The Campaign Builder's Guild

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

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.

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...

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)

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

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

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

Way of the Samurai 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 (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.