Mindplaces: Art by Eric Pommer

November, 2003 -- The Commission -- There would be three characters, one male and two female. The male is a swashbuckling warrior, a fencer who uses a sword and a main gauche-style parrying dagger. The females are twin sisters, but not identical twins -- though they are essentially identical from the neck up. Both are very pretty. The first woman is tall and heavily muscled, wearing some sort of heavier armor (probably chain) and carrying a two-handed axe/pick combination. Her sister is much shorter and more lithe, as befits her role as a thief. She dresses lightly, usually in a tight pair of pants and a shirt that's fastened only at the bottom so that it billows out when she moves to reveal her, um, charms.

I'm imagining Adelia on the left sitting on some steps, and Arana on the right leaning against a piller or bookshelf. I haven't figured out exactly what to do with Rickard yet, but he'll be in the center.

(right) Here's a better sense of the composition I have in mind, though it isn't set in stone yet.

"I'm not sure how much I like Rikard's pose, though. I'm not sure why. Maybe something a bit more comfortable or natural..."

Here's some detail on Arana's armour. I'm trying to make it look plausible as armour but also sexy at the same time. Her axe will be strapped to her back.

"Arana's armor looks great, just what I was thinking of. I'd make her a bit broader across the bust. And would it be possible to have her looking down at Adelia or across at Rikard, instead of away?"

(right) Here's Adelia's outfit in more detail. I've kept her clothing light but added a few touches to suggest her occupation.

Here's a revised composition, including Rikard's new pose. Ignore the faces, but this is about how they'll look otherwise.

"Ooh, I like the pose. It seems to capture something about the character. Nice."

(right) Here's Arana's actual face closer.

Here's a look at the background. The trio will be in front of a landing of some kind with a view of the city roofs behind them.

(right) A close-up of Rikard's face.

The final sketch has been transfered to photoshop and I've started laying in basic values.

(right) Starting to work on skin tones and armour.

I've been mostly working on Arana lately, adding in some more detail on the chain mail.

(right) Here's the whole picture so far. I've been working on Adelia a bit now, and then I'll shift over to Rikard.

Been working on the background a bit, and added more detail to the faces. Here's a closeup of Rikard.

Arana's face is just about done.

(right) Here's the latest update. Not much left to do on Rikard.

Rikard and Arana are just about finished. Still work to do on Adelia and the background.

(right) Here's Adelia at present. The whole thing should be done in another day or two.