A Blank Canvas

Artistically Speaking

Wright was an artist who got started early, describing his high school self as "that guy that did everyone's character sketches." Unfortunately, he compared himself to pros Larry Elmore and Brom, both famous fantasy artists, and found himself so lacking he didn't consider a career in illustration.

Lucky for gaming, Wright hit upon the feeling many creative types get - namely the "Good Lord, I may not be perfect, but I'm better than that!" feeling - when he attended Origins in 2000. "I went to a booth to buy the latest book from a publisher whose games I really liked. ... As I walked away, I opened the book and saw the art for the first time. It was really bad. Like ballpoint pen on a cocktail napkin bad. I turned right around and gave the guys at the booth a card with my website address on it. ... When I got home from the con, they had already emailed, [asking] me to send them more samples of my art. Within three months, I was working on my first book."

Wright says the creative process for games is different for each game and each publisher. Generally, however, he gets an order of several pieces he must draw. He does several simply from creative memory; the technical pieces he will have to look for reference art to aid him. Often, he will get a request that is a bit difficult to swallow.

"I'll look at the order and be completely lost on how to tackle it," Wright says of these requests. "Or I'll have no idea how to convey the art director's intent. Oddly, these pieces will often be the ones with the most detailed descriptions. Too much detail for me to fit into a 4x6-inch drawing. Things like, 'A barbarian stands on a pile of his fallen foes. Behind him, a tattered banner flutters in the wind. He is wounded in seven places but raises his sword defiantly. Reflected in the wet metal of his blade we see another wave of attackers ready to sweep over him - but they are afraid.' These sorts of orders make me laugh."

Ernest prefers to lend detailed guidance to his artists. "As an art director, you need to be comfortable expressing what you want, because otherwise you can't be sure [what you'll get]."

Board game companies aren't the only tabletop games that rely heavily on art: RPGs can live and die by their art. You can write the best source book in the world, but it's unlikely to sell if the gamer is staring at stick figures on every third page.

RPGs require more art than illustration, as the page layout and borders are elements that separate the pro books from the amateur. Most fledgling RPG designers assume that game design is all you need, but a good artist is nearly vital. White Wolf Games, publishers of Mage, Vampire and World of Warcraft among many others, values several abilities in their freelance artists.

White Wolf Production Manager and Art Director Matt Milberger says, "We look for storytelling, technique and style, as well as appropriateness to the game worlds we have. [The amount of guidance we give] depends on how much they have worked with us. In the early stages, we might be more hands-on, making sure the artist understands the world which we have created. Our vampires, werewolves, mages, etc. all have a unique look and feel. Once we feel the artist understands the look and feel of our worlds, we tend to take a more hands-off approach and allow them to explore our worlds."