THE ART LAB / ORIGINAL CHARACTER STUDIES
Which version would you want to collect?
Compare the same character in three directions. Switch subjects to see whether a treatment works for both a champion and a creature.
These are starting points. The dark fantasy study follows your reference: dark, painterly sword-and-sorcery covers. The final direction can combine the qualities we like from more than one study.
New: exaggerated Defender proportions + arena depth ↓A resolute champion with a split bronze shield. The defensive silhouette stays recognizable in each treatment.
FIXED FRAME · FIXED RULES · DIFFERENT ARTLINE & ENERGY
Guard. Enemies must attack a Guard before other units or your hero.
A promise weighs more than bronze.
Crisp contours, graphic shadows, expressive poses. Character identity does most of the work.
Lineage: Magic’s Kamigawa anime treatments ↗
Open full artwork ↗CLASSIC COVER PAINTING
Guard. Enemies must attack a Guard before other units or your hero.
A promise weighs more than bronze.
Physical weight, gestural paint, deep shadow and lit forms. The sword-and-sorcery paperback-cover tradition, with the subject still readable at a glance.
Lineage: Conan the Adventurer cover painting ↗
Open full artwork ↗SHAPE & PERSONALITY
Guard. Enemies must attack a Guard before other units or your hero.
A promise weighs more than bronze.
Handmade texture, selective detail, deliberate color shapes. A more stylized world with room for warmth and menace.
Lineage: Sorcery’s traditional card illustration ↗
Open full artwork ↗All cards use the Stone Sentry duel rules: cost 2 · Guard · power 1 · health 4. Oathbound Defender and Armored Burrower are visual-study names for that same card. These are original AI-generated concept studies, not final production art.
NEXT PASS / BOTH SAMPLE CARDS
The new Defender changes the anatomy: a larger head, compact torso, and heavier hands and boots. Arches, banners, and layered arena walls bring depth back into the setting.
Compare the newest version first, then the prior simplified pass and earlier anime study. The Burrower revision remains pending; its two existing versions are shown below.
01 / ORIGINAL CHAMPION
Newest first: changed anatomy and a setting with depth.
LATEST PASS
Changed anatomy, restored scene depth. A larger head and hands, shorter torso, and heavier boots give the champion a different silhouette. Broad arches and banners establish the arena without filling every surface with detail.
Open full artwork ↗PRIOR PASS
Flatter setting, similar anatomy. This pass simplified textures but kept most of the original human proportions and removed too much depth from the scene.
Open full artwork ↗EARLIER VERSION
Anime rendering, detailed construction. The earlier champion keeps the armor detail and built environment of the original concept.
Open full artwork ↗02 / ORIGINAL CREATURE
Single-creature revision still pending.
PREVIOUS PASS / REVISION PENDING
Needs another pass: one creature, a composed setting, and less surface detail. This earlier attempt improves the main shapes but retains the extra creature and too much scenery detail.
Open full artwork ↗EARLIER VERSION
Detailed anatomy and environment. The earlier concept also includes the juvenile beside the adult.
Open full artwork ↗The lineage: Pokémon’s illustrator interviews inform the emphasis on personality, deliberate proportions, and clear character shapes. Both subjects are our original designs.
These are original AI-generated concept studies. Read the source notes and design brief ↗
THE GAME BEHIND THE PICTURES
For a tabletop game played digitally, I’d favor a strong visual identity and a small, legible board. The strategic depth should come from choices we can explain across a table.
Distinct silhouettes, focal colors, and roles. Keep costs and stats in stable positions; let the artwork create attachment.
Test the art at the size it will actually appear in a match. Expand a card to read its text; keep the board’s power, damage, and readiness visible.
Play a creature, trade with an enemy, or attack the opposing hero. Different decks should value those choices differently. Test that tension before committing to all 100 cards.
The next decision: choose the treatment that makes both the champion and creature worth collecting, then test whether it stays clear on the playing board. The game does not require a particular rendering style.
Read the lineage & design position ↗