Long before Time learned how to tick, there lived a tiny dragon princess in the folds of the night sky.
Her name was Sora, for she was born from the blue-black breath of the heavens themselves.
The Great Universe Mother kept her close, held in the curve of her palm, until one day she whispered:
“Go. Find a heart to guard. Warm a soul that needs your breath.”
And so the Mother exhaled—just once— and Sora was carried down on a ribbon of stardust and light.
She landed softly in a world of grass and people and found the one whose heart beat in a rhythm she recognized, the one she had been sent to guard.
She curled beside him, small and bright, her dragon fire disguised as devotion, her wings folded into the shape of loyalty.
For ten years she walked with him, burning away loneliness, chasing shadows, breathing courage into his chest on the days he thought he had none.
And when her mission was complete, when her flame had woven itself into the very fabric of his being, the Great Universe Mother called her home
A gentle inhale.
A silent summons.
Sora looked upon the one she guarded, touched her nose to his, and released her final breath a blessing that would live inside him forever.
Then, in the quiet hours before dawn, she rose. Not with wings of feather or scale, but as a warm whisper of air, lifting upward to the sky that had once breathed her out and now breathed her back in.
To this day, the Universe Mother keeps her close again a little dragon princess nestled behind the stars watching the heart she once guarded, still tethered to him by a thread of eternal breath
Sora そら 空
Sora and the little boy.
Sora, Dragon Princess October 1, 2015 – November 29, 2025
I started playing, off and on again, Magic The Gathering at our local game store, Secret Lair at Chelan. I still find it a bit surreal that our little hamlet has its own gaming store, but here we are and here we are happy.
I love trying to give myself projects, and so I thought it would be cool to create a background for a MTG card mat. And so “Battle at the Cliff” was born, or more specifically reborn from a previous piece, Plains Walker, Wind Rider.
While I was happy with the previous piece as it was one of the first “complete pieces” I produced since jumping back into art some 10 years ago, it has not aged well in my mind. To wit, the perennial curse of an artist is the love-hate relationship we have with our art. I really wanted a second chance at the image as I felt like my first attempt was a bit flat. And given the aspect ratio of a MTG is 2:1, it was the perfect excuse to try to climb the proverbial cliff, as it were.
I spent a lot of time trying to get the composition correct. And one of the benefits of our local store is our online chat group that includes an Artist Alley where I can post progress and get feedback.
One of the things I wanted to accomplish with this piece was a sense of movement and depth, especially with the Wind Rider. I thought the original piece was too static, and some amount of dynamics would help keep the viewer more engaged and better fit the narrative of tension.
While it was quite challenging to figure out how to have the viewer right outside the frame of the shot, with the dragon’s tail whizzing past, I do sense this gives more depth and movement than its sibling piece.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the composition and values, but I’m not entirely stoked about the color gamut. I tried to knock down the saturation in the dark value areas which I think helps, but I’m still not entirely happy with the current version of it. I need to reflect a bit more before I can say I am entirely pleased with it.
If you watch the video of the progression, you will notice that the color versions start really slow down on dramatic changes, and I’m really just trying to dial it in. I’m still not entirely happy but tis the life. You gotta just move on at some point.
I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see you at the next piece.
Last weekend I started a new campaign by a local DM and sadomasochist (I’ll return to this in a bit) at Secret Lair of Chelan, and is only appropriate I started a new character, Root.
Background to Backstory
I have a confession to make. I was half tempted to just roll a Level 1 and re-hash one of my old favorites such as Unnis, the dragonborn sorcerer who loves cinnamon rolls and yellow wine, or Stone, my innocent warforged, my equally innocent fallen Aasimar paladin, Erel, or even my more recent Kazumichi, a kensai from Pathfinder but set to 5E rules. My rational at the time was that I was not sure how much time I would be committing to the drop-ins, and partly I had forgotten to come prepared and only had 60 minutes before the session started to conjure something out of the ether, my head, or in this case D&D Beyond.
But never one to back done from a self-induced challenge, I opened up D&D Beyond and threw proverbial pen to paper and out came Root. Root was largely just born out of the decision to do something different than what I normally play, which is focused on damage output at the expense of all other considerations. Some might call it a play-style, I think of it more as a player defect.
One thing I love about RPG is just the randomness of it all. It’s a place where the rules are more like bumpers in bumper cars, keeping you from going entirely off the track, but not meant to stop you from trying. The roll of the dice force you, pardon the pun, to roll with the punches and improvise on the spot. And creating a character without a clear picture in mind at the start, it’s fun to see where you’ll end and who’ll find at the end of it all. It’s also lazy, but I’m not going to admit to you, dear reader.
Backstory, The Making of
As I was filling out Root’s character sheet and desperately trying to not min/max him to death (did I mention that player defect of mine?), I came to the section where you are asked for backstory. Again, I did not have any specifics in mind with Root other than to play a class I had not played before. And while I did not think backstory was going to be entirely relevant to these gaming sessions, I thought some amount about loose threads that would help me flesh Root out once we got rolling.
I tend to just play characters that act like I would in real-life; in equal parts due to I’m not creative in that way, partly due to I’m autistic and theory of mind is rough for me, and partly just because I hate having to pretend to be something I am not, even when given permission. I learned decades ago from my on the local high school stage, and I might add in my own estimation phenomenal success, to just act from parts already in me. Aside, I wonder what it says about me that I played Dr. Bester from Up the Down Staircase and Horace Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird? Truth be told, I was/am a horrible actor but I did have both 300 pounds of mass and a lot of bottled up teenage anger that was a good basis for parts that required a thunderous voice on stage. But I digress. Root started to form from my own persona living as a stranger in a strange land, sans the messianic undertones that reference implies.
The Seed of a Backstory
While we’ve been 10 years in the Chelan valley, I’ve worked remotely from a home office the entirety of that time. And given we have not been able to have children, outside the raising of our two Great Dane dog’ters, Sora and Kumo, we don’t have a natural circle of friends which might occur organically in the daily grind of raising children. Compounding all this, I’m reserved and introverted, and it’s not hard to imagine Root as an interloper of sorts. And of course, this is not a new sensation but one I’ve felt the entirety of my five decades. Add to fact that I live clear across the country from where I was born and raised, and you can start to see the similarities to myself and Root as a far traveler. Even the random selection of a “bird flute” as one of his instruments he plays as a Druid, has turned into a part of a deeper backstory. Gawd, I love this game.
The Backstory
I imagine Root as an odd child elf growing up. His real name is unimportant, since the name he earned is the one he bears today. He was curious as a child, insatiable to get to, well, the root of things. He never stopped asking why, or digging, quite literally and proverbially, at things till he understood the deeper meaning. And while others named him Root for these reasons, as he grew older the meaning took on new meaning. He became the friend to the forgotten ones, the unseen ones, the ignored ones of the forest. And for these, the roots are where their homes start and extend. For the mice, for the birds, for the toads and frogs. Even to those that burrow underneath, the worms and the spiders and the insects. He is friends to them all, even as his heart is dearest to the simple wood mice and sparrows who keep him constantly apprised of the goings-on, both under foot and over head. And while he’s very adept at squeaking his way through a conversation with mice, he indeed quite literally needs his bird-flute to communicate effectively with the fowl folks he meets. And if you think there was a play on words in that last sentence, you’d right. Some fowl are really foul; just look up the reproductive behaviors of ducks to learn what I mean. But I digress.
Root has now traveled so far from where he was born, under bough and over root, to find himself in a new land with new people. He never quite settles, even if he lingers in a place for along while. He cannot help himself in this way. Curiosity always get him, making him wonder what is past yesterday’s sunset or this morn’s sunrise. But now, he content to discover what the folks of this wayward tavern and its’ slime mold infestation have in store for him.
Making of a Portrait
Given that I share so much with Root, it seemed fitting I would sit for my own reference photos. Also, I’m inexpensive (free) and available. Also, I’m sure I’m a bit vain.
I started with a quick portrait generated by AI. It’s actually amazing what you can produce with a few words in under 30 seconds from your computer. I cannot say it’s a horrible portrait for Root, but it lacked the more rugged nature I envisioned for him. Nevertheless, it was a good start with a starting session only 10 minutes away.
Aside, I absolutely have zero issues using AI using it. (Okay, I have concerns but I’m also very pragmatic and fairly nuanced given I operate in this space leveraging AI for mental health therapy as a co-founder/CTO). And I appreciate the sensitivity people have around it, especially established artists and creators whose specific style or tone can now be duplicated with a few strokes who were hoovered by Big Tech with nary a thank you let along contract for royalties based on IP. But toothpaste and trying to put it back in and all that jazz hands apply. Aside, if you love an artist or author buy their work and patronize them; don’t use AI to plagiarize their style, no matter how tempting it is. PSA done.
But in all seriousness, what I love more than playing a character is illustrating them. So, the real secret why I scrambled to roll a new character was that I wanted a seed of an idea for my next piece of artwork.
As noted above, I play characters that represent aspects of me. There are universal themes such as free will that come up in all of my characters. And sometimes you can see me more directly in a portrait such as with Kazumichi (or 和道) which is the name I adopted for myself while living and working in Japan. But I think Root may be the closest I’ve come, at least externally, to largely being my alter ego, is really just me as I see myself in my fifth decade of life. I am not nature person per se, but I’m most open under open skies and open roads. I grew up being bullied, and I see in myself a pattern of having both a soft spot and protective tendencies to all of us who are unseen or ignored, or are underestimated and not part of the mainstream. In this way, Root’s connection to the small mice of forest and field is this connection to myself.
So I stood in for Root. It did not hurt that I had mountain-man beard already grown in. Throw in a walking stick made by father, and a Carhart outdoor shirt and I look the part of a modern-day Root. A quick selfie with my phone and I had all I needed to get started. Receding hairlines be damned, I gave Root the one I wish I had, along with a fuller beard.
Most of the evolution of the illustration is in the lighting. I ended with two light sources in the end, largely to just help Root to stand out from the darker forest behind him, but also to help boost the idea that this character lives in a world unlike ours.
For myself as an artist, there is no point doing fantasy artwork if it just looks like a picture of a woodsman somewhere in Washington, so the purple lights allude to something magical or mystical, something just out of sight by the viewer.
What is the source? I honestly don’t know, but I suspect Root will out. It’s his nature, after all.
Original Root, AI generated and better looking version of my reference model.Reference Model (author)Black & White RoughsInitial ColorizationFinal Version
P.S. While I cannot give specifics as it would be spoilers for future adventurers who join us at the tavern, I will say any DM that #tpk’s everyone in session 0 of an introduction to 5e D&D is one sadistic insert-non-PG-words-here. Thanks, DM-who-will-not-be-named.
P.P.S. Yeah, Root died already. But then the DM healed us. Because he’s an upright DM that did not want to get clobbered over the head with a long stick thing.
I recently did my first art commission for a near and dear friend who wanted a portrait done for a character they are role-playing. Aren’t RPGs awesome?!
Here is what the client gave me to help cement who their character is.
My character is His Most Noble Highness Prince Meriendor Fardove, Prodigal Lord of the Night Sky, but his friends call him Meri! He’s an astral elf and he is literally the prince of the moon, so he has a pink/blue galaxy theme going. He’s a fairly feminine pretty boy, high on the androgyny, and he’s an Abberant Mind sorcerer, so a little on the weird side. When he was a child, he was sent to the mortal world to learn from one of the high elf families down there, but when he lost his sense of humor at the Witchlight, his family deemed him too weird to come home and rule. He’s on a quest to prove his worth and be allowed to go home to the moon. He has a deep belief in manners, morals, and always doing the right thing.
I absolutely love the detail in this. There is so much to work from, and it really gives you a sense of who Meriendor is. And yes, we are on a first name basis but you may call his Your Host Noble Highness. This is the kinda stuff I love as an artist. Gives me a lot of ideas for imagery to pull from, which still giving me freedom to bring my own interpretation to the character.
Reflecting on my first art commission
To be perfectly frank, I’ve been anxious of do an art commissions in so much as I am an artist who does this for the joy of it. And while I hope to eventually get to a place where I can pursue my art full-time, I know second-hand from very established artist friends that once you start doing art for pay, your relationship with your art can change. More directly, there is both a tension and a balance of doing the piece I want to do versus meeting the needs and wants of the client, who is after all paying you for your time and energy. So much of where you end on that scale is dependent on the client — choose your clients wisely!
To the astute reader of this site, I’ve certainly done work in the past such as with a local winery, a local pizza/catering , and even a filmmaker friend; however, this is the first art-art commission that is not commercial in nature.
A great client makes happy artist. Thankfully this person is quite familiar with my style. Aside, do I even have an established style yet? I’m flattered that they think so! And as such, they were very comfortable giving me the freedom to create something we both love. Which is always the gift that keeps on giving.
The struggle is real
I will admit I struggled with this piece toward the end, in part as I’ve never quite been satisfied with the image when viewed small-scale. There is something about the mouth – I think it’s the values – that does not quite sit with me. I may finally figure it out and send the client a revised final. But as with any artwork, at some point, you have to let the process come to a conclusion. And more so trust, based on feedback from the client, that they are satisfied with the piece.
Which is to not say I’m not proud of the piece; I am. But as a person is trying to grow my craft, I think it’s important to remain objective about your artwork in order for you to reflect and grow.
Aside from some issues with values, I really do like the more cropped version where you can really see a subtle, dare I say, sublime look to Meriendor. I fully admit I’m enamored with the canvas texture I added to the image even if it’s fully digital picture; sadly, it does not render well when zoomed out due to the moiré effect, but nevertheless I think it looks amazing close-up.
Client reference pieces
The client provided some initial inspiration for their character with some images. It’s startlingly how good AI-generated image (bottom image) are, and while I was tempted to use more of it as a template for my version, I opted to not go to strongly in that direction lest I fall to creating a derivative work.
And then there are my own references
With both textual and visual references in the proverbial hand, I then went on an internet safari hunt for my own reference photos. A lot of times in personal pieces I use myself as the reference, but in this case I thought it was important to look elsewhere to ensure this was not just another vanity piece.
We both really liked the bottom photo, especially as I could see the character’s hand up cupping a ball of magic to help tell the story of who they are. He is, after all, an aberrant mind sorcerer. Additionally the lighting and colors were already close to what I was thinking for this piece, which always makes adapting a reference easier. I really wanted some depth so I added a moon … whether it’s Earth’s Moon or not is open to interpretation.
Process
Of the pieces I’ve done recently, I think this captures some of the process that a piece goes through from concept to final rendering. You really get the sense I did not have a good handle on the face in the first half during composition and value study. I had to go back and repaint the entirety of the face toward the end. And as noted above, I might still make revisions.
Originally I wanted to have a more bare-chested version, but the client felt it did not fit with the reserved, proper nature so we added a sheer shirt and ensured that arm was mostly covered. I added a lot of finer details included the small unicorn horn pendant, and other embellishments that would convey a person of high pedigree.
Not matter what quibbles I might have as an artist with my own work; it comes with the job description, I think; at the end of the day, it’s ultimately the client who has the final word on an artist’s output.
I love it SO MUCH!!! Thank you so much for this – it’s absolutely stunning!!
I recently started an IRL game with folks local to me at a newly opened gaming shop, Secret Lair at Lake Chelan, in our hometown of Manson, Washington.
For the past many years we’ve played entirely virtual table-top (aka VTT), and so actually getting together around a physical table to sit down is quite a treat. There are real dice to roll! And real figurines to move around a map! And there are real people to talk to, oh my! Okay, 2 out of 3 ain’t too bad. Joking aside, to put in context, it’s been more than 10 years since I spent more than a few minutes in-person with folks outside of my immediate family; the joys and tribulations as both a fully-remote technologist and being autistic – so there is some real anxiety being around other folks, even if we are each other’s peeps. So a part of getting out is just re-normalize myself to being around people, and try to continue to make inroads in our community which I adore so much.
I’m pretty familiar with D&D 5e, and while I did play a bit of 3.5e when that was all the rage, I’ve never played Pathfinder 1e which is based on 3.5e. Our DM is bringing us through an urban fantasy to boot, which is also new to me. As a bit of self-indulgence, I opted to roll with Kensei Magus, or in layman terms, a sword-wielding master who can add magic to their attacks. Think a Japanese swordsman of yore with a bit of Gandalf thrown in for good measure.
And before folks try to correct me, the correct pronunciation is KENsei (剣聖／けん・せい／), not KENsai, regardless of what Paizo Publishing might put in print. Just saying.
The self-indulgence? Well, first I have a black belt in Kendo (Japanese sword-fighting). Second, I speak Japanese sorta fluently (fluently enough to have once worked as a Japanese interpreter in aerospace manufacturing). And finally, I named the character after myself. Self-indulgence in three, indeed!
My character’s name is 和道 (KAZUmichi). You can address me, I mean him, as Kazumichi or Kazu, but don’t call him Kaz. He hates that. And for the record, so do I.
A bit of trivia. I choose the name of Kazumichi for myself when I first lived in Japan some 30 years ago as a bit of an homage to 1) Japan, 2) my Kendo training, and 3) a play on words of my English name. On that last part, an alternative pronunciation is WAdou, which is very close to how Japanese might pronounce my English name as WAdo. If I’m being utterly honest, and I am, I really did not like that pronunciation, especially it’s the same pronunciation for Microsoft Word. As for the first part, the first character 和 generally means “harmony” or “peace”, but a more archaic meaning is Japan(ese). So an archaic understanding of the characters might lead one to interpret to “way of Japan”, which is a fitting auto-appellation for a full-of-himself young American kid living in Japan. 🙂
I will admit that my character was (deeply) inspired the recent Netflix series, Blue-eyed Samurai. If you’ve not watched it, stop reading and go and watch. It’s okay, I’ll wait. See what I mean? An amazing TV series. One of the best in the last few years. And, you’re welcome.
Now given the fact that that I named my character after my Japanese name, I thought there was no reason to not use myself as a reference in the portrait. Granted, I did end up creating a character portrait closer to my IRL age of 50 than my character’s age of 27, but a bit of retcon never hurt anyone, right?
I really wanted to role-play with a familiar as I’ve not done in a quite awhile, and thankfully Pathfinder 1e makes that pretty easy. And when I raw across a Dracula parrot (it’s real, google it), I knew exactly what my familiar would look like. And I decided to name them 闇 or YAmi, which is the Chinese character for absence of light, and resonance with both the benign such as twilight or darkness, but also the more sublime such as Japanese mythology where some gods exist.
Since Kensei can’t use armor or a shield, we need a way to survive first contact with hostiles. We opted to make dump both his strength and charisma stats to ensure both his dexterity and intelligence are at 18 or 17, respectively. In gaming parlance, he’s a lanky DEX(terity) monkey. And while folks might assume he’d wield a katana, as a bit of meta-gaming he’s a master of scimitars in order to leverage Dervish Dancer feat to wreck the game’s action economy. We might be leaning toward role-playing, but it’s hard to resist a bit of Min-Max’ing.
As an artist, I love to share my references as I think too many people, especially other self-taught artists think that references are some kind of sign of weakness, when in fact since time immemorial, references are a staple of every accomplished artist’s toolset. I’m not saying I’m accomplished, I’m just saying references are super important. And that fellow has one hell of a head of hair; color me jealous.
Left is the first version I made, but I really did not like a few elements such as the hair, lack of interesting embellishments, and Kazumichi’s clothing. Again, thank you for references to help find elements to help guide the details. I opted to do a bit of a paint-over to change out the hair, add some details like a Chinese dragon tattoo on the head, and a Chrysanthemum tattoo on the forearm. Kazumichi will not welcome at any Japanese onsen (hot baths) anytime soon; sadly. While I still not entirely stoked about the horns, I opted to put the proverbial pen down and call it complete. Who knows, maybe I come back to in a bit, but I’d rather move to another portrait.
