Interview with Artist Nicholas Gregory

Our artist spotlight series continues today with a quick Q&A with Nicholas Gregory, who's been doing a lot of work for FFG's LotR:LCG and Warhammer 40k lines. Lately his work was featured in what has become one of my favorite quests: The Antlered Crown.

You'll recognize his other work, I'm sure, so without further delay let's dive into the Q&A!


What was your earliest introduction to Middle Earth? And for Warhammer 40,000?

My earliest introduction to Middle Earth was watching the Hobbit and Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings animated films when I was a kid. I loved them, and they really sparked my interest in reading the books and fantasy in general.

My first exposure to Warhammer 40,000 was through the board game Space Hulk that Games Workshop published years ago. It was a lot of fun, very tense and claustrophobic, and I got hooked on the great artwork and miniatures.

Do you have a favorite character or setting from Middle Earth? And for Warhammer 40,000?

That's hard to pin down, it's all so cool. I really get into the sword and sorcery aspects of Middle Earth... Gandalf and the other wizards, the Ring Wraiths, the dungeon delving stuff, and trolls!

Same goes for Warhammer 40,000. Each race has so many cool characters and creatures that my excitement drifts from one to another all the time. Imperial Guard have always been a favorite. But it's so fun to draw monsters and that's where Tyranids and Kroots enter the picture. (ed: Don't worry Nicholas, I'll answer for you - your favorite character is Maugan Ra, with Abaddon a close second!)

Do you play any of the games that you work on?

I try to. I've played both the Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40,000 Conquest living card games and I think they're both fantastic. I really like the narrative feeling the LotR LCG creates as you play through each scenario. Conquest is great as well. I enjoy that classic head to head deckbuilding vibe but with a new take on how you expect a head to head deckbuilding game to play.

What is your preferred medium for your art?

I paint my artwork digitally.

Did you study art in any organized way? Or are you mostly self-taught?

I'm self taught. I've been drawing my whole life, just always enjoyed it and stuck with it. 

Can you take us through your process; from concept to finished product?

Even though I paint digitally my process is similar to how someone might paint a traditional painting. First I sketch out rough thumbnails to nail down the shapes and sillohettes in the composition. Depending on the piece I might take some reference photos. Then I move on to refining the details of the art; tightening up the drawing and blocking in some dark areas just like you would if you were using a pencil and some charcoal, only I'm doing it with digital brushes. This virtual underpainting is usually done all in black and white. When I'm really satisfied with the tonal range I start to overlay thin, transparent, layers of color based on the pallet I envision. Once those colors start to look good to me then I basically pick areas and start painting them in with more opaque layers of color, deepening darks, adding local colors, and saving the brighter areas and highlights for last.

How much direction will you receive from FFG for a specific card?

Usually I'm given a fairly short but detailed description of what type of card it will be and what they want to see depicted. It might be a short bit of narrative, or a portrait of a character or item. As an illustrator it's my job to figure out the best way to convey that depiction and create a composition that's visually striking. I submit a thumbnail, or sometimes a few, and if they like where I'm going they approve the image to be finalized.

Any advice for artists who want a career like yours?

As Principal Skinner would say, "sticktoitiveness!" For me it started with a love of drawing all the time and not wanting to give up when I couldn't draw something well or someone frowned on my portfolio. In a way I think I've been harder on myself to make each drawing or painting better then the last than any art director or outside source has ever been. When you're ready to start reaching out to publishers and potential clients, be professional, be prepared to take some critisism and learn from it. Once you get a shot at the work you want to be doing, do your best, don't phone it in and don't blow your deadlines. Your illustration career is a business. Even though you're having fun drawing monsters all day you still have to keep track of the same aspects you would with any other business. That means time management, keeping good records, and communicating quickly and clearly with your AD's and clients.

Where can we view more of your work? 

http://cosmicdaydreamstudio.com

I also have a blog which I update frequently with current artwork: http://cosmicthreshold.blogspot.com/

cosmicdaydreamstudio@gmail.com

A great artist who knows his Simpsons references, what more could you ask for?!

Want to join the conversation? Please sound off in the comments below, or let us know on our forum!

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Interview with Artist Anthony Devine

Today we continue our series of artist interviews with Anthony Devine, whose work has been featured prominently in several recent LotR: LCG quests. The Fog on the Barrow Downs quest, in particular, has drawn praise from my player circle. 

 

In addition to his work on LotR projects, Anthony has also been conscripted into FFG's burgeoning Star Wars endeavors. He was gracious enough to answer a few basic questions that give some insight into the world of professional artistry.

What was your earliest introduction to Middle Earth? 

The films actually! I was more of a sci-fi nut growing up. I had heard about LOTR before the films came out, but only through what some of my friends had mentioned about the books. FFG doesn't have copyright permission to use New Line Cinemas 'version' of middle earth, so I need to use the books to reference when I'm painting. Irony!

Do you have a favorite character or setting from Middle Earth? 

Sean Bean ;)

And what's not to love?

How did you come to work on FFG's games? Was there an application/audition process?

No - I just emailed my portfolio at the time, which was only 4 or 5 pieces strong to [ed: redacted to keep this person from having their inbox flooded].  I got some work around 4 months later.

Do you play any of the games that you work on?

FFG keeps me busy painting artwork for their games which doesn't give me much time to play them, unfortunately.  

What other games do you work on for FFG besides LotR? Are there any games of theirs that you'd like to do some work for?

I've worked on pretty much all of their Star Wars titles which has been great fun.  Their IG-2000 Expansion Pack for X-Wing: Miniatures, was just released which I worked on for both the cover art and majority of card art inside!  That was a blast!  Call of Cthulhu has been a great game to work on.  I love doing all the research that's required for the game as it's set in 1920's America.  I would love to work on their Warhammer 40k series eventually (ed: I'd love that as well!).  

What is your preferred medium for your art?

Primarily, I'm a Digital Artist & Illustrator, but I wouldn't say that it's my preferred medium. It's just what I understand more so at this moment in time, particularly with the type of work I'm being commissioned for. I still very much begin all of my work as little thumbnail scribbles on paper before taking them into photoshop. As a hobby, at least for the moment anyway, I've just started teaching myself how to oil paint. So who knows, maybe in the not so distant future I'll be mostly painting with oils.

Did you study art in any organized way? Or are you mostly self-taught?

No, I'm completely self taught. I did study Graphic Design at college for 2 years & became fairly good at it, enough so to be offered full time employment as a Graphic Designer at a studio before graduating, but designing labels, logo-types & creating magazine layouts for a living all day just didn't appeal to me in the end.  

Eventually, after about 6 months of being nothing and doing nothing, I decided to teach myself Art Foundation. I used my timetable from college and timetables found online from other art colleges as models on how to arrange and prioritize my time and what kind of "classes" to teach myself. I spent a solid year building up my foundation skills before moving on to paint and experiment with my own stuff.

Can you take us through your personal process; from concept to finished product? 

Everything begins by reading the brief and checking to see if there's any template that I need to use which determines the format of the painting. From there I'll do some quick black & white thumbnails to generate possible solutions for my painting. I'll choose a couple of thumbnails to take into sketch phase and will also begin looking at reference material. I like to make my sketches look quite solid nowadays so that there's no guess work during the final detail pass. Once I get feedback from my Art Director on what sketch to follow through with, it's just a simple case of detailing everything now and making it look complete!

Any advice for artists who want a career like yours?

Leave 'Talent' behind! It's only a word that people use to describe you after the fact and not before you've become good at something. You don't become good at what you're learning because of some mystical "gift"! You become good at something simply because you've repeated and practiced it more times than you can count, not to mention the amount of times you've failed trying. That's how we grow as humans and that's how you can become good at anything really. Of course, it does help to have an active interest in that some thing or things!

Where can we view more of your work?

You can find more of my work or simply drop by to say 'Hi' at

Http://www.AnthonyDevineArt.com

ADevineArt@gmail.com

Big thanks to Anthony for taking the time to answer our questions!

Want to join the conversation? Please sound off in the comments below, or let us know on our forum!

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Interview with Artist Ben Zweifel

One of my goals when I started writing for Outpost Zero was not just to write about our favorite games, but introduce some of the people and processes behind those games. That's why I'm proud to bring you guys  this interview with freelance artist Ben Zweifel.

While Ben now focuses primarily on the Star Wars RPG, X-Wing, and Armada, his work has been featured in the LotR LCG from the very beginning of the game. His artwork was among the first that many of us would have seen when we started the game, as his portfolio includes the 1st stage quest card for Passage Through Mirkwood.

Ben has also done work for Fantasy Flight's board game line, notably for the Warhammer 40,000 game Relic (basically the 40k version of Talisman). After enduring my pleading for artwork featuring Abaddon or Maugan Ra, he was kind enough to answer my questions...

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What was your earliest introduction to Middle Earth? And for Warhammer 40,000?

I grew up with both of them. I was introduced to LOTR at a very early age, and I think I had read them a couple of times by the time 6th grade rolled around. 40k on the other hand was a bit later but at one point I was fielding fairly large Space Marine and Tyranid armies. However, I think I enjoyed the modelling/painting aspect of it a lot more than actually playing the game. I could probably count the number of times I played proper games on one hand as opposed to the countless hours hunched over a table holding tiny brushes or gluing sand to bases.

Do you have a favorite character or setting from Middle Earth and/or Warhammer 40k?

I can't say I really do. I mean, I've always enjoyed most of the exploits of the dwarf characters in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I like their eccentricities, similar to the humans and hobbits but a little bit more neurotic. Elves are just a bit hard to relate to. For Warhammer, as a player especially its always been about creating my own characters, making my own chapter, primarch, etc. However as general archetypes I really like a lot of the Inquisition stuff. I find the wide variety of different character types that fit in there really interesting.

How did you come to work on FFG's games? Was there an application/audition process?

Most companies that work with a large number of freelancers are always looking. I submitted my portfolio to their art drop eons ago but I imagine that it still functions in a similar fashion. Although I don't have a lot of insight on the subject, it basically boils down to submitting a cover letter and a link to a solid digital portfolio. 

You've been working on the LotR card game since the very beginning - has your method changed at all when working in that setting? Do you approach projects differently than you once did for LotR?

Well I haven't worked on the LotR LCG since mid-2013 (Ed. Note: Since Ben's work has been featured in the most recent AP, this gives us a good idea of just how far ahead the design team is planning the game, incredible!), it is however a pretty similar process to most of my other work for FFG.

As an illustrator you are always trying to improve your work but that's a pretty slow and incremental process. The biggest thing for me has been the development of a really good relationship with Zoë Robinson (she's one of the strong influences steering the visual look of a lot of FFG products and the art director I work with most frequently). Since we've worked together for years now we're able to communicate complex ideas very effectively. That shorthand allows us to get on the same page much faster and gives her more nuanced control over the end result.

Illustration for games is mostly problem solving. All of our art plays a supporting role to gameplay, it's designed to enhance the experience, so the question that usually needs answering is: What are we trying to evoke in the players? Most of the time it's about capturing a specific narrative moment that can bridge the gap between dry gameplay mechanics and an immersive experience that makes you feel like you're taking part in exploring your favorite universe. The problem is, it's not always clear how to achieve that effect, especially since there's lots of other artists working on a product and none of us have the big picture. Zoë has that overview and, more importantly, she usually has a crystal clear idea of what she needs her artists to do so we don't waste a lot of resources exploring dead ends. That's a totally indispensable skill in an AD and one that's actually not as common as you would think. 

Do you have a favorite card of yours for the LotR LCG?

I'm pretty happy with how the Doors of Durin turned out, it was interesting because it went through a bunch of revisions, but I like where we ended up. Ancient Forest and Sinking Bog are close seconds.

How much work can we expect from you for FFG's Warhammer 40,000 products? 

I'm sorry to say most of my recent work has taken me away from 40k. However one of the big things I've done recently is the entire game board for the Halls of Terra expansion for Relic (set in the 40k Universe) which consists of dozens of individual illustrations. I did the original board for Relic as well and one of the early drafts had Abaddon in the very center of the board but it was later abandoned in favor of the Chaos Star. It just made more sense from a gameplay perspective.

Do you play any of the games that you work on?

In the past few years I've been mostly working on a lot of X-Wing and StarWars RPG (Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion and Force & Destiny) both of which I play. X-wing I play very casually and rather badly, partially because my fleet consists of contributor copies from ones I've worked on rather than a carefully selected army, leading to some rather wonky ship selections. I play the StarWars RPG pretty frequently as well.

What is your preferred medium for your art?

I work almost exclusively in Photoshop for any professional work. The volume of potential changes and the ease at which those are achieved simply makes it the most efficient and flexible.

Did you study art in any organized way? Or are you mostly self-taught?

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art & Design. It was a great starting point, and it's not like your done when you graduate, you keep learning.

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Any advice for artists who want a career like yours?

I could say something like: "learn good fundamentals, know your anatomy etc." But everyone knows that. I think communication is key. Being able to write and speak to people effectively is a learned skill, expressing really complex ideas in a way that other people can understand them has been invaluable. The other incredibly useful skill you can learn is to be hungry for information, don't know how something works, go find out, don't guess. Whether it's how light reflects off carbon fiber or how the biomechanics of a bird in flight work or how linear actuators in robotics function, all that information is really important in imaginative illustration because all those data points inform your design and allow you to create something thats fantastic or futuristic but grounded enough in reality for the viewer to understand it.

Where can we view more of your work? 

I have my own site: www.benzweifel.com, and you can find me on Twitter @pixelgarbage 

Huge thanks to Ben for taking the time to answer some questions!

Want to join the conversation? Please sound off in the comments below, or let us know on our forum!

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