Ok, so just because there are a few laggards, doesn't mean we all should have to wait around.
;)

Kidding, of course. Actually, the editing process for the NPA is drawing to a close. What I would like do now is open up the art part of the process.

This is going to be an art minimal piece, but I would still like some nice illustrations in there, plus some cool design elements.

What we need is:
Each author to propose, publicly, two pieces of art for their piece:
1) A title piece, something that defines the game as much as possible.
2) A graphic/design/theme that can be used as a folio/border
3) Any non-illustrative graphics that your piece absolutely must have.

Logo design
I need an illustrator willing to work with me on a logo design for the NPA. I have some ideas.

Cover Art
Again, I have a concept for the cover that is a variant of the logo, I would love to work with an illustrator on this. I'm not proposing either of these publicly because I don't want this thread to devolve into another "my cool concept for the title is X!" thread. As soon as I get a few volunteers for illustration, I'll post the concepts and links to sketches and stuff.

Ok, let's get this moving. Time is running short.
-Luke

My Piece: Snowball

Quite frankly, I have no idea what sort of graphic/design/title/etc would really define Snowball. My issues and limitations with art as a physical medium are well-known. If you don't mind, Luke, I'd like to leave that up to you and/or put the question publicly to the thread.

Lxndr wrote: My Piece: Snowball

Quite frankly, I have no idea what sort of graphic/design/title/etc would really define Snowball. My issues and limitations with art as a physical medium are well-known. If you don't mind, Luke, I'd like to leave that up to you and/or put the question publicly to the thread.

Okay, I'll give my ideas, since fortunately I came up with such concepts a while ago.

So, for The Agency, the following are what I envisage:

Title piece: Three of the sample characters posed much like a 60s film poster. One looks like a member of the Rolling Stones, one is a well-to-do gent in a union-jack waistcoat and the last is a female photographer in 60s high fashion. They are armed with a weird mixture of monster hunting equipment (crossbows, stakes) and spy-cliche (Walther PPK, spy-watch) weaponry. Behind them a vampiric presence bearing a slight resemblence to a 'Bond villain is appearing out of thin air.

Border: A series of bubbles like those in a lava lamp.

-Matt

PS Luke, if you want any help with a website for Nopress, just ask.

My primary design / layout goal for Over The Bar is to keep it at one double-sided page. If this is impossible with art, I would prefer to have no art at all, if that's okay.

That said, here's the "art direction."

Main focus: Booze, booze, booze!

1) A title piece, something that defines the game as much as possible.

BL> OtB, such as it is, is a universal system. This makes it kind of hard to have an image which defines the game as a whole. Some ideas:

a) In the style of old "universal game" pictures: PC-types from the various "RPG Genres" together: A superhero, a 1920s investigator, a vampire, a few fantasy adventurers, a space-marine, and perhaps a cyperpunk sort all together in a "group shot." But, in this one, they are all drinking together in what is clearly a bar setting.

Bonus points: Also (or instead of) the traditional types, include archetypes from various indie-games: A kpfs satanist, a sorcerer, a riddle of steel blood-opera type shirtless guy, an orbit-style space teen, a mlwm minion, a risus stick-figure, etc.

b) A group of young, attractive people sitting around a bar table, clearly playing the game (no dice, just, I don't know, looking interesting.) Perhaps, again in the style of old RPG art, having thought bubbles depicting their shared imagined space.

c) A XX-marked bottle of cider, possibly with some pencils and paper surrounding it. Alternatively -- a martini, or similar iconic drink.

2) A graphic/design/theme that can be used as a folio/border

BL> Beer bottles, wine jugs, or martini glasses.

3) Any non-illustrative graphics that your piece absolutely must have.

BL> Hah! I feel that I should have a "Table 1" simply to have it, but I have no idea how. Perhaps, if you absolutely need to fill space, we could have "Table 1: Average Weight / Alchohol tolerance" and find some table off the surgeon general's website.

Hope this is what your looking for. If you need me to get more specific or more flexible, let me know.

yrs--
--Ben

P.S. I'm not as much as a lush as this game makes me seem. Honest!

P.P.S. Luke, if there's any help you need, other than public harrassment of the slackers (Mssrs Miller and Holmes!) let me me know.

LUKE:

Each author to propose, publicly, two pieces of art for their piece:
1) A title piece, something that defines the game as much as possible.

2) A graphic/design/theme that can be used as a folio/border

3) Any non-illustrative graphics that your piece absolutely must have.

For Discernment, I'm working up a concept sketch to provide the artist. When is the deadline to get this to the artist?

abzu wrote: Ok, so just because there are a few laggards, doesn't mean we all should have to wait around.

What we need is:
Each author to propose, publicly, two pieces of art for their piece:
1) A title piece, something that defines the game as much as possible.
2) A graphic/design/theme that can be used as a folio/border
3) Any non-illustrative graphics that your piece absolutely must have.

abzu wrote: i know you're having computer trouble, but when can we expect the finished draft of Discernment?

Michael S. Miller wrote:

abzu wrote: i know you're having computer trouble, but when can we expect the finished draft of Discernment?

I e-mailed it to quozl early Saturday morning. I'll send it to you as well, just PM me with which e-mail address you prefer (I remember I sent something to the wrong one before, but I don't remember which is wrong and which is right).

I'm terribly sorry for not having revised WTF yet. I'm two months away from graduation, desperately searching for an entry-level design job and, well, the edits to the original writeup were so numerous that it's kind of intimidating to dive back into the bloody thing to make it serviceable. The only time I see having available to work on it is over Spring Break, but even then I have to write two papers and manage a publicity campaign for the art school's capstone exhibition.

Okay, enough whining. I'll try to get WTF revised by the end of next week. If I can't manage that, I don't see when I'll have any more time to do it. If worse comes to worse, my name should be taken off the submission list. But let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

As for a title graphic, again if I have time, I'll just go ahead and make up a WTF? logo based FLCL, since that series is the game's primary inspiration. It'll probably be bold, geometric letterforms (like this) or breaking down into a halftone pattern like in the Japanese FLCL logo. Aside from that, I don't really have a need for a border graphic or any other illustrations. Well, maybe an electric guitar. :)

gobi wrote: As for a title graphic, again if I have time, I'll just go ahead and make up a WTF? logo based ...

abzu wrote: What we need is:
Each author to propose, publicly, two pieces of art for their piece:
1) A title piece, something that defines the game as much as possible.

2) A graphic/design/theme that can be used as a folio/border

3) Any non-illustrative graphics that your piece absolutely must have.

xiombarg wrote: Hmmm, seeing this post: Luke, did I misinterpret what you mean by "title graphic"?

Gah! Should've seen this thread sooner. Revisions of Pagoda are coming along as fast as they can, which is, given the horror that is HIGHSCHOOL, not terribly fast. Sorry about that. :^(

At any rate, for Pagoda, I imagine the cover remaining like it currently is, but more so. The five elemental symbols arranged artfully in a ring around the title. But much less pixelated and a good deal prettier. (heh, not too terribly hard.) For a border piece...

Not a frickin' clue. Huh. I'd say blow the symbols up and smack 'em down as water marks, but that strikes me as stale. I'll ask around, browse Elfwood for inspiration, and get back to you tomorrow.

gobi wrote:

xiombarg wrote: Hmmm, seeing this post: Luke, did I misinterpret what you mean by "title graphic"?

It's entirely possible that the misunderstanding was mine. :)

As long as we're talking about art, how is art going to work on this project? Did I miss the thread on this? Are we paying our artists, or are they volunteering their art, or do they, like the authors, get a cut of the profit?

I ask this mainly for "talking points" to possibly get some artists of my acquaintance to contribute. PM me if needed, tho I think this info might interest others...

xiombarg wrote: As long as we're talking about art, how is art going to work on this project? Did I miss the thread on this? Are we paying our artists, or are they volunteering their art, or do they, like the authors, get a cut of the profit?

I'll put my hat-in-the-ring for any graphic or logo design that needs done.

My portfolio can be seen at www.chrispasseno.com.

Please contact me if you are interested in commissioning some work.

Thanks,
Chris

::points at chris::
He designed the Forge logo.

After carefully thinking about it, I've come to the conclusion that Snowball really (in my opinion) doesn't need art. At all. I'm still not sure what Luke means by graphic elements "lead[ing] the reader's eye along" and have no idea what art would successfully do so. Starting at that point hasn't helped me at all.

This may not look like "stepping up to the plate" or "taking responsibility for my work" (as Luke put it earlier) but the more I think about it, the less I'm convinced any art is necessary for the piece. And while I've got nothing against a border design in concept, I'm flummoxed at coming up with one. All I've got is an "I-don't-want" statement for the title piece (which doesn't really tell me what I do want), and nothing at all for the borders. Quite frankly, conceptualizing my own art is probably the irresponsible choice - Snowball needs the artistic equivalent of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and not, y'know, my eye.

I did take your suggestion to heart, Luke, and spoke to a couple people about it. They've more-or-less advised me to go with my gut reaction - that Snowball doesn't have any need of art pieces, any more than its ancestor, The Pool, did/does. If you, Luke, decide that a border and/or a title piece is necessary for layout/graphic design continuity with the other works, I leave that entirely in the hands of the artist - I'll pay the $20 or $40 or whatever for the artist(s) to follow their own guts on what the piece needs, and I'll take whatever they offer on the matter (with the caveat of the single I-don't-want statement).

ok, that's a good exercise.

Now let's do another exercise. Let's pretend that, in order to make the anthology of games look professional and consistent, and to make your peers' games look good, you MUST have the two pieces of artwork described.

Don't get upset, we're just pretending.

So using that as the parameters for our thought exercise, take the question back to your friends: What if it HAD to have two small, telling pieces of art? What would they suggest in that case?

The point here is it is your responsibility to come up with concepts for the art right now. Then we can give the artists free reign to see what they come up with. But without concepts, there's nothing to give the artist.

-L

Alexander,

For a title graphic, I suggest a bubbly, heat-damaged polaroid photograph of a highly indistinct (posterized), timeless, actiony scene, with the word "snowball" visible in distorted letters as part of the bubbly damage. And along the large bottom border of the polaroid, either "a roleplaying game by Alexander Cherry," or a provocative caption like "don't stop," in hand lettering.

Paul

I'll go with that. That's one down. Thanks Paul!

And, thanks to www.symbols.com, I can dash out this (the 2nd one) as a potential border idea, or at least a place to start:

http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/14/143.html

Alexander,

You probably want to be specific about what you want for the caption. I think the polaroid imagery will communicate that something about the game is like Memento. Your caption should hook the user on what the experience of play is like. Is "don't stop" the best possible hook?

Paul

Lxndr wrote: I'll go with that. That's one down. Thanks Paul!

And, thanks to www.symbols.com, I can dash out this (the 2nd one) as a potential border idea, or at least a place to start:

http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/14/143.html

Well, I'm certainly willing to pony up the $60 to get the illustrations I want.

Is it okay for us to contact and commission artists ourselves? What format parameters should they be given? Is there a deadline?

Erm. Through a series of directions frrom various people, I've been asked to post some portfolio links and let people know I'm available for artwork.
My portfolio is at: http://gpalmer.freeshell.org/portfolio
and my main webpage is at http://gpalmer.freeshell.org or http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/~grace
I can be contacted at gpalmer@freeshell.org should anyone see anything they like or have any ideas, and I hope I haven't been too much of a nuisance. I skimmed the thread, but haven't had time to read in depth.
Thanks,
Grace

xiombarg wrote: Well, I'm certainly willing to pony up the $60 to get the illustrations I want.

Is it okay for us to contact and commission artists ourselves? What format parameters should they be given? Is there a deadline?

Main illustration: 4x4 final size should do it. Can be larger, shouldn't be smaller.

xiombarg wrote:
Those are inches, right? Just double-checking.

Also, what about smaller spot illustrations? Or is that what you mean by "sidebar"? I mention this because I wasn't thinking of Cindy's picture being a full 9" tall...

Also, what kind of art rights are we talking about here? I assume we're licensing the work for use in the RPG, and then the rights revert back to the artist, i.e. we're renting, not buying the work, as it were.

Yo all. I am new, and was pointed in this direction by Mr. Ben Lehman. I'm just thowing up the link to my deviant page, so if people like what they see they can yell at me. Bear in mind that its newish, so I don't have a ton of stuff up there. I just recently updated with more punkish stuff, since there seems to be that thread going in some of the games. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask. :)

http://lindseyerin.deviantart.com/

Thought I'd also throw my metaphorical hat into the ring. My most recent artwork has been stuff I created for my Exalted campaign, which can be seen at http://alum.wpi.edu/~wes/exalted.htm. Other pages of older artwork visible at http://alum.wpi.edu/~wes/art.htm. I can be reached at hwango@usa.net, but be sure to mention Forge or Art in the subject so I can distinguish your message from the junkmail.

Paul Czege wrote: Alexander,

You probably want to be specific about what you want for the caption. I think the polaroid imagery will communicate that something about the game is like Memento. Your caption should hook the user on what the experience of play is like. Is "don't stop" the best possible hook?

Lxndr wrote: Hm. For whatever reason, I'm currently thinking "Turn Around" instead of "Don't Stop."

Right. So I'm working with Jonathan Walton on the Pagoda logo/title page (preliminary sketch looks awesome!). For the piece to "lead the eye along," I'm thinking a few idealistic shoots of bamboo planted in the lower righthand corner, extending up to the top of the page and maybe above the text a bit in the upper right margin. Something like...

::google image search::

...this, but leaning in the other direction and without the accompanying calligraphy.

--Jeff

Jeph wrote: Right. So I'm working with Jonathan Walton on the Pagoda logo/title page (preliminary sketch looks awesome!). For the piece to "lead the eye along," I'm thinking a few idealistic shoots of bamboo planted in the lower righthand corner, extending up to the top of the page and maybe above the text a bit in the upper right margin. Something like...

::google image search::

...this, but leaning in the other direction and without the accompanying calligraphy.

--Jeff

For the record:

Art may be color, right? Or is the NPA going to be b&w?

Jeph wrote: For the record:

Art may be color, right? Or is the NPA going to be b&w?

abzu wrote: A word of warning to all artists: Line art is going to print better in our medium. Grayscale images will look ok, but not as nice as they should. We're going to go POD with this, so imagine getting reproductions done on a really nice photocopier.

Well heck, I just noticed that the automatically generated links in my post don't work, because they include the punctuation with the URLs. So, for people having trouble with those links, my most recent art is at http://alum.wpi.edu/~wes/exalted.htm and other, older art can be viewed from the menu at http://alum.wpi.edu/~wes/art.htm

Hi, I was pointed here by Matt M's post on rpg.net. I wanted to offer my services.

This puzzles me though: "300 dpi TIF file that is the same size as it will print in the layout.
1200 dpi line art."

So is it both? I.e. do you want two copies of the artwork, one for each resolution? Should both be tifs?

When is the deadline, I've looked through the posts but seem to have missed it? This is extra important for me since I live in Sweden and I can't deliver 1200 dpi images digitally in any convenient way (MSN, or ICQ are possibilities), so it'll probably have to be burnt on a CD (at extra cost for the postage) and sent using conventional mail.

My gallery is at http://www.griffindesign.org/

In case people wondered, I posted a brief note in the RPG.NET freelancer forum saying we were looking for artists, since I figured some of them might be interested.

Seems to have worked :)

-Matt

Yep. Came here from RPGNet forums too. I want to offer my services as well. Samples of my work can be seen here:
http://ultorgabrihel.deviantart.com/gallery/

If you are interested, just send me a message through here:
http://lovaria.com/feedback.php

Are you sick of strays from rpg.net yet?

http://billplee.epilogue.net

Ready and willing! My portfolio is mainly grayscale work but I can do ink or fully painted colour also.

veinglory wrote: Are you sick of strays from rpg.net yet?

veinglory wrote: Are you sick of strays from rpg.net yet?

I saw xiombarg's post on the roleplayers' livejournal community - I'd like to throw my name out into the ring, too. My online portfolio is http://www.ec-art.org - and there is more at my deviantart gallery.

My focus is mainly fantasy, dark fantasy, and creatures - but I'm versatile, and jump on the chance to push my limits (read as: if you don't see anything similar to what you want, ask me and I'll see if I can dig up an example).

Thanks!

Hi,

If anyone's still looking for an artist, I'm available.

You can see my work here: http://www.users.qwest.net/~armstrongharmon/

Thanks,

--Ian

Wow! Well this kind of response was unanticipated.

Well gentlemen, a host of artists have responded to your desires. By responding they have implicitly stated they are willing to work for the price we offered and they are willing do the pieces as we've described them in this thread.

There are quite a number of talented illustrators who've answered the call. Now it's time to take the next step: CONTACT ONE OF THEM. Don't be shy, they responded that they are willing to work.

Here's how to do it:
• Look at the links, find an artist that you like.
• Send them a PM/email and remind them that you found them through this thread. Ask them if they are still interested.

• The working terms are 2 pieces, black and white, pen and ink, for $20 a pop. You will ask them to send you sketches of the pieces, not finished pieces. You and the artist will agree to a certain number of revisions per sketch. When you get the sketch, you ask for changes. More revisions than agreed = more money. Once you two come to an approved sketch, you pay them and they ink it and send it to you (and me).

• If they are still interested, describe your concept in detail, provide sketches if possible.

•If you are utterly incapable of performing this excerise, please contact me privately. However, I would like to remind you that this is part of the deal. You're self-publishing here, I'm simply facilitating. Talking to artists is your job as the author.

Here are the following pieces that need artists:
Cell Gamma: Door plus arrows motif.
Over the Bar: Drunk RPG characters plus beer/wine bottles motif
WTF: FLCL logo (?) plus electric guitar motif
Snowball: Polaroid with caption plus curling dingbats motif
The Agency: 60s Agents plus lava lamp bubbles motif.


As far as I know Pagoda, Pretender and Discerment are all set.

Get to it, I'll check in next week to see how it's going.
-Luke

And remember, we're all in this together!

A big thanks to all who made their services available.

Just to clarify, I've contacted an artist (from those who replied here and on RPG.NET). And the first of my pieces (The Agents) is being sorted.

I think it'll be damn fine.

-Matt

Well, since Luke wants public art direction, here goes. I’ve privately contacted Ian Armstrong, and hopefully he’ll take up the torch.

Discernment only needs its main illustration. It is to be a political cartoon of these little scientist-looking guys (scholars) crawling over, and in, this big subject lying on an examination table. One scholar is climbing into his chest, one has unscrewed his head, perhaps another is standing on a ladder leaning against his shoulder--perhaps not. Spread out on a nearby table are are little iconic "bits" that they've already extracted from the subject and catalogued.

I did a concept sketch: SKETCH 1
My wife (Whim) also did a sketch: SKETCH 2

Requirements for the picture:
1) The scholars must be cartoony--not a silly, inoffensive, Mickey Mouse-type cartoony, but a anonymous, iconic, maybe even creepy kind of cartoony. They've got to have big glasses that completely obscure their eyes. They've got to be recognizable as all the same type of scholar, even if they aren't identical (like differently-shaped glasses or noses, maybe, or not--your choice). The concept sketches used lab coats to acheive this, but those "mortar-boards" that folks wear at graduations could possibly work, too.

2) Nothing is gory in this picture! Crisp and clean is the way to go.

3) The subject on the table must be visibly assisting the scholars somehow. My concept sketch shows him handing a scapel to a scholar. My wife's shows him holding open the access panel in his chest. You can come up with something else, if you want. Somehow, he has to be helping them.

4) The scholars have pulled out a number of items that they're cataloguing. They're searching for one that is called "Soul Quality" but haven't found it yet. Here's where the political cartoon angle comes in. I thought to illustrate this with each item having a tag, and there being an empty "Soul Quality" tag sitting on the table. My wife used a clipboard with a checklist. If you can come up with some other way to show this, great.

What follows is the list of qualities that they may have found (ignore the ones listed on the concept sketches--I don't know what I was thinking). Don't use all of them, five or six should do it, your choice. Also, keep in mind that final publication size for the whole picture is 4" x 4", so make sure the writing will be legible at that size.

As for the iconic object that represents each quality, these are just my first thoughts, so feel free to change them.

Pride -- ???
Wrath – dagger
Lust – apple w/ bite out of it (Adam and Eve?)
Gluttony – plate of food
Despair – tragedy mask
Ambition – medal or treasure chest
Envy – mirror
Hope – comedy mask
Faith – rock
Charity – cornucopia
Temperance – anvil
Fortitude – gear or cog
Loyalty -- ???
Justice – scales

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail or PM me.

abzu wrote:
As far as I know Pagoda, Pretender and Discerment are all set.

For those who are curious, you can watch the development of the cover art at Lindsey's deviantart page:

lindseyerin.deviantart.com/

We are presently in preliminary sketches.

Just a note to say I am working on the Snowball art. Should have something to show for it by Monday.

But I would like to throw my hat in, you can view some of my work at http://home.comcast.net/~wushuwrior/Index.html

Hi, another artist here

http://www.meredithdillman.com/art/portfolio.html

Meredith, I've run over your art before... you do nice stuff. Got a great vibe with your color. Not that this is what this thread is about... but I just couldn't help myself. And your black and white is different and equally as wonderful. Dang.

Yeah, I'm an artist too.

But I'm afraid I missed the boat (and my current workload is really heavy)... the project sounds interesting.

All right, that does it.

Storn, that was an empty post. It contributed nothing to the discussion, as you yourself acknowledge. When you realize that, as you compose a post, it is your responsibility here to recognize that you don't have to hit "submit." What you posted is a perfectly reasonable private message or email, and that's what it should have been.

This thread is already an abomination, as many artists have been given the mistaken impression that they are to come flocking to this link to post adverts for their work. As this is not their fault, I have not closed the thread, and also, I've been asked to "cut it some slack" for the sake of the project.

That slack is over. This thread just became, not only a bulletin-board, but a "hey, I'm an artist too" chat-room, and that's not going to continue.

For the sake of the NPA, I am not closing or locking this thread. However, it is now reserved only for the posts of artists who are arriving from external links. Everyone else is to stop posting to it, and discussions of further steps in the NPA project should continue in new threads.

Best,
Ron

Fine.

What I meant to do was support this interesting thread. I gave a shout out to Meredith, because I think her art is worthwhile. I'm hoping by calling attention to this fine artist, that her work would be considered. Sorry if that annoyed you.

If expressing a regret of not finding this thread soon enough to particpate is bad... well.... y'know what... I just don't agree. I feel, Ron, that you are calling me out in public.. and that means I'm responding. I think this is the 2nd time you've been overly heavy handed in a week. Hey, I understand that this is your forum. But that is just the way I feel about it.

Thread's now locked. Sorry, Luke.

Storn, do not challenge my moderation by breaking the rules that permit the Forge to exist. You're always free to seek clarification by private message or, if you want it to be public, in the Site Discussion forum.

Important: you have not "annoyed" me. Nor "offended" me (another term people often use). This entire issue has nothing to do with my feelings.

Best,
Ron