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Since folk like the aesthetics of Nibiru, we figured it'd be cool to talk about art, and how (at least we) see it in the TTRPG space. This is a very complex topic, so we'd start off talking about an overview of the industry and art. Let us know if you want more of these! (1/10)
Art has been growing in importance in tabletop space for a while, with projects selling based on the art alone, in some cases featuring systems that are tailor made to bring an artist's personal project to gaming (see games like Tales from the Loop and Scythe) (2/10)
While its cool to get nice looking games, two big issues have to be contended with, related to how much the industry pays artists, and how the trend of high-art-density games can push small indie developers out of the market. If you're one of those indie devs, keep reading (3/10)
One of the first things it's good to know if you don't really know much about art, is the difference between ilustration and concept art. The first one is meant to be a finalized art piece, evoking your ideas and themes in a particular style and with good level of detail. (4/10)
The second one is meant to help you visualize your world, and generally is made much faster, utilizing several tools to make the job quicker and easier. Focus and detail are selective (see how we marked this BB concept art), the point is to pin down ideas and inform design (5/10)
This distinction is important because a lot of TTRPG companies want ilustration while paying concept art rates, while at the same time not knowing the difference. Because of that, concept artists tend to use tried-and-true ways to make their concept art piece more detailed (6/10)
That means a lot of concept-art-made-into-illo looks samey. For example, artists will kitbash or photobash a scene and then paint over it with a broad textured brush. This isn't the fault in the concept artist's side, who're doing what they're asked for, but of management (7/10)
If you have a project, learning some really basic notions on art will help give direction to artists. You don't have to be an expert: just making sure you're specific in your briefs, and use PLENTY of references (you can check out pinterest for that) helps A LOT. (8/10)
Toying around in Pinterest for a while, as well as in http://artstation.com , should help you build a moodboard that you can give your artists - a moodboard being an art library that conveys mood, color schemes and styles you wanna see in your art. See one of ours below! (9/10)
Thinking on your game's themes, how they relate to color, building an image in your head, will help TONS even before you go out to find an artist. We'll talk about that next time :)
We are also still learning a lot; it's a process! If you have any questions, let us know (10/10)
We are also still learning a lot; it's a process! If you have any questions, let us know (10/10)
