Dancing with Art

Teves Beagre sketch. Nasty rats.

Dealing with raw art is a dance.

Several years ago I received a surprise package of original art from Miles Teves. Some of it was familiar pictures from the previously published game support. Some of it was just sketches in various stages of completion. I hope to take some of the sketch work and bring it into the new publications. I have already taken some previously seen art and mix it with unpublished sketches to make new pieces of art.

Tarrro Holder

But as an artist I appreciate seeing sketchwork. It shows me the artist mind in action in determining what to present, how to present it. Things may be tried that don't work out. One of Miles pictures show a huge Tarro on the outstretched arm of a man, possibly a Muadra, which would be like a normal sized human. holding a hundred pound chimpanzee on his wrist at a right angle from his body. 

If you look at the blueline for the collage, you might notice him - flipped, smaller Tarro on the opposite arm. Tambo hissing at a companion's pet (Reco A). Thse figurtes all come from Miles sketches, except for the squatting Bronth, which is from a frequently published image with a bronth and human, backed by a thombo.

Blueline for Collage

There art is very light so it does not reproduce well. But I took that part, shrank the tarro to a more manageable size, and incorporated it into a collage using a bunch of other characters. I think it works well for a Jorunish 'team', which will always bee a good call for the future adventure and resource books. 

There are already a bunch of sketches that will be easy to place, others that may only serve to show someone else how Miles thought this particular creature should be presented. Which is always helpful.

On "blueline" - it is a technique where the pencil drawing is in blue, and then it is inked with black ink. When photographed or scanned for reproduction, the blue drops away so you only see the black lines. I'll be using that that technique for a lot of illustrations that draw from older images from Miles or other sources. It should invite people to see a story - I classify myself as a competent artist, not an inspired one.

Scrade, of which, more later.

There are other pencil sketches that are just regular gaming figures with no reference to Jorune at all. I may be presenting some of those, too. 

But I'm looking to expand the perception of Jorune beyond the Renaissance mind in writing and art. There are snooty places, like Thantis and the international district of Thoneport in Thantier. There are bizarre landscaps the speak to major tragedies in the not too distant past of Jorune, and there are locations that could just be explored by anyone with a desire to break free some treasure for their character. Robert Smith did a good job of bringing a different eye to Jorune, Marc Debidour, a new French artist joining the ranks of Jorune artist has a style much more associated with children's book illustration. I think it is a legitimate style to tell the story. Others may not.

Since I treat Jorune as Dreamtime, it is a place I like to go and look around. Sometimes I have to use the artists eyes to see the place that has previously only existed in my brain. People may not agree with my choices of art, but my primary interest is in seeing the planet through new eyes. I may not agree, but even so, my eyes get opened wider through the eyes of the artists. The debt Jorune owes to Miles is enormous, but it is not the only way to see things Jorune.  

Hope hope people will hold on through the heretical eyes of strangers. 

A miles ketch Tologra - my favorite of the new scans. Found the original and put it to work.