The Gaming Den

Posted: **Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:44 am**

I've been wanting to get more drawing done lately but I am lacking motivation. Here on the Den however it seems there are a couple projects that want/need illustrations so I figured I'd offer my services. Hopefully other denners who like to draw will come forward and we can get an art team going.

Here's a picture I did of an iconic character from the Fantasy Heartbreaker I've been idly messing with.

Pencils and inks under the spoiler for people who are interested in process or unimpressed with my coloring.

As far as genre and subject go, I'm up for anything. I want to stretch my artistic muscles.

Posted: **Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:58 am**

You know what would be really useful in my next RPG session? A picture of a hobgoblin (of the hairy, sharp-toothed, orange skinned variety) in a brown robe helping a human boy dressed in green to do calligraphy.

Summary of situation

The hobgoblin is a blood mage employed by a group of aristocrats secretly opposed to the current government. One of the PCs is an elite warrior working for the government, and he has disrupted this rebel group's plans. The group sends this agent, who the PC has encountered before, to ingratiate himself with the PC's family in order to put themselves in a good position to threaten the PC into staying away from their future schemes.

This nation used to be a Races of War hobgoblin Khanate, but it got conquered by a dragon who installed himself as Emperor, turned the nation into a quasi-meritocratic caste system, and officially abolished slavery. Humans are still pretty low-status, but the PC's family is one of the first to move up into a prestigious caste (Earth caste, green uniforms). The blood mage is higher ranking, and when he approaches the PC's family, they see him as a valuable potential friend. He is most friendly with the second son of the family, and is teaching him some of the things necessary to join the Water caste as a courtier/diplomat

Posted: **Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:12 pm**

I had started doing a few pictures to put in the various classes I made (I am okay with doing others too, if the creators want it. I'm not just going to shove my cockpen there). Problem, I'm not entirely happy with it though, so far: it's pencil sketch -> ink -> erase pencil -> colour (pencil) -> scan. And you can see any error I make just fine, likewise smudges show up more easily on the scan than on the paper itself.

I'd like to go over in Flash to make a sort of cartoony look, but well, I no longer have a tablet. So I'll still eventually get around to posting pictures for my own stuff, but just be warned, you'll see the pencil lines and stuff if you request something of me.

I prefer drawing boobs, for the record. Worth considering when requesting.

Posted: **Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:35 pm**

Avoraciopoctules: When is your next session?

Koumei: Erasing my pencil lines has almost always lead to streaking and heartbreak. I had an illustration teacher who insisted we do all our inking on a new board, using a light-box to trace over the pencils. Light-boxes cost around 60$ but they can be made pretty easily after a trip to the hardware store. Alternatively you can pencil in non-repro blue, ink, then scan. The blue pencils wont be visible and you can print out your inks on card-stock and color freely.

Also there is nothing inherently wrong with seeing the pencil marks. Sometimes they add a nice texture to the work, especially when it's hand-colored.

Posted: **Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:13 pm**

The bigger your work, the less significant those pencil marks seem in comparison. Then again, scanners are pretty limited in size (although digital cameras work really well these days...so many options!).

Have you tried using a putty eraser? I haven't used them much with pencil, but they work very well for removing charcoal without damaging the paper.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 3:42 am**

Koumei wrote:I prefer drawing boobs, for the record. Worth considering when requesting.

Okay then, I request a drawing with boobs in.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 3:44 am**

I request a drawing with many boobs in it.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 3:48 am**

Me too. Like, 100 would be nice.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 3:54 am**

ETortoise wrote:Pencils and inks under the spoiler for people who are interested in process or unimpressed with my coloring.

impressed or not, do dinners (shut up im hungry!) have the right to color their own for personal use?

or would you like your ink turned into line art so that you might be able to color it in digitally, if not already done so.

as to the impressed...im color-blind but looks like a guy wrestling a snake...if that is what the colors were meant to depict...then it looks good to me.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:07 am**

(Edit: obviously, I didn't make this image)

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:18 am**

ETortoise wrote:Avoraciopoctules: When is your next session?

In around 2 weeks, most likely. Though there are multiple campaigns going and our group could conceivably focus on one a different MC is running.

--------------

Through editing some stock pictures with Microsoft Word's image editing tools, I can make letters or maps that can be used as player handouts. I'll dig up one of them and post it as an example when I get the chance.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:33 am**

For Valor wrote:Me too. Like, 100 would be nice.

I was tempted to draw adventurers running from a giant ball of breasts just because you said that. But I decided not to. It would be a bit silly, after all.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:05 pm**

Koumei wrote:
For Valor wrote:Me too. Like, 100 would be nice.
I was tempted to draw adventurers running from a giant ball of breasts just because you said that. But I decided not to. It would be a bit silly, after all.

I have seen some terrifying art involving masses of boob.

Posted: **Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:46 pm**

Koumei wrote:
For Valor wrote:Me too. Like, 100 would be nice.
I was tempted to draw adventurers running from a giant ball of breasts just because you said that. But I decided not to. It would be a bit silly, after all.

You could draw the iconic Master of Snake Mountain berating a swarm of his/her/its nemeses. With the iconic MoSM quote, of course.

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:21 am**

My drawing skills are pretty horrid at the moment (still trying to get some sketching ability so I can get into digital painting, which is what I'm more interested in) but I'm a bit better at fantasy maps if anyone's interested in something like that.

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:38 am**

I am. I'm developing a location for a sandbox game (upcoming) and I have a few ideas worked out, but having a map would help me keep track of all this.

When I have the details to my satisfaction, I'll PM if that'd be okay

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:19 pm**

CatharzGodfoot wrote:Have you tried using a putty eraser? I haven't used them much with pencil, but they work very well for removing charcoal without damaging the paper.

That's what I do. So long as I haven't made a dark line, those kneaded erasers work wonderfully well. Plus, I can't draw people without first doing a stick figure, and then fleshing out with rough shapes for the life of me. I simply cannot free-form draw people like that.

Posted: **Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:55 am**

Honestly, I really like the style you use ETortise. I've been working on a coloured pencils as my main drawing tool and fill tool; drawing in straight colour is really a good thing if you can have moderately decent line control, and begin with basic gestures.

My first pass at my Heartbreaker's Hobgoblin, Goblin, Elf (head), 'Natural' Yahoo form, and a couple others are starting to look okay-ish.

I'm thinking that going for a sort of cartooney art style, then I can see if my initial idea to design some really simplistic sort of models for characters will be any good or not. I've started with a realistic style; and the cartooney style will be a caricature of the more realistic drawings.

Posted: **Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:49 am**

Maxus wrote:I am. I'm developing a location for a sandbox game (upcoming) and I have a few ideas worked out, but having a map would help me keep track of all this.

When I have the details to my satisfaction, I'll PM if that'd be okay

Feel free. The more specific the better.

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 3:24 am**

@Avoraciopoctules: Here's what I've done so far. I'm in the middle of hunting for a new roommate so this is probably as much as I can do before your next session. I can give you a larger size version if you want.

@Judging Eagle: Thanks. I use colored pencils a lot when I draw at work (I'm a preschool teacher and like to make my own materials) but I learned to draw through my love of comics so I'm pretty wedded to penciling then inking. I find inking very relaxing. You should post some of your sketches, maybe we can give critiques, it seems like there are a few people in the thread already who know their stuff.

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:25 am**

A preschool teacher on TGD... is hilarious.

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 5:27 pm**

TGD has a surprising number of teachers, second only to scientists and unemployed college students.

ET: To a colorblind person, the hobgoblin's orange skin looks like a totally normal (human) skin tone. I like the calligraphy pose.

Also, teachers rock!

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 7:00 pm**

My wife's a teacher. Does that count?

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:49 pm**

I really like these, man. Even more inspiration for me to get back on the art horse.

Posted: **Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:05 pm**

@Catharz: I might need to mess with the colors a bit. I'm at a different computer now and the skin tones look very different than on my TV at home.

I've gamed with a bunch of fellow teachers. A friend of mine has even been MCing for some of his 4th graders as a reward.

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