The Faceless Summoner Entry #14: Soulsealer Aegis Adrath

The final entry in this chapter of the Summoner's story is the demonic relic shield, Adrath:

To wrap up the story, here is the lore.

<>
 

I followed Ardelrius through the broken wall into a dark corridor. A singe row of multi-colored stones faintly lit the way. The end of the hall slowly opened into another large room with a carved metal altar in the center. A large indiscernible object sat on the platform, sealed under deep black crystal chains. Four brilliant columns of light burst around the altar, forming before us.

The first shape was a brilliant yellow-gold light that faded around what appeared to be woman of unknown age. She had deep glowing strands of golden hair and was clothed in a flowing armored robe. A sharp crown-like ornament sat on her head, bound with intricate gold chains. The second form emerged from the green aura. Taller than the first, a large male figure clad in deep green armor made of tangled vines and thorns stood silently, his mouth obscured by a large metal extension of the armor. The third, emerging from the pillar of crimson was another male was slightly shorter but heavily built. His frame was protected by a layer of asymmetrical metallic plates of dark red armor, colors that contrasted against his spiky orange hair. Finally, the fourth ray of blue light shattered around the form of the final being. The male creature looked human but was cloaked in a deep gray cape. An armored hand parted the covering revealing scale-like armor beneath. Two narrow yellow eyes pierced from behind cold blue strands of hair that reached to the man’s shoulders. A black carved circlet sat upon his brow. An odd few moments of silence passed, the four staring ominously at the Faceless Summoner before them.

“So,” the orange haired man growled. “This is the Seed that tests the might of the four gods.”

“Yes,” answered the second in the green armor. “It would that seem the tree very much retains a will of its own.”

“We, the four gods have taken this form since our ethereal bodies were destroyed,” explained the woman. She spoke gently but with little emotion. “I am Diyara.”

“This one is called Ferroq,” spoke the man in the green armor. His voice once again seemed to echo, his mouth hidden behind his armor.

“I am Kulradon,” the orange-haired one declared, gesturing with a plated gauntlet.

“I am the leader of the four gods.” The armored blue-haired being walked up to Ardelrius. He was easily a head taller than the Summoner. “You know me as Sairos.”

“What is this?” I managed to mutter from behind Ardelrius. All five immediately turned to look at me.

“The four gods were once humans that lost their lives protecting something they held dear,” answered Ardelrius, looking over its shoulder at me. “Their souls were given eternal power in exchange for serving as guardians.”

“For many generations we were sealed within this temple,” Diyara explained, her green eyes locked with mine. “It wasn’t until the relic was brought to this inner sanctum that we were awakened.”

“The one who crafted it must have feared its power.” Kulradon offered with a grunt. “We were tasked with keeping the unworthy from laying a hand on it.”

“Many a beast and demon tried to brave our trials,” Sairos crossed his arms. “Their greed and feeble souls were smashed to pieces by our power. Now, it seems one with true purpose has appeared.”

“I am wary of the Tree of Souls,” Ferroq muttered. “However, if the great trial is nearly upon us, it cannot be helped.”

"The time for action is now," agreed Diyara, closing her eyes.

“We, the four gods relinquish the forbidden relic,” Sairos spread his arms. “With nothing more to protect, we shall become the guardians of the Tree.”

Before I could speak, each of the gods vanished into bursts of light. The branches of Ardelrius’ staff resonated, glowing with the same aura. On the main body, four new “eyes” appeared, each matching the colors of the gods. In seconds, the glow faded, everything receding back into the staff. My companion had apparently acquired the gods’ power. We moved forward to the altar.
As Ardelrius stood before the obscured object, the crystalline chains broke, shattering into millions of shards and dissolving. A large rectangular form was revealed on the altar. Looking like the face of a demon contorted into a snarl, the object was shaped like a Great Shield. Bright stones were set into the surface and four twisting extensions spoked out from the corners. The beast’s head was crowned with three black horns. Ardelrius reached down with its free arm and hefted the object. Securing the shield to its arm with a pair of heavy chains, the Faceless Summoner brandished its staff in the other hand.

“You now possess the Soulsealer Aegis, Adrath,” we heard Sairos’ voice echo. “It will awaken when in the presence of one with unbreakable conviction.”

With that, Ardelrius turned and started out of the temple without saying a word, carrying the shield on its arm. I followed after.

“Where are we going now?” I asked the Faceless Summoner. Ardelrius stopped and glanced over, burning through me with hollow eyes.

“To find its owner.”

<>

Front/rotated view

Adrath was an experimental project type I haven't attempted up until now. I've made many different weapons but this was the first shield. I wanted the main shape to be rectangular like a tower shield but still light enough to carry as part of an outfit. The end result is large, enough to obscure the area from the chin to about the knees approximately. Some of the more intricate tower shields from movies or games would probably be as tall as a person but I don't think that's very practical as part of a costume. Adrath is slightly smaller but I think the demon's head on the front of the shield makes up for this. I wanted the piece to look like a creature that was sealed into this shield in order to become part of it. It might be a bit of a spoiler, but Adrath might not just be a weapon so much as its own entity. Its role in the story will become more clear in the next chapter.

Adrath's emblem

For its emblem, I decided to keep the design simple. Adrath's overall shape is conveyed here with the rectangle base and its notable features like the spike protrusions and horns are the most distinct. This was accomplished using the same techniques I apply to the "sphere" or "zodiac" designs where I start with a shape and cut the emblem out.

That's the last new entry in this chapter of the Faceless Summoner's story! I've got some ideas on where the lore will go next but I don't know when all of the parts of the next big piece will be done. I have considered using the site to post lore articles in between major events and I might start doing that. Lore articles would be small to medium-length written narrative pieces meant to either further the story or explain some of the characters. We'll see. I might do a compilation video for the Four Gods pieces so that might go up in the next week or so. I also want to do a full product review of the pose figures I posted on Twitter. In the meantime, content will continue to go up on DA and I'll be sticking to the regular video posting schedule and (mostly) regular drawing streams on Twitch!

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #13: Tarnish Dragon Sairos

Here is the fourth entry in the series of masks. This is Sairos:

As I've done for the others, here is Sairos' lore.

<>

After making our way to the central room of the temple, Ardelrius stopped in front of the last gate at the center. I glanced at the Summoner who remained emotionless as usual. Despite having been damaged in the fight against the volcanic Kulradon, I couldn’t see a trace of injury. Ardelrius’ deep black robes were seemingly untouched. How did the wounds sustained that fight become erased? Was I merely imagining things?

We stood before the final gate. The intricate seal shined and then dissolved, causing the bone-like doors to swing open with a groan. Ardelrius started forward and I followed close behind. The gates led to another large room that widened out ahead of us. Sloping walls were crafted from a deep blue metal and textured with coiled shapes. At the center of the room was a massive statue. It looked like a sort of dragon-like creature with its arms outstretched. The statue’s lower body was serpentine and anchored it to the floor of the chamber. Ardelrius stood before the imposing statue and waited.

“So, you are the one that tests the might of the four gods,” a snarling echo sounded. The noise seemed to resonate through the chamber. Ardelrius stood and raised the tree-like staff.

"We come seeking the artifact you gods are guarding,” spoke my traveling companion in the same emotionless voice. “True strength is needed to prepare for the great threat approaching this world.”

Hm,” the disembodied voice rumbled. “You speak confident words for one wielding a sacred relic. Let this be the final test.”

A slow rumbling began to shake the chamber. The statue in front of us trembled, cracks running along its “skin”. The stone covering dissolved revealing flesh beneath. In seconds, the dragon-like creature had come to life. All around us I could see the walls moving. The coiled patterning lined with spike began to shift. The walls were part of the creature’s body! The final god reared up, drawing itself to a terrifying height while balancing on its serpentine body.
 
"I am Sairos, the Tarnished Dragon,” the creature declared, its voice now echoing from the imposing monster in front of us. “Show me your conviction, Summoner. If you present even the slightest weakness before me, you will meet your end here.”

Sairos lunged forward to attack my companion. Slashing out with sharp claws, the final god cleaved the floor of the temple apart. Ardelrius nimbly leapt to the side, standing ready. I watched it make a simple gesture with the tree-like staff and a large form emerged, taking shape. It was a heavily-built purple-skinned demon with two sharp horns and an irregular set of war armor covering its body.

The enemy stands before us,” I heard Ardelrius mutter in the same dry rasp. “Grahl, your master commands you. Destroy the enemy.”

The summoned creature roared and charged across the room at Sairos. It struck out with its fists in rapid succession. Sairos deflected the blows and countered with its bladed tail. Grahl stumbled under the weight of the strike but managed the hurl a chunk of the stone altar against Sairo’s body, stunning the great dragon. Injured, the summoned demon dropped to its knees, black mist running from its body. In seconds, it had dissolved, the mist dispersing into the air. I looked back at Arelrius who made another gesture with the tree-like staff. A piercing bright light wrapped around the branches and coalesced into another large creature.

This time, a beast even larger than the previous appeared. I recognized the imposing form of the great yellow ogre Ardelrius has bested in the forest. Brandishing a massive spiked club, the monster stomped forward and faced Sairos.

“Voracion, your master commands you,” Arderius spoke again. “Crush the enemy.”

With a grunt, Voracion sprinted at his foe, shaking the chamber with each step. He swung the spiked club with terrifying speed. Each blow glanced off of Sairos’ armored hide but the dragon god was unphased. After trading blows, Sairos’ bladed serpentine body whipped forth, coiling around Voracion as he momentarily paused. I watched the dragon god constrict his prey until Voracion’s form exploded into black mist like Grahl’s. The churning clouds filled the area around Sairos.

I turned back to Ardelrius once again and stopped. The Summoner must have used Voracion as a diversion for some other incantation because a massive runic seal had transfixed itself in the air above Ardelrius’ body. With no time to spare, Ardelrius sprinted forth even as the black mist from Voracion’s defeated form was still dissolving. Darting up the sections of Sairos’ body, I saw the tree-like staff glow with an otherworldly light. Its form momentarily distorted, taking the shape of a scythe-like weapon. Ardelrius leapt forth, sailing through the last of the black mist and striking downwards at Sairos. A terrible force shook the chamber and all was still.

After a few moments, the dust and mist finally cleared. Ardelrius stood below the dragon god who stood, stunned. A long wound slowly opened up down the front of Sairos’ body. No blood flowed by the edges of the ragged cut began to burn with the same darkness as the scythe. Ardelrius raised its staff which had returned to its original form.

“Impressive,” Sairos rumbled, its piercing eyes focused on the Summoner below. “Those summoned by the Tree of Souls are only as powerful as their master’s will. Perhaps you do possess the strength to save this world.”

Just like Kulradon before, Sairos’ body began to fade in color. Its skin slowly corroded like weathered metal until the beast in its entirety had become a lifeless statue.

“Proceed to the final chamber at the heart of this temple,” we heard its voice drift through the air. “Your reward awaits.”

At the far end of the room, the intricate seal of the gods once again appeared. The wall shook and fell away, revealing a corridor leading off into the darkness. Ardelrius once again silently walked forth and I followed. What was this so-called reward? I couldn’t help but feel a nagging sense of fear as we left the final god’s chamber.

<>

Front/side view

Sairos' mask might be one of the more complex of the four. I had a pretty good idea for this one before I started the actual construction. I knew I wanted to focus on a dragon-like creature and used the sloping forehead plate to create a crown-like effect. I mixed several shades to create the off gray-green color of Sairos' face. The blue highlights and forehead gems helped with the color contrast. The teeth glow in the dark and this is the only one of the masks where I did that. Some might notice some similarities between Sairos and Ryuzai, one of the older masks I made that I also use in my avatar picture. Sairos' classification is a black dragon like Ryuzai but he belongs to a different subspecies under that classification. Sairos is a species of black dragon that has metallic armored plating, hence his title. I hope to some day write out some more specific lore behind the dragon races and how they're classified.

Sairos' emblem

This was another emblem I drew on stream previously. As explained in the lore, Sairos has a serpentine lower body and I tried to show the length here using the coiled shapes. The sharp-edged rune behind it would probably be some sort of energy projection and I think it helps add to the idea of an ascended dragon that became a god.

That's it for this entry. We're nearing the end of the event and I will be wrapping things up in the next post.

Stay tuned!

~Zan 

The Faceless Summoner Entry #12: Volcanic Fissure Kulradon

The next entry in this chapter of the Faceless Summoner's story is the fiery god, Kulradon.

Here is Kulradon's lore:

<>

Back at the nexus of halls in the temple, we stood before the crimson-sealed gate. Once more, the “eyes” on Ardelrius’ staff began to resonate with the runic marks, opening the way ahead. This time we began to ascend, traveling up a winding staircase. The air began to thin and I could feel the temperature rising as we climbed. In minutes the dry heat became a sweltering wall that seemed to physically push my body back.

At the top of the staircase was another sealed gate with the same crimson symbol. Ardelrius dispelled the barrier and the gates opened. What stretched ahead was a gigantic open room that stood before us. The walls were covered in a thick jagged rock that resonated with the same oppressive heat. Bright orange trails of what appeared to be molten rock slowly ran from cracks along the rocky surface, pooling at the bottom of the room and forming a miniature lake. Numerous solidified pillars of stone dotted the floor of the room. Ardelrius ordered me to stand at the gate and then leapt down onto the nearest pillar.

A huge flare of searing fire cut through the lava around the pillar, parting around a form that emerged. Standing before Ardelrius was a towering creature whose body was made of sharp rocky armored plates. Numerous lighter crystals were embedded in its face and skin, glinting with light. With a deep snarl of a voice, the monster spoke to Ardelrius, introducing itself as Kulradon, the volcanic fissure god. Instead of repeating the same words of the supposed trial, Kulradon immediately rushed into attack the Summoner.

Moving with great speed for such a monstrous beast, Kulradon strode through rivers of molten rock, slashing the pillar apart with its claws. Ardelrius leapt back to one of the smaller islands, slowing its descent with an incantation from the tree-like staff. Kulradon summoned rows of burning stone blades that speared up around Ardelrius. I watched my companion dodge the attacks before a stray blade cut through its arm. This momentarily halted Ardelrius’ movement but didn’t topple the Faceless Summoner. Thrusting the end of the tree-like staff into the lava, Ardelrius called forth a powerful wave of what looked like black ice. The glistening onyx prisms split the lava apart and deflected the blades of Kulradon. I recognized these objects from Ardelrius’ fight with the fearsome Sealed One in the temple. The assault pushed Kulradon towards the back of the room and sealed its movement by encasing both its feet in ice. Ardelrius sprinted forth and struck out with the end of its staff which had also been covered in the same crystalline ice. The finishing blow cleaved through Kulradon’s body, knocking the fire god over and shaking the room.

As the wounded creature collapsed, the rivers of molten rock began to slow, hardening into dark crimson throughout the chamber. Kulradon bent forward, the light of its numerous crystals dimming. It proclaimed Ardelrius’ victory before becoming still. My companion turned from the great statue of the defeated god and walked towards the entry of the room. We had now completed three trials. One more remains. What will the final test be and which terrifying god awaited? While we proceeded back to the main crossroads, many questions race through my mind.

<>



Front/side view

Kulradon's mask started with a bit more of a concept than Ferroq's. I had a rough design sketched out and I knew I wanted to go for a molten theme with horns. The mandible extensions around its mouth seemed to work well with the lighter clay fangs. I blended the reds and lighter brown shades and then went back with the darker reds to highlight the mouth and fangs. The blackwashing helped bring the colors out with some shadows.

Kulradon's Emblem

I drew Kulradon's emblem on one of the more recent Twitch streams. The main focus of its emblem was the dark molten scheme with sharp edges. I imagine Kulradon would be a large bipedal creature so I went with that for the pose.

Stay tuned for the next entry!

~Zan


The Faceless Summoner Entry #11: Silenced Dendrus Ferroq

Here is the next entry in the series. This is Silenced Dendrus Ferroq:

Just like the last entry, here is Ferroq's lore:

<>

After proceeding further into the temple, we found ourselves at a central crossroads. Up ahead, the path split three directions. The left path which was decorated with a deep green seal similar to the first vanished into the darkness. On the right an arch with a crimson seal wound off into the temple in an undiscernible direction. The final path at the center was barred by two bone-like gates with a dark gray-blue seal. Ardelrius waved the tree-like staff and its “eyes” began to resonate with the green seal on the left. We proceeded down the path.

The narrow corridor lit with faint burning torches led us downwards under the planet’s surface. Slowly, the air became more dense and humid, the temperature rising as we descended. At the end of the hall, the temple widened into another room. Slowly the room illuminated, light all around cast by glowing jewels in the ceiling. What was revealed was unlike anything I’ve seen in this realm. Twisting green vines and roots grew in all directions like a sprawling jungle of tendrils even reaching up the walls and ceilings. At the far end of the room, a large form pulled itself forth, moving slowly towards us. It looked like a hulking monstrosity with scaled skin covered in moss and thorns. A large glowing jeweled core at the beast’s center was ensnared in a mix of claws and more vines. The face of the creature was some sort of horned monster with sloping horns and blue jewels embedded in its skin. Its mouth was stitched shut and it beckoned to us with large clawed hands.

Before Ardelrius could speak, we heard the voice of the creature. A hollow tone echoed in the chamber around us as if projected from its mind. Introducing itself as Ferroq the sealed plant god, our next foe rose up ahead. Like Diyara before, Ferroq told us that Arderlius would have to offer proof of strength in order to proceed.

As the fight began, the room started to distort. From the metallic walls, vines and tendrils began to emerge. They struck out at Ardelrius from all sides, attempting to impale their foe. I watched the Summoner move with inhuman speed, darting quickly over the paved floor. Using the tree-like staff, Ardelrius conjured a miasma of bright green mist. I managed to escape to the entryway of Ferroq’s chamber away from the battle. Slowly, the toxic fog began to erode the vines and tendrils emerging from the walls. It slowed the onslaught enough to allow the Summoner to deal several blows to Ferroq’s body. A glancing blow from its staff cut a deep gouge across the central jewel. The great beast let out a roar and knocked Ardelrius away before collapsing to the ground. Its body began to liquefy and seep into the floor. All the remained was the scarred jewel wrapped in a few vines.

Once again, the hollow snarl of Ferroq’s disembodied voice rang around us. Ardelrius has apparently satisfied the creature and we would be allowed to proceed to the next trial. I followed my companion back up the sloping corridor to the central crossroads of the temple.

<>

Front/side view

Ferroq's mask design was sort of a progression of ideas. As shown in the WIP shots, the original shell had no initial design elements to work from. I knew I wanted to create a sort of demon-like monster with a sealed mouth but the armor plates, horns, and jewels just sort of emerged as I worked. After the piece was painted, I toyed with the idea of actually stitching the mouth shut with white wire. This proved to be too difficult and in the end I used smaller segments secured in a pattern with hot glue. I think it turned out well.

Ferroq's Emblem

I feel like the emblems are a good way to flesh out more of the designs of these characters since the masks are merely representations of their faces/heads. As described in the lore, Ferroq as a massive creature comprised of flesh and plants. The jewel at the center of its body houses the majority of its power and grants control over plant-based constructs. I envision a creature that isn't very mobile but a powerful commander of its environment.

That's it for this entry. I think I mentioned this somewhere but I will be posting these parts every other day until the event is done.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #10: Gilded Feather Diyara

As mentioned previously, the story of the Faceless Summoner continues today. This mini-arc centers around the "Four Gods" and will build upon the universe from both a character and lore perspective. Here's the first entry, Gilded Feather Diyara:

As with the previous entries in the Summoner series, here is Diyara's lore:

<>

We slowly made our way down from the mountains over the course of two days. The main path took us through winding cliffs that were blasted with constant dust storms. All around, I felt like eyes were on us. The lawless packs of demons that roamed the wastelands numbered in the thousands but none attacked us. I think the fearsome aura of my traveling companion was keeping them at bay.

Finally, we came to a large temple surrounded by jagged blade-like rock formations. Crafted from a deep black metal and adorned with numerous reflective jewels, the twisting structure was sealed with an intricate runic character bearing a four-colored jewel pattern. I watched Ardelrius walk up to the seal and place a single hand upon its surface. A glint of light illuminated the rune and the massive doors to the temple swung open.

Venturing further in, the light was cast by pale blue torches that burned endlessly in the walls. A central open area was our first stop in the temple. Etched into the ground was a gold seal very similar to the one on the door. It was then; a terrifying presence manifested itself and appeared before us.

So far, most of Ardelrius’ foes have been monsters or demons with the exception of K’taerthos. The creature that appeared in the temple was a blinding visage wrapped in gleaming scales and a sort of holy garment. Its face was covered in bladed plates and it had vaguely bird-like features. The creature floated in the air before us despite having great feathered wings adorned with jeweled chains. Ardelrius stood before the holy creature and announced its arrival. In an ominous tone, the light-shrouded entity introduced itself as the goddess Diyara, one of the Four Gods of this temple. Diyara spoke to both of us but primarily addressed Ardelrius. She spoke of a great trial and told my companion that it would have to offer proof of strength before the Four Gods would grant an audience. With little warning, Diyara moved to attack.

The fight, while again brief was seared into my memory like all the others. Diyara struck from the sky with a relentless hail of bladed feathers. Each volley cleaved effortlessly through the walls and floor. I watched Ardelrius use the tree-like staff to summon floating stone blocks to deflect the projectiles. The Faceless Summoner traded blows with the Goddess before conjuring a deep blue broadsword with a crimson blade. This must be the power of the Netherspawn, Thalgre for the weapon called razor gale blasts of wind that forced back the bladed feathers of Diyara. Finally, Ardelrius was able to counter the assault and struck a mortal blow with the sword. The goddess was brought to the ground and her strength appeared to vanish before us.

“You possess strong resolve for a creature wielding one of the forbidden relics,” she spoke to us. “If you truly seek to acquire the treasure sealed here, proceed to the next trial.”

Diyara vanished in a blinding flash of light. I suppose like any other gods, she couldn’t be killed but either way, Ardelrius was victorious. Without any hesitation, the summoner started further into the temple. What would the next trial be? What is our goal here? I hoped to find these answers as I followed after the mysterious traveler.

<>

Front/Side View

I thought I'd try this condense format for the final pictures of the piece. Diyara's mask was a bit of an experiment. In the construction phase, I used a layering of individual plates to create the look you see here. This was actually the most complicated part of the skin phase since I had to try to apply the cloth layer to both the plates and the surfaces beneath. I added the signature glass stones for contrast and I think they work well with Diyara's color scheme. I was going for a sort of firebird look but focused more on the yellow-gold blending rather than orange. I think it turned out well.

Diyara's emblem

I didn't go with concept sketches this time, instead choosing a more complex realized emblem for each character. Diyara's emblem shows her regal appearance and the divine ring construct behind her helps add some color distinction. Because this is a full-body image, it's harder to make out the details of her face but I wanted to focus on the rest of her design since the mask is meant to capture the face more.

Stay tuned for the next entry!

~Zan

Faceless Summoner Event Starts on 11/28

Greetings,

As mentioned previously, I will be posting a multi-part series of write-ups and videos featuring the latest entries in the Faceless Summoner series. Ardelrius' tale will continue and I'll but putting up the lore pieces for each entry here just like our Halloween event last year. As a sort of announcement for the project, I've put together a simple trailer on Youtube:

 

 

 

Just like the lore entries of the past, I wanted to keep a cohesive narrative going for the story so far. I've written up a prologue to the event here:

 

<>

It has been many months since I joined Ardelrius on its mysterious quest. As we traveled, I’ve only been able to learn that it is seeking powerful souls in anticipation of some great threat to our world. Whether it’s the return of the Sealed Ones, or something new, I don’t know. All Ardelrius has told me is that a great trial will soon envelop our world and all must be prepared to fight. I am no warrior and I know not what this means for me and my village but perhaps I will find an answer on this journey.

We made our way across the vast Cirladn Mountains, a range that stretches across the southern end of the continent. Much like the skypeaks closer to our village, little life thrives in the harsh living conditions. I was able to weather the cutting snowstorms and my companion was unaffected, not even needing protective clothing. When we descended from the snowy passes, we found ourselves near the boundaries of the Demon Wastelands, sprawling lawless territory. Many tales have been told of brave knights vanishing among the chaotic savage lands before us. When I asked Ardelrius of our destination, it told me that our next target was a great sealed temple hidden in the heart of the Demon Wastelands. With no time to spare, we proceeded along a path down the mountains into the darkness ahead.

<>

The posts will start going up on 11/28 on here, DA, and Youtube.

Stay tuned!

~Zan

Project Updates and Timeline

Greetings,

If you've been to our site consistently over the last few years you might be wondering why there was no papier mache event around Halloween this year. I've made it a point in the past to do either a combined release or countdown to my favorite holiday. This year a combination of real-life factors in October pushed my plans back and I was forced to re-evaluate the likelihood of getting something completely finished on time. Rather than try to push out something lackluster, I decided to move the timeline back and spend some more time on the project.

Right now, it looks like the actual event will begin in November. I haven't picked a start date yet as I'm still finalizing several pieces. Instead of a short event, I'm planning for this to be the start of an ongoing series that continues the story and lore of Faceless Summoner universe we established last year. I will be doing some filming and will hopefully be able to post a sort of teaser trailer once I've decided on a start date. It will most likely be towards the middle or later part of November.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Zan

Papier Mache Pumpkin: Voracious

Hello,

As we proceed into October, I wanted to post a project I finished at the beginning of the month. Much like the past Halloweens, I made a papier mache pumpkin using Dan Reeder's mache techniques. Larger than the previous entries, here is Voracious.

Front View

Side View

One of the challenges of this piece was getting a large enough base mache ball to use for the body. I put together several large newspaper balls with masking tape and then joined them with other scraps, shaping the whole thing into a rough sphere as I went. Here is a sequence of images from the production.

Construction Phase

Cloth Skin Phase

Side View

Paint Phase (pre blackwash)

Once the main ball was mached, I cut it in half to start working on the details. The hollowed out core was easy to shape and I was able to fasten the eye sockets from the inside using two halves of a mache ball with a cloth skin. The eyes and teeth are polymer clay and glow in the dark like the past pumpkins. As I built the shape out, I tried to find some distinct details that would make this pumpkin unique. I settled on the sharp horns and forehead jewels. After the construction phase, it was just a matter of putting the piece back together. I did add a strip of black nylon on the inside of the mouth so you can't see into the hollowed out core. Once the piece was taped up and the shape finalized, I added the layer of cloth and glue and then painted it once everything was dry. The painting was straight forward and I washed over the final coat with diluted black paint to create the highlights and shadows.

That's it for this one. I am working on a multi-part papier mache project that I'm hoping to get done this month. I may have to release it in phases since there are several different pieces I need to make. There will be more to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Zan

Redbubble Merch Review 10/2016

Greetings,

We are into October now, the best month in my opinion. As things get closer to winter, the studio is still busy as usual. I've got several projects in the works and we'll see how many I can complete before Halloween. In the meantime, I bought a couple new hoodies from Redbubble to test out some of the more recent designs.



Scyther/Gammoth Hoodies and MH Stickers

 The two hoodies are the same zippered types Redbubble offers. They have the thicker newer material and are pretty well insulated. The Scyther pattern was bought right before I had to take the designs down so I'm lucky I was able to get it. Both the Scyther and the Gammoth designs are pretty sharp and the screening is consistent with the previous hoodies I've gotten. I'd like to get some more of the newer shirt types they've added to the storefronts.

MH Sticker Closeups

I ordered a set of the newer stickers TyvridKizuna has been adding to our store. It's a little tough to see in the pictures but the images are pretty sharp. It looks like they might have improved the material and printing since the last time I picked up some stickers. They come pre-cut on a glossy vinyl surface. One day I might test out some of the Brave Frontier designs in sticker form and see how they stack up.

That's it for this post. I've got the first of our Halloween content coming up shortly so that will be posted soon.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

 

Redbubble Takedowns/Pokemon

Hello,

This is a quick update post regarding the recent Pokemon designs I started uploading to our store on Redbubble. Today I received a notice that the Gengar design was taken down as a response to the Pokemon Company enforcing its copyright on the various characters. As far as I can tell, this doesn't jeopardize the store's standing but I went ahead and also removed the Scyther design from a few weeks ago to be safe. As we encountered a similar situation on Etsy, the studio has determined that it's best to remove work that's related to brands with aggressive copyright enforcement. We don't have the time or resources to fight the claims so it's better to just remove potential items. I will continue to work on the Pokemon series on and off stream but there won't be any more designs on Redbubble.

Hope this explains the situation a bit better.

~Zan

Monster Hunter Stickers Are Up!

Hiya,

This is just a small update. I've been working on a series of Monster Hunter faces for a while now on DA. Starting today, I've started putting them up on our Redubble store. At some point we'll probably do a test order to see the quality of the stickers since I've never had my designs on that kind of product before.

See ya!

-TK

Ongoing Series Launches: The Pose Project!

Hiya,

I started up a new ongoing project over on Deviant Art. The Pose Project will be updated at the beginning of each month and will feature the SFBT reference figure. This mannequin figure has 80 points of articulation and is capable of incredible detail. Each month I'll post up a new image in the series. Here's the first entry:

Pose #1: Armed

I'll also add some commentary on the model or pose for each piece. The main point is to provide an additional reference as part of the concept work I do.

See ya!

-TK

Second Official Draw Stream is 7/30 at 6 p.m. PDT!

Hello,

Just a short update this time. I've posted a notice over on DA and Twitter already but I'm doing another live stream on Saturday the 30th at 6 p.m. PDT on my Twitch channel. There will be a Youtube announcement that goes up as soon as we're live. I'll be working on handful of different designs, some planned some completely at random. I will definitely be doing some Monster Hunter stuff. There's a certain infamous high-temperature Elder Dragon from 3U that I've been thinking on all week. It might be time to render it in circular form.

Hope to see you there!

~Zan

Obligatory Introduction Post

Hiya!

The name's TK and this is my first official post here on the main site! I've signed on as a regular contributing artist as of this month and I'm glad to be here! To give a little background, I've been a pencil on paper artist ever since I was very small. Over the last couple years, I've gotten access to some more advanced tools for drawing in the digital format. I'm still pretty new at it but I'm working at slowly bringing the things I drew on paper into the digital realm. You can find my random scribblings on my Deviant Art site. It doesn't get updated super often but I'll usually put new stuff over there first. I've done a bunch of work with the Monster Hunter video game series but I also have my own universe of characters I'm working on. In between I put up random drawings here or there.

As an official artist, I'll be working closely with Zan on some direct collaborations and I also hope to get more items up on the main Redbubble store. A couple of my projects are there already and I've got plenty of other ideas.

Anyways, this is just a short intro post. When I have new announcements, I'll make sure they go up here in addition to journal posts on DA!

See ya!

-TK

Mid-summer Update and Announcements

Greetings!

I hope everyone's summer is going well. This is a bit after the fact but our first live stream over on my Twitch Channel was a success! We had a handful of people come through and hang out, either from DA or from Youtube. I ended up streaming for about 4 hours and did some emblem designs while we listened to music. It was a great experience and I'd love to do it again. Right now the easiest times for me to stream are on the weekends with Saturday being the most flexible. I'm not ready to commit to a weekly stream but I'll be doing another one very soon. Announcements will go up on Youtube and Twitter when we go live. I'll try and give a few days notice on Deviant Art and Twitter just so people don't get caught off guard. I've been considering doing some streaming of games too but that's going to be lower priority compared to the art streams.

For updates on my projects, we just wrapped up a mini-event on DA and Youtube last week as we counted down to the release of Monster Hunter Generations. The designs were pretty well received and I want to thank everyone that checked them out each day. The monthly MH circulars and weekly Brave Frontier emblems will continue as normal. I'm still working on a few different papier mache projects and updates will be coming on those later.

Finally, another update is the addition of a new artist to Drakenwrath's creative team. TyvridKizuna who has helped on a couple projects so far is officially joining the studio as a regular contributor. Rather than act like an outside collaborator, he will be able to directly work on projects and put things up on the site and Redbubble store. He will be preparing an introductory post shortly after this goes up.

I think that's everything for now. Keep an eye out for updates regarding Twitch streaming and other news!

~Zan

The Return: Minor Updates

Greetings,

I put up a post on DA yesterday announcing the official return to business as usual. I was able to get the new machine up and running over the weekend thanks to some help from my good friend, Flammie. I linked his Geometric Investigations blog in the DA post and you should definitely check it out if you're interested in magnet sculptures. It's neat stuff.

Now that the new build is up and running, the regular content schedule should be stabilized for now. I will still be doing three uploads per week unless the schedule coincides with things like the monthly Monster Hunter circulars. Right now I'm looking at launching a new project by the end of the month and hopefully will have some other interesting updates as well.

Stay tuned!

~Zan

New Developments and Mache WIP Pictures!

Hello,

Another quick post to follow up on the last one. I've ordered parts for a new computer. This one is going to be mostly a new build with some of the surviving pieces of the old machine. Overall, it should be much more powerful and will allow for faster processing of things like Youtube videos. I'll also hopefully be able to get Twitch running better and can get back to some intial test streams before we launch that project.

In the meantime, I've uploaded three Work in Progress (WIP) shots from my latest dragon trophy project over on DA. Rather than duplicate the narratives here, I'll just link the first one.

These pictures were taking during the construction phase where I put the papier mache bits together with hot glue and a ton of masking tape. I build things out with more paper and tape while adding features reinforced with wire hangers. The next step will be the cloth skin application phase where I add torn bed sheets soaked in white glue over the piece to give it a rigid skin for painting. As I mentioned in one of the posts, I've been trying to capture parts of the process with my camera with plans to cut a high speed time lapse video together. I'm slightly concerned that the footage quality may vary due inconsistent lighting across sessions but I'll look at everything once the project is done. If I'm able to get through the skin phase before I have the new machine up and running, I'll post another update here and on DA.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

Pre-Summer Update and Content Plans

Greetings,

This post is going up to mirror a recent post I made over on DA. A couple days ago, my main computer that I use to do my design and video work died. At this point it looks like I won't be able to get it running without replacing several key parts. As a result, I'm looking at building a new machine from scratch. In the meantime, the content I upload on DA and Youtube is going to be halted since I have no way of capturing and editing footage. Right now I'm using a very old spare laptop but it doesn't have the capability for all of the software I normally use. Hopefully I'll be able to get a new machine running before the end of the month.

I do have some recent pictures I was able to capture of a current papier mache project. Since I don't have a main computer for design work, my focus might be shifting to mache stuff in the meantime. I'll probably follow up with a post as soon as I can get the photos processed.

Stay tuned!

~Zan

Redbubble Product Review Part II: Hoodie Boogaloo (also Spring updates)

Greetings,

Spring is underway and things are busy as usual. I'll be going over some updates in this post as well as looking at some of our store offerings. I recently ordered three new hoodies from Redbubble to test out some of the more recent designs. Check them out below:

Top: Grand Legion, Left: Zodiac 3 Revenge, Right: Nadore

Overall, the emblem prints were very sharp like the last set. I had them printed on the backs of the hoodies to take advantage of the print space. I'll have to compare these to the last two but the material of the hoodies seems a bit thicker and heavier which will make them good for cold weather.

For project updates, I'm continuing with the adding of items to our Redbubble store. They will continue to go up along with postings on Deviant Art and Youtube. I'll be launching a few new emblem series this Spring as well. There are also some collab things in the works that I'll post when they happen.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan