Today, I have the process and steps that went into my Caphalid Inkmage Magic the Gathering card released this past November. When I recently shared the process and steps for the Cackling Prowler, I shared how my process posts were changing. If you missed that post, follow the link, which will explain everything. Now that this is taken care of, let's start things off with the final painting for the Cephalid Inkmage.
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
This was another fun assignment and the first of the two cards in this set that I created. I was vaguely aware of Cephalids in Magic, so it was fun to get to learn more about them. I always liked them because they have tentacles, and it is always fun to draw and paint tentacles. As with all my work, I got things started with a selection of thumbnails as I worked out the piece. Here are the thumbnails that I submitted for this assignment.
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
I wanted to provide a range of options for this one. You never truly know how much and how little or how important and how unimportant things are in the art order until you start moving elements around into a composition. Quickly, you will realize that things clearly stated in the description are not necessary for the focus of the card and that other things not mentioned ARE very important. For this one, I present production with a medium shot, a wide-angle view, a close-up, and finally, more of an action pose. The action pose won out. Now that there was a selected thumbnail, it was time to work on the drawings and studies for the assignment.
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
Above is the line art of my drawing. This is the version of the drawing that I paint on top of. While it used to be the final stage for my drawings, they were not giving me what I needed most out of these assignments... TO DRAW MORE. So, several years back, I began finishing out the drawings so that they were a more finalized image, a more interesting image, and a way to start working out what I wanted to do with the overall look of the painting. That meant it was time to render!
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
Above is the fully rendered drawing for the Cephalid Inkmage. This is the version of the image that I submit to production for final approval before I start painting. Even though the thumbnail gives you a lot of what the piece will look like, the drawing gives me the time and size to work out all the details and ensure that I have something that can go directly to paint. Now that I have an approved drawing, I completed the final tonal study to work out the lighting and value structure for the image. I have the final drawing and the tonal study with me throughout the painting process and refer to them constantly. Here is the final tonal study.
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
This would be where I shared the animated gif and talked a bit more about the painting process. Sorry that this part, for some, the most important part, is now gone. My process hasn't changed much over the past ten-plus years, and all my other process posts are here on the blog for you to enjoy.
This was a completely normal and straightforward piece to work on. There were no issues or drama associated with it. I sat in the chair, and I painted, and eventually, I had a finished painting. It came together once I added the rays of light spilling around the figure. I will note that there was a specific note about what the helmet was made from. While I made sure to address it throughout the process, and it is painted as asked for, it is nearly impossible to see in the final piece. This is what I mean when I say that specific things in the art order can end up not being relevant to the final art. The painting was approved without notes. Here is the final card for the Cephalid Inkmage and the final art again.
© 2024 Wizards of the Coast
That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
