The Artwork on the Card.

The final artwork overlayed onto the original card, with updated "Illus." area.

The Final Piece, Sketches to Production Quality.

With the Style Guide made and a great deal of knowledge on brushes acquired, it was time to create the final piece of art.

I started out with some thumbnails which was presented to peers, similar to presenting to a publisher. The first image suited the style guide and peaked interest the most, so I created a more advanced sketch.

This piece, although has anatomy issues, was accepted by peers on the basis that it would suit the guide and sit well on a Magic: The Gathering card. This is due to the image's subject matter being quite simple yet effective and easy to convey on a small canvas.

Initial Colouring and texture.

  Progressively adding more detail and texture whilst remove the line work. This piece was well received. Which meant I could continue on and create the final piece.

Adding Background texture to add interest and setting.

The final Piece. Added in more texture to be reminiscent of older artwork found in Homelands. Very happy with the art, especially the textures used, which was not a strong point of mine before the project. Now I feel a lot more confident with it.

Style Guide

In line with trying to simulate a commercial environment, I've created a short Style Guide to adhere to for the final piece.

The Style Guide can be found in .odf form here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eaafvobc5z7f12b/1101873%20Creative%20Research%20Style%20Guide.odt

Mirrodin Study

The following is a study of brush work used in the artwork for Memnite. Memnite is a mechanical creature created on a plane with a very harsh, arid terrain and I feel like it's some of the best magic art.

Memnite

Here is my study of that terrain.

Two

Two studies without reference of Mirrodin. To practice keeping in line with the style of the set.

Quick Fantasy Study

A quick fantasy study of a hydra. Done quickly within 40 mins, an appropriate time scale for concept work. This was done in response to Noah Bradley's seminar on creating quick pieces.

"The Look of Return to Ravnica" and "The Art of Gatecrash"

I recently found two very useful articles on the style of two recent magic sets, Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash. They deal with the very relevant struggle of reimagining the aesthetics of a previous set. "Return to Ravnica" is a modernization of "Ravnica: City of Guilds" which was released back in 2006. Armed with more experienced artists and a greater set vision, the team reaffirmed the roles of each guild in a more relevant light, citing the shortfalls they faced in the previous incarnation.

The first article of the two, "The Look of Return to Ravnica" can be found here:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/214a

While the second, "The Art of Gatecrash" can be found here:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/231b

The new guides address the issues faced by the old team, with the narrator having been on both. The narrator has with them however this time a want for a more relevant style for each guild and a stronger focus on their place within the world around them. Ravnica is a world covered by one massive city, so architecture and clothing are new points to address in assuring the success visually of the set. It's a great insight into developing culture in a fictional world.

Homelands Ferret Study

A study of one of the ferrets from the Homelands: Making of a Magic Set article, trying to achieve a more natural medium look.