New project with local game store

[theprairiefox]

I thought I would share. I just signed a consignment deal with a local game shop and I am planning on putting character design portraits at the shop.

For me, this is a great win as the world I have been writing and illustrating is very much a fantasy type world so my images fit right in with Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games. It will be great because I will be able to expand my characters in that world AND get paid for it.

I am going to do them all in a mixed woodcut print/watercolor style. I have been working towards this and I think this will also push my technique in that style.

Also, I will be able to print many of the images and watercolor each with different colors so each person gets a unique character. I will also cut a small figure for them to play RPG with the character as well with the Glowforge. The picture is about 4x4 and will be framed and matted in an 8x8 frame.

Here is the first image, let me know what you think, any feedback for improvements on the image is welcome. I plan on doing quite a few of these.

[DOTTYP]

@theprairiefox That is really exciting Congrats

[Coley]

very exciting, congratulations

[Annaaronson]

Yay! That’s awesome. Congratulations!

[braden H]

That's fantastic! Great work! The craft/boutique gaming market is a vast and in many ways untapped community

[theprairiefox]

@DOTTYP , @Coley , @Annaaronson Thanks all it is good to have excitement about my work. Can't wait to get a few pieces down there and sold!

@Braden-Hallett the gaming market is definitely interesting. As I was talking with the shop owner he was pretty excited about the idea of books as well. He has sold a few kids books already things like the 'DnD ABCs'.

[theprairiefox]

@Heather-Boyd asked to see all of the sketches that got me to this one.

I had 5 sketches and I let my family pick which one to finish. They were very split... which I think is a good thing.

I was surprised that the first sketch was the one to win out!

For my process, after the sketch was chosen I did an ink drawing using a .5 and .25 pen. I scanned that in and sent reversed and inverted it and sent it to the Glowforge to cut my woodcut plate. I then printed 18 of them (only about 12 were good enough to be in the edition) and then I chose one to watercolor. I used one of the misprints to test colors on.

I printed these on Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper, which is WONDERFUL! It worked great for both the printing and the water coloring. I use TomBow watercolor markers for the watercolor. Washes are put on with a brush and the shadows are put on with a TomBow blender. I like the TomBow markers because I am lazy and don't like to mix my own colors and I get very good color consistency with them.

Oh, and I also take the inked version and create the little wooden mini with it using the GlowForge.

[theprairiefox]

The second character is done.

I am getting faster at the watercoloring which is good. I was a little worried the cost was going to be too low, but I think I priced it right from a time/work standpoint.

[sigross]

@theprairiefox sounds like loads of fun. Cool Dwarves.
If you are painting each one then it's classed as a hand finished limited edition print. You can boost the price based on that unique quality. Sometimes better to price based on rarity rather than time taken.

[theprairiefox]

@sigross thanks for giving me a good name for them. I am definitely charging more as they are 'woodcut prints' and hand-printed as well. But I didn't want to have to price them out of the market. Always a delicate balance.

It was funny though, I dropped this one off and I noticed the other didn't have a price tag? I asked the store owner and he said his price tags are super sticky so he was afraid to put one on the frame.

I think I will make him tags that do not stick for my pictures...

[sigross]

@theprairiefox Defo worth a few quid I reckon. Pricing is a tricky conundrum. One way is to increase the price each time you sell 5.

[theprairiefox]

Another...

[theprairiefox]

I did this one for my wife as well. I usually do her a picture for Valentine's day.