Devil's Gambit Content drop #1 [WIP] (Patreon)

As per usual, I'm releasing all the timelapses and original files for this project.

At first I wanted to use this project to start incorporating more AI elements into my workflow (for texturing, polish, etc...). I thought that AI was going to become a major tool in the skill set of digital artists going forward, so it felt natural to try and get my feet wet. However, ethical and legal concerns about the construction of AI databases, but also a generic malaise that those tools are causing among fellow artists, made me change idea and go back to a full 100% hand painted look.

This change left me with a crazy amount of work required for the first episode of Devil's Gambit (15 full page illustrations, and 60+ sprites!). To tackle this project without downsizing it, I had to come up with a completely new style for illustration, inspired by the work of Asian artists I follow. In this style i use a single lighting layer (in hard light) on top of a flat base, with a special brush designed to add color and blend it at the same time (which I included in this post). On top of this I only add minor corrections, making this not easy but... doable.

I think the end results speak for themselves, and I will also offer this type of look for commission openings too by the beginning of next month.