Collaboration Review: The Witch's Bounty

Breaking down the whole process and experience of working on the art for 'The Witch's Bounty' - a short story by The (Side) Quest.

Introduction

The Witch’s Bounty is a short story made up of three parts, written by

J. Claypool

(Publication:

The (Side) Quest

). A couple of months ago, I saw him post a note about collaborating with visual artists on a fantasy piece and I reached out, intrigued by the idea. I produced cover art for each part and offered some creative feedback, whilst he crafted the world and narrative. The following pieces contain light spoilers for the story, so it is recommended that you read it first.

I have outlined the steps and process that I follow to produce illustrations in my last post:

Art Collaboration: The Witch's Bounty

This post will be focused on the experience of working on the collaboration and the decisions which were made in the development of each piece.

My Experience

Often when I (digitally) paint a splash art illustration, I either make the design choices as I go along, or I produce a character design in a static pose first. The creative energy that goes into this decision making and preliminary planning can be draining. Thankfully,

J. Claypool

gave me plenty of references for the clothing and appearances of all the characters in the story. Alongside the narrative content itself, this made the whole process much more comfortable, allowing me to focus on creating effective compositions and lighting without getting stuck in the micro-details.

J. Claypool

consistently kept me updated with his progress and was great to work with. His writing is well paced, vivid in its imagery and creates a world which feels fleshed out, even within the limited word count of this story. There was a mutual respect for the circumstances of each of our situations, allowing us to negotiate deadlines and organise the project in a way that worked for both of us. I look forward to seeing how his writing evolves over time and his future endeavours!

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Notes on Each Part:

Part 1

Part one was where I set the ongoing style and colour decisions for the future pieces. Having been given an outline of the following two parts, I was also able to make decisions about how subdued the action would be. As can be seen on a broad overview of the three parts, the first is a scene setter, the second marks a rise in tension and the third is the explosion of the tension which has been building.

Part 2

You may notice that the part two piece was slightly less refined than the other two parts. I was feeling the pressure of time and other demands vying for my attention during this part of the project. It was an unfortunate lull in the process, but it allowed me to ensure that the third part was ready on time, with restored quality.

Part 3

Part three was the composition I had most fun with as it allowed me to lean into dynamic poses and action. I had also, by this point, managed to get on top of other responsibilities, giving me more free time to invest into the rendering stage (refining).

Conclusion

One of my favourite parts of this project was working within the limited parameters of the story and character; fellow creatives will know that it is often limitations that foster creativity, for the alternatives are boundless options and the paralysis of indecision. Overall, I think the writing and artwork complimented each other well, and I am glad to have collaborated in bringing this story to life!