Portraits of the main antagonists in an old friend’s D&D campaign.

Lynne Frederick as Dora in Hammer Studios’ Vampire Circus (1972).

Direct observation from a reference still, so it’s not an accurate copy: I somehow elongated everything and made her pose a bit more upright….

Below is a regression from the final image (above) at various points in the process. It started as an offhand sketch that I didn’t have any real intention of finishing!

I’ve been watching Netflix’s DOTA: Dragon’s Blood…and loving it. Mirana’s drawn in a not-completely-idealized way, which is unusual. In some scenes she looks like a regular person rather than a supermodel. I thought it’d be interesting to roll with that, and give her more hips and thighs.

Guthbad freebooter and wild warrior woman, Siggrid of the Lucky Thirteen.

This is a sketch of an NPC from one of my 5e games.

Here’s a guy I just added a bit of polish to. He started as a pencil sketch from like a long time ago (below). I scanned it and messed with it a little, then added some basic color (bottom of page). I had an urge to paint him up a bit more, so I added some highlights and deeper colors, some proportional changes, and some sculpting of the silhouette for clarity. Gonna leave it alone now, so I figured I’d share it.

I was the art director and production manager for this title, responsible not just for the game’s illustrations, but all aspects of the graphic design, layout, and file preparation. It was a big job, but really satisfying to watch my artwork and designs end up printed and sold worldwide.

Anyway, here’s the final artwork for the box, minus the logo (yeah, it goes in that huge empty space at the top.)

The basic idea was to engage the viewer in the action, so we see soldiers charging straight for us. I was asked to include a British Mark II tank, and some aeroplanes, so there they are. The original image had the Germans in pickelhuber helmets with the iconic top spike, but was asked to change them for the later “coal scuttle” style helmet. Apparently the Germans phased out the pickelhubers very early in the war, because they were clear targets for snipers.  I personally thought the top spike was too iconic to pass up (nothing says WWI more clearly!) but I defer to the judgement of my clients!   Here’s a detail of some courageous doughboys charging the German position.

And finally, just for laughs, a really poor reference shot of yours truly, posing in my backyard with a toy musket. I’m also wearing a ridiculous cardboard circle on my head, which I figured would help me place how the doughboy helmet rests on a soldier’s head. Marginally helpful, but very painful to wear!

Here’s something I did for a client who wanted a full-length portrait of his Wild Elven Druid character, Kaaovale. She’s young and cheerful, with a shamanic style. My process was pretty straightforward on this one, so I thought I’d quickly share.

I started as I usually do with a rough black & white. I build this up with a few highlights to establish form and structure.

Beginning sketch

Base layer for greyscale render.

Next, I start laying in some basic colors, using some Soft Light layers and some Overlay layers. I used a very light blue to strengthen the highlights, and a pink and a tan for the skin base. I also add boots and belt. At this point, I’m using about a dozen layers: the base sketch layer, which has been tightened up a bit more, and layers for skin, highlights, and the boots and belt.

Adding some color notes.

Starting to gear up.

More gear! More details!

Finished piece.