Just throwing this out there since it seems like it might be awhile before I can get back to this project. So the main idea behind this project was some mix between an area control/wargame and a worker placement, where one of the main mechanics is that the “workers” (in this case Generals) have individuals abilities and gather strain/exhaust over time.
After I had written down some vague rules to work off I gathered references. I wanted the game to be set in a Hanna Barbera infused Napoleonic era, inhabited by various forms of birds, obviously. Above are some of the initial thumbs i did for the over all color scheme and design of the cards. I hope that establishing this early will help the project get a more cohesive look.
Here are some studies I did before I began making the artwork for the game. As I stated earlier I wanted a cartoony Hanna Barbera infused style, primarily since I’ve fallen in love with the style trough previous projects. I went on to study some backgrounds from 60’s Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss cartoons. A great source for references was Yowps blog where he writes a lot about old HB cartoons and also share a ton of screencaps. I Actually learned a lot trough these studies, even techniques that can be applied to more realistic paintings.
A great source for information on the technique was John K’s interview with Art Lozzi, where he goes through all the tools they used back in the day.
This is where I am at with the playerboard. In a earlier drafts the lines where much straighter and thinner which made the board come out more realistic. The thicker wobblier lines like in this iteration are essential to achieve the HB feel. I also had a really hard time with the leather texture and went through several different variation, and found that the exaggerated size of the texture helped it look not too realistic and more cartoony.
Currently my biggest concern are the “gold” emblems on the side. There’s such a dissonance between the thick lines of the overall design and the thinner lines of the emblem. I am struggling to find a way to achieve a consequent style that still can afford me some details when need.
For the General cards I wanted a style that was more fleshed out than just colored lineart, which would’ve been in line with the HB influence, but still not as complex as a full on rendered paintings. Fortunately I found the Hanna Barbera books that Golden Books made. They were the perfect mix between line art and painting. Basically they were using slight gradations and colored lineart to help sell the 3-d shape.
Above are a few of the studies I did when I was trying to figure out the style. I went through more details on in an instagram post, but basically the process I found the most practical was a tight sketch, then block in the base colors, render the shapes just slightly with a chalky brush and then add lineart where needed to hel define the shape.
Initial draft of what I think the General cards could look like. As I said earlier I struggle with balancing the bolder lines with finer detail, I think this one will stand out as out of place with the player board.
I wanted simple one color backgrounds for the portraits so they would be easy to differentiate, and also resemble portraits from the Napoleonic era which were often just gradations with some vague ocean/sunset background. Although I feel the background are too simplistic, might return to add some vague background details.
The cardbacks are not finished, and suffer from the same detail vs. boldness problem.
Please do share your thoughts, or if you have any questions.
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