Here's a couple of illustrations I just created today for my next Kaidan publication, Way of the Samurai (PFRPG).
Like usual needing art and short on commission funds, so I did these myself. I used Xara Xtreme Pro 4, with no hand-drawing, just shapes with color fades, transparent fades, edge feathering, using movie poster art for reference.
First one is the Nitojutsu Sensei (two swords master Samurai archetype):
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaidan/nitojutsu-sensei.jpg)
Second one is the Onmyoji (origami wizard archetype) - the onmyoji is the court wizard thus a member of the samurai caste.
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaidan/onmyoji-final.jpg)
Interesting,
who were your models?
movie posters and Japanese model photos (for faces)...
Yeah ok, nice man. I like the "realism" in there.
While I love Pathfinder, especially as a small publisher/freelancer creating settings, adventures and supplements for it, of the Paizo art... not my cup of tea. There's an anime cartoon quality to the art, though it's still good, I like something more realistic, even of fanciful creatures. Since the primary race of Kaidan is human, depicting normal, realistic humans makes the setting feel more real. Visualizing from a player's standpoint, knowing what an onmyoji looks like just as he's casting a spell, makes it more desirable to play, don't you think?
Not as exciting as illustrations or map, these are Samurai House Crests (kammon) based on actual crests. I intend to provide 36 examples in the Way of the Samurai supplement.
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/kaidan/kammon.jpg)
I like your two people above, though I have some observations.
First thing that stood out to me is the tsuru on the second guy is at heavy odds with the holder's pose and coloring. It simply leaps out at me and doesn't look a bit like he's holding it. That could be intentional - being as it's spell-charged or something - but as a casual viewer, I will not know that.
Second, the nitoka's right-hand sword is kind of irregular looking in the blade. I like how the tsuka has irregular wrapping though, makes it look very used.
Third, a number of those crests are very familiar and very similar to real ones, which might be a bonus to guys who are really into them. Are those final drafts?
Overall your showcases are making me want to purchase PFRPG's core book and this setting's book. I had been wanting to run some old-school Oriental Adventures from 2.x D&D, but...it's easier to take something based off 3.5 than teaching players (who tend to be lazy) another system.
M.
The house crests are final drafts, and they are actual house crests. Not that I couldn't get creative and invent some myself, but I needed 36 for the supplement. Being short on time, I used true samurai clan crests for resource material.
Though I will be creating a campaign setting book this summer or after, which will contain much of what is already released, but I am creating a gazetteer for the setting, articles, monsters and much more than what exists now. So for the time being the setting material is scattered across ten different published releases - it might be better to wait until the setting handbook is released to get the 'full monty'.
My introductory adventure arc, The Curse of the Golden Spear, contains lots of this setting material in the appendices. So getting that might be worth something to you.
How much of this setting is your own work? I was under the impression that you were only contributing art. Thanks for the tip, though - I've already got my main campaign as well as some side games to tide us over a while so we can wait.
Also, koncept - spellcaster who delivers spells via paper crane.
M.
Kaidan is my homebrew, that I've been working on and off for 5 years or so. I am half Japanese, and was never happy with OA - too many mistakes. I originally published The Gift as a 1 of 3 adventures with another publisher, but then had a conflict with the publisher based on ownership of product. So I got my setting back and approached Steve Russell of Rite Publishing with the idea of co-publishing Kaidan through him, whom I had created some maps for past publications with. Basically, I am the developer, and tend to write each adventure as an outline. Steve recommended Jonathan McAnulty to be my author, as he is quite good and has a fan following - which helps sell the product. So I send my outlines to him, we dither back and forth on issues and ideas and he begins writing, keeping me updated on his progress. While I have commissioned artists now and again for cover art and interior pieces, this is usually early on in development. When it comes time for page layout (which I do as well), I find extra art needed to fill in spaces here and there, so that's when I become the illustrator to finish the work and not have to pay for it.
In doing this with Rite Publishing, I get access to quality writers, editors, designers and artists. Development and cartography is my primary inclusion.
On the credits page, there is some licensing reference at the bottom. On the Copyright line, you'll see Steven D. Russell and Michael Tumey - so there it is, I am the owner of the setting, but share copyright with Steve.
Regarding the Onmyoji (origami wizard archetype). The onmyoji uses folded origami paper for both material components (of less than 250 gp), and for somatic components. The onmyoji gains a Shikigami for a familiar with a progressive set of abilities shared between he and the familiar.
The onmyoji loses one spell per day, versus the standard PF wizard, but instead uses a Create Origami (like Create Scroll) to confer one of his known spells into a semi-permanent scroll-like origami figure, a process that takes only an hour to do. Creating a scroll takes 4 to 8 hours per scroll depending on the component cost. So an onmyoji getting to do the same thing, but as only a 1 hour process is a nice buff. That's pretty much the distinct difference between onmyoji and standard wizard.
Nifty; and this is the one you did the city map for as well, right?
(I admit I haven't followed all your releases in detail)
M.
My most recent city map, Kawashi is for Kaidan. In fact my Kawashi map is also for the same product as the illustrations and icons on this thread. Way of the Samurai is currently in editing, when I get it back, I'll will be doing page layout, for a possible release some time in April.
I did do a city map for Paizo relatively recently too, that was a commission map for Jade Regent Adventure Path, not for my own project.
Ah yes the one you hand-drew with something akin to 800 buildings. So that Jade Regent thing is in a totally seperate universe for the same system?
M.
It was over 8000 buildings. Jade Regent is Paizo's last adventure path - a 1st through 15th level campaign set in the World of Golarian (Paizo's vanilla campaign world). That adventure is about crossing the known world over the arctic circle via caravan to the far side of Golarian to the "Asian" lands of Tian Xia, and Minkai (Paizo's Japanland). Minkai is like Japan culturally, but Korea geographically since it is a peninsula of a great continental land mass.
Kaidan, my setting is more like Japan, an archipelago of islands. It was designed to be easily placed into the oceans of any given campaign setting, Golarian included. I generally don't create entire world, rather preferring 'plug and play' regions, ready to be placed in any campaign setting.
In fact Paizo knew I was creating oriental settings and that I am an accomplished cartographer, and for that reason they hired me to create their map for their oriental setting's imperial capital.
Here's my most recent town map, the one I was referring to above, that was not the Paizo map. This is the town of Kawashi, used as part of Chapter 4 of the Way of the Samurai, a sample samurai town, accompanying a detailed sample samurai clan with structure, alignment, specific goals, specific accomodations, stats for the clan leader, and major clan members, rumors and plots are captured in a short gazetteer of Kawashi - this is seed material for ready gaming use. Or to teach users of this product to utilize Chapter 3 of the supplement to design their own samurai clans. (Part 1 is IC narrated overview of the Samurai culture. Chapter 2 is samurai caste member class archetypes, prestige classes, traits, feats, spells, equipment, etc specifically for use in Pathfinder RPG.)
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/kawashi-map-med.jpg)
Quote from: Gamer Printshop
While I love Pathfinder, especially as a small publisher/freelancer creating settings, adventures and supplements for it, of the Paizo art... not my cup of tea. There's an anime cartoon quality to the art, though it's still good, I like something more realistic, even of fanciful creatures.
I know what you mean--some of those are really cartoonish big-headed weirdos that make no sense. When it comes to PC drawings though, they are much better. It's mostly the monsters that get weird.
The next illustration for those wanting to play a gunslinger in Kaidan... the Teppou Bushi
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/teppou.jpg)
Only a few more left. This one is the Kuge samurai archetype, a more courtly skilled with diplomacy, moreso than the standard samurai. While this archetype is less martially skilled, his birth right guarantees him high position in Kaidan society. Kaidan is prone give positions to blood (who you are and who you know) than skill for high politics.
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/kuge.jpg)
Ah! Now I remember where I saw your two-swords guy - 13 Assassins! Fan I assume?
M.
Takashi Miike fan actually, but yeah, that's where the two swords guy is referenced from...
Tomoe Gozan was the rare example of a female samurai warrior from historic Japan. For equal opportunity among the sexes, and in case any female gamers wish to play a samurai, this hints to the possibilities...
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/tomoe-gozan.jpg)
The way you have assembled these latest few guys is rather erie. It's all at odds. Very memorable.
M.
Ranger, yojimbo archetype is next - I've got 3 left to do for this project... (another one from 13 Assassins)
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/yojimbo-illustration.jpg)
This illustration took me 2 days to do, while the others took about a half day each. I found an awesome 6000 pixel wide photo as resource for this with lots of great detail. So the extra time was getting the details included. I've never seen a Japanese bit and bridle up close and previous photos were too poor to show it, but this one showed it cleanly. It's also rare to find such a photo with an Asian horse, rather than a typical western horse.
This is the yabusame (mounted archer samurai), enjoy!
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/yabusame-illustration.jpg)
Next illustration is the only one with a background. Since the resource photo featured him on a mountain peak and it fit the concept so well, I had to include. This is the Yamabushi, our alternate paladin class for Kaidan... enjoy!
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/yamabushi-on-the-mountain.jpg)
Wow, I love the artwork! So impressionistic. But forgive my lack of knowledge if this is a style used in another period in japanese history, but I'm kind of surprised it's not in a more printy style.
(Sorry, majoring in Fine Arts)
Much of the art in my supplements which are 'feudal Japan' feature old style Ukiyo-e woodblock print art - the public domain stuff like Yoshitoshi, Hokusai and Hiroshige. However, I prefer to place new art designed specifically for my publications. Most of my monster art was commissioned to Mark Hyzer over 2 years ago. Most of my cover designs are done by other current artists: Jan Pospisil, Simon Turnbull and Jason Rainville.
Me, I'm the owner, one of the copyright holders, the setting developer (I create the outlines that my authors: Jonathan McAnulty and Trevor H. Gulliver do the writing.) I am primarily the cartographer (I did the map on page 1 of this thread, and with many other publications beyond my own.) However, I am also the page layout guy, and when I do that, I too often come up with empty spaces in the layout that needs art to fill it. I'm on a tight budget and I usually can't hire new art commissions on the spot to fill them, so that leaves me to be the illustrator.
I knew in my upcoming Way of the Samurai supplement (which all these pieces in this thread was designed for) was going to be short on samurai art, so I went ahead in the last two weeks and created all this to fill the need. I do roughly an illustration a day, though some of them - the last two above especially took a couple days each. I use a vector drawing program for my maps and illustrations. I'm not the best illustrator, but good enough for a publication and within my budget (nearly non-existent).
While there are many examples of good ukiyo-e print art for samurai, most of it (since I don't pay for it) is low res, and sometimes my publications go to printing houses where 300 ppi art is the requirement. I fudge that by forcing the 72 dpi art into 300 dpi art, but really that's a poor way to do it. I also needed specific ilustrations for the Pathfinder class archetypes, which all my supplements are consisted of. For this project, I needed a Teppou Bushi (gunslinger), 3 types of samurai, a wizard, a ranger and I can't always find the best public domain stuff to fill this exact need. I've also got 2 prestige classes, and am a bit confounded on how best to depict them (knowing what kind of resource photos I need.) So instead, I searched for photos with poses that fit my needs, then I base them as references and recreate them in vector graphics. In the last image, yamabushi, the left clenched fist was obscure in shadow and low res, so I recreated the hand in Poser rendered it and used it to reference instead. (If you have the tools, use them, I say.)
I used photographs for reference and create vector shapes with feathered edges, varying levels of transparency, color fades and the color palatte used. I'm used to the process though my success is usually hit or miss. I don't do it all the time. In fact this week with so many pieces, I am getting better and better at it. The guy on the horse was based on a high resolution photo about 6000 pixels wide, so lots of detail, and I put most of it in the illustration.
I'm not creating the art to fill a specific period style, rather within the limits of my resources, toolbox and skillset (and deadline) - so that explains the look...
Michael
Here's a really old thread where many of the deeper concepts of my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting was developed, for the newer members that hear me babble on about Kaidan, but not say anything more about it. And even for Casious Che, for thinking I was just a freelance illustrator/cartographer for the project. Kaidan is a setting made between a feudal Japan D&D experience crossed with Asian horror.
Dark Fantasy Feudal Japan Setting (http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,63829.0.html)
Way of the Samurai (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=102482) has been released (last Thursday). So far it has received two 5/5 star reviews. One of them on the same page as the previous link, while the other is here (http://rpg.org/review-way-of-the-samurai-pfrpg/) (at RPG.org).
On June 13, we are starting a new Kickstarter project to try finally collect the financing to develop a softcover B/W GM's Guide to Kaidan. If we collect more than that, then a Player's Guide to Kaidan will be created, if more than that, then a Bestiary as well. Anyone here is welcome to join when the time comes.
Michael
Sorry, I've been away a bit. Government work is busy work, etc.
I'm glad to hear your Adventure has been published. I've very recently begun dabbling in Pathfinder (as a player), so I should acquire a copy and see what within can expand my horizons. I have dabbled a little into creating my own Oriental Style setting, but it is going to be China centric.
Keep up the good work.
M.