Magic cards - Dwarven deck project

[JordyLakiere]

Hello everyone! I'm jordy lakiere(portfolio,facebook), a freelance artist from Belgium :) I needed a new project and recently got back into MTG. When I realised there aren't many (modern) dwarf cards, it seemed like an awful shame. I discovered a bunch of them but they are really old, and decided to make a little dwarf deck/set. (not a full deck obv.)

This is mostly practice for card illustration work, maybe even to actually work with wizards (would be great), but also for fun. I'll be designing the actual cards with gameplay mechanics and such too (I'm not a huge magic player so I might be bad at this part)


Please let me know what you think! I'd love ALL the feedback I can get, mostly on the art, but on the card desigs too.

The list of cards I'm making is as follows:
(titles may change)

Dwarven Onager Crew
Dwarven Warriors
Dwarven Llama Riders
Dwarven Slavers
Metallurgic Prowess
Torture
Dungeon

Here's an example of a card with a temporary speedpaint for the art!


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Dwarven Onager Crew - Creature - dwarf



Choice



Current



Example card:


Dwarven Llama Riders - Creature - dwarf




Choice



Current



Dwarven Warriors- Creature - dwarf



Choice



Dwarven Slavers - Creature - dwarf



Choice



Metallurgic Prowess - Instant



Choice



Current



Torture - Sorcery



Choice



Current



Dungeon - enchantment



Choice

[darktiste]

for the Dungeon - enchantment
i prefer the v one the story seem to fit more then the one you choose i dont know what the man in the jail is trying do also it almost seem like he can escape that cell

[Psychotime]

Dungeon is an enchantment, but depending on how the card works, one image could work better than others. If it's a normal enchantment, the environment should be the focus and you should use 5. But if it's an Aura, THEN use 4. Focusing on ONLY characters (especially a single one) is very inappropriate for what I imagine that card to be, and I'm not sure what you're thinking.

For this kind of project, you should think about the ins and outs of what the card actually does, because that will affect the type of image you'll need. If you ask me, the name is probably the LEAST important factor to affect an illustration. It's the Color, Type, Subtype, and Rules Text that need to be addressed and thought about.


Ok, to pick my favorites:


Onager Crew - This one I find difficult, because your thumbnails look more suited for an artifact card than a creature. The catapult is important, but I don't think it should overpower the fact that the card represents a creature, and as such should view the machine and the characters using it as a single unit.

Llama Riders - I'm partial to having more than two characters in the image given the name, so I'll choose 5, because it's more dynamic. Half of your thumbnails make one rider look too important, and 2 in particular looks like a Legendary creature. The profile and the silhouette of the flag he's carrying come off dramatic to me.

Warriors - 2

Slavers - 2 seems appropriate, given the name (it also brings to mind cards like the recent Leonin Snarecaster). But I think it needs to be a bit more dynamic. I'd apply a dutch angle. 4 looks cool, but it'd be more appropriate for a Sorcery or Instant, not a creature.

Prowess - This appears to be an artifact tutor, so it's important to NOT focus on a single object. 4 and 5 are for individual artifact cards, not an instant that could search for one. I find 2 uninteresting, and 1 seems like a permanent, specifically a land. I'm stuck between 3 and 6. Depending on how good the card's effect is, I'd use 6 for a weaker effect, while I'd use the dynamic and dramatic 3 for a strong one. I wouldn't put too much focus on the character, because it's an instant. I'd use 3 like the original thumbnail, with the molten metal thingie in the foreground.

Torture - There's already a card named Torture, and it's an Aura, not a Sorcery. Ignoring that, I think all the thumbnails work for this, and work on the aura as well.

Dungeon - I'll be short this time. 1-3 are focused on a single character, and are very inappropriate for an enchantment. 4-6 are much better, and the choice will be determined by how the card works. If it's an aura that enchants a creature, I'd use 4. A normal enchantment that affects the board, I'd use 5, though I'll admit that it does look more like a land in that case. If that's too problematic, I'd use 6.

[JordyLakiere]

Thanks a ton for the thought out input man! Some points did make a lot of sense, I'll have to rethink some of them. Meanwhile here are some updates I have done:

All prone to change, feedback is very always welcome!


Color comps:




Started to actually paint this one: