Process Video: 1997

Our paid subscribers get exclusive access to a process video showing the step-by-step creation of the cartoon homage to the cover painting for King of the Giantdowns.

I never played in a regular campaign set in the world of Birthright. I was spending pretty much all my time on projects for Ravenloft and Dragonlance during the entirety of the setting’s active lifespan. But Ed Stark was the lead designer for most of that time, and he and I were not only good friends, but also carpool buddies. So I got to hear a lot about what adventurers in Cerilia were facing—and it sounded epic!

What’s more, Tony Szczudlo’s cover paintings made me feel like I knew the world of Aebrynis—I knew what it looked, I knew what it felt like, I even knew what is sounded and smelled like. The worlds in Tony’s paintings just seemed so tactile and real that even when they featured supernatural or legendary creatures, they felt real.

So it is with King of the Giantdowns. Everything from the clothing the characters are wearing to the sword the spectral king wields to the carved granite structures in the burial chamber feel real when Tony paints them. My version is much more fanciful … but I hope I captured at least a sliver of the life that Tony imbued them with.

Subscribers to this newsletter got to see this drawing early, whereas the general public are only just getting their first glimpses of it today. But there’s still something left that’s JUST for the paid subscribers—a process video showing the step-by-step creation of this cartoon homage. (If you’re currently a free subscriber, now would be a great time to upgrade.)