Released today was Psionic Powers for D&D which I did a few illustrations for. This one was called "Topaz Crusader". Done in Photoshop CS4. The sketch for this was much looser than I normally do for a client. I would prefer to always sketch this loose so I can do a little more invention on the finish. The tighter the sketch the more I find the finish to be like paint by numbers and a bit more tedious.
Here was the sketch:
This illustration depicts a female half-elf ardent, epic tier, in the Far Realm. The surrounding landscape should look warped and strange, with tentacles, horrific gaping mouths, unblinking eyes, and other horrific imagery.
The ardent wears PLATE ARMOR that looks to be made from bronze and almost dwarfs her body. She has a GREATSWORD in hand and a heavy HELMET on her head. The HELMET HAS ONE GAP and it’s over her FOREHEAD. Within, we see a TOPAZ GEMSTONE AFFIXED TO HER BROW. It glows with soft light. The ardent has a mix of ELVEN and EAST ASIAN FEATURES, with tan skin and black hair cascading over her shoulders.Yeah, a chick in armor in a world of tentacles! Not an art description you get to work from everyday.
You can see in the rejected sketch I was confused how to show her face and a heavy helmet at the same time. Also I was following the direction for armor that dwarfs her body to the point it is hard to tell it's a she.
