27 days ago - PDX-Trinexx - Direct link
Hello everyone! Ahead of our release date announcement for Roads to Power, we decided to give everyone a peek behind the curtain and see some of the stages our keyart for Roads to Power went through before reaching the final version we revealed yesterday. While this won't be as detailed as art featurettes we've done in the past (such as the Lady of Shalott from Legends of the Dead), we hope you still find it interesting and informative about the artistic process.





1 - keyart concepts.png
[Image 1 - We start off with a series of rough sketches for several different options to convey the general idea of each concept from the artist.]

2 - chosen concept sketch.png

[Image 2 - Once a concept is settled on, a more elaborate sketch is created to test and demonstrate the viability of the concept]

3 - arranging the scene.png
[Image 3 - At this point the scene is arranged in 3D space to get a feel for how "real" the composition is, and to identify any issues with it]

4 - the scene in blender.png
[Image 4 - The final composition in Blender.]

5 - coming together.png
[Image 5 - The artist slowly replaces elements of the 3D composition with their hand-drawn artwork, maintaining the lighting and perspective as much as possible.]


6 - revision notes.png
[Image 6 - The artwork is sent in for review and revisions. There are several rounds of these revisions, each time refining the artwork further. The review notes are in Swedish. NOTE: This is a very high-resolution image; right-click and open it in a new tab to see the full size!]

7 - final keyart.png
[Image 7 - After many, many revisions, we eventually reach the final keyart for Roads to Power!]

8 - bonus model hippodrome city.png
[Bonus: A closer view of the 3D model depicting settlement with a hippodrome and plaza]

9 - bonus model emperor.png
[Bonus: A closer look at the 3D model of the emperor, who looms over and dominates the scene as a whole.]




And that's all we have for today! Remember to check back with us on Monday from 6 PM CEST for the kickoff of our Roads to Power campaign!  
27 days ago - PDX-Trinexx - Direct link
AlfredRWallace said: Really cool! Never expected such an elaborate process. Creating a 3D scene in blender to then recreate it in 2D kinda feels like that one Spongebob scene.

98751ec4ee537464ec848549940580f390d397b1.gif
One advantage is that it makes it easier for certain characters to remain consistent between different pieces.

You'll be seeing a few of the things in this keyart again.