Rhino Tutorial Series is Live!















Greetings,

We're already into November now with winter approaching quickly. As I mentioned in the last post, I've been working on a series of tutorial videos for Youtube explaining my process for doing 2D design work. You can find the first one here:


This first set of videos will walk through the basics for creating images using the various curve commands. For those that are interested in trying the program out, I've linked the download page in the video description. Keep in mind the downloadable demo should include all of the features of the program and will allow you to use those commands for 90 days. At the end of that trial period, you lose the ability to save your work but I think all the other commands remain functional. If anyone decides to take up Rhino seriously, I recommend getting a student license. It's much more affordable than the full retail license and you only need to provide proof of student status. I obtained a student version many years ago and I'm still using it to this day.

That's it for now. The second and third parts of the tutorial are going to go up consecutively each day. I'll probably do supplemental shorter "tips and tricks" videos in the future based on the response, especially if people have questions I didn't address in the videos themselves. I might also do some normal speed drawing videos with voiceover commentary.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

Halloween Event Concludes, Upcoming Content Updates!















Happy Halloween!

As of today, the countdown even draws to a close. To summarize all of the pieces, I've put together a short compilation video of all the masks in the "Faceless Summoner" series.




It was a pretty interesting project to work on. All of the production work getting the masks done combined with learning filming and video editing was a new experience. I think it was worth it and the response has been quite positive. I've already started planning for next year's event which will have to be more complex. I did get capture footage of the drawing process for each of the emblems for the masks and I will be posting them at random times going forward to keep up the content.

As far as upcoming content goes, I will be posting some footage of a new pumpkin I've been working on. It got sidelined a bit while I got the Summoner content up but I do intend to finish it as a sort of post-Halloween celebration. There will be a post here and a spotlight video once it's finished, most likely some time in November. I'm also working on a new dragon trophy which will probably get posted in the next few months.

Starting on November 2nd, I will begin uploading the Rhinoceros Tutorial videos on Youtube. These videos are meant to be an introduction to using Rhino for 2D design work. I've set up capture footage of myself walking through the program with voiceover commentary. The first part of the tutorial series is broken up into 3 parts and should go up consecutively each day.

That's it for now. Thanks to everyone that stopped by during the countdown!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #9: Nightmare Stalker Jhagan
















Here is the last entry in the Halloween countdown.


This is the Nightmare Stalker Jhagan. As is the tradition for each entry, here's his lore.

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I finally worked up the courage to confront Ardelrius. After descending the skypeak where the Naetherspawn city was built, the traveler continued south. It was on this path where I revealed myself and sought an audience with Ardelrius. I explained that I was from the village plagued by Tirradol. Of course the featureless face of the robed traveler was unreadable. I went on to tell Ardelrius that I had been following on the numerous stops we had made and had witnessed the defeat of all those creatures up to this point.

Ardelrius listened to my tale and then spoke to me. It talked in that hollow rasp of a voice making its gender impossible to read. The faceless summoner told me that my life would be in great danger if I continued to follow on its journey. I begged the traveler to let me continue the journey as a way to help repay the debt for saving our village. Ardelrius made no discernible response and then turned back to the path.

With our introduction out of the way, the two of us followed the Artann Road south. At day’s end we made camp near the outskirts of a large human settlement. A large outcropping of rocks served as a good hiding spot while I built a small fire. I was curious to see if my mysterious traveling companion slept or ate.

Both of us sat watching the fire in silence as night covered everything in darkness. Ardelrius stood and walked over to a large clearing in front of the rock outcropping. Using the end of the tree-like staff, the robed creature began drawing an intricate runic mark in the dirt, eventually etching a circular symbol. I asked about the drawing but was met with only silence. When it came time to sleep, I unrolled my bedding near the fire while Ardelrius sat in the center of the rune. It wasn’t long before I drifted into unconsciousness.

I have to say that my sleep has been uneasy since I started this journey. There was a constant fear of danger that kept me from sleeping more than a couple hours at a time. This night I slept soundly and dreamt for the first time in weeks.

In my dream, I followed Ardelrius along a flattened path through a field of blood-red grass. The sky was an unusual purple above and everything seemed to pulse with an otherworldly aura. We stopped at the edge of the path and the summoner stared up at the sky in front of us. Before I could ask what we were doing, the same circular rune suddenly appeared high above, transfixing in the sky. A black shadow seeped out from the seal, dripping down like viscous oil. It coalesced into solid from and took shape before us.

I was immediately reminded of the fear I felt in the Abyssal Temple. The creature that faced us now was a nightmarish beast that towered above. Two beady eyes on one side of the face were a sharp contrast with the single large dark eye on the opposite side and that eye was lined with a purple scar. The beast had a mouth that split the right side of the face and was brimming with sharp fangs. After taking note of its surroundings the creature introduced itself as “Jhagan”. I shrank away from the monster’s visage while Ardelrius prepared to fight.

Once again the battle did not last long. Ardelrius dodged the strikes of his enemy with minimal effort. This time, my traveling companion summoned raging firestorms not unlike the breath of the dragons. The licking flames kept Jhagan’s movement pinned down. Despite its apparent ability to phase out of its surroundings and hide itself, eventually Ardelrius cornered Jhagan and struck a finishing blow with the tree-staff. Like the others, the demonic creature was consumed by light and then absorbed into the artifact.

I awoke the next morning to see the sun shining. The events of last night’s dream were hazy but remained in my mind. Ardelrius was still sitting in the runic circle, those unblinking eyes staring off into nothing. The traveler wasted no time and rose, stating it was time to move on. I hastily packed my things, the vivid dream still haunting me. Did the summoner claim another defeated foe? Did that battle actually happen? We started off on the path again and I made no attempt to question my companion. If I continue to follow this faceless summoner, would it eventually come for my soul? What was the point of all these battles? What was that impending catastrophe this creature was preparing for? I feel like I have more questions than ever but I must continue this journey and find the truth.
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Front View

Side View
As the last of the designs in the series, I think Jhagan might be one of my favorites. I went for something dramatically different here focusing on asymmetry for a more chaotic look. This was one of the only designs that I didn't sketch out before making. I knew I wanted a creature with a large mouth full of teeth so that's the first design element I built from. This is also the only mask to have glass taxidermy eyes. I decided to add those, sacrificing visibility on that side of the face. When wearing the mask, that doesn't impair vision too much but it is harder to see. The lighter glass stones were arranged randomly on the face to add to the chaotic look. The forehead crystal and teeth glow in the dark as well.

For Jhagan's color, I was trying to make sure the palette didn't look to close to any of the other pieces in the series so far. This resulted in me doing something I've never done with a mache piece. Since I was painting Jhagan at the same time as Caeliphera and Thalgre, I had containers of their colors with leftover paint. For Jhagan, I mixed all of the shades together in a couple of batches and then applied the tones over the whole mask. The lighter purple highlighting was done at the end. At the end, the final result was a somewhat blended palette that still looked distinct. I think this is pretty symbolic since Jhagan was sort of the culmination of all the techniques I used on the masks up to this point.

Here's the final piece of concept art. I think it does a good job showing the main design elements of Jhagan. The painted primary is an interesting take on what the entire monster itself would look like. I hadn't even thought that far ahead so it works for me. I like the lower right sketch. I think that pose actually looks more fearsome than the final colored piece.

That's it for the masks in this wave of the Faceless Summoner series. I started this project with the intention of making it ongoing and I'll be doing another wave of faces for Ardelrius in the future. It may or may not be a sequential event like I did for Halloween but I feel like both the concept and the lore behind it are worth expanding upon in the future.

I'll be making another post tomorrow to wrap up the countdown. It's been interesting putting out this much content consecutively but I think it was a good experience. I'll also talk a bit more about the design content that's going up in November.

Stay tuned,

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #8: Skyborne Hellion Thalgre
















Here's the second to last entry in the countdown.


This is the Skyborne Hellion, Thalgre. As usual, here's the lore article.

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After crossing the forestlands past the territory of the ogres, I followed Ardelrius west in the direction of the coast. The traveler took a turn south, heading up toward the Kuradel Steppes, a series of mountains that reach above the lower cloud layer. It seems the wandering traveler’s current target is the pathway through the skypeak which will lead back towards the cities farther south.

A single winding mountain path cut through the skypeaks, a perilous journey for any person.  Still keeping my distance, I kept on Ardelrius' trail. Fortunately, our passage through the ogre settlement had yielded more provisions and I was able to keep going while keeping out of the traveler’s sight. At last, we came to the gates of a great city built into the sides of the mountain.

Pure azure stone gates barred entrance to what appeared to be a demon city. Two massive guards descended, stopping Ardelrius. They had plated scaled blue skin, sharp claws, horns, and large feathered wings. Remembering back to the tales told to me when I was young, these must be Naetherspawn! Fragmented documents from the lore tomes speak of monstrous creatures that were born on another plane like the Ones of the Abyss and found their way to our realm through a rift. These creatures are similar to the demons but appear to be much more intelligent. As far as I know, the Naetherspawn live secluded lives in their cities far outside normal reach of humans. They prefer to keep to themselves apparently.

I watched Ardelrius speak to the guards before they opened the gates. Emerging from within was a large Naetherspawn warrior. He looked to be a commanding officer of their armed forces as he was clad in plated armor and brandishing a curved blade. I heard the great beast introduce himself as Thalgre of the Skyborne and it appeared he knew Ardelrius. The robed traveler spoke of an approaching calamity and referenced several names I hadn’t heard before. It sounded like he was asking this Thalgre for his aid. In response to this information, Thalgre issued a challenge to the wanderer. If Ardelrius could best him in combat in their arena, he would agree to offer his help. Of course the traveler agreed and followed the creatures into their city. I climbed around the rocky cliffs near the city walls to get a better look. Fortunately, there was a rough path that helped me get to the top in between two of the sentry towers.

This combat arena happened to be a couple blocks from my position atop the wall. I could see down into the paved square clearing that was bordered by sloping stone benches. It was here Ardelrius and the Naetherspawn warrior fought. The fight didn’t last long and eventually the robed traveler emerged victorious. Thalgre was left kneeling before Ardelrius, his body wounded from the various attacks.

Like the others before, I expected the blue monster to curse his enemy and deny his loss. Instead, the massive winged creature rose and acknowledged his defeat to Ardelrius. After agreeing to lend the summoner his aid, Thalgre stood while a bright white shined forth from the tree-like staff. When the light faded, all that remained was a stone statue of Thalgre, a perfect preservation of his image. Apparently this is what happens when these Naetherspawn lose their souls. Having claimed another, Ardelrius prepared to depart the city in the sky.
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Front View
 
Side View
Thalgre started off as a very different design. The original foil shell I used a base was smaller than the rest and I wasn't sure what kind of creature I was going to design. Eventually I settled on a shape that was similar to Grahl but had some more defining features. The large curved horns were original going to point outwards but I angled them back to make the design different from Grahl. I also used the glass stones on Thalgre's forehead, choosing colors that would compliment the red horns.

For Thalgre's color palette, I had the idea of a sky demon in mind and knew the overall scheme was going to be lighter. Since K'taerthos was the only blue monster so far, I decided to go lighter for Thalgre and used a mix of light blue and turquoise for his skin. The bright green patterning around his mouth was blended for contrast and I think it adds variation without looking too much like lipstick.


Lastly, here's the concept art for Thalgre. I do like in the rendered image how the teeth are angled outwards and numerous just like the original piece. The color scheme translates well here and I like the contrasting horns and gems. It should be noted that based on the lore, Thalgre isn't supposed to be an evil creature. I feel like this is hard to get a cross given his species and I'm glad the sketch in the bottom left wasn't used. The huge mouth of teeth does a good job in capturing that design element but it would've ended up looking too sinister I think.

That's it for this entry. There's one more mask to post tomorrow and then we'll start wrapping up before Halloween.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #7: Blight Empress Caeliphera

 














Next entry, let's go. This one is interesting.



This is the first insect-type mask, Caeliphera. Her lore is included below.

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Rites of the Blight Empress: Sacrifice

These rites are transcribed for any that take up the cause of our glorious cult in the future should our numbers dwindle. We are the Envenomed and we pledge our undying servitude to the great Blight Empress, Caeliphera. Ever since she first descended to our mortal plane, our followers have carried out her will and done everything in our power to further spread her influence. The Grand Temple of Sacrifice lies in the west, past the forestlands inhabited by the ogres and near the coast. It is here and the surrounding settlements where most of us gather. We meet on the final night of the month to honor our great empress and hear her wishes. When she calls for it, we bring a sacrifice as well.

If you are a new acolyte to the ranks of the Envenomed, perhaps you are unfamiliar with the form of the empress. Far exceeding the capabilities of a mere human, our leader is of the Plague Eater tribe, a small race of sentient insect demons. Her kind is said to reside on another plane altogether and I don’t believe any others have been observed on our world. Empress Caeliphera’s regal form is a site to behold, fitting of her commanding presence. Those that have seen her in a rare instance of combat know that her rending claws and corrosive venom are capable of subduing even the mighty dragons. It’s said that even the Sealed Ones of the Abyss cannot withstand her strikes.

On to the subject of sacrifices. On the night where we honor the Blight Empress, it’s critical for only the most powerful of subjects to be brought forth. Our leader demands great sacrifice and we, her loyal followers would earn her wrath if we presented an inferior specimen. No, the strongest of humans, demons, or even ogres must be selected. When we cast our sacrifice into the Jade Portal, there can be no question that they are worthy for our empress.
Last week, a strange traveler arrived at our temple grounds. It was a black-robed figure with a featureless face. I suppose it was a human, perhaps one cursed by one of the other deities of this world. Anyway, the traveler asked to see the inner sanctum of our sacrificial temple with the intention of becoming empress Caeliphera’s newest sacrifice. Such a thing has never been asked of us but our leaders took considerable interest in the walking staff of that traveler. They agreed that the artifact itself would be of value to our leader and so they led the traveler to the Jade Portal. The leaders must have been excited to present this impromptu sacrifice for they didn’t even begin the greeting rites and simply cast the traveler into the portal. Since then, we have not heard any new orders from the Blight Empress. The last night of the month draws near so we will gather once again to hear her wishes.  Perhaps she will shower us with a greater blessing than normal for providing an extra sacrifice…

Front View

Side View

I went into this particular design with a theme in mind. The original concept sketches I made were of a bug-like creature and I went with the poison theme since it seemed to fit. This mask has a different shape than the others as a result. The mouth section consists of those pointed mandible-like extensions which is a bit of a departure from the other more straight-forward designs. I added the long antennae on top to complete the insect-like look. This mask is also unique since it has actual eyes. The open spots in the middle are actually supposed to be breathing vents. I felt that the piece needed visible eyes to really sell the design. Caeliphera is probably most inspired by praying mantis insects.

For the color scheme, I had to be careful not to make the colors too similar to Tirradol. I knew the green primary color was going to be perfect for reflecting the venomous color scheme and I blended the shades with lighter greens and yellows to keep it from getting too dark. The mouth parts turned out pretty well with the darker purple shades and they stand out well. The off-white stones set in the forehead and chin help with the contrast.


The concept art for Caeliphera is pretty straight-forward. Her design translates pretty easily into drawn form. The painted primary sketch of her body was the artist's interpretation. I think it's fitting. Caeliphera's whole lore setup is that she's some sort of greater insect demon and she would need to have a commanding presence.

That's it for this piece. We've got two more entries left in the countdown.

See you then!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #6: Gluttonous Ogre Voracion















Here's entry number 6 (face #5) in the Halloween series.



This is the Gluttonous Ogre, Voracion. Just like the all the others, here is Voracion's lore.

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It’s been two weeks since I left the coastal temple. I continued to follow Ardelrius north along the coast. The robed traveler passed through the ruins of a destroyed city called Heisath. From the way it navigated the battered streets, it seemed Ardelrius had been here before. After an hour of crossing the central square of the ruins, Ardelrius stopped at an open clearing. Burned into the ground near some rubble was a large singed black outline. I watched the creature stop and stare at the marking for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, it made a gesture with its staff and then continued on.

We left the Heisath and took a turn west toward the forestlands. This was the territory of the ogres, great beasts of a separate species from the demons we knew. They had constructed numerous crude dwellings within the forest and Ardelrius headed straight into the most prominent settlement. Fortunately, the dense clustering of trees made it easy to keep myself hidden while I followed. I kept my eyes out for the ogres as well. I’ve heard they can smell humans from a considerable distance.

The mysterious stranger had only gone a short distance into the ogre settlement when he was surrounded and accosted by a squad of the brutish beasts. They led the intruder into their town square and waited. While the wanderer stood with the ogres pointing their spears on all sides, a large form appeared before them atop the platform in the village square. It was the leader of this ogre village, a massive creature named Voracion. I’ve heard ogres are stupid and barely capable of forming sentences but Voracion seemed different. He didn’t look at all surprised to see the stranger and also didn’t appear to be threatened by its presence. After gloating about his recent razing of Heisath and the apparently invincible nature of his army, Voracion demanded that the stranger hand over his walking staff. There was an awkward moment of silence, the robed wandering making no sort of response.  When one of the guards walked up to take the staff, Ardelrius turned, made a single gesture, and turned the ogre to dust, armor and all. This seemed to spark a reaction in the ogre leader and he descended from the platform to face Ardelrius.

The fight between the two was brutal but quick. Voracion was a savage fighter and he fought with the ruthlessness and cunning expected of a leader. He was unable to defeat his foe and it seemed clear the fight itself was little challenge to Ardelrius. After dodging many crushing blows from the enemy, the wanderer raised his tree-staff and summoned what looked to be blades of stone from the ground! They struck up in a line in all directions, cutting Voracion through his armor and dropping him to his knees. The injured commander bellowed for his troops to aid him but they didn’t come forward. All of the armed beasts shrank away from Ardelrius’ gaze. While his fallen foe spat curses at his betrayal and his enemy, the traveler walked forth and held his staff out. A blinding yellow light consumed the area and when it had faded, the massive ogre leader was gone. The destroyed pieces of his armor sat on the ground but the beast himself was nowhere to be seen. It was at this point the other troops broke rank and took off into the forest in a panic. Ardelrius made a slight bow towards the pile of armor and then set off through the village and back into the forest. It seems the tree-like staff is some sort of artifact that’s linked to the disappearance of those defeated by Ardelrius. I feel like I’m closer to discovering the truth…
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Front View

Side View
This mask was interesting to make. I did the construction of each in waves and Voracion was part of the second wave I made. Going into the initial design process, I knew I wanted a demonic looking creature with a huge mouth and lots of teeth. What began as an almost feline look on paper slowly evolved over time to get the more ogre-like shape in the final piece. From the front, Voracion looks almost like a gremlin which I suppose is fitting. I wanted to make sure to add the sharp spiky protrusions around his face while not making them whisker-shaped. After I had glued the glow in the dark teeth in, I had an idea. Several of the previous masks have glowing teeth but Voracion has those two crystal things above his eyes. Those glow as well and you can actually a creepy grinning face when the lights go out. That just might be one of my favorites design elements of all the masks so far. I'll revisit that idea again later.

For Voracion's color palette, I wanted to make something lighter that would set itself apart from the darker color schemes so far. Grahl, K'taerthos, and Calderyn all had darker shades in their color scheme so I initially went bright yellow with Voracion. I blended in some darker colors and made the shading darken more around his face and eyes. After adding the blackwash, this made the colors stand out a bit and I'm pleased with the effect. It still creates a neat contrast with the teeth and brow crystals. I also experimented a bit more with the coverage and placement of anchor magnets for this one. Note the head covers more of the top of Ardelrius and the chin has a plate that extends back. This allowed me to make sure the anchor magnets on the face had plenty of room to align with the ones set on Ardelrius. The end result is a snug fit and this mask stays in place pretty well.


Here's the concept art. I feel like some of the more feline sub-elements come out here. It's probably the ears and big grin on the rendered image that do it. I wanted to make sure to have Voracion drawn with a larger build like the other monsters. He's also a commander like Grahl so I felt this should be prominent in the drawing. If nothing else, there should be some hints at his gluttonous nature. The bottom left sketch is a bit more comical than the others so far. Perhaps the ogre is looking at some food...

That's it for this one. Tomorrow we will be back with another piece that's going to be a bit more of a departure design-wise from the ones posted so far.

Stay tuned,

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #5: Cinder Drake Calderyn
















Here's the fifth entry in the countdown:



This is the fiery dragon, Calderyn. The accompanying lore writeup is pasted in below.

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This world is full of monsters, demons, beings of the ethereal and plenty of other creatures besides humans. Included of course are the dragons. Regal, illusive, and worthy of their reputation, the dragons have long since been cemented in the lore of the realm. While mostly keeping to themselves and having little to do with what they consider “lesser species”, enough interaction with the dragons has been recorded to document their legacy.

Many dragons make their home in areas that reflect their elemental affinity. Fire dragons prefer volcanic regions, water dragons live in the oceans, sky dragons roost in the high mountains and so on. As a result, it’s not common to see a dragon yourself unless you do something to anger it. This is especially true in the tale of the Cinder Drake. In times where a dragon enters a pact with another being, it’s not uncommon for them to become guardians or protectors. The powerful female fire dragon, Calderyn is one such case. Documented accounts of the western Heisath kingdom tell of a heroic knight that found the fallen body of the great fire dragon near the base of the Torun mountains. Dragons frequently make their home on the skypeak and this one looked like it had been attacked for it was near death. The knight who was never named in the scrolls apparently tended to the wounds of the dragon and helped it recover. After she had regained her strength, the dragon named Calderyn told the knight that her kind had been forced from the mountains after being attacked by a pack of demons. They had apparently been fighting with the northern territory packs and in retaliation they struck the dragons where they had been living. Calderyn survived the fall from the skypeak but would have died had the knight not helped her recover. To show her thanks, the beast offered to become a guardian of Heisath. The kingdom itself was frequently the target of raids from nearby demons and lawless humans.

The scrolls also tell of a great battle that burned Heisath to the ground. Following a tremendous quake that decimated the city, a detachment of ogres from the west laid siege to the battered kingdom. Many of the knights had been out helping secure territory across the continent and thus Heisath was not prepared to fend off the ogres after the quake. They leveled the buildings, slaughtered hundreds and left the once prosperous city in smoldering ruins. Calderyn herself fought bravely to the end but could not drive the hordes of ogres back. The final scroll recovered from Heisath tells of her last moments once the armies had moved on. As she lay dying once again near the city gates, a form appeared before her. Witness accounts describe a featureless creature shaped like a human clothed in a black robe and wielding a tree-like staff. There are no further records of what this figure did but it’s rumored that it absorbed the soul of the dying dragon, for no trace of the great beast was ever found. A single scorched outline was found etched into the ground at Heisath but nothing more.
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Front View

Side View
For this mask, I knew I wanted to go back to doing a dragon-like design. Those that followed the last mask I did might recognize the plated mandible extensions on Calderyn's face. That's because she's the same species of dragon as Ignir from the Trinitus mask. I do want to create some connected themes as I'm building this world these creatures inhabit.

When I was doing the design elements for Calderyn, I wanted to have a the horns but their layout and shaped changed a few times during the constructions process. I think the long curved horns worked out fine though it does make this mask much wider than the others. This mask needs to sit on a certain branch of the tree so it doesn't cause problems with the rest. Finally, the color scheme is pretty straight forward. I went with darker reds for the fire color scheme but also mixed in the yellow highlights and darker purple horns for contrast.


Here's the concept work for Calderyn. This one turned out to be interesting. I told our artist that I didn't have any specific things in mind for Calderyn's body. I just laid out the facts that she's a fire element dragon and let the artist interpret the rest. The end result is what you see here. I'm happy with the fully rendered design and the painted "primary" sketch near the top is definitely in line with what I would envision for this type of creature.

That's it for this entry. See you next time!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #4: Abyssal Horror K'taerthos















Here's the fourth installment in the daily countdown to Halloween:



This is Abyssal Horror K'taerthos. As usual, I've written up the lore for this mask. It's a bit more of a read this time.

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It’s been one month since I left our village. I traveled north since that was the logical path of the mysterious traveler. The route would take me toward the demon territories but that didn’t matter. I had to learn the truth. After the incident with Tirradol, the mysterious of the visitor plagued my mind. When one of our trade caravans mentioned seeing the black-robed figure on the northern path, I knew it was my chance. I had to find the traveler and learn the truth. If nothing else, I had to thank the wanderer for saving our village and driving away the monster. Our crops returned in full so I can only assume the visitor killed or forced Tirradol to flee.

I was able to cross the demon territories in two days. The massive gates of Draesadir lead into the largest of their territories, a place ruled by a greater demon named Grahl. I thought I’d have to sneak through the city to pass but upon my arrival, there was nothing. The houses and huts looked abandoned and there was not a single demon to be found. The entire city was a tomb and looked to have been deserted quite some time. Either way, I was thankfully able to move on and secured some provisions along the way.

A large temple was built along the coastline to the north. The stone monument was set into the cliff sides above the waves. As I followed the path towards the water I saw the shape of mysterious traveler! Either it had taken some time to rest or my haste had allowed me to catch up quickly. Ardelrius looked to be making for the temple so I followed after, keeping a safe distance in case danger was close by.

It was nightfall by the time Ardelrius reached the entrance to the temple. A single stone pathway cut into the cliff was the only way to get to the temple’s opening. I’m no mountain climber and the path down was dangerous. Still maintaining my distance, I followed the traveler into the temple.

The ones that built this temple must have been part of some sort of cult. All across the walls were verses of some text in arcane prayers. I could read them since they looked to be written in our language. Anyway, I watched Ardelrius reach the center of the temple. A flat stone sacrificial alter was adorned with carved statues and more of the text. The traveler produced an object and dropped it onto the altar. At first I couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like a large piece of meat from an animal. Looking closer, I could see that it was severed arm of a demon! I recognized the claws and scarred purple hide.

Seconds after the blood began to soak into the altar, I saw the great torches lining the chamber burst into blue flame. The same light began to illuminate these arcane rune symbols painted on the walls. From the far wall behind the altar, the stone began to warp and distort. A black portal appeared, resonating with the symbols as Ardelrius stood, unmoving. What appeared from the portal I wish I could unsee, reader.
I’ve heard tales of the ancient horrors. In past times when creatures greater than the demons roamed our realm, it’s said that the most fearsome were subdued and sealed away to prevent widespread calamity. They tell these stories to children but what I have witnessed is no fairy tale. A beast from the darkest shadow appeared in the temple that day. It had two glowing eyes, numerous crystalline fixtures on its head and a circular mouth with rows of teeth. Countless tentacle appendages pulled it through the portal and it faced Ardelrius who was dwarfed by its mass. I really contemplated fleeing then as just gazing upon the monster made me feel like I was looking at the physical manifestation of insanity. I’m still not sure what happened. A fierce battle was waged in that temple and when it was over, the abyssal horror was gone. Once again, the traveler was victorious. As Ardelrius departed the temple, I was faced with the choice to follow or turn back. Part of me wished the return to the safety of our village but another part was still desperate to know the truth. What was the goal of this mysterious being? It may cost me my life but I must know the truth…

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Front View

Side View
I followed the same set of processes for creating K'taerthos as I did for the last two entries. One major difference for this one is the overall coverage of the mask. You can see in the side shot how the top and fin-like parts go back over the Ardelrius main mask as opposed to just the face area. That combined with the pointed protrusions on the face itself make K'taerthos one of the heavies of the masks in the series. The curved teeth are all made of the glow in the dark Fimo and they light up great in the dark. You see nothing but an eerie circular maw of teeth.

For the color scheme I wanted to go with a darker somewhat aquatic scheme that still had some contrasting elements. The green stones set in the face turned out to be perfect for this and they almost seem to glow strong light.

Lastly, here's the concept art. I really had to think about how I envisioned the rest of K'taerthos' body. I knew it had to be bulky and armored and I do think the addition of many tentacles would be fitting for a creature of the abyss. Some might draw some parallels to the C'thulu mythos and I did keep some of those design elements in mind when designing the character. I haven't read much of the literature but I do like the thematic aspects of C'thulu. The idea of otherworldly creatures tied to themes of chaos and insanity definitely fit with K'taerthos' lore.

See you tomorrow,

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #3: Siegebound Warlord Grahl














Here's the third entry in our Halloween countdown event:


This is the demon, Grahl. Here's the lore article for this piece as well.

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We live in an era of war and bloodshed. Humans are just another frail, inferior species here to be the food and slaves for us demons. Our pack, the Fanged Conquerors are legendary in these northern territories. We’ve ruled the peons that live here with brutality for years and it’s all thanks to the leadership of our commander, Grahl. Demons are born into this realm every day but none possess the battle prowess and iron will of the commander. When the armored humans of Valengard tried to drive us out, he slaughtered three flanks of their lancers by himself! When the dragons of the skypeak burned our fields, he led the extermination force that drove them off the mountain! Lord Grahl is a ruthless but fair leader of our pack. He acknowledges and rewards those with power. Someday I hope to serve in his detachment.

Last week a strange traveler appeared on the borders of our territory. It looked human in shape but had no familiar human features. The garb of this visitor was nothing more than a black robe and its face looked like a human’s with all the notable bits burned off. I was there when the strange traveler walked through the outer gates. Where were our guards? Did they just let it pass with no questions? After walking through the rows of huts, the traveler stood before Lord Grahl’s keep and calmly waited.

One of the other advanced guard roused our leader and he appeared at the keep’s entrance to greet the stranger. Lord Grahl must have shown interest in the peculiar staff the traveler carried because I saw him gesture at it from where I was watching. I think that stranger issued a challenge to commander Grahl because the two promptly left the central grounds of our territory and vanished into the nearby wastelands. It’s been three days since they left. Where did our leader go?
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Front View




Side View
I decided to go for a different theme when I started working on Grahl. Compared to the more insect-like shape of Tirradol before, I knew this one was going to be a sort of demon. The shape of the face evolved over time and I went with flat plating behind the head to make it look like armor. The color scheme itself started off more purple but slowly blended darker as I mixed in more shades. Just like the last mask, the raised textured "lines" you see on the head are hot glue sticks. I think this is the last time I used those on the masks but I'm definitely happy with how they enhance the skin texture. Finally, I added lighter blue and red highlights for contrast. Grahl's teeth are Fimo clay but they don't glow in the dark like some of the others. Once again, a rare earth magnet in the top and bottom of the inside of the mask help secure it the main face.


Finally, here's the concept art piece for Grahl. I do like that the overall purple color scheme is preserved here complete with the lighter highlights. I thought long and hard about how Grahl's physical build would look. Being a demon commander, it makes sense to draw him with a heavy frame and I think that's communicated clearly here. My mental picture would also have war armor fit for a commanding leader too. I wouldn't getting some full drawings of these pieces done at some point.

Stay tuned for the next entry!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #2: Subterranean Killer Tirradol














Let's get right to it. Here's the second entry in the "Faceless Summoner" Series:




This is the "Subterranean Killer", Tirradol. As shown in the spotlight video, this is another papier/cloth mache mask that can be attached to Ardelrius and worn. Just like the last piece, I've drafted up some lore for Tirradol.

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For three seasons our crops withered. Our village is small and without food from our fields we were soon faced with starvation. After the third failed season, a group of our villagers set out to investigate the fields and the surrounding area. On the second night of their investigation, the group mysteriously vanished without a trace. We searched for them but no trace was found. Finally, a larger party was formed, armed with weapons this time. They set out for the fields and discovered traces of an unfamiliar creature that led down into a set of nearby caves. The hunting party again vanished after that first night.
Two days later, a lone survivor of the hunting party arrived in the village. One of the armed men, he returned in a state of sheer terror and panic. We tried to calm him down but he could only recount what had happened in fragments. Apparently some sort of beast was to blame for our crops withering and the hunting party stumbled upon its underground layer. The creature could move beneath the dirt and it ambushed the hunters, pulling them beneath the ground. What resulted was a mass slaughter of all except the lone survivor. He claimed to have laid eyes on the creature once as it killed his friends. From his panicked description we pictured a spindly insect-like monster with rough armored skin and blade-like claws. The man also claimed that the beast spoke to the hunters as it killed them. He could only hear one word, “Tirradol” so that must be its name. We couldn’t risk sending more of our people out to be slaughtered so we waited while the elders tried to find a solution.
One week after the attack was when the traveler appeared in our village. Nobody knows where it came from but it appeared out of the fog one evening. I saw it walk through the village outskirts toward the elders’ quarters. Man or woman I couldn’t tell as its body was obscured by a black robe and it carried a gnarled tree-like walking staff. The face of the creature was bizarre and unsettling to say the least. It had no discernible features save for two eyes and a narrow mouth. Its skin was a mottled orange-brown and streaked with black markings. Several of us followed the traveler and watched it knock on the doors to the main elder’s house.
It seemed like this mysterious traveler was not an enemy. We could hear it speaking to the elder in a hollow toneless voice, again making its gender unclear. The creature listened to our story from the elder and then asked where we had last seen Tirradol. Last I saw this so-called “Ardelrius”, it was venturing towards the caves. Nobody knows what happened after that but the following week our crops began to return and we never saw Tirradol or the mysterious traveler again.
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On to the mask itself. Tirradol was the first design I initially sketched when I started working on this project. As you'll see later, I've created 8 unique faces for Ardelrius each with their own distinct features and lore. The daily posts in the countdown will go into the specifics.
As for Tirradol's creation, I knew I wanted a vaguely insect-like shape so I emphasized the flat elongated crest. This mask also features a new technique I haven't in my mache pieces up to this point. The textured straight line highlights that are yellow are actually hot glue sticks that have been attached along the skull crest. After applying the skin, it creates a pronounced ridge that helps make the design stand out. I've used this on some of the other pieces as well. Tirradol's color scheme is supposed to be a dirty almost earthen palette. The blue stones long the center of the skull work with the yellow sections to create some contrast.
The defining part of these masks is their ability to attach to Ardelrius. I did this by inserting rare earth magnets in between the skin layers on Ardelrius. There's one large magnet on its forehead and one under the chin. Similarly, each face has a magnet built into the back of the head and chin to align with the ones on Ardelrius. The end result allows the face to snap securely in place and it's pretty sturdy. I can walk around and move my head without shaking the mask loose.

 
 Here's the next piece of concept art. When I asked TyvridKizuna to do some basic concept pieces, I intentionally left out the specifics for each one aside from the photos. I wanted to see what someone else's interpretation of the creatures was just based on the design elements in the mask. For Tirradol, you can see the insect-like shape combined with what looks like shell plating which is fitting given it can move underground.

That's it for this entry. The next one goes up tomorrow per the schedule.

See you then,

~Zan
 

Halloween Countdown Event Begins!















Hello,

Halloween draws ever closer. I've been working on a large mache project for this year that's a bit more ambitious than things I've attempted in the past. With our recent launch on Youtube, it seemed like the perfect time to branch out into other kinds of media. That said, let me introduce the latest entry in my line of wearable masks.


This is the "Faceless Summoner", Ardelrius. As I did with Trinitus, I have prepared some lore to go with this post.

Legends say the creature was once a man. Unfortunate enough to be born in a realm of brutality and monsters, this man must have sought power. Desperation drives many to extremes and it pushed this man to seek out the ancient relic. He found it deep within a secluded temple long forgotten, the ancient binding runes worn away with time. At the temple's center was an alter with a single object piercing its platform. The object resembled a thin, skeletal tree adorned with glowing "eyes". Hanging from the tree was the mask itself. Not much else is known but after that, a man ceased to exist. Instead, a creature began to roam the land. It was human shaped, cloaked in a black robe and carrying the tree-like staff. Appearing throughout the legends, the creature simply called itself "Ardelrius" and was rumored to be in search of those wielding great strength. What power did the "Tree of Souls" it carried possess?

Front View

Side View
Ardelrius is the second attempt I've made to create a wearable mache mask using Dan Reeder's techniques. Unlike Trinitus, this one is meant to be a much more simplistic design. It's almost featureless, lacking a nose, ears or any other distinguishing characteristics. My intent was to use the design and its erratic color scheme to create an unsettling image. The face is expressionless  and that's sometimes more fearsome that something that's outright monstrous.

As shown in the spotlight video, Ardelrius was created using a simple foil head impression as a shell. I added a first layer of cloth and glue skin in order to give it a rigid structure to build upon. I then added the minimal features using paper, tape and glue before adding a final skin layer to seal it all together. The paint was done quickly and intentionally messy which is why the black markings aren't symmetrical. The blackwashing brought the colors out and ended up giving the mask a sort of burnt flesh look. I used a simple robe and black nitrile gloves for the outfit.

The Tree of Souls was a late developing idea. I had sketched out Ardelrius' design a long time ago but the staff became necessary as you'll see later. Creating it was very simple and started with a metal broom stick. I built out the trunk using newspaper, thick gauge wire hangers, and copper wire to bind everything together. The "Eyes" are glass stones and the final layer of skin was sheets with glue again. I'm happy with the texturing of the staff. It looks and feels like dried bark which is what I wanted.



Ardelrius' spotlight video also includes a piece of concept art drawn by TyvridKizuna. He has graciously agreed to create a concept sketch for each piece in the "Summoner" series and you can see the individual drawings on his page. I've also given him permission to paste the accompanying lore segments into his posts for the concept art.

So that's pretty much it for this design. The Halloween event will continue until the end of the month. Each day there will be a new video in the series and an accompanying post here, on Youtube, and on Deviant Art. At some point in the future, I will be uploading short Speed Drawing videos of each emblem I designed for this series as well.

Stay tuned!

~Zan