-By Dan dos Santos

This cover just went public a few days ago on the Dungeons & Dragons site, so I figured it would be a good time to share it.

I believe I have only done about 3 or 4 professional digitally… this being one of them. For a long while, I was on the fence about whether or not to start working digitally. I was under the impression that it is much faster and much easier to achieve professional results. And though this may be the case for some… it is not for me.

I found myself repeatedly drawing the same stroke, over and over, trying to capture something that I could have done so easily in real paint. Conversely, there are things that take mere seconds in Photoshop (like dodging) that would take hours to do properly in oils. Ultimately, it seems that a blending of the two mediums reaps the best results.

The combination of my digital incompetence, as well as a severe shoulder strain from sitting at my tablet so long, has quickly convinced me that digital work is NOT for me. I think it’s safe to say this is the last time you will see a 100% digital piece from me.

I am also including the original concept sketch which was rejected. It was rejected because the AD felt that it was too violent, and exceeded the magazine’s PG-13 limitation for a cover. Personally, I find the original concept more comical than violent, and would actually go so far as to say that the accepted concept is more violent than this one. Though, the deciding factor seemed to be that it was simply implied violence in the new image, since nothing had actually taken place yet.

What do you think?