Tag: Exalted TTRPG

No AUG Hangout? + Vacation Sketch Dump!

Sorry to say that I was a little too overwhelmed to do the August Hangout! It was another rough month that included ever MORE doctor appointments for my husband’s surgery prep, but also the yearly kidney cancer check-ups for me, which have ended in a cautionary “you need more scans to be sure”.

Everything is likely fine, as the doctor’s concern level was medium-low, but it still meant taking the time to be transferred to a new specialist to organize a set of ever-MOAR appointments.

Basically, both me AND my husband are simultaneously navigating the medical funhouse that is being patients on cancer-watch within a constantly evolving medical system while also trying to navigate an unfavorable job market for our professions.

The convention prep for October has also started and I’m going EXTRA-BONKERS trying to prepare after being out of the game for so long!

WIP Art

Lots of art is currently in the work-in-progress stage as well, including:

  • A mockup of my new, improved convention booth (I’ll be writing a post about this!)

  • The “Cassiel’s Servant” fan cover, which I need to make some decisions about as far as what media I want to use. I’ve been art blocked on this one!

  • Character of the Month feature drawings for my Exalted buddies. I’ve started 3 drawings by now that linger in the inking stage.

A Sketch Dump Treat!

Once again, Exalted TTRPG art is keeping me sane while I battle the feeling of constant overwhelm. I don’t want to leave you guys without a little fun and treats after all our medical doom, however, so have some random sketches inspired by community activites over in the Forge of Wonders, the Exalted fan server I’m co-admin of.

A sword with a theme of phoenix feathers and embers. When drawn, it grants the user an aura of phoenix tails.
A sword concept for the wandering desert swordsman, Glittering Blade, who belongs to ShiftingPath.
A reference sheet of a swordsman, featuring his armor, mount, and many blades.
Art by ShiftingPath on tumblr of Glittering Blade, the wielder who I designed this weapon for.

This sword has a bit of a love story behind it which I’ll include for the curious:

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Story Fluff: This blade arrived to Glittering Blade via a specialized spirit messenger, a little firebird that dissipated upon completing its task. It was immaculately gift-wrapped in silk fabric embroidered with gold, there also came a letter, scented with a familiar myrrh perfume Blade will recognize.

Written in a practiced quill hand were the words:

Dearest Glittering Blade,

May this sword protect you on your wanderings, far and wide, so that you may journey safely. I know it is your way to fall in love with a new blade eventually, so this one shall not linger overlong. It will eventually return back to me for safekeeping, as I hope you might someday, even if only to take up the sword and leave again, as heroes do.

I look forward to continuing my sword lessons upon the occasion!

Your friend, ~ K

(And if you don’t know who K is, that’d be my character, Kalara, sending him the equivalent of “Call me, okay?” XD She’s quite smitten with this traveler!)

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Next is a cute sketch of Kalara tempting her businesswoman buddy, Shame, to her happy hour meetup the only way she knows how – Tax Deductible Networking Event Persuasion Technique!

It was some much-needed silliness over a much-need long weekend!

Thanks for sticking with me so far when I’ve not had as much as I’d like to share with you guys. It’s appreciated more than you will ever know!

<3 Ang

New Art! My Exalted Valentine + Art Feature of AnnaCory’s Art

Not going to lie, friends. I wasn’t supposed to be working on this art. I had very serious intentions to work on character art samples for private commissions, but job hunt stress and the world at large have been overwhelming me to a frankly unhealthy degree.

So I gave myself permission to indulge in my happy place – tabletop RPG art! Specifically, the Exalted Discord Fan Artist server I’m in had a Valentine’s Day couples art trade event I couldn’t resist taking part in. Not only did I get to make cool art for a cool person, but I also got to challenge myself with backgrounds, multiple figures, and a specific storytelling goal.

My gunslinger, Koh, was paired up with AnnaCory’s Gale, to which Anna suggested the perfect date for Gale might be quietly reading together or a more mischievious night on the town. I thought “why not both?”

I chose to render the two on a date inside of a noble’s heretical library, the perfect place for a picnic and a good laugh at the noble’s secret stash of bawdy Scarlet Empress books and knicknacks. Meanwhile, Koh’s bodyguard, who was likely told to stay home, looks on, glad the boss is having fun.

Here’s a timelapse of the piece so y’all can appreciate how much it drastically changed along the way:
https://youtu.be/Tc_SM-Lkcc8?si=ZJjg2zKE8Ea25rr_

Art Feature: Anna Cory Kulikova

I knew I had to make something extra special for this particular trade because Anna has done such amazing art of my characters in the past. Look at these gorgeous portraits she’s done of my brainchildren!

Anna also took part in the Valentines challenge and created this gorgeous piece featuring her character, Satica, and another of my characters, Mask of Golden Lies. I just love the little ghosts and the entire moody atmosphere! She’s shared a timelapse of this piece here.

 

So perhaps this wasn’t as on task as I thought I’d be in February, but fun and not going insane was had instead. What more could one ask for?

I hope you all enjoyed this extreme artistic diversion!

<3 Ang

The Exalted Art Challenge 2024 Begins!

For the folks who might be new here, I am also a big tabletop RPG nerd! October has come once more, bringing with it the latest Exalted Art Challenge! Exalted is a TTRPG setting from Onyx Path Publishing which I adore replete with epic Wuxia-inspired battles, long dramatic names, and off-the-wall gods and spirits. If that sounds fun to you, be sure to follow my Exalted Ko-fi where I’ll be sharing my challenge entries.

(An example of some of the sketches I did for the Exalted Art Challenge in years past.)

I don’t want to overload you all with work you might not be interested in, since this Patreon is currently more focused on art for Fantasy novels, so I’ll be relegating this Exalted-themed art over to my Exalted project’s Ko-fi and maybe sharing the complete collection here once the challenge is over and done. Be sure to follow over on Ko-fi and The Uncrucified’s socials (listed over on the Ko-fi page) if you’d like more Exalted goodness!

I am just so happy for spooky season and all the art challenges happening right now filling the world with loveliness and inspiration. Let’s gooo!

– Ang

Exalted Character of the Week Vol 2 + Bonus Valentine’s Comic

Until May rolls around and this Patreon is re-vamped with a brand new theme, I’Il be sharing the fun random arts I do, like the next collection of character portraits for the Exalted Character of the Week challenge I host over at the Forge of Wonders.  It was another adventure in experimenting with different styles and loosening up after so many years of working in a more rigid style.

The Cultivar of Bloodied Sunsets for Kess 

At the same time that The Cultivar was chosen for the next Challenge, my husband started playing Persona 3 Reload, which put a whole new coat of paint on top of a game that he loved growing up.  I’ve always enjoyed the sleek and appealing designs of ATLUS’ games and wanted to see if I could try to bring that visually stunning nature to a portrait of The Cultivar.  How did I do?

Apparently I subconsciously matched her outfit with her girlfriend’s outfit from an earlier challenge, which is a fun bit of accidental serendipity.

Fia for Morpheous XO

Next up, we have Fia, the No Moon Lunar witch.  I was originally going to keep this portrait as a simple pencil portrait, which I’m quite pleased with Procreate’s graphite simulation.  But then the color tempted me!  I tried to keep it subtle with the pops of her dramatic red hair tips.  I ended up with a look very close to what I can do with copic marker, traditionally, which is neat!

Moira for MissSunnySweden

Lastly, we have Moira for MissSunnySweden, a kickbutt Dawn Caste with a tiger theme.  I’ve long considered smiles my weakness when drawing people, but I was able to capture a delighted bloodlust smile without too much trouble.  I didn’t have much time to draw Fia and Moira, so I aimed for more simplified ‘token-style’ portraits.

All the portaits you see here were painted in Procreate, which has become my mainstay of late since it let’s me curl up in a comfortable spot on the couch to work.

Bonus Valentine’s Day Exalted Comic

I created one last bit of fun Exalted art in February where we were challenged by another member of the Forge to draw our characters on a date.  My character, Kalara, was paired up with the Abyssal, The Cultivar, for a date, which triggered a fun idea for a whole mini comic I could practice my visual storytelling skills with.

I wasn’t able to finish the mini comic with everything happening with health and job woes last month, but I’m hoping to clean this up at some point for practice.  For now, enjoy the sketches for the comic and the quick final panel I did work up just for fun!

Premise:  The Cultivar and Kalara go on a date!

Kalara shows up to the cafe, where the Cultivar awaits, the two of them competing to show off who has the highest Resources rating (basically means how rich they are in this setting).  They ‘battle’ through various things, from fancy tea vs coffee, to fancy favorite foods, to the final battle – Who will cover the check???

Eventually, Kalara wins the wealth battle, but The Cultivar gets the upper hand…which my gal is actually pretty okay with.  There are worse, more boring ways to die, right? 

The final panel:

(This one was drawn on Procreate, but word bubbles added in Clip Studio Paint)

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this little art diversion!  I have more serious projects to finish up by the end of the month, but these character challenges are always a fun way to stretch my legs between more intense projects.

– Ang