Troll Lord Games

This is primarily directed to Pete, but I am curious as to what others think also.

I have always drawn from memory or imagination, but lately, as I get more serious about improving, I have thought about staging a scene with friends/family and photographing it, then use it as a reference.

I was wondering if you do anything similar.

Nothing beats a live model. In more than one sense. Standing in some of the impossible poses I draw for the time it takes me to do a drawing, truly makes the model beat.

Best thing, pose your people and take a photo. But don't be bound by the photo. As an example, as much as I like the work of Boris and Julie Vallejo, they are bound by the pose of the figure too much. Julie, less so than Boris, but the figures are still stiff and don't always fit the environment.

As to where to find models. Go to ren faires. You'll never find a bigger collection of narcissists, and people who know exactly what you want and what for, than at a ren faire. They have all the props you need. They have the costumes, and chances are the majority you meet are gamers, and know exactly how to set up scenes. And, generally, they'll work for a copy of the picture.
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

Thanks for tip Pete. Ren Faire! Why didn't I think of that? Probably because, as a closet gamer, I never go to those things. But....duty calls. I have to go now. Not because it's fun.....no, no, er....for art purposes only.

Until then, I grabbed some of my son's old GI Joe guys he doesn't play with any more, you know, the real big ones that have a lot of posability, and set them up in cool poses on the table and commence to sketching. Not real people for sure, but better than nothing.

My next idea using these figures is to use the camera to take pictures at odd angles, like a shot from above with a party about to go around a corner with a critter waiting....stuff like that, then I can draw from the photo. My wife will really think I lost it if I start taking pictures of action figures.....yeesh.

Digital camera's are good too, just put them on delay, and model the character pose yourself.

Here is a quick example.

And another, I modelled the two posed figures myself and then combined them.

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PIperdog wrote:
Thanks for tip Pete. Ren Faire! Why didn't I think of that? Probably because, as a closet gamer, I never go to those things. But....duty calls. I have to go now. Not because it's fun.....no, no, er....for art purposes only.

Well then, you're in luck!!
2008 Michigan Renaissance Festival

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Not to mention the scenery. I always have a stiff neck for a week after visiting the ren faire. It hurts to tilt your head back up to eye level!
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Jason Braun
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Three-Headed Troll Art Wurks