By Rookery Publications
Art by Mark Gibbons
Stepping away from the Street we find ourselves exploring a most noisome nook in search of Dark Deeds’ Master Illuminator, Mark Gibbons. Rumour has it that this pencilsmith of ill repute has spent the best part of a decade crafting (and endlessly recrafting, as artists are wont to do), the art of our game. The glorious Patron, in their infinite wisdom, has decreed an audience with this subversive scribbler so that we might learn/painfully extract the secrets of his craft.
We find the artist hunched over his desk in the traditional garret – although his is of the sun-bleached, rather than leaky, variety.
Right then, Gibbons… start talkin’!
“I created all the art – and I mean all the art… illustrations, graphic designs, logos, packaging, marketing materials – for the first edition of Dark Deeds over a frantic four months back in 2015. I got a call from former Games Workshop trenchmate, Andy Chambers, wondering if I’d like to work on a new game he’d been developing.
“What sort of game?” I asked.
“It’s called Dark Deeds…” was all Andy got to say before I said, “I’m in!”
“I was sent a prototype of the game, which allowed me to get a feel for the tone and wrap my head around its scope. It was dark (of course) but whimsical in theme so right from the off, my thumbnail sketches were deliberately playful.”
“It became clear to me that each of the card illustrations would need to be imbued with a truck-load of personality – facial expressions, subtle hand gestures and overall postures would be key to selling the game’s distinctive visual flavour. Despite decades of experience, most of the people I’d had to paint previously were either clenched and scowling or pointing and screaming so I felt a little out of my comfort zone here. I decided, for the first time, to shoot a lot of reference photos for this project. I got a good camera and tripod with a remote shutter release and figured I’d start by simply taking photos of myself in ‘costume’ as the appropriate Anthrand inhabitant. I was pleasantly surprised by the results and quickly discovered that I was a far better model than an artist when it came to capturing subtleties of character.”
“As useful as the photo reference was, it was important that I not be constrained by it. The final art needed to reflect the game’s ‘grimsical’ inspiration (see Blog 3 for what that’s all about), and each portrait cried out for a degree of caricaturization. Even so, despite my best efforts, friends who know me well have said there’s an awful lot of ‘Gibbons’ in many of the game’s faces!
“Once I’d mashed sketches and reference shots into an acceptable state, I created a crisp pencil drawing as the base for the final painting. Even though the vast majority of my work is produced digitally these days, I like to include actual pencil art where possible – I love the texture it adds.
“The pencils were scanned into Photoshop, where (if I’m lucky), the magic happens. I still prefer real art but the speed and flexibility that digital painting provides is a massive benefit to my working process.
“Because the final cards are meant to feel like objects from the game’s world, they have a well-thumbed appearance and it was important that the art sat comfortably on this weathered backdrop. Consequently, I tended to keep my colours warm and largely muted.
“On the subject of cards, one of my pet hates is games where it’s patently clear there’s been no discussion between illustrator and graphic artist over what’s best for the cards they're working on. As a result, detailed art often wrestles with noisy frame and the result is to me a twitch-inducing eyesore. Fortunately, Dark Deeds cunningly sidestepped that design peril by engaing a one-person art department… me! I kept the card graphics clean and simple – a couple of scrolls, a coloured border, and a punchy little icon or two where required. Lovely, even if I do say so myself!
“As mentioned earlier, all the art for the first edition had been created in a frenzied four months and consequently a number of pieces hadn’t had the time and attention lavished on them I would’ve wanted. Over the years I’d been quietly polishing the art in hope of a new edition and of course, added many new cards for the creation of Dark Deeds: Second Stab on Tabletopia. Despite my endless noodling, when it became clear a second edition was happening, I drew up a list of pieces I was still unhappy with, determined to tweak or repaint every last one.
“Here are a few before-and-after examples of my indefatigable need to noodle:”
“Finally, we come to the Dark Deeds’ box design. As with the card art, it started with sketches and although I don’t recall at what point in the scribbling process I hit upon the ‘Horned Seal’ logo, once I had that down on paper, all the other contenders for cover art fell by the wayside.”
The Patron demands our return so we leave the artist (largely) as we found him, hunched over his desk, scribbling away on some future gaming endeavour. Reporting our findings, we describe a vibrant, energetic vision for the art of Dark Deeds that draws players into a world that captivates and delights. Our inscrutable master seems satisfied with these findings and we are rewarded with the mildest of floggings.
Back to the game next time as we wrestle with its winning strategies. What plots and schemes should a cunning minion deploy to ensure a Dark Deeds victory and the Patron’s fickle favour? Join us to find out.
But why delay when you can pre-order Dark Deeds now!
If you want to keep up-to-date on all the latest news concerning Dark Deeds, including future blog posts, you can subscribe to the mailing list here. You can also uncover more about Dark Deeds at Rookery Publications’ website. Share your excitement for the game on social media using the hashtag #DarkDeedsGame to connect with fellow minions in the joyful service of our our deliciously dreadful Patron worldwide!