-Snow Goblin Copyright Fantasy Flight Games
-Treasure Map Copyright Fantasy Flight Games
Hey all! Several long, long months ago I was fortunate enough to do some art work for Fantasy Flight on their now released Frostmarch expansion to Talisman. Besides just being a fun assignment, Frostmarch holds a particularly warm and fuzzy place in my heart as it was the first Card Art I had every done and my first freelance illustration gig. Crazy.
...and boy, does the whole "first" vibe show through. One of the many and prevalent obstacles facing any illustrator is the notorious NDA and the concomitant fact that it will be several months to over a full year before you're legally allowed to display your work publicly. What makes this an obstacle is that by that time, usually, your previous work is no way near the level of your current skill set and a certain reticence to show said work tends to set in.
Certainly, after I received my comp copy of Frostmarch (which was awesome!), I took a look at these images on my computer, and I couldn't help but think, "hmmm..." with a noticeable wince. This, of course, is one of the oldest stories in the long saga of artistic neurosis replete with doubts of quality, relevance, and representation. Is this the best piece I've done? No. Does it represent either my current skill level or artistic style? Hell, no. But.
But...did I do a good job? Was the client happy? Well, I believe, honestly, yes to both, and that, in the end, might be the best way to look at any assignment ultimately. True, you are only as good as your next piece, should always strive to be better today than yesterday, but should such thoughts be your only concerns? No, because though today's piece may not have been better than yesterday's, if you did a good job and your client is happy, then you have a good shot at making tomorrow's something really special.
At the very least, you'll be a little saner.
Oh, and if you'd like to see some really kick ass art, here's a link to the Cover Illustration done by the very, very talented Ralph Horsley. Seriously, treat yourself, you deserve it...
