Taking my Medication

Tablets mean the world to a digital artist. That Is the Digital Artist Tablet not the kind from the pharmacy. No confusion there then.

I am just dipping my toes into that world of digital art. I love the worlds of Super Heroes, Dungeons and Dragons and Any form of Role-playing games. That is where I have taken my influence for these following pictures.   I like to have a Character drawing for every Character I play.

I still draw and paint as If I was using a pencil and brush. I am sure this will change as I get to know what I am doing.  As you can see I have a long way to go.

Here is an example of what I have been doing over the few days that I have had my tablet (intuos 5).

Feel free to give me feed back or even drop me any useful links that will help me on my way.

A scan of a drawing I did

This first picture as you can see Is my drawing which I did a few weeks ago and scanned It Into the computer. I wasn’t confident to draw straight from Tablet on to the screen yet.

Getting Hands on

This Is as Far as I had gotten before I thought that saving my files would be a good move. remembering to do this at a good increment needs getting used to.

Going at a nice pace

Not knowing how things are done, I just plodded on in the fashion that I was used to with paper. Yet I am very pleased on how this picture is coming along. Learning new skills like layers has been an amazing eye opener. traditional art means if you do It wrong then you Start again or except the mistake. Not any more.

small things

Doing the detail I have found challenging to say the least. Getting In close to the picture you lose the overall look as you change tone and Colour of what the final look Is going to be. Doing everything in sections and then not having the skill or know how was frustrating to say the least.

Moving on

Trying out new features of a computer program and tablet Is so much fun. If there Is something that I am not to sure about there happens to be a YouTube video that will cover it. I have spent a good deal of my time drawing trying to understand what the fantastic artist on the net have done to achieve what they have.

Final

This Is my final. It Is nowhere near the incredible standard that people have got to. This Is my learning time and I would like to think In a few Months, no In a few years time I may have gotten to a standard that I can truly call myself an Artist. A Digital Artist.

What follows is a couple of drawings I did before the main one. Note that the Zombie I drew with the pen tablet. no scanning Involved. I will now take please In the fact that a few of you here on the Inter-webs will take the time to look at these and If so inclined leave me a comment. Tell me straight but not to straight OK.

A Zombie for any Call of Cthulhu game I should think. SAN roll please.

 

The skull within was a total accident. I like happy accidents

Finished. For now. Catchya soon. See you on Twitter . @symatt

 

The A to Z of Dungeon Mastering

So Dungeon Master, be It for Dungeons and Dragons, 13th Age, Pathfinder or for that matter any Role Playing game (RPG). You want to take charge, be the creator of your own game and possibly your own world.

You have your Players (PCs). You have your Dice. You have your Ideas. This Is just a small part of what goes on behind and In front of the GM’s screen.

Take a look through my Short A to Z of Dungeon Mastering.

A is for Adventures.

You are nothing without that story to take your players on.

 

B is for Battlefield.

A battle is needed in most all games. Be it a full scale war to a fight with sewer rats.

 

C is for Combat.

A combat need not be a fight every time. A combat of words maybe. The lords or the lands meet and your players need  to talk them out of war.

 

D is for Detail.

Don’t forget a good game can come down to the details.  Expect a great deal from your players if you give them the details.

 

E is for Environments.

Location,  Location and yet more Locations. Castles,   Keeps. Dry bone Deserts. Other worldly vistas. Let your players roam the worlds.

 

F is For Fire.

A randomly moving element that as a GM you have full control.  Use it to your greatest advantage. It can cage your players or free your players. Kill or even heal.

 

G is For Grandeur.

You want your players to feel importance in everything they do. Your Game will revolve around them. Make them the most important part.

 

H is for Hidden.

The world your players are in is a hidden one. Only you know what is happening. Don’t you forget that the game is moving even when your PCs are not there to effect it.

 

I is for I intrigue

Not all games are powering towards a fight or even a monster. Subterfuge is an ingredient that is an infrequent addition yet can add so much more to your games.

 

J is for Journey.

Try to give your games time. Time of movement. If the PCs need to travel then make it take time. Days or even weeks. If lost in a mine, be lost for days not hours.

 

K is for Kingdoms.

This is simple but creative use of Kingdoms brings depths of cultural differences and language barriers.

 

L is for Life.

Life should be everywhere.  Not everything is dangerous though. Tell the players that birds are singing or insects are chirping. Create a world your players can relate to.

 

M is for Mapping.

Keep track of where your game is going. World building to caving. All need some form of tracking.  You never know when your players will want to return.

 

N is for NO.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can NOT say No to players. This is not a democracy. If you have to say No then say it. It won’t hurt your game.

 

O is for Overlooking.

The players around you will notice if you miss something.  Make an oversight become your advantage. You didn’t overlook, it was neant to happen like that.

 

P is for Preparation.

This over time will come to you easier. Preparation is your friend.  Put more into your game and the more comfortable you will be when the game starts.

 

Q is for Quality.

Characters, be they the villainous assertiveness or the Monsters in the tunnels of doom. You have to breath life into them. Your game will shine if you put in the effort.

 

R is for Resourcefulness.

you are the creative director of this game. If you use props like miniature figurines and maps. Make your own props. Handouts and pictures to show your players adds a little more depth.

 

S is for secret.

Don’t give it all away in the first game.  We know you are excited for your players to know what’s going on or who is the bad guy. Hold some back. Make them work for it. Your players will thank you in the end.

 

T is for Time.

Give yourself time. Don’t rush a game if you are not ready. It will only upset your players and do harm to your confidence.  Time management,  be it length of game or how events play out. These in the end are down to you.

 

U is for Unbelievable.

You have to have a little truth to your games. Keeping believability keeps your players investment in the game and the world they are playing in.

 

V is for Visionary.

These are your games, the players are your characters. Take them on the most amazing adventure possible. Every game will just get better. You will learn from mistakes and grow as a GM.

so relax and have fun.

 

W is for Weapons.

Not just  a sword but a long blade of Dragonborn steel. Not  just a crossbow bolt but a crossbow bolt of dark energy slamming hard into the dwarven plate mail. Sending your hero heavily to the ground.

weapons can be more than an item that kills.

 

X is for Xenophobic.

Remember the world you create is inhabited by so many useful monsters. Make use of as many as possible. Colour your world. Surprising your players as much as you can and as often as you can.

Y is for You.

You are part of this game.  You have to enjoy it as much as your players.  If this isnt happening you need to take time out or even time away from the table. Let someone else take over for a while.

Z is for Zion.

This is your City. This is your Kingdom.  This is your world. This is your Zion.

I think as Time goes on I shall Add to these make them more of a read. Enjoy what i have .

Cowboy Robot Superhero

 

 

This Is what I have been doing today.

The Drawing was @greywulf’s fault over on twitter. I asked and he said that he would like to see a cowboy Superhero. I thought It was kind of a Joke at first but then I said to myself why not.

Took a little bit of thinking and I came up with that drawing. Now i have coloured It and then placed it on a background, I’m very happy with It. plus I am getting the hang of some aspects of this art program that I have.

I will try and get some more done soon. Although my brother Is waiting for these Superheroes for his book. I was going to keep them secret. Hey I should show you anyway as you are my friends.

A Gathering of Super Heroes

This Is just a Quick Post. So quick that there isn’t much to It at all. Just that I have not placed anything here In a long time.

Been doing some drawing and here Is a few of them.  At some point I will paint these and post them again.

A Ruined City

Dungeons & Dragons Location.

Napoli.

Naples could be a fantasy location for your next Dungeons & Dragons game.
I recently came back from a few days in the Italian City of Naples. A thriving Port and hectic city with a mix of every culture.

The idea that a modern city could be transcribed directly into a game #RPG setting isn’t new of course but having now witnessed the city first hand It could make for an interesting location.

From a visual point of view the first thing that strikes you is the graffiti.

Do you remember the scene in the Monty Python film. The Life of Brian. The graffiti was forty feet tall. Well its worse here.
It is adorning every clear surface, building wall, window, sculptures and signs. But no attempt has been made to remove or control its spread also Litter is everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Then the traffic. In this modern world it is cars but it is so easy to visualise horses and camels drawing wagons of fruits and vegetables. People pushing carts. Shouting, hawking their wares.

Begging has its place wherever you go. Here its on every street. The characters that you see could be straight out of a game #rpg from far-flung locations who have made it here via land or sea and now found themselves without anything. Visually they fit every stereotype.
That NPC that steps so close that you see every cracked tooth. The wayward hair that as a Game Master (GM) you do your best to describe.

Dogs wonder the streets freely. Polite sign-age ask you not to touch or feed these strays and in some cases wild roaming animals. At any moment a pack of dogs could be your next adversary. The one that tests that new steal you bought from that blind beggar.

Animal waste is something you need to be aware of unless you think it lucky. Then in that case you would be classed as very lucky in this city.
Smell can be a very useful tool in your next game. No not the real thing unless you have been unwell or eaten something that didn’t agree with you. The described smell like sounds can be a very useful addition to the mood and feel of your location in your game.

The city is in total disrepair. Decaying buildings are nearly all that greet you. Plaster falling from walls. frescoes and features left to fend for themselves. Pollution and neglect eat away at these once proud and elegant façades.
You would imagine that these buildings were anything but inhabitable yet they still have occupation and life within. Its like the fortitude of the buildings will alone keep the occupants safe. How could this building ever harm anyone.

People live on top of each other. Floor added to floor to the point you think it could not hold anymore but yet another floor is added.
Cracks now give the buildings a new face. An old and tired look. They seem sad. Unloved.

Washing hang from balconies trying to dry from the warm air that drifts through the narrow claustrophobic streets. Yet the buildings seem to try their best to keep warm but it’s just dripping tears of despair.
Yet hidden as if turning its face away from the outside world are hidden gems to delight the eye and fill you with awe.

The populous are forever oblivious to what is around them be it litter about their feet or the concerns of others going on about them.
It seems they put all their effort into their appearance. With quality of cloth and personal standards high on their agendas. Shops sell every kind of over the top quality of clothing. Anything that could in the end take away interest in the state of their city and place your interest squarely on them.
It’s like they say. “yes my city is shit but at least I look good so look at me”.
Everything about them just reinforces this self-image.

With all this activity going on there still seems a relaxed and sedated feel about the whole city. Shop owners relax outside their shops. Smoke, drink and laugh.

Markets are at the end of every ally way. Stalls of every kind will lay for all to see. Shouts and calls to buy from every direction.
Fresh fish, freshly caught that day and landed at the harbour.
Butchered right in front of you. Whatever your order they can fill it. Some squid and octopi and even shell-fish kept alive in water buckets so you can witness how fresh they are.
Raw and cooked meats and even offal is on display.

Be aware this is one of the many locations the city has to offer an opportunity to the pickpocket. He will be that nobody who just brushed past or a gang of thieves. Well oiled in the art of deception.
Bring this place to life with a thought for what seems minor can add even more colour to your vibrant game night..

Vegetables from far and near some you have never seen before and with some happy to never see again.

Then there is the prepared foods. Pizzas and pies. The smells are at times overwhelming yet totally enticing.
Don’t forget the drink. Coffees and teas. Beers and spirits. Yet if you take the invitation to sit will cost you just to sit. You will not find that out until you are presented with the bill.

This now brings me to the largest openly demonstrated gang. They act and seem like a gang. They run the city. This is only a perceived image but its a strong feeling.
The Police. They walk or drive the city. Hang out in groups. Talk and smoke together. Occasionally you will see them set off in a particular direction and all the peddlers and scally wags run and hide but nothing changes.
The city militia are the ever ready force to be there whenever they are not needed or called for. A bribe may see them fight on your side for once. Then again it may see you spend the night or two in a dank cell.

This city works. How it works seems a mystery. All the chaos fixes together like an ever-changing jigsaw puzzle.

If It wasn’t for those Pesky Kids

The Originals

 

The Other day we played an Awesome game of #DnDNext with the Number one GM that Is @Greywulf over on the G+ hangout. The usual Dungeons & Dragons characters came out to play. We had elements of at least three other systems thrown In.  Some Call of Cthulhu  monsters.  Some, well I can not really remember what went In to It but what came out was Awesome and well, that Is what has inspired me on my day off to draw these. I played Wel-Mah who was Velma’s twin only because two players wanted to play the same character In this Role-playing extravaganza

When Given the freedom as we have with our Online GM to take a game In the way that an #RPG should go and be played then FUN Is the name of that game. So here for you to consider is The Doo Gang.

Will do anything for a Scooby Snack

A Dash of Colour

I took this upon myself to update a picture I did for a friend over on twitter ( @LandrasGembar ) It was a recreation of an Avatar character I did maybe over a year ago. The Influence was for Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games.

here Is what i did.

Here is the original that I did and coloured in Inks .

It was nice to revisit This drawing and to make something new of it. I chose a closer view as this seemed to add a little more drama to the dwarf. I may try this again with an earlier drawing some time. It will appear here if I do.

Best Served Chilled

One Shot Art

If you have been here before you know that what I like to post is my Drawings that I do for people from around the World. Character drawings are what I enjoy doing. The #RPG that I love is my inspiration. So here are a few that I have drawn. For Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons next. Also one for Shadowrun

I sence a tremer in the Force

HumaHulk

A mage of the Future

 

Dread Dredd. Judge Dredd

Having now seen the Film that is Dredd. I am going to draw a few pictures myself. Call It my Dredd appretiation page. I will place one today and maybe some more In the coming days. If you would like to get some of your Dredd pictures up on my page then drop me an e mail and a little about you and I will add It to the page for all to see.

So get your Pencils and pens Going and get into Dredd.

Nothing Stops Dredd

This one Is from my Time today . Well we all have to have some Me Time

 

Gota rest some time

 

 

 

What’s an Avatar got to do with It

Some Twitter Avatar’s I have created recentley.

Just when you thought It was safe to go back in the water . These come along.