10 OWa a ys to C rea te ANTeet ‘A DAVID & CHARLES BOOK Copyright © David & Charles Limited 2008 David & Charles is an F+W Publications Ine. company 4700 East Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 iest published in the UK in 2008 Fiest published in the US in 2008 ‘Text and illustrations copyright © Francis Tsai 2008 Francis Tsai has asserted his right to be identified as author ofthis work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, Al rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, of transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Accatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. |ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-119-3 paperback ISBN-10: 1-60061-119-2 paperback Printed in China by SNP Leefung, for David & Charles Brunel House, Newton Abbot, Devon, Senior Commissioning Editor: Freya Dangerfield Editorial Manager: Emily Pitcher Editor: Bethany Dymond Desk Editor: Demelza Hookway Project Editor: Ame Verso Prootreader: Nicola Hodgson. ‘At Editor: Martin Smith, Production Controller: Beverley Richardson Visit our website at www.davidandcharles.co.uk David Charles books are available from all good bookshops: alternatively you ‘an contact our Orderline on 0870 9908222 oF write to us at FREEPOST EX2 110, D&C Direct, Newton Abbot, TQI2 42Z (no stamp required UK only); US customers «all 800-289-0963 and Canactian customers call 800-840-5220Contents Foreword .... 004 006 +018 2 034 056 Introduction .. Understanding the Basics ... Researching the Character Establishing a Process... 076 Developing the Character Communicating with the Viewer .... 102 Acknowledgments, About the Author, Index..... 128 100 Ways to Create Fantasy FusesOk A great many people think that art simply flows from an artist's hand like sparks from a wand; that because art is emotional and evocative, it must somehow happen magically. All by itself. We hear of the Art of Hitting, the Art of Cooking, the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and are deluded into thinking that it is magic. That it is beyond the average man or woman. In truth, art is the end result of knowing a craft so well that it becomes intuitive and spontaneous. It is the end result of years of growth, which, for most artists, begins the day their first crayon touches their first sheet of paper. A certain small amount of native talent is essential, but equally important is the desire to learn the rules, the inside knowledge, the tricks. Perhaps the heart and soul are the magic, but knowledge provides the incantation. Francis Tsai is one of those magicians who knows the spells. You might almost think of the volume you hold in your hands as a spellbook, full of the newts’ eyes and dragon's scales with which we artists ply our craft. Pore through this tome and you will see revealed the hidden parts of the trade: colour theory, perspective, anatomy, composition, value control and all the rest of the ingredients that go into brewing up one in-your-face monster, invoking a demon from the nether-world, or imbuing a hero with the courage he needs to slay a dragon. Francis is a high-level sorcerer, and he has generously divulged his secrets here for you to behold. Pay close attention, study the recitations, practice them daily, and you too can do magic. Todd Lockwood 100 Ways to Create Fanteay TyusesIfyou’ re reading this book, you have probably had at least some interest in creating fantasy art, either professionally or just for pleasure in your spare time. am fortunate enough to be able to make a living creating artwork for the entertainment industry, and because of this 1 often find myself being asked questions about it. How do you get a job as a fantasy artist? What kind of pens do you use? Is it OK to use reference material? How do you know what colours to use? And so on .. My path to my current career was fairly lengthy and roundabout; I didn’t take the traditional art-s ‘chool route, and in fact never really learned the fundamentals of illustration in any rigorous, orderly way. It was not the easiest or best way to become a working fantasy artist, and I had to study every day to ‘fill in the gaps’ in my art education. After a number of years working as a concept artist in the computer games industry and as a freelance illustrator for books, comics, films and television, I have assembled a few nuggets of knowledge and some workflow routines that seem to have a certain degree of success. It is these that I want to share with you in this book. Irhas never bon a beter time to bea fantasy artist As ok ‘around my stu ary, Ian see many examples of books and fis Ural ae fantasy related, or atleast somehow inuenced by this kindof imagory. Role-playing games have long been a primary source, but with altho recont advances in flmmating technology ‘movies are now able to convincingly parry the kinds of worlds ‘and ings fata ofan of tho fantasy gone. Successful films coftn spawn computer games and, creasingly, material can flow the other way to, Ths oly benefits the traditional ole playing game and book markets, al of which rsults in more oppoturities| for stile ilstratrs. This bok had a lng genesis, which began back when | found that students and amateur atists (and even afew professionals) ‘ere asking me certain questions time and time again. thought itmight be useful to put together alist of Frequently Asked ‘Question’ on my website. The more | worked anit the longer ‘and more volved it became, because there was just so much material to cover With some of the tpis, it was hard to convey the information without an accompanying lustation to make the pont andi quickly grew beyond that of a simple FAQ. So Isetit aside, ‘few years ago, | started writing some short articles abut itferent aspects of concept art and ilustration for fantasy ‘and scance fiction at magazine magineFX. A tow ofthe points | rigially had in my FAQ showed up in these articles, ‘but was usually atthe ond of my alloted word count before 1 could convey enough information. twas an interesting lemma — ‘could present my points infil focused way that was limited in scope; or could cove a wide variety of topes in a somewhat supercial way. So, when | was presented withthe opportunity to create this book, | thought it would be a great way to impart some ofthe tips fam the orignal FAQ, hopefully na manner that isboth broad in scope but aso specific enough to provide some useful, practical advice based on my experiance.Tha protiminary sketch in most ilstration jobs ne Arectr your intention a far as pose and composition go, and also give some idea of color and tonal value without being too detalled o ished > _ 007 intasy Figures 00 Ways to Create &TOOLS OF THE TRADE For an illustrator, tools consist of the actual equipment used to create the artwork. Until recently, these consisted solely of some variation of pencils, ink, paint and paper or canvas. However, in the past few years digital technology has advanced to the point where it can be difficult to tell the difference between art created iS S$ g g x & 8 @ traditionally and that made on the computer. In addition, peripheral equipment such as scanners and drawing tablets have continued to blur the boundaries between digital and traditional techniques and media nodia such as ‘work habits that allow an aristto ceate successful art. These wnleecniours nr marker pens —thereisdefiitey a sr of ‘analayue ae less obvious but just as important as the tangible tools, if na ‘har thase methods have that digital media lacks but the ‘moreso. These factors have mare todo with an artist’ workflow, advantages o using drawing and painting software, espocially for prob solving ability and general approach to conveying ‘visions and experimentation, fr me make ithe obvious choice information trough illustrations, and its these that this book ny wa will expire, by looking at ifferent ways of developing a sense he lyse aquipmant is not the end ofthe story, dough of character in your images, as well as maximizing storteing, Tw tem Yon als refers tothe sis, strategies and personal creating mood to support an idea, and numerous ater sratgies, ‘Armoderm illustrator’ studio should contain a combination of tra Agia tools. nny own studio, oy hs onal and creative processIn adn, thre are some ater basic general practices that can be used to develop your personal tolset. Studying and sketching your suroundings people as wall as objects and environments mid in bs trains your ional skis. Exercises lke this hep to build up 2s well as improve your ‘activ observation sill, hich simply refers to your ability to analyse your suroundings. For example, rather than simply noticing that a column has alsin it, you should study he structure to understand wy the bolts are there Inthis collection of preliminary sketches, ve croated ‘various layouts that use some ofthe same elements in ‘tforont combinations. This would have been dificult or impossibeto do with traditional materials suchas ink o ain, 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Fagures Finally, creating and maintaining #rference brary is essential Nor ‘wal word materi you rely just your memory thes! yea hope foris to get clase; tis quarantoed that someone samewhere will kr more about the objet you'e drawing Uhan you an wl a yn haven't done your Ramnwork Shoe of going to ace something fist hand finding and using photographic references is Uutefure vitally mort Inthe pas, ilustrators created what were kn as mong flo which consisted of imags cippod from newspapers and magazin Ut Sie odin, eustumes, locals Ea mosques al ling urn ga tnals is that ya ara naw able tnd efron imagen iustratr might fd ust for reference cats, whatever wes nade or particular assignment 0, usually taki mp vobiets. Su, ye ner adv the intanot and store dem un your comput, eeu yout ‘wn viral maequa fle DAI ones Te weeds PREIS asd) Say This page from one of my travel sketchbooks shows some notes and observations about a Mayan sit in Mexico that visited several oars ago. sketched some ofthe stactres as thy appeared, but also drow orss-soction views, close-up analysis of he stonework, and an overhead view of the entre loca 009_FIGURE DRAWING ~y FOR BEGINNERS For those who have never attempted a figure drawing before, the 100 Ways presented in this book might appear slightly daunting at first. This quick step-by-step demonstration reveals the key processes you need to get you started on your way to creating amazing fantasy figures. Onlroduction A gulch yture | line establishes: i % + =H 4 stone for the / iyeltarant Fit character Heo We Tonto E events witha sling oy firm | cownmiiteviends + A Step I: Step 2: Begin wilh the Gesture The fist mack you make whan laying out a figure ‘eawring should be a single line that captures the ‘oma lanes or movornont of a character Here, ve daw quick gesture fine (in rs) showing "simple standing posture; the character wil lean sight tothe ight, resting his weight on one lag. ve gone ahead and ughly blocked inthe ‘masses of the buy, head and limbs. Notice the ‘counter pose ofthe hips tothe shoulders ~ this shows thatthe body i reacting to gravity. Develop the Shetch With the basic stucturein pace ve started to lay ‘na more detailed drawing, indicating design ‘elements such as clothing details, pouches, bolts and various pieces of equipment. Dont get ‘oo detailed or finalized at this stage — it's better tw keep moving around the drawing quick, not making any fim commitments until you begin to ‘get a sense ofthe overall image, This a good time to explore different options with the lines ofthe characte’ clothing and gar eaporatery bnework Step 3: Ginalue the Drawing (Once al the major decisions have been made, ve gone back over the drawing ‘with a darker, more definite line, cleaning up the sketch and making things a bit clearer. The cloak and other atles of clothing mask the character's stance somevrhat, but having the underlying structure fimiy placa in advance helps tomake the drawing wor, even with the ‘added complexity of costume and props| Practis¢ is necessary in any art activity — be it dance, musi¢ or drawing. Taking the time to hone your skills will only add to your effectiveness as an illustrator and help improve the pathways between mind and hand. Keep a Stetchbook ay ay wd wld ee shetches, studies, experiments andrendom thoughts. The avantade ‘ofthis habit is that it quickly becomes a catalogue of ideas and ‘explorations that you can revisit in the future. ttean often be ‘tempting to make every image in a sketchbook as beautiil and finished as possible — in order to make ita nice object and.a work ‘of art in itself — but a good sketchbook should contain beautiful work ating sony devs Aisi oe gh ct tr ole th tec bp i ‘people ~ a sketchbook serves its purpose when it becomes a personal record of your thought processes and ideas, and can be usad to help reper wk Documentation “nniip nohce sisveaiiod ‘nidieceiods theaoe helpful to provide some documentation dite etek aia shoohes ic om ale ppart of your personal library ~ ideas can be fbcsk elon eens ieee ices tg hd sos a. bt libel et eto ah ofen rent tar eg in other projects. i ne fren hoch of fray at depicts imaginary and fantastical beings, it still needs to have a firm basis in reality in order to be convincing, Practising figure drawing win inemodls avelbleoxie, | ef and allows you to build up your artistic | Gas» ‘toolbox with strong drawing skills end knowledge of anatomy. 100 Ways lo Create Fanteay gure Making travel sketches ores ‘you to observe your surroundings ina more engaging way, and helps you eam about the way people interact with thoi envionment. Being able to place your fires ‘and eretures convincingly in _any setting i valuable sil qOP ntroduction > VISUAL COMMUNICATION This is a concept that refers to the way in whi ‘han illustrator can convey an idea to the audience, and is one of the fundamental elements that this book will explore. The idea being communicated might be, for example, a mood, a character's personality, a sense of culture, an emotion, a conflict or an event. Once an idea for an illustration is clearly defined, the process by which the illustrator convey sand preserves the idea is known as ‘visual communication’. ‘Techniques of visual communication include the use of silhouette, proportion, scale, texture, lighting, hierarchy, level of detail SMhouelte charac sn des on ete fii inl Yea ofa charter Te sib Iso scmetimes ler to a the yest piece of visual information resented ta viewer and as such is more important in terms of first impressions than things ike textures, details and colours and visual cues, Lighting and ONalerials One ofthe basic visual communication skils is ‘the ability to render diferent ighting conditions ‘and materials. The key to indicating materials ett light eet specular, grain and texture are all traits that can be affected by lighting, lies in how they Hierarchy The pay pre ofr deg st communicate an ide Whey avs tr car andor your mesg i cane eight Panig ne worn eliniateuaecasary noise an liter, anit ove vie ies imps thc cfu aig nd ec eects itv commune Hoy sna ingorar utes nde. hs bo sed aight med sete ds eat shud at pt biol htt Tei tire cna brent vo, oem of di nd eave Usa he eae cecton can tina single cle sith tt ly convey designs, Gndication of Dela Theres a balance tobe struck in tems of hen and where to use deta, Creating focus isa game inmolvng color, lighting and detail Implying detail often does the jb as well as carefully rendering every bit of it. In same cases, itis actually preferable so that you don't focus ‘undue attention on paces that donot need it, or th con't help to convey your messageDESIGN It is important to make a distinction between visual communication — the transmission of the idea ~ and design — the process in which you analyse a problem and formulate a solution. In computer game and film design in particular, a very common misconception about concept art is that it begins and ends with being able to draw or paint well. Rendering skis certain extremely important tobe able to clearly communicate your desig, but thats only part of the equation. Keepin ind that the art you generate as a character designer i nat the end ‘Product — itis simply the means to get tothe end product, which is the fm, game, television programme, ‘music vdeo, or whatever projet itis that you are involved in (One approach to design is to break down the design ‘as into manageable chunks ~ separate silhouette studies from pose studies and from texture and material studies. The adds are against you ‘iting @ homerun" on all those diferent aspects with one single drawing ‘Another aspect of design philosophy to considers the balance between ‘sythescing’andriginating By originating | mean coming up with something completely unique, that noone fas ever seen before. Besides being almost imposible to achieve, you un the Fisk of losing or alienating your audience, Syntheszing refers tothe process of combining diferent familiar ‘elements that ae rarely used together. This provides familiar link for your audience and atthe seme time ‘resents them with something new. 100 Ways to Create Fanteay Fares Eee ay eae Design Daascing necaurs en eped chrome oat ae ae eseEDUCATION AND TRAINING One of the most common questions I hear is ‘how do I get a job as a fantasy arti In truth there is no clear answer — many professional illustrators and concept artists found their way to their occupation through varied and roundabout ways. There are, however, some common elements in many artists’ education and career paths that you could also benefit from. Grlroduction Formal Learning \Werking as an ilastrator or coneopt arts equies a command of basic at skills and ‘anceps, which can be obtained ia gon, wellzounded art education. The type of leaming You undergo wil have an influence on your chances of sucess. In my min there re two basic educational paths availabe that provide a solid foundation Fist isan illustation ‘basod duet, wtih is one that concentrates on traitional a skis suchas drawing ‘nd painting, colour teary, analony and perspective. This tends tobe an observational ‘and documentary approach, whore students lam the skis necessary to reproduce what ‘hey sin ea lien varity of media, The second consists ofa design-based education, ‘hic would clude areas such 3s industaldosigr, product desig, grahie design and ‘architecture. Ths typically tains students in certain aspects of visual communication ‘uminan tn ach eld oF study. but wsualy not to the extent hat would be found onan ilustation course Hewover in the lst few yeas, some courses have begun to appear that bur the boundarins hatween the two. Computer game design and entertainment design are ‘ow available as options for thse seckng higher education, which can lead directly into careers in fantasy and science fiction ar. An education in tut art techniques andor art. history ean also be a great help in pursuing this line of work, A fis lance it night seem that an ilustration-based education is much more useful for ‘career as a fantasy artist, but a Uesih education can provide some very useful skls fora finding ilstratr tw, My own educational background isin architecture, and one ofthe ‘most lenelitul lessons Jeane rom tis knowing aw to formulate a design problem so ‘Hol can then detarnina a clear and effective solution, Developing Personal Strategies ‘As fantasy ilistrato, you willoften be called upon to visualize people, objects and creatures ‘hat dn’ exist or that ae fantastical amalgamations of ea, existing things. Bacause of his, an ‘education in traditional at sis wil Benefit greatly from exposure to ather fields of study t00. As ‘anasto designer the more ‘visual vocabulary you have to draw upon the better Exposure to ‘influences outside your primary area of interest is necessary inorder to buildup this mental lira. The best way to accomplish this (and itis a neverending process) is to expose yourself to as many itfrent ideas and visual stimuli as possible. Al atts tend ta draw whet they know, so expanding ‘the database of ‘what you know makes you more versatile as an ats, giving you a broader range cof material to daw from,Taw < Conuttes aF tania, aN Ch em oF f Bi Awco ie : Tite Ae, Laswa Lae cease an mations, wil al help reference date for your fantasy iustrations. e 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Feu> CHALLENGES FOR THE WORKING FANTASY ARTIST One of the keys to success as an illustrator is being able to balance the familiar with the unusual. In other words, as a commercial artist part of the job is being able to create artwork that an audience can relate to. There is a certain level of expectation you have to meet in order to successfully sell your artwork. At the same time, in order to stand out among the many thousands of artists working in the same field, you have to be able to bring something new to the mix. Srtroduction Its vory efit torial cme up wth brand ow, cole ginal ideas and concepts for tary rt job you happon to get. The siaegy "uve and somo success wi is tu introduce a new ‘spin’ cn an otherwise familia subject Thew ate illerent to accomplish his They ineude: combining influunces or images UhaLure ml eommanlyassoiated with each her: inteduiny single strange or lin otherwise very fail imagery paying with an audionce’s expectations in laver and unexoected ways, ‘Along with dovolopng tools and strategies sich a thneo alroady dlscussed itis als racasary tn pay atontion to the wok beng don by utes in your fal Yow have to stay Abvnast of tho kinds of naga Ut soem to be aka Ue biggest imnression an your ‘auianea, wht styos appear to be on Ue wan, and what Kinds ul Uns fel ik "tae of hem is sna to say tha yo shout ays be cay the marker with your sty import to nt and then Levelop your awn vaiee in your artwork The butt ne i that as you da iy should su be constantly aware of the oavironment ‘an marks you aco working in Working with an at director ata large publishing company like Wizards ofthe Coast for whom this image was created isa collaborative process. Asan illustrator you are being hired for your ability to visualize fantasy world and characters, bt you do ‘ot have ttl freedom to draw or paint whatever you want. The art director usually has alist of requirements from a number of Aitferent parties, and creating an illustration becomes atlastin part problem-solving exorcise, where you ae tying to find the best way to satisty many (sometimes conictng) conditions, 016One ofthe frst things you have to establish for youself as you begin 8 projects the "big picture’. Your cant may have some eas about mood or ‘certain characte, or perhaps he wants magical ing srmoured hippos in his game, just because he thnks they are ‘coo’. As the artist hired to bring be to take ast this vision t fife, you have ob back and pe Project as a whol, so you kn are truly nt pats obscure the big pictur. Do fying hippos ft into the worl creating? If not, what kind of spin can you put anthem so th 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures ‘mages lik this can somtimes bo usd larg, 2s game covers, but more often wil end up as trading cards for somes such as‘ Mage: The Gathorng’. Although the Sal ator these cards is very small sometimes as ine a an ‘em (sin) wi the same care and atetion goes into ‘acl of thes ilasteations. sense with your vision? This could ison Int of thinking and research, n yur par, even before you put pencil to paper. This book shoud in no way be considered as. replacement for. good art education or experiance in thy fed ~ itis simply one working lustrato’ collection of ideas and strategies, things tha str to i ily wel so! information and inspiration coming a sucesstl fantasy a consis ‘mo inthe past, My hop i titcanp 17Any creative endeavour has a greater chance of success when it is built on a solid foundation. For an illustrator or character designer, a sound footing comprises some basic knowledge and a number of different competences. This section looks at some of the fundamental tools and:skills any artist should have in his or her visual toolbox, and will also define some important concepts.001 Play with Body Proportions ‘Understanding the Basics ey ee) ee Head, for Heights Th tem proportions frst dno wave sues of itera pars af chi fiueos, you can ob ts boy. Fur Tuntasy in sume visually interesting 1s soled Tec ass INTENDED TO BE USED AS A ROUGH, ‘Genera. euve-or-Thume, Unvess THe CHARACTER 1S DEPICTED STANDING STRAIGHT OPraND FACING THE MeweR, (7 CAN BE DIFFICUT 10 Be PRECISE rwsuls by altering some o the dimensions of nal aman bad One way ook a this to slit ‘ya character's vertical eight into unit base oa the leigh ot tir had. Mast oa poop have proportions of oughly is ams other height By inreasing the oun: of hanes ina character's statue, he ot ‘adicneulbere 0 Mamie rae: lw ca hi made to fol more hero and larger than soaps. The esr woieoe life. On the othe han, character that is fewer oads Pea etseste baer’ cas ‘all exhibits more of « humorous or nating sie 5 voles, 0 Te CiseacTe’s ‘roroarous- cower ie seuse € ero ae a loriNs Bs, Che HME 5Seal He ad and Face Justa there re ways to distort the body proportions of your charactors (s00 page 20), th dimensions ‘and size relationships within thei facial features can also be altered to suggst different personality ‘tats. To begin with, study the proportions of an ideal hood and face so that you know how Wu deve ftom it wien desired. The headin prof view ts ought inside a square. M you examine te letures inthe front view, you can see that the head tapers gently from the dome of te stl tv Ure bottom in, and thatthe fae is approximately the width of fe oyes. A viangle draw rn 3 po betwen the eyes tothe widest points ofthe mouth can be use n determine the wid ofthe wa 100 Wiys to Create Fantasy TyuresTe ture tons ayoural arcing line thet is pike up by the arw, upper When sketching a figure, itis often usfulto dst the traning ino single gesture or movement to stiempt to comwey a istne visual message, By starting an illustration wth tine of action, you ceate an overall sense othe ‘motion or attitude of the character, which al subsequent raw and rendering should adhere on this ough sketch, decisive stance is established by the foot being Spread and the upper torso leaning back to accommodate the weight ofthe weapon. If were to comtinve working on ths imag, | would be careful to maintain the sense of pasture thet ‘was established with this initia action fin,Use Contrapposto The position of the head is often « geod ladicator of the ‘percenality of the eunrall pose. The tilt(turw of the ead. conveys wach of the information onda in by longue ) The red lines in the listration correspond to the oh angles rowed by verttn peired clnvants in the 7 Irencan body. Lines drawn thrasgh the shoulders, ips and lvees shew be the body responds te gray whey the contre of sates is sabted Counter Pa Inf, people rarely cany themselves ina pertety -ymmevcal rigid state more often, they lean too sie or another reste weight on ‘one le, Bringing tis sense of reality ino your characte dasign can help orice the viewer tat your characters ving, rething personality, (One way tod that nan illustaton isto use ‘contrapposto, en isan word meaning ‘counter pose. Inthsilustatin, the lines through the hips ante souls tpn oppeite directions the charter sts her weight to her eg, using th ight eg as brace. She tips her upper by tothe et so hor eonteof gravity is over tho supporting eg, The suis @ dynamic pose, which dives a song indication of the chraotr's confident attitude. 4005 /Explore Foreshortening and Perspective Understanding the Busics 024,Learn Colour Theory 025,007 Indicate Form with Lighting 026Combine Lighting and Colour Theory th 0 0 008 Black Dragon009 .Remember that Style is not Design Understand: ng the Basics TeirmpUse Colour with Care 010 Ue al he cleurs hy saturated way the rest is righ od fe Greens the spot or key colser bere: are used in fal the other clasrs 4 subservient to it Seluratio nm Pint h igital panting software, itcan bé tempting to lay down a lot of colour and this makes iteasy to end vp with an oversatuated image. Tats no to say setuated colours are never appropriate, but mo dominant colour, 2 tion is usually a good idea. Or nble approach isto determing a oop other shades mre subduod, In tis ilustaton, two vetsions of ‘the same image are shown with diferent levels of saturation. On the ll, mos ofthe image is fairy desaturated, andthe vivid geen of the tentacle ‘pops’, making it focel point. On the of tho goon nalmost right, saturated colours have been ued ll over the image, reducing the imp t equal intensity. There is na hard-andfast ule saying tet ace. Also, blue ad re, two ofthe thee primary colours, have been use you shoul do ths, but unless it ‘sa deliberate design decision itis better to avoid it 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Fagures bi—a——, 011 iD e Tine Art ia Save Time W, nderstanding the Basics . ening Desig ne Sbeiohe ilustaton and desig canbe done in avait of oF ‘media and using @ number of techniques, Most of the artwork inthis book takes the form of ether coloured ine at or tonal paintings, ora combination ofthe two. Line wok hs the ina painting. In this sketchbook ilutation, character design ideas were dated in black and wtite wth a pen; most ofthe til in the image ae delineated by the line art, and colour {is used in a very simple, almost diagrammatic way. Relying on bonet of being quick and iterative, requiring ess ofan _line art techniques in the beginning of the design process can investment of time. Line art can be used to indicate detail speed things along by allowing you to explore ideas and ‘and texture, which might sometimes be more labourintensive colour schemes ina mire rapid, ess committed waySeparate Character Design. 012 from Composition Fallen Kings Layout Tests> 013 Differentiate Between Illustration and Documentation The procs of eetng on scart tavern big veal mele weving back cd forth between ees, correcting iinet peownetry errors Unders landing the Basics caluable exercise in Wi; cs ged a a ss Tru I rtvtund Drawcs CF 032¢ Appreciate the Value of Line Weights i ( ou The King and Queen With painting, itis pssibie to indicate a huge variety of materials, textures and colours, but how c the same kindof information with line drawing? Compared to panting linear hes a somewhat limites to transmit your message; however, one aspect that you do have great contol overs line weight. By va the thickness and strength ofthe lines that make up a drawing its possible to communicate a fait large amount of information. In this lustation, hick lines are use to indicate edges of forms, where ane edge ‘overlaps another Lighterweigh ines ere used to suggest textures, flds and materials and are much more abundant than the heavy strokes ln general itis better tobe sparing with the thik marks ~ ovrusing heavy lines undermines the impact ofthe other ins and can result in @ messy, urintligible crewing 100 Ways to Create Fantasy TyuresA lot of work goes into creating a good fantasy illustration before the artist even puts pencil to paper or makes the first mark on the screen. This section looks at the background work you can do to gain a clear idea of who your characters are and the nature of the world they live in, which will make the design process easier and more enjoyable. It is not necessary to have every last detail determined ahead of time, but rather just the main landmarks — personality traits, occupations or character archetypes — that will provide you with a definite direction and end goal.a 3 na Mags015 Establish the Character’s Story host Battle in the sy S dQ S ‘sUnderstand the \&.016 Character’s World , ’ oT Sands of ' Ynau noch. (One ofthe mast important things to determine is tha kind of wold that your character inhabits time perio, cimate and wuss. Just ken ‘ea life, these factors havea significant effect on someones general ‘appearance. Having a deep understanding of tho wold your character ‘comes from provides you with ready answers to many ofthe questions you wll be asking yourself as you draw: This illustration, erated for the fantasy role-playing game ‘Oungeons and Dragons’ shows avery specifi society made up of namadic desert dwellers. Rather than concentrating ‘on single figure frst, 've shown a fit lage slice of the world thatthe characters innabit. Creating imagery like this can help maintain a big Picture’ sense of ther world, which sa tremendous advantage in the design ofan individual character Exploring diferent conditions inthe same ‘environment canbe helpful in Sly establishing the nature of a locaton in your mind 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures %Chanacler Resea aching the a > 017 Decide on the Character’s Occupation Co RE Ah Inthe same way that knowing abnut character's word an pave you with many cues in designing ‘8 convincing individual, knowing how a character spends mot af thr ime and energy can also boa valuable sour of visual inspiration In fantasy slotias and games, main characters are usualy some linens, br aida from the heres and supeinaural bangs, there are plenty of townspocplo nurs, clas and ole supporting roles that yu rig ike to laste his eet station lov Wizars of th Loast, as asked to provide an image ofthe sex workers athe Pink Conch bordello, Tir occupation has informer the design of thi Provecative costumes and ‘come hither expressions, Acro NOU Ake DENA FRONARILY LWT FAMIASY CLEMENT, BkuvGING W ea=nowun ves cues (By REFERENCING IMAGES AND DESIGNS tM REALITS) CAN HELP MAKE YOUR IMAGES ‘mabe convincint, However, $ou vont WANT To FOULOw FACTUAL weFeREwces 700 Losey, SINCE DOING 50 Has The POTENTIAL To Take Te viewer OUT OF THE WORLD JOU, Ake CREATING, INSTEAD, TRE INTENTION SHoWLt be TO Rebuy’ THe viewer patiCk TAN EGLICADY aoTe’ EAL WO8LD WPPATION. i! sae