Rob Heinsoo keeps releasing thumbnails for drawings I have yet to finish for 13 True Ways. Makes me nervous, but since it’s already adrift on the internet waves I’m owning it here. Read more about the Murder Pixies at Rob’s blog.
I’m in a state… Pixies No 13 Baby on Youtube
I met with Rob Heinsoo and Lee Moyer the other night. After enjoying a bowl of Lee’s chicken hominy soup we went through the “Art Order’ for 13 True Ways to see where we stand in the process. There’s a lot of artwork in this book, but a good amount of progress has been made and I will continue illustrating finished pieces this upcoming month. This weekend at Stumptown Comic Fest I’ll bring prints from the first book including many of the Icons and some interior illustrations of gnomes, elves and other high fantasy adventurers. Here’s an illustration that will be included in 13 True Ways:
And the thumbnail sketch:
Pelgrane Press, the publisher of the yet to be released 13th Age core book, posted some unfortunate news earlier today concerning the layout designer for the book:
Chris Huth has produced excellent art and layout for Pelgrane Press including Ashen Stars, Night’s Black Agents and 13th Age. Last week his apartment suffered extensive damage from a fire. (You can read more news reports here and here.) Luckily, no one was hurt, but he and his partner have lost their home and most of their possessions. His computer and software – the tools of his trade – and all backup drives have been destroyed with very little chance of recovery. Chris is sleeping in friends’ houses while he searches for somewhere to live.
Please go to the Pelgrane site to find out how you can help Chris and what this means for the 13th Age release schedule. Below is a small sample of Chris’ layout work for the book:
Photo by Georgia Ball (or was it Scott?)
I spent Emerald City Comicon with my son this year. With his help I was able to keep abreast of some of the happenings beyond my table. The next convention that he and I will attend together will be Stumptown Fest and if all goes according to plan he should have some of his artwork and comics available for sale, as well. At ECCC we both spent some time drawing behind the table. Below are some 13th Age commissions and you can find some of the drawings and photos by my son at his blog. My thanks to those who stopped by my table.
Here’s a little preview of some items that I will be selling at Emerald City Comicon this weekend. You can find me at Table 2617 (or thereabouts) on the ECCC Level 4 Show Floor. The framed image depicting a mantis attack in this snapshot will be on sale in the Krab Jab Studios Art Exhibit “The Gathering” on the TCC Level 3. 13th Age will also be represented on one of the TCC Levels of the Gaming Show Floor.
See you there!
PS. The Diabolist original art in the right hand corner of this image is spoken for, but for the time being you can still request a similar commission.
Earlier today Rob Heinsoo leaked the first image from the yet-to-be-released supplement book 13 True Ways. You can read some details about the image at Rob’s Blog. This is a piece I drew only a couple weeks ago and even more recently Lee Moyer applied his masterful paints to finalize the image. I’m expecting to have a banner of this image near my table at Emerald City Comicon in one short week, so please take a moment and let it sink into your visual memory;-)
I’m happy to announce that I have a drawing in the Monsters & Dames 2013 Art Book, available exclusively at Emerald City Comic Convention, March 1-3. This piece depicts an encounter between the Spider Cleric and a halfling rogue. The Spider Cleric is featured with an illustration in the 13th Age core book, but the spiders haven’t hatched from their eggs in the core book illustration. I suppose technically this image is a spoiler! But that is appropriate for the character. And speaking of characters, I’m still open for commissions between now and ECCC. Any of the characters that you have seen in my 13th Age Gallery or on the Pelgrane website or the 13 True Ways Kickstarter are fair game for commission requests. Yes, even the Devil of Fangs.
In addition to this image being included in the Monsters & Dames 2013 Art Book, it will also be a part of the ECCC Charity Art Auction benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital. The auction is held during the convention (maybe Saturday evening?), and not only will this image be available as an 11″x14″ print, I will also include the original drawing of the Spider Cleric. This is a charcoal drawing on 14″x17″ Strathmore paper.
Thanks for your interest and, again, I hope to see you in Seattle March 1-3!
Emerald City Comic Con is coming up the end of this month, and the 13th Age crew will be there — Rob Heinsoo and our volunteer GMs will run demos, and I’ll be in the Artist Alley.
I’ve had to turn commission requests down within the past year due to my work schedule, but I’m making the time in the weeks leading up to the convention to do some!
If you’re interested in getting an original drawing of your favorite 13th Age Icon or character, please email me at aranmcconnell(at)hotmail(dot)com with “COMMISSION” in the subject line, to pre-order yours now.
Here’s what I’m offering:
Anything beyond that, such as a character along with an icon, is going to cost at least $75 and will depend on the complexity of the image. I think we’ll both be happiest with a straightforward concept that is boiled down to the elegant essence at the core of a character. The sketches at the bottom of the post were done with that sentiment in mind.
So, if you’re planning to be at ECCC please consider signing up for a demo of 13th Age and pre-ordering a sketch! Pre-ordering is the best way to ensure that you’ll be able to get a sketch.
The last time I attended a convention was PAX in Seattle last year and it was a good time. At one point, Lee Moyer and I were both at the table drawing collaborative sketches based on suggestions from fans of 13th Age. The two examples shown at the top of this post are The Leviathan, described to have a “lobster-esque body with the torso and head of a man, braided beard and eyes without pupils,” and an “11 year old sorcerer girl with ties to the Elf Queen.”
We were able to work on suggestions like these at PAX because the “commission craze” hasn’t really caught on there like it has at ECCC. At the Comic Con word is out that artists are willing to do sketches for money…surprise, surprise. The pre-order concept has been a popular solution for the artists who want to do more commissions than they can accomplish in a single weekend.
Thank you, and I hope to see you in Seattle!
Yes, this is a page marker for the time being. I just wanted to take note of the last exciting 13 hours of the Kickstarter for 13 True Ways. It really took off yesterday and I think it has exceeded anyone’s expectations at this point. Below is a sketch that I penciled and Lee Moyer inked at PAX. This was based on a fan’s suggestion for a 13th Age adventurer, and I’ll add some additional info and more sketches to this post a little later. For now I need to get back to staring at the thrill-a-minute kickstarter page. Kidding! That kind of vanity would be akin to the Lich King…well, a few icons could be guilty of that I suppose…but not me, I’m just a lowly scrivener;-)
Aaron McConnell 