Dragon Magazine - Spies

[lyon]

Here are some spies that I recently did for Dragon Magazine. Some things worked well on these though there are some parts that are a little tough to look at now... ugh. I have had some great, critical feedback on the pieces already and hope to implement some changes when I get the time. Hope you enjoy, they were fun to make! :) I did five pieces and Mike May (feeb) did five as well. They are in the Feb issue. Thanks!

Howard

http://members.cox.net/goblins/spies/SpiesAllFinal.jpg

[pogonip]

Very nice :D

[Loga4]

Excellent characters!

[Ant4d]

your stuff rocks as always

[CKWorth]

These are all so beautiful. The colors are just outstanding. I especially like the scout, and that magician! That is such a unique costume for a magician. Only critique is that overall, each character pose has a certain stiffness to it. It seems to have a lot to do with the positioning of their arms. I know it's extremely hard to avoid.

Now, may I ask a question? Could you explain to me how these came about? Not technique, but how did they come to be in Dragon Magazine? I am totally new to this if you could have patience with me. :) Did you submit samples of your art to the magazine and they requested you do these characters? Or, did you do them and submit them on blind faith they might be published? I don’t know how it all works.

[Rockhead]

Great job Ultra, I really love your stuff. I always have to come and take a look when I see your name on the list. These are great, I think the colors are awesome, I love how they all work together between the different characters. Awesome work. I would like to see your pencils on these too, your pencils always look just as great.

[Howdy]

Nice. Would be perfect as art for a game like baldurs gate.

[lyon]

pogonip, Loga4, Ant4d and Howdy - Thanks for the kind words!

Turokess - I submitted art to them and then they give out assignments. That is how most places work. You have to send in your portfolio and then wait for them to call back, or not! If you go to the website of most publications, you can usually find guidelines for submissions. Good luck and be patient if you give it a go. It can take a while. Dragon happened to be fast, but some other places have taken their time.

Rockhead - Thanks for checking out my work when I post. Here are the pencils:

http://www.members.cox.net/goblins/spies/Magician.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/goblins/spies/Saboteur.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/goblins/spies/Enforcer.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/goblins/spies/Scout.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/goblins/spies/Professional.jpg

[R_M]

the lineart is amazing!

[darkcult]

Yep. Nice work.
:chug:

[paper slayer]

It is always nice to see your line art.
These are good characters, all seem well painted to me. I really like the magician design.

I have some crit on the scout design though, she looks out of place,
she strikes me more like a "spy in the kings court-elf" than a "spy spending days out hiding in bushes living off the land-elf"

The problem with that much exposed skin is:
It reflects a lot of light, making her visible, not very good for a character who relies on stealth.
It sounds as a dinnerbell for various hungry insects.
Exposure, It gets cold in the woods even in the summer,
unless it is in some tropical climate which doesn´t seem to be the case.

To solve this you could:
Give her some proper clothes suited to the environment.
Camoflage paint over exposed areas.
If the current costume design matters alot,
and she employs magic to solve the problems mentioned (like a ring of invisibility) you could show the effect in action.
Do all of the above or none of the above, Or you could just ignore me for making silly suggestions :)

[Shadowkiller]

Aww man wow that cool stuff really like the professional, the colors really jump out at you, it grabs your eyes and you can't stop look at them. I love that when I look at art peice and it does that. These character reminds me of marvel cards If anyones seen these card they are great for getting Ideas and see different poses

[lyon]

R_M, darkcult and Shadowkiller - Thanks!

paper slayer - Thanks for the reply and in particular the crit. I think you are totally right. She doesn't have a very practical costume on does she...lol. Maybe she isn't a very good scout. I thought about this at the time, but I think my brain must have been overwhelmed by cleavage and the thigh-high boots, and cast reason to the wind. I may go back and make some changes. I agree with you and I appreciate the response!

[Flexible Elf]

Very nice ultramarinez! The professional is my fav. I also very much dig the lineart.

-Flexible Elf

[sketcher]

Wow, really amazing! The line drawings seem to have a better gravity thing going on though, less of that stiffness.
All better, of course, than anything ive ever contemplated doing myself.

[Forge]

like them... really.

[2kre8]

I’m a newbe when it comes to illustrating, curious did you have reference for the poses and what about the color did you have reference for that also. If you did use reference Can you show it, I think that helps in learning how people go about illustrating.

[spork891]

Awwww... no ninja? :)

[DanSTC]

With them all lined up in a row like that, I feel like I should be clicking on one of them with my mouse to select a character to play for a mission or something. Excellent work! Very colorful and pleasing to the eye of a fantasy gamer. Reminds me a little of the excellent attractive iconics that Sam Wood often uses. (See some of his character lineup art in the Forgotten realms books for more of this.)

Edit: The only major problem I could cite is that your characters feel like they really need to loosen up in their shoulders a little more. They also seem to look a little bit stuff at the joints in the hips as well.

Also, as another poster pointed out, the scanty outfits on the female characters seem particularly out-of-place next to the others. I personally would've put on a few more layers of clothing, quite frankly. I know how attractive that wonderful female skin is, but it helps to make them more realistic if their costumes actually look like they fit their jobs. As another poster pointed out, if one of them is a spy in the court of a king, yeah, it's entirely conceivable for them to wear so little in the way of garments. But a scout in the woods? A professional killer or break-in artist who, as implied by the background, works at night? Their exposed female skin would wind up with more scratches on it than you or I could ever possibly hope to count let alone draw. (To say nothing of what happens to them when they become subject to inevitable drafts of cold air, since they both appear to work outdoors.)
It should also be noted that Gamers these days are a rather smart and self-aware bunch, and as such, artists/publishers will often find themselves receiving flak over the stereotypical "chaimail bikini"-wear. That said, keep that in mind a little when you design more of your attractive and colorful costumes in future illustrations. :)

[DanSTC]

Originally posted by Howdy
Nice. Would be perfect as art for a game like baldurs gate.

You can import images for portraits in that game. I see no reason why not to use images like these.

Heck, I could probably swing off putting together a party in Icewind Dale 2 using these portraits. The only one missing would be the party healer, and I could probably find another of Howard's pieces to use for that one.

[DanSTC]

Gonna swing by the game store tomorrow and see if the issue that your artwork is in is on the stands.

I think I've officially become a fan of your work. I LOVE that lush and slightly iconic coloring you use. Absolutely perfect for character portraits.

[pogonip]

Wow your line art is beautiful ...seriously some of the best line art I have ever seen . Your anatomy is amazing I will learn from your pics thanks for sharing !

[Smeagol71]

Just stumbled across this thread ultra, very nice work. I'll be looking for that issue as well!

[faithrenee]

Great characters! Your use of color is very appealing. My favorites are the Professional and the Magician.

I have to agree with paper slayer and DanSTC though : more appropriate clothing is needed on the Scout.

[lyon]

Flexible Elf - Thanks man! I think I like the Professional the best as well. She was that last one that did and I think I was in a good groove at that point, she went suprizingly fast. For me anyways.

sketcher - Thanks. I had some really good critiques on these by foster and prometheus and they both had some good insight for me. Hopefully I am can implement some of it in my upcoming work

Forge - Thanks!

2kre8 - I did have reference for all of them. I made some friends of mine pose for them. In fact, feeb (Mike May) posed for the Enforcer... I had to pretty him up a little. I can say that now, cause he lives a few states away now! :) Hi Mike! I didn't have any reference for the color, though these were from a series of 10, feeb did the other 5, and we did them the colors of the spectrum, black, white and brown. They look very cool all laif out in order. Maybe Mike will post his...

spork891 - Ninjas eh? I don't think I have ever even drawn a ninja...

DanSTC - Thanks for the responses! All three of them! :) I think you have a good point, as did the other post on the same subject. I will kwpp those comments in mind on the next piece I do, but I gotta have a little skin in there too. :) Really good comment about the shoulders. Getting some more movement/less stiffness in my work is something that I am focusing on more and more.

pogonip - Thanks ma brother.

Smeagol71 - I believe the issue is #316. I don't have it yet myself, but I think it will be out in stores pretty soon.

faithrenee - Thanks and I now agree with you, slayer and DanSTC. I will tell the Scout to cover up! :)

I liked the Pro the best. She took a day to do while the others took a couple days each. Here are the work in progress shots and a larger version of the painting. Thanks for all of the great responses! I hope to have more to post soon.

Howard

http://www.howardlyon.com/forums/spies/Professional WIP.jpg

http://www.howardlyon.com/forums/spies/Professional_Final.jpg