TrumpNotes

I kept an artist's log of thoughts regarding each trump I did.

Thomas

For some reason, this was the easiest Trump of all. Perhaps the fact that Andi e-mailed me a site with some great pics of Joaquin Phoenix, and the sword that the character used, got me on the right track immediately. It went very quickly from there, even though I did something new: I used my beloved flood fill to help alter the cut of the character’s clothing. It worked remarkably well. The black jacket was like a blank canvas, and although it’s not a perfect look (I would have preferred a mail vest, or some more folds showing on the shoulders) it turned out fairly unique and even believable, as if Thomas were wearing a sleeveless wool coat over a mail shirt. The sword fairly dropped into his hand as if he were meant to wield it. I struggled to find a way to work Eric’s red in with the black, then came across a shield on an SCA site that I colorized – and voila! (Oh yes; if you look closely, you can see I gave him gray eyes. This was not the only Trump where I had to change eye color.)

Aife

Regrettably, Ghen-Ki told me that he envisioned Tilda Swinton as the character after I’d begun work on the Trump, so I didn’t use a picture of that enthralling actress. The photo I’d started with, however, was an enchanting and lyrical portrait from, of all things, a site selling wedding dresses. It grabbed me immediately (or I grabbed it) because it actually shows up on the first page of a Google image search for “redhead.” What made it perfect was the model’s hair, which put me in mind of the fire imagery in the trump description. This Trump actually took the longest: I did extensive "hot wax coating” to make the dress indigo, and to make the bodice look somewhat like an iron breastplate. I was particularly pleased with the hammer symbol on the breast, and the lapis lazuli ring I dropped in – on the correct figure, I might add. Filling the left border with the flames from the To Dance With the Devils web site’s background finished off the Trump nicely.

Sakura

How do you create a trump for a character whose main element is, “she’s mysterious”? Well, it helps if you have a well-written, evocative description. (Check.) It really helps if you stumble upon the perfect photo. (Check and mate.) The photo was so ideal, so close to how I imagined Mike’s description, that I agonized over how I could possibly manipulate it to improve it – let alone without ruining it. Fortunately, we had already played the first session, and I discovered that Sakura was a shape-shifter, and favored an equine form. There was a long search for a workable horse drawing or photo, which I ended up colorizing green. Some work with flood fill, and the result was the Trump of a woman looking equal parts wood nymph and horse spirit – someone you could easily believe was a forest-dweller with many forms.

Solomon

I originally did some work on a photo of Russell Crowe from “Master and Commander,” but there were several issues: I was afraid he would be too recognizable; he looked to old for Caine’s son; and I imagined Solomon more swarthy (despite that his description doesn’t mention hair color). Then I found this great shot of a young Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower. It seemed to have the perfect expression: the naval officer about to mutiny. Other than that history, I didn’t really have a hook for this Captain (pun intended). So, I decided to use an element out of the first session, and put in a horde of demons behind the ship. Who knew it was so hard to find a picture of a horde of demons? I ended up creating a few of my own, using the profile from the Babylon 5 “Shadows” and some demon eyes. I tried overlaying one like a mask, showing that Solomon had fallen under Julian’s sway – but I had to settle for knowing that his cerulean eyes line up with those of the demon right behind him.

Durus

This was the first Trump I did for the game, since I like starting with my own characters to kind of set the tone – and to make the most mistakes on, so that those I do for others are even better. I found a great shot of armor from the video game God of War II (an appropriate source), but finding good pictures of Michael Clarke Duncan proved more difficult than I had thought. I finally found one that could work, but then re-discovered the difficulty of putting photos of real people together with drawn art. I worked for a looooong time trying to make the two look like they went together, playing with gamma correction and highlights. What finally made it work as well as it does (you be the judge) was sharpening the photo to a high degree, thus mimicking the more simplistic edges of a line drawing.

Gizette

This was the second Trump I did for Devil King, and the second Trump of Gizette I’ve ever done, since I did one for To Dance With the Devils. I liked this picture of Kirsten Dunst – she looked older than the photo I used for Gizette’s first Trump (because she is), she exudes the bubbly Gizette personality, her eyes are fabulous, and she has the short hair that Leslie insists is still the character’s hair style. That hair caused a lot of work, because the original photo had wisps of blonde hair going everywhere. My original attempt to put a rainbow-like Chaosian sky in the background failed miserably. Then I found these great paintings of wings (which I turned silver) to use as a background, and they are the element of the Trump with which I am most satisfied. I tried several things with the shirt to make it look more Amber, but couldn’t, so settled for adding a horse pattern to indicate Gizette’s history as a courier. It all worked, after a fashion, but I still don’t think this is the best Trump possible. If time allows, I may attempt a new version later.

Benedict

I had decided on Hugo Weaving as Benedict even before I remembered he played Elrond in LOTR. Then I found those wonderful images, including one of Elrod leading the elven army, and shouting his bloody head off. I duplicated the rank of soldiers as a background, added a layer of shouting Hugo, and dropped a Jewel of Judgement in on his necklace. Getting the right balance between that layer and the sitting pose took some doing - I wanted it to look like Benedict was attacking, but also shouting in his more placid self's face. The rose in the corner is thematic, and also practical, since the sitting photo didn't quite extend to the border. I was rather pleased with the finished product: Benedict shown both as the concerned king, and the bloody, screaming revenant he becomes when betrayed.

-- ChrisLightfoot - 15 Jun 2007

Bleys

And then came Bleys...partially in an effort to do the elders in alphabetical order, partially becuase he's Gizette's significant other, partially because I wanted to do a trump of him before Benedict gets peeved and decapitates him. I got it in my head that Eddie Izzard would make the perfect Bleys. (I think I saw a trump of him used for Bleys somewhere.) The younger photos of Eddie weren't appropriate (even those in drag), and the older photos were perfect, but he looked kind of...old. So, for the first time, I used my skills to make a person look younger. If you look at the original picture at http://www.auntiemomo.com/cakeordeath/gallery/misc2/wah6, you'll see the difference. His cheek came out a little splotchy, but I was otherwise amazed. With the head shot done, I had to find a body: some clothes to put him in. A search of medeival costuming did the trick, and I found an ornate Gothic doublet at House of Anoria. I added some orange, and discovered that the way to wear orange and red together is never let them touch; always seperate them with black or white. The doublet itself had a great "cosmic" background which I extended up, behind where Bleys' head would go. (The doublet itself was on a dummy without a head. Hopefully, not a sign for Bleys.) Once the head was placed, the Trump seemed to need a little something-something. So I found a candle flame, the symbol of his House Candent, and placed two on either side. The end result is a little busy - but hey, it's Bleys.

-- ChrisLightfoot - 16 Jun 2007

Fiona

Once in a while a Trump has to break the rules; in this case, it was Fiona’s. If this were film, the first thing fans would say is, “Fiona’s not that tall!” But I absolutely adored this photo of Kristen Johnston, who proved on “Third Rock from the Sun” that she can be fierce, vulnerable, spooky, and seductive…and she looks petite and spunky in this shot. Her hot little black flowered dress dovetailed perfectly into the red rose look of the Trumps. I broke the rules I’d established for the other Trumps by angling the image and extending it out into the border. Another way I broke the rules was including other Trumps in the design. But in Devil King, Fiona is the Maven of Trump, and I wanted to reflect that by showing a spread of other Trumps, including her own. And the fact that it is a non-standard Trump carries the concept that Fiona makes the rules. The black-and-red theme and diagonal motion of the composition make it a very strong piece – and keep the numerous elements involved from becoming too distracting. Probably my favorite Trump to date.

-- ChrisLightfoot - 20 Jun 2007

Gerard

I was really glad that I finished this Trump about the same time as that second session. It almost ended up as Gerard’s memorial. To find someone of Gerard’s stature, this time I looked through pro wrestlers, and ended up with this powerful shot of Kevin Nash. Gerard in a NWO T-shirt just wouldn’t do. I searched for a breastplate and found this great piece on a site by a Spanish armorer. I “etched” Gerard’s signature silver hunting horn as a design on the armor, and darkened it up a bit to match the photo. A chain mail skirt completed the look. I tried the Mount Kovlir from the cover of “The Great Book of Amber” for a background, but couldn’t get it to work with the original orange background. So I found a beautiful oil painting that I dropped in, and it worked very well to give that “strength of the earth” kind of feeling.

-- ChrisLightfoot - 24 Jun 2007

Comments

Wow! Really interesting reading! Is the actress for Sakura anyone I might know?

-- BenBernard - 13 Jun 2007

I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the creative process. I wasn't sure if it would be entertaining or not; I just found myself narrating (much like Durus) while I was doing it, so I thought I'd share my observations.

The Sakura picture comes from some kind of art site - I was unable to find the name of the model, as I was unable to find the model for Aife. So they will have to go uncredited. I was really pleased with the results, however - I'm keeping those kinds of resources open now, rather than just relying on Google searches for a particular personality.

A funny postscript: I ended up changing eye color on the models for every trump but Durus, Thomas, and Gizette, who already had actors picked out.

BTW Ben, thank you for fixing the image links. =-)

-- ChrisLightfoot - 13 Jun 2007

As I noted to Chris elsewhere, Benedict's trump I think is extremely great, and quite a good piece. Very very thematic, and I love the contrast between the two sides of the King.

-- BenBernard - 15 Jun 2007

Very nice Fiona trump! I really like the other trumps in her trump, very appropriate

-- BenBernard - 21 Jun 2007

Man, I love Kevin Nash as Gerard... He's big enough to really pull off the look that I give Gerard in my head. Also, unlike most games with Gerard, he's definitely looking serious, which falls in line with the events in session

-- BenBernard - 26 Jun 2007

It's hard to find good photos of the big, beefy guys - they all tend to be wearing sunglasses or obvious wrestling wear. I thought his look - the length of the hair and the beard - were perfect for Gerard, and the massive arms just tell the story.

-- ChrisLightfoot - 26 Jun 2007