Designing the Kingless Dwarfs
Coming up with the conceptual ideas behind the Kingless Dwarfs has actually been a very challenging part of this project. Between the 3 of us, we have each had our own idea of how we want each Dwarf to look.
Alex lead the way with the design style and lore behind each of the Dwarfs, this gave us some solid direction when coming up with the names and designs for each of the Dwarfs. Together, we worked from a comprehensive spreadsheet containing a whole suite of information on each Dwarf. We wanted to capture as much information as we could from the very beginning. The more information we had the better. Once the names had been decided, we started working on the features of the dwarfs.
We included things like hair colour, age, positions and poses, items they may be holding. Sometimes we even went so far as to include stains on their clothing to keep with the theatrics.
We reviewed and tweaked these design notes until we hit something we were all happy on. More importantly, a design that worked with the character. This is where we handed the notes over to our Designer, Anastas. Anastas works her magic and a few days later presents us with a first sketch. For me, this is the most exciting part of the process, it’s when we really get to see our ideas come to life.
This now gives us an opportunity to refine the design further. As with Bron Lawbringer, we wanted to change the way he was positioned. It just didn’t feel right having him standing, after all, he’s too drunk for that!
Once we are all happy with how the sketch is looking, Anastas will then get to work on colouring and adding the card text to the design. At this stage, we add smaller details to the Dwarfs. Some have rips or stains on their clothing, others have gloves tucked away in their pockets. Every card we build have small nuances that if you look for long enough you will find.
Our design process for each Dwarf takes around 5 days to complete, from sketches to full colour. It’s not a quick process, but I think you’ll agree, they look fantastic!