Field notes & deep dives
One long-form genre guide per genre we paint, plus the studio notes — guides, walkthroughs, and process pieces. Start with a genre guide, explore the deep dives.
The genres we paint in
Cornerstone guides for every genre on the studio’s slate. Live where written; the rest are in the queue.
Commissioning Fantasy Character Art: A Complete Guide for Players, GMs, and Writers
Species cues, faction-warm palettes, magical effects without the sparkles, weapons that aren't generic, and what actually goes in the brief.
The D&D 5e Player's Guide to Commissioning Character Art
What a D&D 5e character art commission actually delivers, what to put in the brief, and how class and lineage shape the painting. From a studio that has painted hundreds.
Sci-fi Character Art: From Starfinder to Original Settings
What two years of painting sci-fi characters taught me about hardsuits, alien species, body mods, Starfinder, Mothership, and original-IP worldbuilding briefs.
Cyberpunk Character Art Commissions: The Neon-Lit Aesthetic Guide
A studio guide to commissioning cyberpunk character art — palette, chrome, archetype cues, lighting rigs, and what RED, Shadowrun, and 2077 each demand.
Horror Character Art: Painting What Should Not Be
A studio guide to commissioning horror character art — dread over shock, gothic vs cosmic vs body horror, 1920s investigators, and what to leave to the painter.
Modern Character Art: Urban Fantasy, Crime, Mundane Heroics
A working guide to commissioning modern character art: World of Darkness portraits, urban fantasy leads, modern crime PCs, and the person-in-jeans brief.
Historical Character Art Commissions: Getting the Period Right
Medieval, Viking, samurai, Edwardian. How I narrow a year range with the client, check references, and avoid the costume-drama mistakes that ruin a period portrait.
Souls & Anime Fan Art Commissions: Tribute Portraits Done Right
Souls-style and anime style commissions, palette by palette, plus the calm IP conversation about fan art that most studios won't have with you. A founder's field guide.
Western & Weird West Character Art: Frontier, Gunslinger, Outlaw
A studio guide to commissioning western character art — period-accurate fashion, firearms, dust-and-golden-hour light, and how the weird west really works.
Field notes & process
Guides on commissioning art, walkthroughs of recent pieces, and the occasional studio dispatch.
D&D Character Art Commission Prices 2026 — Real Studio Guide
Real prices for D&D character art commissions in 2026 — bust from $60, full body from $120, party portraits, NPC packs. From a studio that's been doing this since 2024.
How to Describe Your D&D Character to an Artist (Without Writing a Novel)
A studio insider's brief-writing system: face-first, references annotated, mood named, signature props detailed. Template included.
Hand-Painted Character Art vs AI: Why Our Digital Studio Won't Use AI Generators
A working painter's manifesto on why every commission at our digital studio is painted by hand on a tablet, with zero AI in the pipeline.
D&D Party Portrait Commission: The Complete 2026 Guide
Real prices, real timelines, and the two-pass briefing workflow we use for every D&D party portrait commission.
D&D Character Art: AI vs Commissioned vs Hand-Painted — An Honest Three-Way Guide
AI, AI-assisted, and hand-painted D&D character art compared honestly by a working studio — what each costs and how to tell them apart.
Modern fashion in character art: realistic clothing that ages well
How to brief a modern character's wardrobe so the portrait still looks right in 2034 — timeless modern vs trend-anchored, fabric weight, and the fit that lasts.
Master Chief and the Helmeted-Hero Problem: painting a face you never see
A craft essay on commissioning a Master Chief portrait (and any helmeted hero): how posture, weathering, and lighting carry a character without a face.
Best Gifts for D&D Players in 2026 — From Someone Who Makes Them
After 200+ commissions for D&D players, here's what actually makes them light up — and what's just filler with a dragon on it.
Western firearms reference: painting period-accurate weapons
A 1873 Colt in a 1855 vaquero's hand is the single mistake that breaks a western portrait for anyone who knows. The major revolvers, rifles, and how to specify the gun in your brief.
Cyberware vs bioware: telling the body-mod story visually
Two families of body modification in sci-fi character art — metal and chrome versus organic and gene-edited. When to show, when to hide, where the body-horror line sits.
Subspecies & lineage in 5e: tieflings, drow, dragonborn, custom mixes painted right
How to brief a 5e subspecies or lineage portrait after Tasha's. Elf spectrum, tiefling lineages, dragonborn palettes, and custom mixes that don't smudge.
The Tarnished OC: painting your own Elden Ring character
Your Tarnished is two hundred hours of choices, not a class screen. How we paint Elden Ring OCs without sliding into Generic Souls Knight.
The 1920s Investigator: painting Call of Cthulhu characters that look the year
A CoC investigator portrait isn't a fantasy brief. Period accuracy, the sepia palette, occupation as costume, the Mythos-touched look — how to paint a real-feeling 1920s character.
Showing 1–12 of 93 articles
New work & new thinking, monthly
Every few weeks, a roundup of recent commissions, process notes, and slot openings. No spam, no marketing fluff — just the good stuff.