Ustacor's Return (2025)

Ink on Bristol Board

This illustration was an assignment: Illustrate any fantastic subject matter by mixing texture and value.

Illustrated, is a scene from a Dungeons and Dragons 5e game I ran for Green Dooor Collectibles, in Knoxville. The evil mummy lord, Ustacor, has returned from the dead and holds aloft a magical gem. He is welcomed by dust mephits, winged creatures of elemental dust. The gem casts light on the subjects of the composition.

Because I had already determined Ustacor's appearance, by verbalising it to the target audience, and because mephits appear in the 5e Monster Manual, I didn't have much creative liberty with the realistic depiction of the subjects. I did have free reign with the composition, though. I encircled the subject matter with other elements and subjects, to maximise my use of depth. Every inch of the page is covered in textures, and there is only one light source, so I had to use value to reign the work back in, and make it intelligable. I also used a variety of line weights, to more clearly define elements that may have otherwise been lost to overwhelming texture.