A CASE FOR SIMPLIFICATION

How to PUT FOCUS Back Into YOUR WORK

Or how to find a fall-back position when you become OVER-AMBITIOUS. 😊

I started out with this goal of illustrating 9 "Magic the Gathering" cards for my portfolio. I've never illustrated for Magic but I figured a theme such as that would help me focus my efforts.

Knowing very little about the world of Magic I called upon a friend who's been in it since the beginning to get his opinions on the concepts. This piece in particular I was calling Soul Blade. The idea was that it would attract the spirits of dead warriors to command. By the time I got down the color and lighting pass I realized something was already wrong.