Hey all!
Ok, here we go!
What:
This guy was called The Quartermaster.
Who:
He was created for Purple Duck Games for a Legendary Classes product. I believe Purple Duck Games products are all Pathfinder (or maybe D&D) compatible, but I'm not 100% certain of that.
How:
The brief I was given by the client was pretty straight forward. They wanted a character with all kinds of crazy gear and weapons strapped to them because this insane merchant-like figure would march out into the fields of combat (or wherever) and trade or sell gear and weapons to those in need. He was to look capable, be a half-elf, and I think the lucky rabbit's foot and the repeating crossbow were special requests. To the best of my recollection, the rest was up to me. Everything you see in the image except the crossbow was my work and my design.
The crossbow was largely lifted from the VanHelsing film with Hugh Jackman, though I did take some liberties with it in places. I remember I wanted him to look like Lenny Kravitz for some reason - probably because I was a fan back in the day and I've always thought Lenny was a very pretty/handsome man. Seemed like a good fit for an adventurous merchant type. I was also playing a lot of Assassin's Creed III back then, so I remember wanting to make sure he had a tomahawk. I made it somewhat barbaric in design, but still a not to AC3. The nunchukas are a rather obvious nod to Thundercat's Panthro as well. And the violet scarf with gold cording is a subtle nod to Prince, who I always associate with Lenny because I listened to both of them pretty heavily around the same time period. Weird, but true.
The rest of his gear is pretty common, but I distinctly recall a couple aspects that I want to point out. First, I wanted his coat to have weight so I made it with brass trim and layered the leather in places. I'm a big fan of buckles and layers or anything that helps sell a garment as looking more plausible in the world it exists within. The other thing I remember very clearly is the desire to create as much diversity in the tans and browns of all the leather. It would have been easier to make it all the same, but making it all different (or mostly so) helps create the illusion of a more diverse world. The background was not used in the client's final work, but I still like it, even if it only represents about 5-10 minutes of actual work. Photoshop magic at it's best right there.
Here is a link to the product for comparison:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/175285/Legendary-Classes-Quartermaster
Thanks all! See you next time! Thanks for stopping by!
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