June Teaser - Loot tier WIPs! (Patreon)

“You come to me with what’s mine.”

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Hello patrons! As Michael announced on the Warcraft channel, the theme for the month of June is Monk! This is the third and last instalment in our dragon mini-arc, a story about a druid, mage and monk teaming up to calm a raging serpent and bring an end to the destruction of the forest. I'm excited to show you some of the drawing and designing and thinking that goes into what we do every month.

- The dragon itself is very heavily inspired by Asian fantasy aesthetics, but we also took some influence from Tolkien's Smaug! We loved the red and how the style of the old Hobbit book cover illustrations lent itself to the graceful, winding shapes you see in Asian dragons. We also wanted a little tension, to make it unclear if the dragon is benevolent or not - which we felt Smaug was an appropriate blueprint for.

- For our setting, we looked a lot at the more idyllic Mists of Pandaria zones, and at the ruins of ancient East Asian temples. The little streams are a nod to the fact that water is very commonly associated with Eastern dragon folklore.

- As for the monk, I just really wanted to draw a cat man. My excuse is that cats are lithe, patient and poised - good qualities for a monk to have! Their design is a blend between FFxiv-style anthropomorphic characters, and the Khajit from the Elder Scrolls.

Thanks so much for your support, I'm really glad I get to share this peak behind the scenes with you all!

- Jess