Field notes & deep dives
One long-form genre guide per genre we paint, plus the studio notes — guides, walkthroughs, and process pieces. Start with a genre guide, explore the deep dives.
The genres we paint in
Cornerstone guides for every genre on the studio’s slate. Live where written; the rest are in the queue.
Commissioning Fantasy Character Art: A Complete Guide for Players, GMs, and Writers
Species cues, faction-warm palettes, magical effects without the sparkles, weapons that aren't generic, and what actually goes in the brief.
The D&D 5e Player's Guide to Commissioning Character Art
What a D&D 5e character art commission actually delivers, what to put in the brief, and how class and lineage shape the painting. From a studio that has painted hundreds.
Sci-fi Character Art: From Starfinder to Original Settings
What two years of painting sci-fi characters taught me about hardsuits, alien species, body mods, Starfinder, Mothership, and original-IP worldbuilding briefs.
Cyberpunk Character Art Commissions: The Neon-Lit Aesthetic Guide
A studio guide to commissioning cyberpunk character art — palette, chrome, archetype cues, lighting rigs, and what RED, Shadowrun, and 2077 each demand.
Horror Character Art: Painting What Should Not Be
A studio guide to commissioning horror character art — dread over shock, gothic vs cosmic vs body horror, 1920s investigators, and what to leave to the painter.
Modern Character Art: Urban Fantasy, Crime, Mundane Heroics
A working guide to commissioning modern character art: World of Darkness portraits, urban fantasy leads, modern crime PCs, and the person-in-jeans brief.
Historical Character Art Commissions: Getting the Period Right
Medieval, Viking, samurai, Edwardian. How I narrow a year range with the client, check references, and avoid the costume-drama mistakes that ruin a period portrait.
Souls & Anime Fan Art Commissions: Tribute Portraits Done Right
Souls-style and anime style commissions, palette by palette, plus the calm IP conversation about fan art that most studios won't have with you. A founder's field guide.
Western & Weird West Character Art: Frontier, Gunslinger, Outlaw
A studio guide to commissioning western character art — period-accurate fashion, firearms, dust-and-golden-hour light, and how the weird west really works.
Field notes & process
Guides on commissioning art, walkthroughs of recent pieces, and the occasional studio dispatch.
What does a character art commission actually cost?
Every lever that moves a commission quote up or down: style tier, complexity, tokens vs portraits, party math, rush, licensing, and the floor below which a quote stops being real.
How to Commission D&D Character Art — A Step by Step Guide
What actually helps when commissioning character art, from the artist who reads those briefs every week.
How to write a commission brief that gets the art you actually want
The difference between "tiefling sorcerer" and a brief I can paint from. A working checklist with examples.
Three weeks with Lyra: from a player's note to a final painting
Sketches, color blocks, and the revision where everything clicked. A full process walkthrough.
Why your VTT token deserves more than a clipped headshot
A defense of the round portrait at 512px. Plus three tokens that earned their pixel budget.
Hero Forge to hand-painted: a starter guide for D&D players
What translates from Hero Forge to a painted portrait, and what we sketch around.
What I packed for my first art-fair booth (and what I'd cut)
Prints, palette samples, and the one thing I should have left at home.
The Curse of Strahd NPC pack, painted over six weeks
Strahd, Ireena, Madam Eva, and the other six. How we kept style consistent across eight portraits.
Choosing a commission style: painterly vs anime vs lineart
What each style is best for, side-by-side examples, and how to decide for your character.
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New work & new thinking, monthly
Every few weeks, a roundup of recent commissions, process notes, and slot openings. No spam, no marketing fluff — just the good stuff.