Illustration Process: Stymphalian Bird

I want to evoke ancient Greek black-figure pottery in the art for Firetaker, so I’ve been using mask layers in Photoshop to create solid-color outlines.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

When I picture what my Stymphalian Bird looks like, I see the Helmaroc King from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This particular reference image is by Fil Romero.

From there, I do a rough pencil sketch on whatever paper I have handy.

Finally, I import the sketch into Photoshop, use the paint bucket to add a solid-fill layer, and “erase” the line art with masking.

I plan to do all of the art for the three playtest scenarios, as well as for the core rulebook. Wish me luck.