EDIT: Head’s up! There’s now a Secret Sketchbook post with a deep dive about the creation of this portrait. Go check it out!

I’m so excited to finally be able to share this art that’s been in the pipeline for awhile! This piece represents a new artistic direction for me as I embark on a new journey to create more TTRPG and Fantasy Art after spending years on my Birthstone Goddesses.

About Artorias

Introducing Artorias, the smarmy Rogue from our D&D campaign (played by my husband, Kevin) whose dice rolls so far have not reflected his smooth skillset. He was a willing volunteer to test out this new artistic style I’ve been nurturing.

ART CAPTION: New head of the Collbrande trade empire after his hostile takeover. Outwardly charming, inwardly growing more heartless by the day.

He is also the twin brother of Ariminthia “Mint” Collbrande, a Bladesinger my husband played originally. When the family abandoned her to kidnappers, Artorias started his villain arc and overthrew their trade empire. He is currently working with a disparate band of volunteers to aid the city in finding a supernatural serial killer targeting aristocrats who has also cursed his sister with the inability to speak.

It was interesting to compare this new portrait of Arty to the old one of Mint done in a Legend of Vox Machina-inspired style from 2022. I’ve worked more in this cell-shaded animation style lately for quickness, so going full render on Arty was a big challenge!

Art Process

I tried a new digital process for this piece where I did all my line art and flats first, then tinted the shadows with different color temperatures on a single layer. For the final polish, I dropped out the lines in key places. My goal was to achieve a look that kept the energy of my line art and brushstrokes without dipping too deeply into overrendered realism.

I’ll talk more about this process and share the PSD file in an upcoming Secret Sketchbook post just for Patrons, so keep your eyes peeled for that this week.

In the meanwhile, enjoy this glimpse at the process and how I constructed my layers:

Watch a timelapse of Arty’s portrait here.

Upcoming Commissions

Now that I have this example complete, I’ll be releasing a price sheet soon! I’ll be offering a limited number of slots per month depending on my availability which will be offered first to my Patreon Patrons and newsletter subscribers first.

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Once I get the commission sheet out to the world, I’ll be returning to my usual schedule of working on the “Cassiel’s Servant” cover for my Story Sketchers project. My journey with acrylics and ambitious narrative imagery will continue!

More soon!

<3 Ang