Creatures and Units: Artworks

[Panda Tar]

Well, soon enough I'll start posting their sketches. The first one that will come up is the Pegasus. Not a special reason to do it, only that the idea of it came first. I'm not going to make it a horse with wings 'only'. It'll have a feathered appeal, where it usually has the hair and the tail, but not as to appear like a hyppogriff.

Once the sketche is done, I'll try colouring it in my computer. I rarely do that sort of thing, and that'll be slow at first, until I get practice. Meanwhile, I'll be skecthing other units and creatures that I feel like doing at the moment. I sort of realized that it's similar to the will of writing: we must be feeling ok to do whatever comes up in mind.

[Panda Tar]

This is the basic idea, just a reminder of how it should be - don't taking into consideration the wing springing from the neck, hahaha, but most likely to remind me that it must come as if starting on the chest, rather than on the back. I'll have to experiment and see what looks better.

[Groovy]

It has potential. I look forward to seeing it in the flesh.

[Panda Tar]

I think I must also do a 'portrait' like sketch too, to use in smaller formats, what do you think?

[Groovy]

I would prefer to just shrink the main picture. This would have the advantage of presenting the same unit in the same way throughout the game, so the players wouldn't have to memorise it again.

[Panda Tar]

Oh, ok...are you awake already? Oh, Brazil lost to German 1-7. hohoho

[Groovy]

It's you who shouldn't be awake at this time.

My Facebook was awash with comments about the game, but I didn't know the score. Quite a hiding.

[Panda Tar]

Still 1 AM here. I'm a bit awake due my pre workout shake. It might be 1 or 2h still before I get sleepy.

Germany deserved. I'm kinda relieved, in fact. Talent wins.

[Groovy]

The more I work on the game, the more I get the impression that it would be better to finalise the game mechanics and faction lineups before starting with the artwork. You/others would then have a good idea of what to draw, while I would busy myself with writing the lore. Quite a lot needs to be written.

[Panda Tar]

I see. That's fine by me.

At least it would save some rework for sure, things we wouldn't end up using. Your call.

[Groovy]

Let's focus on the core game first, then, and leave the detailed artwork and lore writing for later.

[Panda Tar]

And how is that doing lately? ^^

[Groovy]

The good news is that I've been able to dedicate to it at least two hours per day every day for the past few weeks. All twelve factions are close to having the minimum unit lineup necessary for playtesting (4 units per level, 2 animal and 2 folk), complete with (borrowed) artwork. Most of the spells and abilities are still outstanding, however. I'm also a lot clearer on where I want to take the game in terms of lore, and how to design the physical maps and tokens so that they work well on the tabletop.

The bad news is that it's a lot more work than I had anticipated. A huge amount of my time has gone to manufacturing the physical map and tokens, especially thanks to inevitable first-timer errors. I thought I'd be able to have regular games with my colleagues at work by now, but it's not ready yet. Probably won't be ready next week either.

[Panda Tar]

The bad news doesn't sound that bad. I was thinking on next year already, not next week.

[Groovy]

Next week for an early experimental version of the game, not the final version. Most of the buildings still need to be added. So do heroes.

[Sleeping_Sun]

Panda, are you in need of some sketch or artwork for some unit? If you are, tell me so that I can work on that during my breaks from studying.

[Panda Tar]

There are no artworks of anything yet. And we are also talking about designs of cards, tokens, frames, symbols, banners, units, factions, landscapes, buildings and whichever else I didn't enumerate, although you get the picture. You can get a glimpse of some of the jobs that can be done regarding cards here.

At the moment, I have 2 unit concepts that I'm still to finish: unicorn and pegasus. I was mostly waiting Groovy finish the definition of the line-ups, after a second thought. As I'm quite busy these days outside my office (to be frank, I have more spare time at my office than when I'm at home, so here I am, writing), I was waiting more definitions of what to be done, so we don't have much work which could end up not being used, as it usually happens.

That sketch above was mainly so I could remember the key points before I could start drawing. I have no experience in digital painting. I could try painting my drawings, but it would take me a long while before getting used to it - plus, I don't have a digital table. It would be nice, then, when I finish the drawing on paper, if you could try and see it to digital painting, if you wish. Although I'll only have much more spare time starting from the next week, I suppose I can finish this and that around the end of the month, and start pacing up whatever else that gets in my way.

***
A horse is to be turned into a Unicorn or a Pegasus. Under Sylvan banner, a unicorn. Under Empyrean banner, a pegasus. Each faction must present a unique identity, even if they use the same animal as basis of their new hireable unit.

Unicorn is not the regular horned horse. Its whole head is constructed in a way to accommodate a huge horn. Its built will be also bulky to sustain such heavy head. I had a small inspiration on the artwork below, mostly regarding the overall built and the shape of the head (although, it's still very different. Where this art it looks like having a beak, unicorn has this shape upwards, not to curved):



Pegasus is a bit more feathery-like, willowy, with great wings and great deal of plating around its neck and at the tip of its wings.