Today I have for you the process and steps that went into one of my
paintings that I created for the now cancelled game, Kaijudo. While I
only worked on the game a short time it was a lot of fun and I was sad
to see it go. The painting I will be talking about today depicts a very bad day for a Beast Kin and a possibly good day for a big worm monster. Here is the final
painting for Virulent Worm...
"Virulent Worm"
Kaijudo - Eye of the Storm
11.2 x 8 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
The Virulent Worm was the very first Kaijudo card that I ever worked on and it is unfortunate that it never was released as a real card. It was released as a virtual card as part of the last set that had already been created prior to the decision to kill the project. Since this was the first card I worked on, it was the piece that I worked out all style choices so that the piece felt like a Kaijudo piece. I sent this piece repeatedly during production to my art director to make sure I was on track. Not only was it a new project with a distinct style and look I was working with a new art director.
In the end the all worked out... obviously. Since this was my first card I really spent a lot of time working out the thumbnails for it. I tried to give production a lot to work with and some variation. The card needed to depict a massive worm creature on a rocky ledge of a cave. A Beast Kin was minding its own business as it slogged trough a river of strange goo... little does it know it is WORM GOO. Here are how the thumbnails turned out...
Virulent Worm - Thumbnails
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
The thumbnails were well received, though I am not sure I ever had a favorite. I liked some of the worms in some of the compositions and I liked some of the Beast Kin in some of the others. This turned out to be true for production too. I was asked to do some mixing and matching with elements to work out a final image. With the pieces selected I was given the go ahead to work on the final drawing...
Virulent Worm
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
The drawing was approved without comment and it was time to work on my first Kaijudo painting. It was generally a straight forward process, but as mentioned before I checked in with my art director during the painting process to make sure I was getting the look and feel of Kaijudo. Some of this conversation about the piece lead to the worm being pushed much further into shadow. I had thought it needed to be much lighter and brighter and the AD definitely wanted more moody and scary. I was happy to do just that. Here is 12 easy steps is the Virulent Worm taking shape...
Virulent Worm - Process Progression
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
The Virulent Worm was approved without comment, and I would like to think that is because of my efforts to reach out the my AD and make sure I was working towards the image they needed me to make. Of my Kaijudo work, this is the only piece that I did this with. I needed the first one under my belt to get a feel for what needed to be accomplished with the paintings. The AD is there to help you and give you the input needed so that you successfully meet your, and their, goals of an approved and effective painting. ADs are your friends in the creation of art!
As an added bonus here is a handy dandy animated process thingy to better show the process and creation of the painting...
Virulent Worm - Animated Process
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
Here again is the final painting for the Virulent Worm and the (vitrual) card form of
the art. Do to the amount of chrome on the card there was a bit of cropping on the image, but all the important bits are still there. If it had been a printed card it sure would have been a pretty one... of well, these things happen...
"Virulent Worm"
Kaijudo - Eye of the Storm
11.2 x 8 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
"Virulent Worm" if it had been an actual real life handy dandy card instead of a virtual card.
That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here on Friday! Until then...
