosts. As I want them to have softer edges, and fade into the image, it is easier to do that if I introduce them from the beginning. This prevents me painting up to them and inadvertently creating an unwanted edge.

The central figure has been masked off which enables me to paint with big loose strokes over and around him without worrying about dirtying him up.

Terrain Completed

Most of the fore and background elements have been completed. I also softened the orange somewhat and brought in a touch more green. This helps lower the saturation and gives some greater contrast for the flames to work against.

Unmasked

The Gnoll has had the masking film removed, and you get the sudden glare of white paper, but also those nicely kept crisp edges.

Mapping In

Before going into a full render I like to map in the basic colours with a dilute wash. I did the same with the background when I started. This helps confirm the colour choices I have already made, because if I did dislike them now would the easiest time to make changes.

Dressing Up

I approach elements within the picture much as I do the whole, back to front, or in the case of figures inner layer to outer. This means that items which would overlap something else are painted later. Much easier and more flexible than painting up to the edge of something. At this point I have completed the fur/flesh and mapped out where the glowing magical light will fall.

Fully Clothed

Continuing on the figure is completed. During the process I might well revisit areas to check the whole ties together. This might mean redoing shadows on the fur, or darkening areas of the body to make sure the overall effect is consistent. I might paint elements seperately but I will rework any of them to make sure it pulls together as a whole. This can often include throwing in non-local colour in the shadows or highlights to help with the unification.

Spirits Begin To Emerge

I feel like I am on the home straight as I move onto the last figures. Though I naturally worked my way through the spirit figures, one at a time, I didn't try to bring any of them fully to completion at this point. I knew that it would be necessary to have another pass to get the values right throughout them, and I certainly didn't want to get too dark at this stage.

Working with acrylics it is a lot easier to darken an image, rather than lighten it. That is especially true when you are working with dilute washes, as I was with the spirits, as opposed to a more opaque finish, like the Gnoll.

The End

The Hyena spirit on the bottom left demonstrates that final revisit across the painting. The blue has been tweaked and the value range extended both ways, lighter and darker.

This is true of the whole painting. A last pass across the whole painting is very important. I don't want to create a disjointed piecemeal painting, and it can be too easy to focus on individual elemenst whilst neglecting the whole.

Of course this is not truly the end. I now needed to scan the image, make colour corrections, then decided any digital tweaks. In this case I upped the saturation on the Spirits and dodged some highlights to get some more intensity into them.

WIP podcast #14

2010-06-12T11:23:00.001+01:00

The good folks at WIP, Pete, Jeff and Ania, were kind enough to invite me onto their show for a short interview. The focus was on self education based around my experiences of teaching myself to draw and paint.

You can listen to the episode here.

They put together some great shows for anyone interested in the business of illustration. Recommended.

Games Expo - review.

2010-06-07T14:44:00.000+01:00

My GamesExpo Stand.

I wanted to thank everyone who stopped by my stand at the weekend and said 'hi', it was great to meet you all. I always find it exciting and interesting to talk to the gamers for whom my art is intended. Finding out what sparks their particular interest, combined with their enthusiasm, is great.

I understand the show went smoothly for the organisers (whom I'd like to thank for me inviting once again), and was a success for the traders I spoke to as well. The event was held in Birmingham at the Clarendon Suite; a building well suited as it had a mix of larger halls, and smaller conference rooms to accomodate traders and games alike. However it could appear slightly maze-like at first, as I think this photo looking into the main atrium and beyond demonstrates.

The Maze

The labyrinthine layout was made more intriguing when simple observation revealed it to be a masonic lodge.

Past Masters

Aprons, geometry instruments, medallions and the like always add a certain extra frisson to proceedings. As does a race of violent aliens...

The Daleks

...even if their intentions are solely to collect for charity!

Thanks again to everyone. I hope you get all your paintings framed and on your walls soon :)

UK GamesExpo

2010-06-02T12:47:00.000+01:00

I will be attending the UK Games Expo this coming weekend of the 5th & 6th June. I have been several years previously. It is a very vibrant, enjoyable, convention with a good mix of games, and as family orientated as possible.

Once again the organisers have very kindly invited me to exhibit. I will have a table space and display boards where I will be showing as much of my artwork as physically possible. This will consist of original artwork for all the product ranges I work on.

When selecting work to bring I try to accomodate as broad a range as possible. Both for the interest of any viewers, but also to allow for varying depth of pockets.

I hope to see you there.

Ninja Mountain Podcast; Episode # 67

2010-05-29T11:39:00.000+01:00

The latest Ninja Mountain podcast episode is now available to listen to here.

Sadly it is the last episode Jon Hodgson will be participating in and editing, as he bows out of the time consuming duties due to work commitments.

Jon was a primary force in getting the show off the ground, and has played many a key role in keeping the podcast going. Thanks Jon.

Corinthian Barbute

2010-05-26T18:18:00.000+01:00

I recently took receipt of a new custom made helmet; a Corinthian Barbute with (re)moveable visor. It is the finest piece in my, slowly, expanding collection. The design is based upon medieval examples, that clearly took their inspiration from the classical world.

The armourer, Milan Marek, has done an excellent job, as I expected from someone with the reputation of being one of the leading European armourers. It is not only a perfect fit but it also has some amazingly graceful lines to it. Seeing a piece like this in the flesh is inspirational for my work. Like holding real chainmail it is an invaluable reference resource.

The articulation on the visor is very smooth, helped by the use of a small disc of leather as a 'washer'. It can also be completely removed. So I guess you get two helmets in one.

I am now looking forward to using it 'in action' at the next roleplaying event. Incidentally it also has a surprisingly good field of vsion through the visor, as the ocular slit is quite close to the eyes.

Milan's work can be found here

I would also recommend browsing the site for armour reference. There is a great range shown, and it is all well photographed and presented.

Ninja Mountain Podcast; Episode # 66

2010-05-24T09:16:00.000+01:00

The latest episode of the Ninja Mountain podcast is online, and available to listen to here

I join Jon, Andy and Socar for a freeflowing conversation as we work away at our art.

Couatl Cloud Palace

2010-05-18T22:04:00.000+01:00

Couatl Cloud Palace

D&D Chapter Start; The Plane Above.

Approx 21" x 19". Acrylics. Original art for sale: £1200.

It has been a busy few weeks, and the things I want to share are beginning to pile-up. Here's a quick catch up with the companion piece to The Hundred Handed One.

Layout/Value Sketch

Line Sketch

Ninja Mountain Podcast; Episode # 63

2010-04-30T14:26:00.000+01:00

I join this week's, large, crowd for ongoing chat about being a freelance illustrator.

Listen here.

The Hundred Handed One.

2010-04-27T13:25:00.001+01:00

The Hundred Handed One.

D&D Chapter Start; The Plane Above.

Approx 21" x 19". Acrylics. Original art for sale: £1500.

The Plane Above; Secrets of the Astral Sea has now been released, which means I can share my work on this D&D supplement. The Hundred Handed One was great fun to work on, and certainly satisfied my love of working with multiple figures, even if they are mainly compressed into one gross daemonic beastie!

The illustration followed the same layout requirements of previous Chapter Starts I've worked on, with the image spreading across two pages with the guttering faling about a third in from the left. I tried to work the composition around this with the adventurers being placed on facing pages, and the monster flowing between them.

Value & Layout Sketch; digital greyscale.

I also sought to aid depth and clarity through colour choice, the red, green and blue providing strong delineation. The focus of the image is the explosion and that is emphasised through the strong white light and triangular composition of the combatants.

Line Sketch; graphite on board.

Here are details of the D&D book: The Plane Above

Ninja Mountain Podcast; Episode # 62

2010-04-26T09:50:00.001+01:00

I had the pleasure of contributing to the latest episode of the Ninja Mountain podcast, wherein Jon, Andy and I chat to fellow Ninja Mountaineer Torstein Nordstrand about working on concept art.

Listen here.

Dungeon # 177 Cover

2010-04-13T13:52:00.000+01:00

Dungeon #177: The Master.

The psychic energy flowed through the Rakshasa as he bent the will of the Goristro demon to his own ends. More souls would soon lie trapped in the rock beneath his feet...

The Goristro towers over the Rakshasa, but I wanted the latter to be the point of interest. I tried to achieve this by placing the strongest contrast of light and dark upon him, whilst also having the broadest range of colours. To add to the menace, and power, of the pairing I tilted the horizon and chose a low viewpoint. The edges and definition also gets softer and looser as you move away from the focal point.

One pleasure of working for the online D&D magazines is that the turnaround between commission and publication is pretty quick. So rather than the months of wait that normally occurs this was a mere matter of weeks. Consequently this is very close to where I am wanting to push my painting at present, especially in trying to work hard on the focus.

Part of that concentration includes texture and edges. This was my first painting where I employed a matte acrylic gel. It provides a bit more body and lengthens drying time. This seemed to help especially with the blending in the background and on the spell effect.

Incidentally this is also the painting that I was working on when we recorded Episode #56 of the Ninja Mountain podcast. Listen here.

I also took a number of 'in progress' photos and hope to construct a walkthrough from them.

Dungeon #177

Ninja Mountain Podcast: Episode 60

2010-04-09T13:33:00.001+01:00

I managed to clamber back up the rocky slopes of the Ninja Mountain again this week, where I enjoyed a great chat with Andy and Jon about the nature of being a freelancer.

Ninja Mountain #60

Imperial Steam Tank - the digging continues

2010-03-30T00:34:00.000+01:00

Imperial Steam Tank

Illustrated story from Inferno! magazine.

One of my longest standing clients is Games Workshop. In 1997 The Black Library had not been long spawned and one of it's first creations was Inferno! magazine - a mix of comic strips, short stories and illustrated features. My first commission with GW was for issue #1; an illustrated story collaboration with Jonathan Greene. He provided the words and I the detailed linework that accompanied them. We worked on a number of these pieces together before Jonathan concentrated on the straight prose of his novels, and I began to undertake the writing.

25 x 32 cm. Technical Pen, Ink, acrylic on Bristol Board.

We have just exchanged emails, and I was prompted to look through some of the back catalogue. The Imperial Steam Tank was one of my earliest solo projects, and also one of the shortest, but I enjoy it's nostalgia value, and it reveals my roots.

I was keen to incorporate the text into the illustration as much as possible. That wasn't always possible, but this was a prime example where I got to run riot. Looking back I appreciate how much freedom I had to create with these pieces. I proposed the idea, and was then left to run with it.

The Battle of Nis-Pazar.

The subjects also allowed for a wide variety of approaches. The humorous pseuod-technicality of the Steam Tank would be followed by a 'where's Wally?' battle scene like Nis-Pazar or the Military History approach of 'preparing Steel Storm'. It was a great learning experience that I value even more fully now.

Preparing 'Steel Storm'; Battle of Bhavangar.

Check out Jonathan Greene's Blog, he's on his eleventh novel and lots more besides.

The Moving Imp

2010-03-26T13:49:00.001Z

I am itching to share various artworks, but am having to wait until publication dates come along. Meantime I was sorting through my storage drawers, in response to a sales enquiry, and I stumbled upon the pencil sketch I made for a new address card when we moved about 3 years back. I thought it was a fun piece that having emerged from the bottom of a pile of paintings could step out into the world a little further.

The Moving Imp

20 x 28 cm, graphite on cartridge paper.

Original artwork for sale: £50

Ninja Mountain Podcast #56

2010-03-15T12:25:00.000Z

It has been a little while since I have had the pleasure of appearing on the Ninja Mountain podcast. The regular recording night clashes with my one regular gaming commitment, but last week we had a rather impromptu chat-whilst-we-work, that was organised by Jon Hodgson.

The result can be heard here:
NM podcast #56

and I think we covered an interesting range of work related topics.

Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms

2010-02-24T16:45:00.000Z

I have already shown my cover artwork for Heroes of the Fallen lands, and mentioned that it was one of a pair that made up the Player Essentials titles. I am happy that I can now share it's companion piece with you:

Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms.

Acrylic, Approx 13" x 17". Original artwork for sale: £1700

This intentionally has a lot of similarities with it's partner; the strong central light source, a prominent foreground figure, and enemies attacking from the background and foreground. The differences are in the flipping of the foreground figures and that in one we are looking up some stairs, whilst we are peering downwards in the other.

A clear comparison, and my original value sketches, can be seen here:

This was one of the rare occasions when I got to paint a Drow, and I was keen to make sure that his skin tone appeared black, rather than a shade of brown or purple. I had fun with him, and like the bold framing silhouette that his figure makes in this image.

This is the cover with trade dress added. Which helps explain the blank space at the top if the picture.

Full product details can be found here:

Player Essentials: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms

Talisman the Highlands

2010-02-15T11:45:00.004Z

Another cover of mine has just been announced. This time a further expansion for Talisman - The Highlands.

Acrylic, 11" x 11", Original Artwork SOLD.

I have had great fun working on a succession of covers for Talisman, the board game. They are uniquely challenging in that I am working to create a unified image that involves very different existing characters. This time around they are battling a giant eagle as they approach the aerie lair of the Eagle King - at least the vampire won't feel the cold!

The Line Sketch.

The product details, and image with trade dress, can be found here:

Talisman the Highland product details.

Heroes of the Fallen Lands - Cover Artwork

2010-02-11T21:39:00.000Z

The Cropped Cover

I was very happy to be entrusted with a forthcoming pair of Dungeons & Dragons covers for the Player's Essentials titles. The First to be released will be Heroes of the Fallen Lands.

The painting shows the adventurers descending deeper into the depths of a dungeon, when they spot some Hobgoblin skeletons ahead, just as the Goblin skeletons attack from behind.

The Line Sketch

The dynamic tilted horizon line, and view down the stairs, help add drama to the image. It was my first opportunity to work with the new set of iconics, and I also enjoyed getting to draw Goblin skeletons.

The Final Cover

It is interesting for me to see the final image set within it's trade dress, and the product details can be found here:

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/247520000

The Uncropped Original Painting.

21.5" x 16.5", Acrylic, For Sale: £ 1700

I always work with a lot of bleed, and it gives the graphic designer a lot more flexibility on their crop and placement.

Nicht Anfassen - V1 Doodlebug fragment

2010-02-03T14:50:00.005Z

From an early age I have been interested in militaria. An interest that has now been focused into medieval arms & armour, and it's very near cousin, Fantasy. As a child an elderly neighbour became aware of my fascination and gave me a broken piece of metal.

Sadly at the time I didn't appreciate it's significance, and it was a over a decade later when I rediscovered the fragment in a box in my parent's attic, and read the pencil inscription:

V1 Doodlebug

Shot down by 2018 Squadron RAF

Aug 28 1944 at Rye S Robinson F/Lt.

By then Mr Robinson had long since passed on, and I had missed the opportunity to ask him about the circumstances under which this doodlebug had been shot down. However it still felt very much like a link to a collective past. One in which my Father, as a child, had sat playing in his back garden in Heston, London, when a V1 demolished a house at the end of his street and sent a fragment of shrapnel flying past his head.

This piece of memorabilia has now sat on a shelf for many years, but recently I noticed the pencil had begun to fade, and I felt it was time I did something with it. As a consequence I have been in contact with a curator at the Imperial War Museum and have just donated this to their collection. I think it is much better that this is held in the national archives where it can be archived, and the connection to our past, and F/Lt Robinson's service, properly maintained and recognised.

The above photo shows the V1 that is currently suspended from the ceiling of the Imperial War Museum, London, and I have highlighted in red the part of the missile I believe my fragment is. Oh, and I think Nicht Anfassen means Do Not Stand On.*

* Florian Stitz has provided the correct translation - Do Not Touch.

Next time it will be back to the art, and less of the influences.

Weekend Break - A Jolly Folly

2010-02-01T13:04:00.000Z

I have just got back from a weekend break spent on the east coast of Yorkshire, England. We had the pleasure of staying in a very unusual building, an C18th Folly.

Built in 1825 it was always intended to resemble a tumbledown gatehouse, and had small lodges inset on either side of the gateway. These have now been converted to holiday lets, and it certainly made somewhere different to stay.

We were also treated to an unexpected snowfall (about 5-8 cms) overnight. Which did make visiting the local beaches even more bracing than usual, but also added to the overall sense of 'folly'.

This is Scarborough, with ruined castle on headland. Just one of many beaches, Whitby, Filey, Bridlington and Hornsea amongst them, that we visited.

Facebook Page

2010-01-28T12:26:00.000Z

I have just set up a fan page on Facebook. I hope some of you will stop by there and take a look.

My Facebook fan page.

Dwarf Rune Dice – Walkthrough

2010-01-24T22:10:00.001Z

I was recently commissioned by Q-Workshop to produce a design for their new Dwarf Runes dice set. The picture will go on the backboard to which is affixed the dice blister pack.

I was given a lot of freedom to come up with a design, and I decided upon a carved stone relief of a stylised Dwarf head, inlaid with metals and gems.

Whilst the entire image will be visible, the lower part will be partially obscured by the plastic blister and dice, so I made sure that the focus is on the upper part of the image. The focus will be achieved a number of ways; through the natural pull of the eyes, the level of detail in the helmet and the lighting.

I decided to take the opportunity to create a walkthough. Pausing throughout the painting process I took a series of digital photogrphs with the painting taped to the board. I have adjusted these so that the levels are consistent throughout, but I've not otherwise colour adjusted them. However you can see that they are not very divergent from the final scanned version.

Stage 1: Using masking fluid I blocked out the elements that will either be inlaid metal or gems. I then applied a base colour wash to the whole page. This helps ‘fix’ the graphite in place, and gets rid of that intense white of the unpainted page.

Stage 2: The base wash was deliberately loose to help create some texture, but as this is stonework I will need a lot more. Using an old toothbrush I splattered the image with darker shades of paint. It looks quite obtrusive at this point, but I know it is going to get knocked back when I really start painting the piece, and will ultimately be quite subtle in the mix.

Stage 3: Using a large brush I work over the whole picture loosely picking out the form, whilst also bringing in colour variation. You can see where the masked areas still look quite white, as the rubber solution of the masking fluid partially repels the paint.

Stage 4: 2 hours 45 mins. I start putting down the darkest values, and in the process pick out and define the form. I keep some variation in the colour of the shadow, and despite the detail I try not to make the end result look too much like an inked line drawing.

Stage 5: Having worked in the darker values I now wanted to firm up the mid range. It was also looking a touch too green, so using a nice mid grey I built up a more opaque layer. As I went along I took the opportunity to soften and lose some of the edges I had created in the previous stage.

Stage 6: 4 hours. I reintroduce and/or expand upon some of the other colours that were in the picture. I want the stone to look old and weathered. These other colours help give the impression of lichen growth and staining. I also soften the edges of the cast shows with some of the golden brown.

Stage 7: I don’t want the picture to appear completely monochromatic, and I also like to have some interest going on in the shadows as well. To address those issues I introduce some indigo/purple into the shadowed areas. It suddenly gets a lot more interesting as this colour interacts with the underlying green shade in the stonework.

Stage 8: The highlights are brought in. I avoid white at this stage, as I want to tie the strongest highlights in with the metal work. As I want the metal to pop I don’t want too much visual conflict from the stone. The brush marks are deliberately varied and energetic. A lot of this painting has been about texture, and I am not neglecting that at this stage.

Stage 10: The masks are removed!

Stage 11: 7 hours. The metal and gem details are painted and the strongest highlights are put on. I give the whole piece a final once over tightening the odd line, and amending values as necessary, though this process has been ongoing during all the previous stages anyway.

Stage 12: The painting is scanned, and then adjusted to match the original painting for levels and colour. Finally I do some slight dodging to intensify the highlights and saturate the gems for further intensity.

I call it finished and send it off for approval.

Stage 13: 8 hours. It was felt that a bit more colour was needed, so I did a digital paint over to introduce more gold onto the carving. It certainly reads more strongly now, and is duly fully approved with the following comment: Great! It’s awesome;)

At the drawing board. Note the reference, including print outs of my original line drawing and a value study.

Here is a link to the Q-Workshop web site.

Fantasy Art Now 2

2010-01-21T09:44:00.000Z

Ilex Press have just recently published Fantasy Art Now 2, a fantasy art compilation, or in their words;

The sequel to the best-selling Fantasy Art Now, this volume catches up with some of the most talented and inspiring artists from around the world. Showcasing the latest, cutting-edge fantasy artwork and design, this book also provides insights from the artists into how their work is created. A stunning showcase of images from leading fantasy artists, this essential collection is a must have whether you are a fantasy artist, or simply a fan of the genre.

I was very happy to have several pieces of art included in the volume, and it is available via their web site

http://www.ilex-press.com/product/?pid=36287

or any major book seller, including Amazon.

World of Warcraft: A Selection.

2010-01-17T13:33:00.000Z

I have begun to make some progress towards updating the 'cards' section of my website. Part of the process has been to check which images are now in print, and that I can share publically.

Doing so can be an enjoyable journey as it takes me back through my body of work. Always a useful exercise, as it helps contextualise my work for me, and (hopefully) reveals a sense of progression.

Here is a selection of World of Warcraft cards that I unearthed:

Bladehands Spigotgulp

Emmi Sprinklestrike

Illiyana Moonblaze

Swift Frostsaber

Flint Shadowmore

Life-Staff of the Web Lair

Monk in the Underdark

2010-01-15T13:31:00.000Z

The Underdark has been getting a lot of coverage over at the Wizards website recently, what with the new supplement imminent, and other supporting artwork appearing in accompanying publications. I am happy to say that I have contributed to the wave of Underdark artwork that is appearing.

I created a chapter start, double-page spread, for the Players Handbook 3:

Original art work approx 52 x 42 cm. Acrylic. For sale: £1500.

I always enjoy fight scenes with multiple figures, so I relished the chance of showing this Monk so effortlessly taking on the Kuo-Toa. Though typically I like to throw in a cliffhanger moment, and I think the Aboleth rearing over the Psionic in the background qualifies as such...

The slanting light obviously helps with providing focus on the key figures, but I also tried to employ contrast between the saturation levels of the figures and their environment.

Details of the PHB3 can be found here

Website Updated

2010-01-12T10:51:00.003Z

No doubt spurred on by entering a New Year, and I hope it's a good one for all of you, I have been updating my website.

The Covers Gallery

has a lot of new work, including several covers for Dungeons & Dragons, amongst which are visits to the Dark Sun setting and infamous Tomb of Horrors.

The Interiors Gallery

now includes a good number of double page 'chapter starts' for Dungeons & Dragons. These large illustrations have really allowed me to splash out on some epic pieces, and been great fun to do.

I am looking forward to updating the Cards section next and being able to reveal lots more goodies, for all galleries, which are still hidden under NDA's.

Ninja Mountain #47

2010-01-11T20:47:00.000Z

Hi,

I had the enjoyable experience of participating in the latest Ninja Mountain podcast. It was my first time being involved with the critique format; a number of artists submitted their work for us to cast our critical eyes over, and give some sort of feedback.

The range of images varied greatly stylistically, media and content-wise. I believe this led to an interesting discussion, probably also highlighting our own predelictions and interests as artists.

Here's where you can find the podcast:

http://ninjamountain.blogspot.com/

Dark Sun - Digital Tweak.

2010-01-06T11:22:00.001Z

I hope you all had a good Holiday and have a great 2010. December was very hectic month for me, I had some very cool DnD cover projects that I was working on (though of course I wont be able to share any details for a little while), and as a consequence I let other things slide. Sadly this blog was one of them, so I thought I would start off the year with a new entry.

Last Year I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on the cover for a forthcoming Dark Sun supplement; Marauders of the Dune Sea.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/253890000
It was great to be able to revisit such an iconic setting, and one that has had some notable artists work on it. I also got to paint another Thri-Keen ( my last rendition of one received a Chesley award nomination - so it was nice to do another one).

This was my final submission.

The rider and steed have such complex silhouettes, that I felt they could hold a lot of the focus and interest in themselves. I emphasised their forms further by colour/value contrast and strong rim lighting.

The same time as I was painting this cover Wayne Reynolds was working on the Campaign Setting. Typically when both our pieces were set side-by-side we had done slightly different takes on the Sun and it was decided to go with a darker rendition of the Sun. This meant a revision was in order.

I always find the prospect of going back to a 'finished' traditional painting daunting. Sometimes it can be hard to achieve exactly the same palette, or match the marks and feels of an area. The latter can be especially true with a background, where the forgreound figures might have been masked off and broad brushstrokes applied. There can also be the psychological block that even when changes are made they may still need further amendment, and I can also have the desire to leave a piece as I intended.

Whatever the reasons I now find it far easier, both for speed and flexibilty, to make tweaks at the 'Final' stage digitally. I can set up layers in PS and play with different amendments. These are also then easy to alter if I didn't quite hit the nail square on with the first pass.

Here is how this piece looked after it's digital tweaks.

The clone tool is one of my favourites tools, as with it I can keep a lot of the marks and texture that appear through using acrylics.

Draconomicon 2: Mercury & Orium Dragons

2009-11-20T23:24:00.000Z

The DnD supplement Draconomicon 2 was published this week. A great group of artists was collected together to work on these iconic beasties, and I had the pleasure of creating two chapters starts for the book, which covered two new Dragon types;

The Mercury Dragon

The Orium Dragon ( which also possesses the most interesting breath attack I have come across!)

Student Questionnaire

2009-11-15T19:35:00.001Z

Hi,

It is not unusual for me to receive emails from students asking questions about what it is like to work as a freelance illustrator. I do my best to answer, though it can sometimes take a little while to compile a response. Here is the most recent set of questions, that came from Sally, and my answers. I hope they might be of some interest.

Q1) When you set out into the working world, what sort of work/placements did you undertake to get to where you are today and for who?

I am purely self taught. Which was quite disadvantageous in a lot of ways, and meant I had to learn as I went along - both the skill set for illustration and the business model.

Q2) In the beginning, how did you manage financially? Did you have any work on the side?

It was a struggle. I did whatever work I could get, and received as much government funding as I could. There are often incentives for people starting up new businesses, and other benefits available for those on a low income. I know a lot of artists who have held a full time job and worked on their art career on the side. This is probably the norm when starting out.

Q3) What goals did you set for yourself when you began?

Initially it was simply to make a living at doing what I wanted. As that hurdle was passed then I have set myself further goals; both in terms of companies I'd like to work for, and particular products or assignments.

Q4) How much closer have you come to achieving them since you began?

I have achieved most of them, but as I say I keep moving the goalposts.

Q5) Have your goals changed?

Whoops, already answered this :)

Q6) Was freelance Illustrating your first choice?

Yes, absolutely. I wanted to be my own boss as much as possible.

Q7) Did you have a Plan B or alternative career choice?

I always thought I could go into an office job if I had to. I do possess a degree ( BA Eng.Lit.) and felt that would probably help.

Q8) If you could go back in time and do anything differently, what would it be and why?

I guess there are lots of things I could have done more efficiently/differently, but I am happy with the way life has panned out, and enjoyed getting here too.

Q9) Have any of your career choices been swayed by personal situations?

If you mean my personal life, then not really, but clearly I am interacting with other people all the time, and relationships with colleagues can affect work.

Q10) Did you move far away from home to follow your ambitions?

Distance from home has been irrelevant to work, development of the internet has been completely transformative.

Q11) What is the estimate annual income for this sort of job?

I am not on a set wage, so that is not easy to answer. Commissions pay a set fee, so how fast you do the job, and how many hours you choose to work have an impact. I would currently describe myself as having a good income.

Q12)What sort of hours do you work? Do you keep your work separate from your personal time?

My hours are more regular than they were, due to sharing care for my two year old son with my wife, Anne Stokes, who is also a full time artist. There is no real time off. For instance checking emails before I go to bed is 'work'

Q13) Do you have vacation time?

Rarely. Trips away are usually to conventions and the like.

Q14) What is your journey to work like?

A short flight of stairs from bedroom to office, via the kitchen for breakfast. Working from home is a real boon.

Tomb of Horrors - thumbnails process

2009-11-13T12:08:00.001Z

I had the great pleasure of working on the cover for the reworking of the classic DnD adventure 'Tomb of Horrors'. The brief requested that I use some of the key elements from the adventure in the following way:

This cover has the look and feel of a movie poster and features a montage of images.

The most prominent image is that of AN EVIL-LOOKING HUMAN SKULL with rubies set into its eyes
and gems for teeth. This is ACERERAK, the demilich. We might see the faint glimmer of a spirit
trapped in each of the skull’s faceted gemstones. The skull fades or blends into the images of (1) an
8-foot-tall FOUR-ARMED GARGOYLE and (2) the iconic DEVIL FACE that appears in the Tomb of
Horrors (see attached reference). The mouth of the devil face is a void of utter darkness. Inside the
mouth of the devil face, falling away from us and screaming, is a MALE HUMAN PALADIN in PLATE
ARMOR and carrying a LONGSWORD and SHIELD.

The first step was to create series of thumbnail sketches. These are intended to explore ideas of composition, and allows discussion with the art director of the direction we would both like to take.

Some of the thumbnails I explored further digitally. This allowed me easily maintain certain ,and either move them around or mix them with other features. I also added greyscale values to them which helps with some clarity, whilst also generating fresh ideas this way as it enabled an easier way of showing the demi-lich skull in the background.

You can see which one was decided to work up into the cover itself, and that can be seen, wit hfull trade dress here:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/253850000

Lastly here is a close-up of one of the eyeballs

Halloween Fun & Podcast

2009-11-02T10:28:00.000Z

We all had fun at Halloween, indeed you can see how much we enjoyed it by the adoption of the demonic red eyes, and hope you did too.

The annual pumpkin carving is something I always enjoy. A different way to flex one's creative muscles, and I was pretty pleased with this effort.

Last week I also had the pleasure of appearing on the Ninja Mountain Podcast. Jon's amusing summary must surely tempt you to listen ;)

This week on Ninja Mountain: Robo Jeremy returns to introduce Patrick,

Socar, Jon, and Ralph, who discuss: Stuff! Stuff like: A single top tip for aspiring illustrators, good and bad qualities in art direction, defending your home against shotgun assassins, sketching, and Twitter.

You'll marvel as Socar takes the moderator's golden laurel wreath and takes charge. Gasp in amazement as Patrick swings from rope to rope, roll your eyes as Jon says "you know" a lot, and feel that funny feeling in your tummy like going over a hump backed bridge in the back of the car when you were a kid as Ralph breaks ranks and offers actual content.

The Podcast is here: http://ninjamountain.blogspot.com/

Temple of the Serpent

2009-10-21T16:55:00.000+01:00

This is my latest novel cover for Games Workshop, and the second in the ongoing series about Thanquol (the Skaven Grey Seer).

I do like working with a low viewpoint and tilted horizon plane, and this is no exception, but I also really concentrated on dropping the background back to let Thanquol's silhouette read nice and clearly.

I also threw in a few extra details, which happily the editor, Darius Hinks, picked up on in his blog post:

http://blacklibraryblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/fate-of-flying-toad.html

which also shows the cover with it's full trade dress.

Iron Dragon: Sketch Process

2009-10-18T20:10:00.000+01:00

I have created cover illustrations for three different sets of DnD miniature's, one of which included a new Dragon design - the Iron Dragon.

Iron Dragon sketch #1

After brainstorming ideas through the creation of quick thumbnails the next step is to create a more fully realised sketch. The approach I adopted was designed to clearly show some of his distinguishing characteristics; his head and tail.

Iron Dragon sketch #2

I had deliberately adopted a slightly different approach by showing him partly from behind. I liked the idea of conveying the sense of creeping up and surprising the beastie, but it was felt that more direct engagement was probably needed to really grab the viewer.

Iron Dragon sketch #3

As you can see I first twisted the head (sketch #2), then more of the body (sketch #3), but by now the pose had become awkward and the orginal concept was trying too hard to be forced into a different direction.

Iron Dragon sketch #4

Instead I started from scratch. It was important that the image worked, and a cover is certainly not the sort of piece to settle for weak compromise on. However you can see in #4 that I have yet to fully realise the background as I wanted to make sure this was closer to the mark before polishing the image up too much.

Iron Dragon sketch #5

A minor tweak of a foreleg, full realisation of the background and we are good to go. It is unusual to have so many sketch revisions (if any at all) before going into the final painting, but when dealing with an important image I am happy to put all the effort in that is required for a strong piece.

Iron Dragon cover painting.

I think the final image worked well on the box cover, and the original painting has also found a good home in the hands of an art collector. Job done.

The Slaying Stone: Cover artwork

2009-10-13T10:45:00.001+01:00

Around the same time that I got to work on Martial Power 2 I also had the great pleasure of working on the cover for The Slaying Stone.

It was interesting to portray a mechanised 'dog' and to try to give it some personality. It was also necessary for the pack leader of the Iron Defenders (for that is what they are) to stand out, which is why he got all the gilt trim.

I was also tackling a night time scene, which naturally inclines towards a blue/purple palette. To add interest I threw in the last remnants of a sunset, which helps delineate the horizon and lets the silhouette of the tower stand out more clearly. I also decided on a secondary foreground light source. I felt this indicated something impinging into the scene from 'out of shot' - the target of the 'dogs' attack - and allowed me to intoduce warmer colours in the foreground, which helps the lead figure pop.

For details of the supplement and to see the cover iwth full trade dress on please visit:-

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/251220000

Martial Power 2

2009-10-08T16:04:00.000+01:00

One of the mild frustrations of working on commissions is the inability to show a finished painting until the publisher has released the image as part of their own promotions. Sometimes this can mean quite a time lag especially with cover artwork which is often commisisoned a long time in advance of publication.

Therefore I was very happy to see that Wizards have an image of my cover showing in their product listing alongside the entry for the Martial Power 2 DnD supplement, as it is not due for publication until 2010, but it means I can now share it with you.

Martial Power 2 cover artwork

Full details of the product, including the cover as it will appear in print, can be found here: http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/251230000

Eldritch Blast: Jones Soda

2009-10-06T13:07:00.001+01:00

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Wizards of the Coast have collaborated with Jones Soda to produce a limited edition range of DnD themed drinks and that my Warforged Titan image was chosen for the Eldritch Blast label - that's the green drink on the right.

Unfortunately I don't think Jones Soda is imported to the UK, so I will probably never get my hands on one, but sweet it is nonetheless :)

Here are some more details:

http://www.myjones.com/code/limited.php?campaign=wizards#ordernow

Frostmarch

2009-10-03T12:30:00.002+01:00

Talisman: Frostmarch

I am usually commissioned some time before the actual publication date and it is always hard to wait until then to show a new painting. Well just recently a lot of my pieces have appeared on various publisher's web sites and I am keen to share them with you over the next few days.

First up is the cover for the new Talisman expansion; Frostmarch. Details of which can be found here, alongside seeing this painting with the trade dress on: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=774

It was interesting for me to present a collage effect, even if it borrowed it's composition from the previous Reaper expansion http://ralphhorsley.deviantart.com/art/Talisman-The-Reaper-101804778

The idea was for the strong rim light to visually tie in the foreground figures with the Ice Queen. Whilst I had fun with the loose swirls and snow effects on the latter which helped give movement and dynamics to the image.

Miniature Giants

2009-10-02T13:55:00.001+01:00

Hill Giant Barbarian

I mentioned in my Fire Giant post that I had already tackled Fire Giants before, but they were miniature designs rather than full paintings. I have done quite a lot of Giant miniature designs for WotC, but they are the sort of work that rarely sees the light of day, except on occasions like now.

Fire Giant Raider

Miniature designs present a unique set of challenges. Both front and rear views are normally required. This is to give the sculptor as much information as possible, and other incidental sketches might also need to be included.

Frost Giant Fury

Creating these 'turnaround' views demands the ability to visualise the figure in three dimensions and to mentally rotate it on it's axis. I usually sketched the front loosely then scanned it, flipped it, then printed it out on tracing paper. This new template gave me a general framework to work on for the back view, but did include notable distortions that one neded to be aware of. Most prominently in the plane that the figure was stood on.

Fire Giant Forgepriest

Alongside this challenge I also needed to create an interesting pose that conformed to the strictures of the casting process. The policy that WotC adopted was that the rarer the figure the more complicated the casting could be, but nonetheless challenging constraints still remained, and I learnt a lot about working towards designs as opposed to illustration. Two overlapping but distinct disciplines.

Fire Giant Titan

Oh, and it has been really nice to receive the complimentaruy copies of these. Seeing my sketches transformed into figurines has been great, and they proudly sit on a shelf next to my monitor :)