STS-53: Demon Designs

What would a fantasy story be without monsters? Of Stars and Swords has been a slow burn in that direction, but now we've got demons! There's not much to see in the comic pages just yet, so how about a look at Caroline's design sketches?

In other Of Stars and Swords news, you can now buy Issue 0 on Comixology! The other issues are coming, as well! Speaking of that, Issue 4 begins on June 26!

STS-52: Winter Wear

This is in reaction to this page, where Marguerite updates her wardrobe to something more appropriate for snow and Chloe calls foul.  Graham and I were joking about it one night and I had some free time at work the next day...

So here's a crayon and ballpoint pen doodle of Chloe, if Marguerite had given in and decided to help her out.

Yes, that is a bow.

STS-51: Megacon 2013

This was our first year getting a table at Megacon, after years of just bringing our portfolio and bugging pros.  Graham even had his own portfolio this year, full of pages from his sci-fi comic!

Commissions:

One of the best things about having a table is that the cosplay comes to you:

I'll leave you with this Strange group:

STS-50: Goblin Design Sketch

Look at that! Finally up to fifty blog posts!

For this one, I give you how Goblins look in Of Stars and Swords. Caroline and I talked this one through a lot before she tackled the design, but we both came from the same direction. The idea was to make this a recognizably goblin-like design, but not to copy what, say, Lord of the Rings had already done. So we've still got the big head, small body setup, but Caroline went with a few different ideas here: three fingers and toes, legs that reverse slightly at the knee, and somewhat bat-like ears.

And, of course, Caroline made him cute.

STS-49: OSAS Underground Designs

Half of the group of heroes in Of Stars and Swords has journeyed into a fairly standard fantasy location: underground tunnels and roads. For reference, the scene at the waypoint begins here, Issue 3 - Page 5.

The location where most of the action would take place was a waypoint, like a small village between cities to provide a place for travelers to rest. For reference, one of the first things Caroline did was to put together a nice little overhead view of the waypoint so we knew the area.

Overall, it's really just a simple crossroads with buildings carved into the four corners. So it didn't get too boring, we put a huge column in the center, carved with runes as a road sign of sorts. You can see the height and shape of the column at the bottom of this page of sketches.

We also didn't want things to just be boring rock and columns, so Caroline and I talked things over a little bit, and then she went crazy designing creatures of various kinds and tons of plant life for the environment. The sad thing is, a lot of these little guys we just don't have a chance to show, but it helped to get a feel for what the underground world is like.

STS-48: OSAS Mage and Priest Designs

Recently in Of Stars and Swords, we've introduced a new city with a political system built around a group of Mages and Priests. The idea was that everything in running the city was divided equally between the two groups, and so we needed designs for how everyone would look. Beyond some very minor suggestions from me, all of this was Caroline as she tried to find some less than traditional influences for how to dress the characters.

First up are the designs for the two groups of city guards. So far, we've only shown the Priest Guards, and you can see them fully colored here on this page.



Next, we needed the two leaders. These are our really important characters that can't just be blank faces, and Caroline really had fun with the pair while still playing off the guard designs. And next week, when Issue 3 of the comic starts up, you'll get to see both of these guys right away!

STS-47: OSAS Dwarf Designs

At the end of the Issue 2 for Of Stars and Swords, we finally had our heroes encounter a fantasy staple: Dwarves. So here's a look at Caroline's design sketches for the two main Dwarves in the comic at the moment.

On the left is the Dwarf Commander, who never got a name because I never bothered with it. Maybe later. But he's much more our standard Dwarf, beard and all. Even then, Caroline made sure to keep him with a closer-cropped, dignified looking beard to help his military look. The armor he wears became the standard for the Dwarves, so any background Dwarves you see tend to be wearing the same design, though usually with helmets.

On the right is Algvi, the scout that joins up with the characters to lead them underground. With him, I gave Caroline only two suggestions: Make him bald and give him some kind of tattoo on his head. She ran with that, added the wonderful mutton chops, a nice nose scar, and roughed him up in a way that gave him a lot of character. His armor is, essentially, the same as the Dwarf Commander's, but leather rather than plate.