Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Common Gha'vial

I am finally back from my vacation and settling in after the Christmas. Hope everyone had a great holiday. I know I did. 

Getting onto the subject at hand. This weeks post is the Common Gha'vial, a race of intelligent crocodile men developed by Matt Hargenrader for his upcoming "Dwellers in the Deep Places" RPG guidebook, to be released sometime in the near future. 

Without further ado. Here is the Common Gha'vial.

Common Gha'Vial, Del Teigeler, Mavfire, Creature, Monster, Aligator man
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader.

There are several iterations of these creatures that I illustrated, in the future I will be posting the Greater Gha'vial, Skeletal Gha'vial, and the Nestling Swarm.

For this type I wanted him to be slightly savage in appearance, adding in tattoos, and tribal markings, as well as primative weapons. I actually think this pose is a nice one for this illustration as well.

The detail work for his scales and "armor" was the most difficult, but I had some success with the Kaprosuchus previously and used alot of the technique i learned there for this guy.

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. 

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Old Sketches: Vacation Filler...

I rarely keep any of my artwork on my laptop, and when I went searching for some I found (to my surprise) a few older sketches that I did for & Magazine last year. These were done in pencil and initially only put on my original website, as I had not started this blog yet. 

It seems (looking at these) that I have both come a long way, and lost a bit with my current style. These are in pencil, and I love the amount of detail and shading that can be done in pencil. 

However, I feel that my ink work has improved dramatically, and I personally feel that inked artwork is more "sale-able" meaning if someone is using it for an RPG or book, it looks better, especially if it will be printed on paper. 

I guess with either technique there are trade offs. Anyway, without ado, here are the sketches. 


This first one is called bag of bones, and was used in & Magazine, and as part of an online beastiary as well. Pencil and black colored pencil were used for it. 



This next one is a Chihuahua-sphinx a breed of sphinx and quite nasty. Check out the back issues of & Magazine for both of these. 

Okay, I am going to enjoy the rest of my vacation...two weeks without drawing, and my bones are itching to get back to the drawing table. I have to finish three more pieces for +Jeff Talanian  and his Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea project. 

Then I will be looking forward to working with +Joshua De Santo  on an upcoming project. 

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Random Gamers Guild: Andrewsarchus Plus

This next creature is the Andrewsarchus. Matt Hargenrader needed two versions of this beast, the first and slightly more mundane is presented here.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2014.

The Andrewsarchus once lived during the Eocene Epoch, it is set apart from others like him by his long narrow snout, filled with teeth some of which were flat shaped, perhaps to crush bone. The coloration and the long mane help it to hide among the savanna's of his range.

He is large standing 6 foot at the shoulder and being close to 11 foot long.

The next version is a bit more fanciful, this is a ten legged version, and much more vicious.
Andrewsarchus Del Teigeler Mavfire Creature Monster
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2014.

He differs from the first with his wide long snout and jutting teeth. His ten limbs allow him to move very rapidly across flat terrain, and his coloration helps hide him when he is ready to pounce on waiting prey.

I wouldn't want to run up against either of these, and I can only imagine what would happen to a party of characters who chanced across their path.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I did drawing them. Special thanks to Matt Hargenrader and the Random Gamers Guild, his project will be announced some time after the first of the year, and he tasked me with illustrating roughly 12 of the creatures in it. Although I have not shown them all here, I will be filling the pages of this lowly blog with their likenesses in the very near future.

I really appreciate those who take their time to look over my artwork. It means a lot, I appreciate all of the page views, and the +'s very much.

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Wide Mouthed Asp

Here are two more commissions for Matt Hargenrader and his "Dwellers in the Deep Places" Monster guide. 

The first is the Wide Mouthed Asp. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed Matt Hargenrader 2014.

He has heat sensors along his upper jaw line to detect prey, and thick chitinous plating along his back for added protection. 

The second one I will share is the Lesser Ice Drake. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed Matt Hargenrader 2014.

This dweller in the cold places is in all respects a small dragon like creature. 

I am quite pleased with both of these illustrations. 

I hope you all enjoy them. Thanks for the +'s and comments. 

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Zalinare

While all of these drawings have been done for weeks now, I have been trying to space out posting them so as not to inundate those who only sparsely follow my lowly blog here. +Matt Hargenrader from the tentatively named publishing group Random Gamers Guild is working on a monster book that should be showing up sometime after the first of the year. 

While I still have several illustrations to complete, I will be posting some of the ones that are done and submitted to him. 

The Zalinare is one of them. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licenesed to Matt Hargenrader.

I went with a light flowing style for this guy, and kept the inking to a minimum which I think gives him that airy feel. These creatures live in trees and have the ability to glide from limb to limb, and I definitely wanted to represent that aspect of the creature. 

They are also semi intelligent and use tools, minor weapons and clothing. So I kept his trappings light, with just a skirt/loincloth and a bone handled dagger. 

Interesting creature, and one I particularly enjoyed drawing. 

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Kaprosuchus

Kaprosuchus is an extinct genus of mahajangasuchid crocodyliform. It is known from a single nearly complete skull collected from the Upper Cretaceous Echkar Formation of Niger. The name means "boar crocodile" from the Greek κάπρος, kapros ("boar") and σοῦχος, souchos ("crocodile") in reference to its unusually large caniniform teeth which resemble those of a boar (from wikipedia)

Matt Hargenrader tasked me with rendering my version of the Kaprosuchus for his upcoming project on Kickstarter.com tentatively entitled "DWELLERS IN THE DEEP PLACES"

I had no idea what a Kaprosuchus was prior to the assignment, maybe I have been hiding behind the drawing board too long, how could I have not know what this amazing creature was?

Essentially a giant crocodile with long legs and "boar-like" tusks. Sounds nasty right! So I did the cursory search of the internet and found several decent images, but one in particular struck me. It is a Getty Image and at risk of any copyright infringement I will simply put the link here.

Pretty amazing right...how am I to top that?

Well I first start with a preliminary sketch. Sort of "getting the feel" for how the thing is shaped. I keep everything rather loose, and try and get a general feel for the creature. 


I try and get the pose right first, as that is (to me) the most important part, I cannot move on to parts and pieces until the pose it right. I wanted to get him circling on himself initially and so I came up with the above. 

Still it is not perfect. The legs were too short, the tail wasnt right and the head wasn't perfect, but it gives me a starting point at least. It needs a lot of refinement for sure. I am sort of satisfied with the curvature of the neck, and the right "arm", The body needs bulk, and the legs need to be extended. 

I also think that the neck is too short, the snout is too short and not quite gnarly enough. So go to the light box (generally i tape the image to my dining room window and trace the parts I am most satisfied with).  And I come up with these changes. 


Here you can see I adjusted the body quite a bit, stretched him out and was playing with the positioning of his tail a bit. I elongated his legs, neck and snout and have his head nearly the way it will be in the final illustration. 

I am happy with the general position and pose at this point. There is still some tweaking to be done though. For starters the left arm still doesn't look right to me sort of short and the angle is wrong, not only that but it doesn't seem to support his weight. I initially thought that maybe it would be raised, ready to take a step, but I needed to use that leg, especially in this pose for support, so that there was balance to the image. 

The right arm is almost to where it needs to be. The rear legs are looking pretty good to me, but the body needs more bulk, and the spines to either side of his neck and back need more detail. 

Once again I paste the image onto the window and do a quick tracing. 

Once the tracing is done onto the final surface in this case thick smooth Bristol board the inking can begin. 


Here you can see the inital inks, I am choosing at this point where my light source will be, but the initial line work can be done while I am considering this. As you can see I enlarged the lower tusks, fixed the issue with the spines along his neck and back, and have the fore legs in their final position. 

The tail too is outlined and about where it will be in the final. I gave his under sections some definition and bulk, and started to layout his scales. 

From here I will make my way through the line work, choose a light source direction and get into the heavy inks. 


Well it is done. I used a goodly amount of darkness on his underside, and gave his hide a tough bumpy look. This was a fun illustration to do, and I am trying to constantly perfect my techniques. 

Does this look over worked? I always worry that these look like a jumble of ink marks on paper. There are always things I think I could have done better. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on G+ or facebook.com/Mavfirearts.


Thanks for looking, comments always welcome.  



Thursday, November 20, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Granite Asp

I am continuing to showcase my completed work for the Random Gamers Guild and Matt Hargenrader. The product will probably be called "DWELLERS IN THE DARK PLACES" and be available near the beginning of the year. It is a creature catalog of sorts. Check it out and back it on Kickstarter.com when you see it. 

This one is the Granite Asp!

I started off wanting to make this snake a stone like construct, and but wanted to add him to an environment as well. I scoured the interwebs and found a decent image of some granite columns of the roman era. They were perfect. 

Looking at them I was noticing the texture of them, and it really stood out to me that they were really pitted and streaked with darker colors. I don't get the opportunity to do a lot of ink dot work, so I thought this would be a great way to get it out of my system. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader.

I am quite pleased with the fluted column, and the way the snake wraps around it. I feel like I was able to accomplish blending the Asp in, but keeping him separate as well. The textures are what make it for sure. 

I imagine torch light bouncing off of him in the dark corridors, and unsuspecting adventurers thinking "that's a nasty looking column" then....WHAM! the Asp attacks. (insert maniacal laughter here.)

Thanks for looking, and comments always welcome. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Equijubus for AS&SH: Predator and Prey

Finally a finished piece for AS&SH RPG for the upcoming supplement "Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess" by +Joe Salvador

This is the docile Equijubus dinosaur, a herbivore that roams the jungles. It is hunted occasionally by the Linyi Tribesmen for their hide and their flesh. 

I thought i would represent these two together, predator and prey. 

Equijubus Dinosaur Drawing
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed North Wind Adventures LLC.

I hope you all like the progress on these dinosaurs, I am really enjoying this project. 

Well, back to the drawing board. 

Thanks for looking, and comments always welcome. 

Monday, November 17, 2014

Random Gamers Guild Work: Dhi'Awan

I have been busy working on several projects at once, the first of which I have posted many of the illustrations I have been doing for Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea, that product should hit Kickstarter within the first month of 2015. The second is a monster manual entitled "Dwellers in the Dark Places" for the Random Gamers Guild and publisher Matt Hargenrader.

He has contracted me to do several of the monsters that will appear within that tome, probably due out after the first of the year. Sorry I do not have specifics as of yet. But keep checking in here for details. 

The first monster is called the Dhi'awan and I first worked up sketches of this amazing creature. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014.

The concept carried through to the final inked version. Matt wanted the wings to be more "bat-like" so those were changed before going into inking. 

Overall I am very pleased with the final ink version, and I equally hope that Matt is pleased with it as well. 

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed by Matt Hargenrader.

I really worked the blacks and shadows into to the scales and the "soft" under belly of this guy. I think the contrast between the underside of the wings and the exterior of the wings are pretty good. I don't suppose I would like to run into this thing, pretty nasty. 

More to come!

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. 


Thursday, November 6, 2014

Village of Deeping Well work...

An undisclosed project I am working on has me drawing for a village called Deeping Well. 

Here is some of the work I am doing for it. 

The first will be a page holder image of the actual "Deeping Well", and shows something coming out of the well. 

(Click to Enlarge)

This image will accompany page numbers and probably be a part of a larger format image that borders the pages. 

This next sketch is a concept for the town overview. I wasn't very happy with how it initially turned out, and I scrapped the idea, but couldn't let my efforts go completely to waste so here it is. 

(Click to Enlarge)

I initially want the village to be propped up on a hill, and there was going to be a dragon in the foreground. This may be turned into a reference when the cover work begins. But for the initial village layout it just wasn't working. Over all I am pleased with the way the buildings came out. 

I also wanted to scale the size of the village down, the concept got started and then I realized the actual village would be much smaller. 

This next illustration will be an interior map of the village. I have some tweaking to do, but for the most part this will be the way the town is laid out. A somewhat typical fantasy village. 

(Click to Enlarge)

This project has taken a back burner to two other projects that the due dates are rapidly approaching, but I didn't have a whole lot of progress on either of those projects to post, so I thought I would let these out of the bag. As it has been almost a week since my last post, and I don't want to give up on this blog thing. Life just seems to leap out of the bushes and attack sometimes. 

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Coelurus, and Shunosaurus

I am continuing work on the AS&SH Dinosaurs and am simultaneously inking two of them. I thought I would pop on before I put the pens down for the day and put up some work in progress images. 

The first is a nearly completed Coelurus (See-loo-rus), this is a smallish dinosaur that wast mostly food for larger

As I stated before when I posted up the sketch, he is a sprinty little critter, and I put him in a pose to suggest he was changing direction. His patterning will help hide him from prey, as well as protect him from predators.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2014. Licensed North Wind Adventures LLC.


I will eventually add a bit of background to help show his scale.

This next one took a bit to work out and I have several sketches to post up of the progress. I first had him in this straight up pose. Looking at an elephant standing on his hind legs for reference.


I thought his posture was kind of bland so I pushed the limits and came up with this version.


The Shunosaurus!

I much prefer this more action packed version, the flow and movement of his neck and tail suggest that he is in much more distress, and is fending off something. 

Here are the initial inks as well. 


Alot of work left to do, but good progress. 

Thanks for looking, and comments are always welcome. 




Friday, October 24, 2014

Allosaurus

As promised I am posting one of the illustrations I have been working on for +Jeff Talanian  of AS&SH, for the upcoming +Joe Salvador's "Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess" module. 

You can check out the sketch of this guy here.

Jeff suggested that I add something to show the scale of this dinosaur, hopefully this is what he was expecting!

Allosaurus Dinosaur Drawing
(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler, licensed to Jeff Talanain of North Wind Adventures LLC.

I am not sure how effective that dagger is going to be for her, but I wish her all the luck. 

I am pretty happy with this one over all. The rock piles were a challenge, but I think they came out okay. I really worked on the heroin's pose quite a bit and actually looked at a picture of some cheerleaders I found on the internet to get it right. 

Onward through the next dinosaur. 

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Frank Frazetta

It has been a while since my last post, real life work has taken hold of me, and between travelling to Notre Dame for a work conference and just being completely busy I feel bad that I have not posted at least something. 

I thought I would take this blog and talk about one of my favorite artists of all time. 

Frank Frazetta. 

(Self portrait of Frank by Frank)

No other fantasy artist in the genre has shaped the american fantasy art scene, in my opinion than Frank Frazetta. It is not just his finished pieces either. His sketches, and his pen & ink are equally magnificent. 

I read about him in many places, and his background in renaissance era art instruction shows through in every piece. His realistically human figures with all their flaws personify his artwork.His men were men for sure, but their rippling muscles and savagery are made more realistic by the love handles of their midsection. The fat, if you will, of a man who eats like a man and fights like one too. I can imagine many of his masculine heroes with a leg of meat in his hands with greasy juices dripping from his lips, as much as a bloody sword.  

His work on Conan can only be described as miraculous.  


While working on many of the dinosaurs for +Jeff Talanian's  AS&SH RPG game I constantly scoured the inter-webs for images that I could learn from, and I always came across Frank Frazetta's  artwork. Like the illustration above his realism is not just in his men-folk, but also in his creatures. 

They have a life that is brought to the viewer through the pen, and try as many have (including me) to replicate the vision and technique of Frazetta we have all failed. The weight of the creatures, their presence in the scene, can only be described as perfect. 

The combination of lights and darks, the contrast of creature against background, and sheer movement of all images in the drawing are a joy to look at. 


Am I wrong when I say that Frank's women were, real women! They had shape and form. They are not some slim waif of a girl, they had meat. I mean this in the best of ways too, they were a realistic replication of real women, not some modern idealistic image of girls to thin, weak and fragile. These women would either knock your socks off, or your head! 

There were not many "chainmail bikinis" either, they were either clothed in furs or nothing at all. Savage, feral, they were products of their environment. they could equally have risen from the ground they walked on, or drifted down to it from the clouds. 

Frank made them sexy, powerful and provocative. 


His beasts were great! Man things of the imagination, ripped between the forms of man and something altogether not man. You can see the beast, feel its hot breath on your face, smell the musky, earthy odor of it's fur-flesh, and damn near feel its claws sink into your chest.

They could be equally savage and bestial as they could be human. Looking into their eyes they somehow had the feel that there was some humanity in them that existed, but was suppressed by the beast on the outside. 

His technique is amazing. Subtle lines on paper indicating such movement, ferocity, and anger. The contract of blacks to whites, compliments the areas of heavy detail. 

Frank knew anatomy. He was an expert at drawing the human and not human form. He went beyond just drawing arms and legs, chests and abdomens with a head stuck on top. He understood the way a person moves, which muscles contracted when other relaxed. How skin creased, folded and spilled across a human form. 

He seemed to breath life onto paper. 

More of my original artwork to come in the next post. 

Thanks for looking, and comments always welcome. 

All images on this blog post are copyright Frank Frazetta, and used to honor the artist. 






Thursday, October 16, 2014

Terror Bird

Okay, so here is the final Terror Bird. Finally got home and got this guy scanned in. I am pretty pleased, and I hope +Joe Salvador and +Jeff Talanian put it to good use in their Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea suppliment. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014

I really worked the shadows here on this one, and tried to cram in the details. There is really nothing to show scale with this illustration but this guys stands fairly tall. Perhaps I will take a look at adding something for scale for the final that is submitted. 

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

AS&SH dinosaur sketching continues...

Work continues for the "Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess" by +Joe Salvador module published by +Jeff Talanian (North Wind Adventures) for his Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea game system and campaign setting. 

Without further ado, I present three more thumbnail sketches for my continuing work. 

The crazy looking Pegomastax, sort of a bird like reptile with tusks. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014

What sets this guy apart is the bird like beak with tusks. There are some great reference drawings of this guy, and I plan on inking him in like the rest in this series, maintaining a high level of detail and only slight grey-scale shading with Prismacolor markers. 

Up next is the speedy little Coelurus! I had fun with this one. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014.

This guy is like a little sprinter, and so I wanted to show an extreme amount of movement in him, what better way to show this, than having him in a position that shows him changing direction rapidly. Perhaps he was pursuing some quick little prey, or maybe just chasing a potential mate. 

Regardless my aim was to capture the spirit of this little guy. I cannot wait to get to the inking. 

Finally, the mighty Allosaurus. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler 2014

So, this guy took a bit more research, how do you illustrate the second most terrifying "giant lizard" in the dinosaur genus, behind the mighty Tyrannosaurus, without making him look like a T-Rex? Well, firstly you have to find the differences between the two, and I did extensive research, little did I know that the Allosaurus actually existed before the Rex, and was quite a bit smaller. They were fast, smart and deadly. Quite unlike the T-Rex, who wasn't known for his smarts, but sheer brutality. 

That is why I put him in a pose that suggests that he had to do a bit more sneaking up on prey, versus just chasing a smaller victim down, ripping the tar out of them and cleaning his dagger like teeth with the bones. Allosaurus had to be a bit smarter about his behavior. Faster, and more devious. 

I also wanted to thank +Joe Salvador +Jeff Talanian  and the rest of you who follow my work and provide me with feedback. Thanks again.

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. 


Monday, October 13, 2014

Terror Bird Sketch

I have been really busy with several projects. 

One that I am not able to disclose at this time, which requires roughly 12-15 drawings has got me drawing all kinds of weird creatures, from snakes to flying critters, to giant worms, and just about everything in between. I will post those up when the product is released, near about the end of the year.  

Then there is the project I announced where +Jeff Talanian of North Wind Adventures LLC publishers of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea has contracted me to do 10 dinosaur (type) illustrations for an upcoming series of books to be released in the beginning of 2015. 

I just wanted to pop in real quick and post the "Terror Bird" sketch that I roughed in today. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Copyright Del Teigeler, Artwork owned by Jeff Talanian and North Wind Adventures LLC. 


Well, its back to the drawing board for me. I have a ton to finish up. 

Thanks for looking, and comments always welcome!
  

Monday, October 6, 2014

Dinosaur: Edmontonia


This creature is yet another dinosaur, one that most of you have seen before in pictures. I wanted to convey the fact that these things are docile, yet when threatened they will defend themselves with all the weapons available to them. 

So, I made him fighting back against some sort of threat and drew him from the perspective of slight worms eye once again making him look a bit more aggressive than his stereotype. 

Here is the sketch first. 
(Click to Enlarge)

And the final inks. I am really enjoying work on these dinosaurs, and am looking forward to more of these guys as I work through all of them that I have lined up. 

(Click to Enlarge)

All images copyright Del Teigeler, and owned by Jeff Talanian and North Wind Adventures LLC.

Thanks for looking, and as always comments welcome.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Auchenia work

Contract work is rolling in, and +Jeff Talanian of North Wind Adventures, publisher of the popular Astonishing Swords and Sorcerers of Hypoborea has asked me to work on several dinosaurs for an upcoming Kickstarter group of supplements. 

Here is the Auchenia, a prehistoric land grazing animal akin to the llama, with the trunk of an elephant. 

Here is the sketch I started with, and Jeff and I agreed that I didnt quite have the trunk right, so that was later changed to the inked version further on. 

(Click to Enlarge)

I went with a mostly docile animal and put the fear of something awful in him, raising his front leg up and stretching him out, going for a slight worms eye view as well. 

Here are the final inks, not sure the background turned out as well as I had initially wanted it to, but it's a go. 

(Click to Enlarge)
Final image is copyright Del Teigeler with ownership by Jeff Talanian and Northwind Adventures LLC.

There will be a total of ten or so in this dinosaur series, and I look forward to seeing the final product at the completion of the Kickstarter. 

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome. 


Monday, September 29, 2014

Orc Zulu Shield

This quick pen and ink sketch will be submitted to & Magazine issue 11 to go along with the theme "Humanoids" and will probably be used as filler artwork along with others. 

It struck me that orc's can not only be subterranean in nature, but also a force to be reckoned with on the rugged  savannas and prairies of an African like world setting. I thought it would be cool to draw up this Zulu like shield and decorate it with orc symbolism and feel. 

I think the brutes would be down right proud to display this spear/shield on the fringes of their borders!

What do you think?

(Click to Enlarge)

This took me about an hour and a half to sketch and ink in. I used India ink and brush for the black area that denotes the sky beyond the trees and shrubs. 

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Gnoll Illustration

Before I get to the art post for the day, I just wanted to give a big thank you to +Vincent Florio and the RFI Podcast crew +RollForInitiative for the quick show/issue where they had +Bryan Fazekas editor for & Magazine on to talk about magic items. The show was quick, but they mentioned me by name and my collaborative work Three Shops. Great job guys and thanks for having a great show. 

On to the artwork. 

I have been wanting to draw a gnoll for some time now, the fact that this thing is a feral creature humanoid with the head of a hyena always stirred something primitive within. Every time I came across them in a dungeon I didn't so much as want to fight them, but join them, for the sheer joy of it. 

I know what many of you are thinking (probably) "Gnolls are less than intelligent", right, but does that mean that they are not still willy, animalistic, carnal, and downright mean? I think not. A lack of societal intelligence, in my mind, doesn't mean these things are not wise to the setting in which they are inhabiting, nor does it mean that that can't still rip you limb from limb. 

This guy should grace the pages of & Magazine issue 11 when it hits the interwebs in November. 


Here is the sketch with initial inks. 
(Click to Enlarge)

I chose to have him equipped with javelin/spears because I wanted him to be a scout type, and I think it adds to the overall flow of the drawing. It centers the face and body of the beast and draws the viewer's eye to the character itself. His armor is piece-mail simply out of necessity, (using armor from someone he ripped limb from limb leaves not to many whole options after all.)

I also really am trying to work on my background work, and for this one I decided he would be up high on a precipice looking for some unsuspecting adventurer to pounce upon. I think the tree line in the background gives him weight as well, and sets him firmly in an environment. 

I am not quite satisfied with the rendering of the stones, grass and cliff face but I shall endeavor to get better. 

And the final version, ink, Prismacolor marker and black colored pencil.

(Click to Enlarge)

Hope  you enjoy this guy as much as I did drawing him. 

Thanks for looking and comments always welcome. 

Monday, September 22, 2014

Ettin

Thank you for all the comments everyone, I really do appreciate them all. 

Ok, I have pretty much spent all day at the drawing board today, so I was able to finish off the Ettin as well. I decided to give him a more ferral look too. Instead of leaving him bare chested I threw an old cow pelt over his shoulder, and a marmot skull around his neck. I like the way he turned out.

I wish I would have not drawn him so big to begin with however, as I wanted to illustrate a full body pose. Oh well, I guess I will have to save that thought for another time. 

I know this is my second post today, so lets see which one gets viewed the most, and gets the most +'s and comments. 

(Click to Enlarge)

Thanks for looking, and comments are always welcome. 

Undead Troll

This one has come a long way from a sketch design on a cross country airplane ride. I posted the original sketch here. 

This undead troll will be submitted to & Magazine for issue 11 due to be released in November. My original concept through the final piece pretty much stayed the same, and while I do not think that my backgrounds are totally up to par yet, I suppose I am being harsh on myself. 

I wanted him down in a hole, clawing out from under heavy vegetation over some rocky outcroppings. Mostly I wanted to get the vines that he was parting to make sense, and I really wanted to show foreground vines and background vines going in separate directions indicating that he was actually holding them out of the way in order to climb up and through in order to devour the flesh of some unsuspecting adventurer. 

Again I started with black ink Pigma Micro pens and finished up with the Prismacolor grey markers for shadows. I then put a few highlight in his eyes, teeth and gum line with white gauche. 

(Click to Enlarge)

Next on my agenda is to finish the Ettin sketch, start a Gnoll illustration and finish up on an idea I have for a group of Goblinoids. Should be fun.

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Witches Stew Final

In as much as I had wanted to get this illustration done a while ago, it didn't happen. I previewed it here, in sketch form and I finally got around to inking it in. I used Pigma Micron pens, and Prismacolor neutral grey markers to finish her off. 

I scanned it in via several different modes, as both grey-scale, and color, this one happens to be the color version, and I think it showed alot more detail and gave the illustration a better overall feel. 

She is creeping me out, so now I have to put her away in the art folder. 

(Click to Enlarge)

The process started with me inking in all the lines, and then erasing all of the pencil marks. I thought I might rip through several times (as the original sketch was done on copier paper at work), but I managed to get her cleaned up and spotless. 

I then got to work adding in the extreme black areas, her right shoulder, and under the bowl, as well as around her neck/back areas. 

I then moved to the Prismacolor markers. Working from 216 (10%) grey all the way through 221 (60%) grey, each one progressively getting darker on the left side of the drawing, as the light was coming from the right. I blended them in each layer and kept working in the grey tones until I got to a point that I liked the effect. 

Finally I used a 05 Pigma Pen and darkened in the right side lines, and other points where the lines needed freshening after applying the markers. 

The final bit I did was the texture of the bowl itself. I worked with a 005 Pigma and made the wormy marks that signified the pottery feel to the bowl.

Anyway, now that she is done, I can concentrate on the Ettin and the Troll that I put up in sketch form. 

Thanks for looking, comments always welcome.