HOME | DD
MCLT β Iona, Shield of Emeria
Published: 2013-05-09 16:18:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 3302; Favourites: 53; Downloads: 36
Redirect to original
Description
Finished...I think. Please go [link] to see the gradual progress from start to finish.Anyways I think I started this because I was kind of unhappy with the way the original card art depicted this creature [link] . I really hated the glowing eyes character design trope. So I decided to try drawing her my own way. I mentioned this before. But I think my years of drawing anime has definitely shown through haha.
Another thing I wanted to say is that I wasn't dissing Jason Chan. I think Jason Chan is still heads and shoulders above of me....I feel like I'm not yet able to hit that "professional"-feel in my work. A bit frustrating. I'm happy with the way this turned out but at the same time I feel like it could be better.
Related content
Comments: 24
Lovely work.
I'm certain that the glowy eye trend was started by someone who couldn't think of a eye color for his/her character. : P
π: 0 β©: 1
Very possible, it's a huge fantasy art trope these days, probably moreso than when I made the original post XD
π: 0 β©: 0
hail Iona!! the great vanguard of Zendikar. amazing artwork!!! gives a better feeling of standing in her presence i absolutely love this
π: 0 β©: 1
thanks! I love Iona a lot too, amazing card~
π: 0 β©: 1
would you ever think doing avacyn next?
π: 0 β©: 1
I'll probably be doing Avacyn at some point, maybe sooner now that you bring her up. (doing something else atm)Β She's cool but I really did not like her art/design.Β She looked like a marvel super hero.
π: 0 β©: 1
exactly!! someone else noticed!!
π: 0 β©: 0
That's fascinating.. More so with her face.. friendlier I guess? Your version gives me more thoughts than the original.
π: 0 β©: 1
Thanks, I'm not a huge fan of their current art direction, especially of Theros.Β I still got a lot I need to work on though.Β I definitely tried to make her look friendlier, i'm happy you noticed, the original felt really cold and steely to me.
π: 0 β©: 1
Yes, It was cold and also kinda boring. When I looked at the card, it was like "yeah, it's an angel and it's big", but your picture was more like "mmm this thing is huge and it has been standing here for hundreds of years, protecting something, enduring and yet smiling".
π: 0 β©: 1
Thanks again for the kind comment, yeah I felt like an angel with such a bomb of a protective ability needed more warmth.Β I think i know what you mean about the original card art and its not just an issue restricted to Iona, rather it extends to a lot of the new card art.
All the newly commissioned card art all looks cool and amazing now but that's it, very rarely do I find the new art engaging or memorable.Β The game felt cooler when each card had some rather unique artwork & style that distinguished it from the other cards in the set.Β Ever since wotc's art direction is to make art uniform in order to tell a story,I began to enjoy the art less.Β Frankly when everything is the same, it just ends up looking and feeling cold, boring and (worst of all) manufactured which imo detracts a lot from the premise of the whole game that the players are supposedly planeswalkers/wizards weaving mighty spells and using ancient artifacts to etc.
π: 0 β©: 1
wow, what a reaction
Honestly, I don't play Magic anymore, so I see only a few new cards now and then... so I can't really compare but I see your point, nearly every card back then was different. I remember Mirrodin, for example, a whole bunch of new designs and then these China/Japan themed sets. Something was freaky or funny something was cool, but I think that it went down after this.
π: 0 β©: 1
Agreed, I feel like now is a lot about just trying to appeal to what kids these days want to see in art.Β Which I can't blame them, they're a company afterall just out to make a buck.Β But there are sets where they kinda bring it back in terms of art every now and again.Β Innistrad was pretty interesting in terms of art direction and card design.Β The entire Lorwyn block was also good.Β It's just the recent ones have been sucking.
It's very obvious what they're playing at, in the last set they reprinted shock lands (they're the new dual lands) and in this newest set they reprinted a very sought after black discard.Β They're basically just moving sales based on highly demanded reprints. Whether the set is good or not in terms of art and card design is almost a non-issue if everyone is going to spend money for the chance at getting those reprints.
π: 0 β©: 1
After all, it's a game and the art probably plays only a supporting role.
I saw a few cards from Lorwyn and they were nice, I agree.
Damn, now I want to go through all my old cards
π: 0 β©: 1
I go through what I have every now and again, it's actually really fun to do.Β If your collection is extensive enough it also makes you realize how game design and art direction etc has changed over time.Β Makes you realize that the game has come a long way despite the shortcomings.
One problem I have I guess with the game in general is that it gets harder and harder to find people to play with.Β A lot of people just eventually stop or become too busy to bother, but it's still great fun to have one or two people to just nerd out with once in awhile.
π: 0 β©: 1
My collection is rather small, I never had the money to feed it
But there's about 8 years between my newest and my oldest cards, so I can see the difference. I stopped playing because all of my friends stopped and there wasn't many places to play or I just didn't know about them.
π: 0 β©: 1
Aaah, a common reason.Β I guess for me I'm lucky enough to have at least one friend who plays.Β There are stores here but I guess I'm still a bit too shy to visit those places.Β I'm not a very sociable person.Β
>Never enough money to feed it.
It's very good to save money as well.Β Not having many friends who play it is a very good reason to not spend too much on these hobbies and will benefit you in the long run.Β But on the other hand it is very cheap compared to other very common hobbies / habits people get into, like fashion, computer equipment, cars, watches, headphones /audio equipment, cameras / photography, cooking, alcohol, smoking.Β They're all very costly compared to just a hobby card game unless you decide you need a $2000 legacy deck.Β But then again, even if you do buy a $2000 legacy deck that's a one time expense compared to cameras and phones and clothes that change seasonally.
π: 0 β©: 1
I used to play pokΓ©mon cards in these "leagues". People in there are... friendly jerks I guess?
You're probably right... I could have had a great collection but instead I bought a car 
π: 0 β©: 1
Sorry I forgot completely that outside of large cities cars are a necessity.Β But what I meant was cars for purpose of showing off.Β Like buying a brand name car or to buy a car and invest a lot into modifications. Space is very expensive in Hong Kong, biggest upkeep of owning a car is owning a space to park it.Β
Honestly I would rather you have an easier time traveling than to spend that money on hobbies if you can only afford one. So sorry if i said something stupid / insensitive -_-
π: 0 β©: 1
Oh don't worry, I get it... I was just joking around (:
There's so many people in Hong Kong o.o There's about as many as in my whole country (Czech republic)... My parking situation seems better now
Now comparing the density of population..
Czech republic: 134/km2
Hong Kong: 6,544 /km2
π: 0 β©: 0
