Any tips for how to do those fantastic DA:I tarot cards? I'd really like to draw one up but I'm not sure if my current skillset would make it recreate the 'look' the have. Any ideas/thoughts/tips? More breakdown the better, if you're willing!
Hi there buddy!I’m no expert in making tarot cards, but here’s some things I picked up trying to emulate one!
COMPOSITIONThe first thing you want to note is that with tarot cards, the most important part is that you nail a super strong composition. Normally with compositions, they’re usually guidelines that you follow somewhat, but here, they lean more towards rules.
STRAIGHT LINESFollowing up on composition, with tarot cards, you can use perfectly straight lines without making it look weird. Because you are trying to make it look weird! Step away from the world of reality, my friend, and embrace those oddly cool straight lines!
SHAPESWith tarot cards, shapes are godly tools. Where in a normal drawing you would have more assymetrical shapes, here you go bonkers with the pristine clean cut of it all. Look at how that moon circle doesn’t angle in any way, or how the robes of the armour just fall straight down. Shapes, my good friend!That said, don’t oversaturate with too much sturdiness, you gotta add in some curves like the gauntlets to ease the eye from thinking too much like cut out shapes.
FORMSpeaking of not everything needing to be shapes, most things in your card won’t actually have any form, but the one that almost always will is the face of your character. It’s kind of a cool effect when the body is in 2D, but the face is in 3D. Keep in mind not to use too much contrast in the face, or you will lose the beauty of elegance in the face!
BLOCK PATTERNSNow, as the cream on top, most tarot cards will have little shapes that seem unaffected by lighting/shadow. They will straight up be an opaque colour. Use these wisely, as they are as important as highlights. Use them too much, and they lose meaning! Just add enough to give that extra oomph!
Other than that, most of it’s just playing around and experimenting! Have a lot of fun with this, friend! Tarot cards are awesome because it’s more play than recreating reality, so go nuts!Good luck and have fun, my friend!(P.S. If you need to, here’s a link for a collection of the Dragon Age cards, for inspiration and reference! Be warned, some of them are kinda spoilerific!)
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