Barbarian King

One of the frustrating things about work for hire contracts is that even though you may be doing tons of work, and producing artwork all the time, you can't show anyone because the work is not meant to be seen before the publishing date. For example, I've had the pleasure of working on artwork for the Dark Legacy card game, developed by Bryan Tillman (another deviantartist who I've referenced before... and you need to check out!) Most of said card pieces can't be shown because, though his game has been available for test gaming and sample card sets, the full launch hasn't happened yet. However, Bryan has just released his book on character Design with Focalpress (Creative Character Design... on sale now!!!!) and some of these card pieces have been published, allowing me to present them in this website.
This one in particular was a fun to do because it got me to delve into Viking imagery, and do a nice "power" piece that showcases posture and a nice sense of drama. The research period was pretty in depth, and the bulk of the work really came into the texture elements... but the actual pose was one I pretty much hit upon rather quickly. The actual card will feature color, and should look pretty cool, so look out for the card game, which should be premiering next year!