Ahh, that sound… one of the most satisfying warrior skills.
3D Art — December 11, 2019
Kianga Snowstorm
Charr warrior, legionnaire of Snow Warband
A plush warrior with a fierce blep, drawn by Rhee!
By Rhee — December 2, 2019
“An axe cuts through a forest not because of its size, but its endurance.” Matshona Dhliwayo
3D Art — November 27, 2019
You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Jormag…
3D Art — November 21, 2019
Even more than the financial help, knowing that someone cares enough about my art to support me on this journey… it’s amazing. Thank you all for your generosity and kindness. 💗
3D Art — November 19, 2019
A quick thank you scene in response to my shiny crystal friend Sam, who surprised me with this cute doodle of Kianga today: https://twitter.com/MissValynxia/status/1194169697761136642
3D Art — November 12, 2019
“For a long time I was angry with her warband for not having her back when she was killed in that pointless bar fight, but in recent months I’ve come to realize that life is too short to waste our time with old grudges. It’s not helping her, it’s not helping them or me - time to move on. “Remember the past, but look to the future.” And this concludes this year’s Charrtober! I hope you’ve enjoyed this month as much as I did - thank you for all your support and encouragement! <3
3D Art, Writing — October 31, 2019
“The Blood Legion is my mother. The Blood Legion is my father.” The Blood Legion is also his blanket.
3D Art — October 30, 2019
A shout-out to my awesome charr buddies at Charr Against Humanity! <3
3D Art — October 29, 2019
Shouldn’t have tried that bloodstone-infused chocolate cake recipe…
3D Art — October 28, 2019
“Seriously, who makes all these arrows?”
3D Art — October 27, 2019
“You damn coward! If you don’t have the guts to stand up to your centurion, at least stand up to your own warband.”
3D Art, Writing — October 25, 2019
“Our orders were to destroy a Flame Legion camp near the Black Citadel. We were quick and efficient, it was over in a matter of seconds. “Only they weren’t soldiers. They were defectors. Centurion Duskmane had told me this quite plainly—and then gave the order to leave no survivors.
3D Art, Writing — October 24, 2019
“As legionnaire I’m not just commanding soldiers, I’m taking care of the closest thing I have to a family. They trust me, and I must not let them down.” “But in our first year as a warband, I did.”
3D Art, Writing — October 23, 2019
A quick render I made for a nice person on Tumblr: https://kianga-snowstorm.tumblr.com/post/188524935893/gosh-your-charrtober-is-the-best-thing-on-this
3D Art — October 23, 2019
Kianga is not impressed. Except by the chair. He really likes that one.
3D Art — October 22, 2019
Kianga has his own way of escaping labyrinths.
3D Art — October 20, 2019
Naughty little fly Why does it cry? Caught in a web, Soon will be… eaten
3D Art — October 19, 2019
Sometimes you just gotta sit and think.
3D Art — October 18, 2019
Kianga practicing his Khan-Ur impression. Gotta be prepared, right? I based this on the Gaze of the Khan-Ur skin from the game, with a bit of artistic license and a lot of shiny.
3D Art — October 17, 2019
Master Carver!
3D Art — October 16, 2019
“Let me oooooout!”
3D Art — October 15, 2019
“I don’t mind ghosts as long as they’re the angry type that wants to kill you. I can handle that. But these floaty wispy things? Ugh.”
3D Art — October 14, 2019
“In the Blood Legion, victory is earned - not given.”
3D Art — October 11, 2019
“Yeah it’s tempting, but I’m not touching this stuff. If the whiskey doesn’t kill you, the Imperator definitely will.”
3D Art — October 10, 2019
A Deldrimor Steel Ingot, based on the icon[1] from the game. “Friendly reminder: While “ascended” sounds very lofty, these ingots are forged from fifty iron, steel, and darksteel ingots and do in fact descend very rapidly if you drop them by accident. On your paw, for example. Not that this would happen to me.” hobbles away
3D Art — October 6, 2019
“You’re next.” Okaaay, I have never in my life sculpted a dragon, and the only reference being that short moment from the trailer didn’t make that task easier - it was fun though! I hope Jormag is at least somewhat recognizable.
3D Art — October 5, 2019
“You think warriors don’t use magic? When you’ve got a blade stuck in your chest or deadly poison gas in your lungs, all your muscles and determination are not going to save you.” That was a lesson I received from our primus during our first warrior training. As a cub I never wanted to deal with magic—didn’t trust it. I’ve always preferred simple, tangible things, but it turns out that even warriors tap into energy that is… beyond. We’re just more subtle about it. My interpretation of the warrior’s healing skill, “To the Limit!”. Perhaps this turned out a little ghostly, but oh well. I had a lot of fun with the lighting here!
3D Art, Writing — October 3, 2019
… of the Ooze Pit “Alright, it’s not the most prestigious title, but the warband’s having a blast there. Someone’s got to show the gladia how it’s done, right? “Just remember: First the ooze pit, then the booze pit. We messed up that order once and… let’s just say, trying to open negotiations with a blob of ooze was not a viable strategy.”
3D Art — October 2, 2019
“Legionnaire.” Kianga’s hand twitched to his dagger, almost spilling his mug of ale. The atmosphere in Blood Keep had been getting more tense every day, but what’s worse: he knew that voice. He turned around towards a massive hulk of a charr. Blood Legion armor, no helm, gray fur, with a deep scar running across her nose and forehead. Her eyes were clear and fierce. “Foeraze.” She raised her right paw—empty—in a gesture of peace. “I’m not here to start trouble.”
3D Art, Writing — October 1, 2019
Bao asked via Tumblr: “Kianga - Do they have many fond childhood memories?” Kianga: “When we were a little older, our primus took us to the Loreclaw Expanse, old human ruins south of Ascalon Basin. That was back when the area wasn’t crawling with separatists. He warned us about the traps in those ruins but let us explore freely, so we went looking for ghosts, and treasure! “And it was awesome. In less than an hour, Skarr got his tail fur singed by a flame trap, Ark fell of a cliff, Chui got bitten by a skelk, and I managed to step on a spike trap that went right through my paw. Only Storm missed out on all the fun and was very smug about it.
3D Art, Writing — September 7, 2019
WyvrnDWRipsnarl asked me via Twitter: “How does Kianga looks without/before his eyepatch?” I’ve done a few scenes during Charrtober 2018 that showed him before he got an eye patch, but here is a quick scene with his current model. It doesn’t have an actual scar for his left eye - yet. I’m tempted to do that next time I update his model. I imagine it would look similar to General Martok, in the later seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
3D Art — September 7, 2019
“My friend Thel has been giving me lots of useful business advice, and I thought I’d return the favor by giving him some combat lessons - you know, for advanced business negotiations.” “As a warrior I’ve fought with all kinds of weapons: greatswords, maces, axes, daggers, but I must admit, that dagger/coffee combo was new to me. Good thing that mug is made of solid steel.”
3D Art — August 19, 2019
“We’ve dealt with Flame Legion, we’ve dealt with Inquest, we’ve dealt with Elder Dragons the size of an island. They didn’t scare me. But ever since we returned from Dragonfall, there have been strange incidents: Reports get lost. Weapons misplaced, and later found where they shouldn’t have been. Strange noises late at night. We’re being followed, and whoever it is wants to be noticed.” A quick little scene to give you a sneak peek at a new weapon I’ve been working on. It’s not completely done yet, but maybe you can guess what it is.
3D Art — August 13, 2019
The warband’s been enjoying their summer holidays, but things are about to get a little heated… This scene went through so many iterations. Originally I planned to have it resemble the Labyrinthine Cliffs, but I wasn’t happy with the color scheme and the mood it set - so in the end I decided to go with a more neutral tropical beach look. Kianga’s awesome Blood Legion beach chair in this scene was generously contributed by my partner Keeya. <3
3D Art — August 9, 2019
“The Blood Legion is my mother. The Blood Legion is my father. We charr are born into battle, we live on the fields of war. And I… I will die fighting.” Rawr! I’ve always loved the rough painterly style of the original Guild Wars 2 cinematics, and this piece was of course inspired by the Blood Legion intro that plays right after character creation. I started with a normal 3D render of Kianga in his battle armor, but then discarded everything but the outline and composited the rest in Affinity Designer. Had a lot of fun with this!
3D Art — August 3, 2019
The warband got new swimwear, just in time for their summer vacation! I may have taken a little inspiration from Zootopia here… It’s difficult to see in the render, but the material is actually red metallic. Yes, yes, good old Blood Legion subtlety.
3D Art — August 1, 2019
What do you do when the weather is too hot and you’re all covered in fur? You take it like a charr… and find a box to nap on. Side story: Had a talk with a friend a while ago, and they told me that I wasn’t making progress with my art, that I should try some new things. They were right in some way, but this little comment made me feel so bad about my work that I could no longer get anything done. It all wasn’t good enough.
3D Art — July 25, 2019
Sometimes it’s just… meh.
3D Art — July 24, 2019
“When charr blep the world is brighter.” Original art (and quote) by Rhee!
By Rhee — July 19, 2019
‘Scuse me, just vent art. I’ve had no working internet connection since last Friday, and getting this fixed has been nothing but delays after delays after delays. And every day I’ve got the choice between no internet or paying for mobile data which is apparently powered by angel’s tears or something, considering the price. Just grrr.
3D Art — July 10, 2019
Kianga: “Thunderhead Keep. The assault on Kralkatorrik wasn’t our greatest moment. Not for the Pact, and not for us as warband supporting it. Mistakes were made—unnecessary mistakes—and things were said… it might not have made a difference in the end, but still. Best not to dwell on it.” Another request by Haruka Emberfall on Tumblr: “Draw your OC the maddest they’ve ever been.” This is a rather simple scene really, not much to do besides posing and lighting, but I quite like how it turned out.
3D Art — July 4, 2019
“I’m supposed to do WHAT with the tea…?” I have no idea what Boba Tea is, but I’ve seen art on Twitter and I just had to do this with (or rather, to) Kianga. (I also really enjoy doing these stylized renders!)
3D Art — July 2, 2019
This cake is made with dark chocolate and the finest Elonian coffee beans and– I know that you’re already looking at that coffee mug instead. I thought I’d get you a new one, something worthy of a charr. It’s huge, made of solid Iron Legion steel, and like anything made by charr you can probably use it as a weapon somehow. Happy birthday, Sidewinder30k! <3
3D Art — June 13, 2019
Some things are too much even for the bravest warrior. A very personal piece…
3D Art — June 7, 2019
Just a silly reaction I posted on Twitter. I realized I had never actually used my new tongue rig and eye shader with adjustable pupils in any public art, so…
3D Art — May 29, 2019
“So this happened during my last visit to Amnoon. I don’t sing half as good as Thel plays the saxophone, but with enough Elonian wine (say, two full crates) anything is possible…”
By Mack — May 22, 2019
My first attempt at recreating the Brand from Guild Wars 2.
3D Art — May 14, 2019
And here is Kianga’s new casual outfit! I love having metal elements on clothing, both for charr cultural reasons and because they take on colors of the environment and make the character feel more… real, if that makes sense? Anyway, I’ve tried to make this version look more reinforced, with extra layers of leather attached with steel buttons. I also got rid of the massive Blood Legion logo on the back, and replaced it with a hopefully more elegant design on the front.
3D Art — May 13, 2019
Okay Kianga, you can stop flexing now. Really. Kianga…? Please excuse him, he’s just very happy about his new look. I’ve been working on Kianga’s new model on and off for the last month, but this week I finally decided to get it done. I’ve tried to stay true to his design, and apply everything I’ve learned since his last makeover in December 2018. He’s got a new texture, new paws, a new mane, and even a shiny new eye patch and loincloth!
3D Art — May 12, 2019
Okay Kianga, you can stop flexing now. Really. Kianga…? Please excuse him, he’s just very happy about his new look. I’ve been working on Kianga’s new model on and off for the last month, but this week I finally decided to get it done. I’ve tried to stay true to his design, and apply everything I’ve learned since his last makeover in December 2018. He’s got a new texture, new paws, a new mane, and even a shiny new eye patch and loincloth!
3D Art — May 12, 2019
Brrr, I think I know why they call them the SHIVER-peaks… I traveled to the farthest edge to meet an old kodan, who taught me her secret chocolate cake recipe: This delicacy is made of dark chocolate, fresh cream, frozen winterberry jam, and blue ice crystals. Since it has to be kept at freezing temperatures I added a little charr ingenuity: a heating system to keep the cake (and its recipient) at just the right temperature.
3D Art — May 8, 2019
Bad timing, Chui… I had so much fun taking those Holosmith screenshots that I wanted to recreate the Photon Forge effect in 3D. And then Chui needed a sparring partner, so I added Kianga and gave him a Full Counter shield. Making spell effect shaders is fun!
3D Art — May 6, 2019
This gorgeous portrait of my charr warrior was a surprise from my friend Bao.
By Bao — May 2, 2019
Last December, my friend Loki commissioned TideKeeper to draw our two charr having a quiet moment together. This is my interpretation of the same scene in 3D. Thank you again Loki for the gift, and TideKeeper for the sweet art! <3 I’ve used a different lighting setup here and some post-processing to get something closer to the original art style. I like the result, and I might experiment more in that direction!
3D Art — April 29, 2019
Tabra had the idea to let Garro do the Hollow Victory meme that’s been making the rounds on Twitter, and this was a welcome opportunity for me to experiment with a multi-panel comic layout in 3D! Usually one of the first things I do when working on a new scene is to jump into the game and take screenshots of the relevant location, both for reference and to use as a background. So I did that jumping puzzle. Lots of fun (“fun”), and I even helped a nice mesmer get up to the final chest. Proud warrior!
3D Art — April 28, 2019
Question from baomooshka via Tumblr: “Whole warband: Do they struggle with any mental health issues?” Nah, they’re perfectly healthy. I mean… from time to time, we all get these strange urges to jump over pools of molten lava for no apparent reason, but that’s nothing to be concerned about, right? I went back to the Chalice of Tears jumping puzzle for this one. So many fond memories…
3D Art — April 22, 2019
And it’s done! Kianga now has a full suit of heavy armor and no longer has to fight hydras and giant devourers in nothing but his loincloth. Not that a real charr would need anything more, of course.
3D Art — April 19, 2019
For my dad.
3D Art — April 15, 2019
I think I’ve perfected my chocolate cake baking technique. Why use a tiny oven when we have the Great Imperial Smelter! Don’t worry if you taste a hint of sulfur, that’s perfectly normal. Oh, and please remove all screws before eating. Happy birthday, Drac! <3
3D Art — April 12, 2019
A whole icon set of my charr warband, drawn by Ilona!
By Ilona — April 11, 2019
Just a happy warrior enjoying a spring sunrise. There’s something relaxing about working on nature scenes, and I’ve been trying to do one for every season: Fall of Ascalon was my second big scene with Kianga, then there was the warband’s Wintersday celebration, and I’m hoping that we can return to the Labyrinthine Cliffs this summer - that map felt like the perfect summer vacation to me.
3D Art — April 11, 2019
250 mithril ingots done, 13.300 to go… This is going to be a long night in the forge. Alternative title: “OW my back.” He’s not getting younger, you know…
3D Art — April 4, 2019
And a little render for Wilderwuff, featuring a sketch she drew of Kianga. Check out her Patreon too, she draws amazing charr - and more!
3D Art — March 31, 2019
In support of a friend of mine, and for Trans Day of Visibility.
3D Art — March 31, 2019
No, this is not official Blood Legion swimwear. Trying to put this on your charr may result in severe injury or death. (To you, not the charr.)
3D Art — March 30, 2019
The first rule of the Book Club is: We do not talk about the Book Club. Credits to ProperDave for the New Krytan typeface I’ve used here: https://www.properdave.com/gw2/
3D Art — March 27, 2019
They’re all pretty big charr, but Kianga is the tallest (maximum height in game) and Chui is the shortest (around 30% in game). As for my 3D models, Kianga is about 2.47 m (8 ft 1 in) tall at the shoulder and almost 3 m (9 ft) at the upper tip of his horns, while Chui is about 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) and 2.6 m (8 ft 5 in). I tried to do some research on charr heights when I first started modeling, but I have a feeling I may have made them slightly too large?
3D Art — March 20, 2019
“You rule without wisdom and without honor. The warriors that are gathered here would not say this to you, but I will: You are squandering our ships and our lives on a petty act of vengeance.” Michael Dorn as Worf (Star Trek) I grew up with Star Trek, and I can’t imagine any voice more fitting for Kianga than that of Worf. Being a great warrior is about more than just combat skills - it’s about honor and integrity. Social skills, on the other hand… not their greatest strength, but they try!
3D Art — March 11, 2019
“Charr don’t need daggers, we’ve got plenty of them built-in… but I guess a little extra steel can’t hurt. Not me, anyway.” I finally made a weapon for Kianga: his (and my) favorite Legionnaire Dagger. I gave it colors different from the original to better fit the red & black theme I often use for Kianga’s equipment. With future weapons I’d like to go even more in a stylized direction, but for now I’m happy with this!
3D Art — March 11, 2019
My friend Danero surprised me with this portrait of Kianga—look at this gorgeous floof!
By Danero — February 27, 2019
To the Guild Wars 2 team: Thank you for the past seven years - for putting your hearts into this game, for bringing new friends together, and for inspiring so many to create and to make this world a more friendly and colorful place.
3D Art — February 26, 2019
Roses are red, violets are blue, if you throw this stuff again I’m gonna punch you. Valentine’s advice: Please don’t throw harpy pheromones at charr. It takes forever to get this stuff out of their fur (and clothes) again.
3D Art — February 14, 2019
A portrait of my charr warrior drawn by Wintrwulf (unfortunately I can’t find a link to their profile anymore).
By Wintrwulf — February 7, 2019
Two derps, just one pair of eyes - and probably a lot of blood whiskey… Happy Birthday Loki, and a Happy Lunar New Year to you all! I wish I had a third charr model I could include here, because it’s another birthday today, of a fierce charr lady and artist I respect a lot: @charrior-of-ash on Tumblr - Please stay awesome, all of you! <3
3D Art — February 6, 2019
A Patreon reward sketch of my charr warrior, drawn by Wilderwuff!
By Wilderwuff — January 30, 2019
The bartender walks over to Kianga´s table and serves a cup of hot chocolate." So, one cup of hot chocolate for our brave and fearless warrior. You already told us about the years in Fahrar, but how was it after that? Tell us about the first order the Snow Warband received." — Sidewinder30k, January 30th, 2019 Kianga: “Fresh out of the fahrar, we felt ready to take on anything. We would have charged straight at Zhaitan if they had sent us. But they didn’t. When I went to report to our new centurion, it turned out he was indisposed. Normally that’s no big deal, but when your warband has yet to be properly registered with your legion, it can lead to all kinds of complications.”
3D Art, Writing — January 30, 2019
Sometimes all it needs is a stern look from your legionnaire to restore discipline. A response to a piece by my friend Danero, which sometimes gets posted on his Discord server when things get a little too frisky. Now he just needs to make one with his own character and we can be the Trio of Disapproval. (Of course we’ll never need this on our Snow Warband Discord. We’re the epitome of decency.)
3D Art — January 24, 2019
What’s it like growing up in a warband? — Fuwyfox, January 22nd, 2019 Kianga: “Most charr will have a hard time imagining what it’s like growing up without a warband. There are friends and ‘bandmates around you all the time, always ready for a joke.” “In our first year at the fahrar, just when we were getting used to working and fighting as a team, our primus woke us up in the morning and told us that we’d be split up. He didn’t explain, only gave us five minutes to pack our things and then sent each of us off to a different place. I was to report to a legionnaire at Charrgate Haven by noon, and I had no idea how to get there.”
3D Art, Writing — January 22, 2019
“Who needs a holosmith when you can have a holowarrior?” Please excuse the silliness, I just figured out how to make holograms in Blender.
3D Art — January 17, 2019
“Promote me? Hah. What could be better than leading my warband into battle?” Thanks to @WyvrnDWRipsnarl on Twitter for the prompt! I wanted to see what happens when I use screenshots as backgrounds for simple character scenes, similar to what I do with my dog tags. I’m not going to use this technique for more complex scenes, but I think for quick prompts it works just fine? Probably more interesting to look at than those plain colored backgrounds. Let me know what you think!
3D Art — January 13, 2019
Patching up a warrior’s bruised arms and legs is easy. Patching up his bruised ego can be a lot harder. I made this scene before I played the latest episode, but this feels more relevant now.
3D Art — January 8, 2019
A surprise from my friend Valynxia, drawn by littleMURE on Tumblr!
By Mure — January 3, 2019
My dear friend Danero sent me this drawing of Kianga in copic markers for Wintersday. Scanning traditional art never quite does it justice, but I tried my best. I love that floof!
By Danero — December 24, 2018
A little birthday present for my most awesome (and only) Branded friend, Sam. The spooky glowing present in the background was contributed by Keeya Snowtail, and I cannot vouch for its contents. Open at your own risk.
3D Art — December 23, 2018
This may not quite qualify as silent night, but it’s as close as you can get with a Blood Legion warband. I wish you all pleasant holidays, with lots of fun and food and most importantly the chance to spend time with the ones you love. Happy Wintersday!
3D Art — December 23, 2018
A beautiful portrait of my charr warrior, Kianga Snowstorm, drawn by Thalbachin, commissioned as a gift by my friend Loki.
By Thalbachin — December 22, 2018
A gift from my friend Loki, our two charr warriors having a sweet moment together—drawn by TideKeeper.
By TideKeeper — December 21, 2018
Snow Warband presents the latest advance in Pact technology: The Platform for Armed Wintersday Celebration (short: P.A.W.C.) Developed in cooperation with the best Legion engineers, it’s got guns, bayonets, flamethrowers, mortars, deadly spikes, and plenty of space for festive decorations. Celebrating Wintersday in charr style! Keeya Snowtail was busy doing, er, mesmer things and couldn’t attend the photoshoot, but also sends her greetings (artwork by our guild leader, Minarr Howlfury). A wonderful Wintersday to all of you!
3D Art — December 16, 2018
“Um, boss? Are you sure you’ve ordered a Wintersday tree and not a tank?” Continuing from last week, they’ve started assembling… something. With various degrees of efficiency. Looking at you, Storm. Speaking of fun, all the Wintersday cookies in this scene were lovingly baked, modeled, and textured by my partner, Keeya Snowtail.
3D Art — December 9, 2018
Portrait commission of my charr warrior with a wicked smile, drawn by Thrasher!
By Thrasher — December 8, 2018
“Guys, get up! Our Wintersday supplies have arrived, it’s time to decorate!” Not everyone in the warband shares Kianga’s excitement for Wintersday. Especially not at five in the morning. First full scene with the whole warband! This one is inspired by the sleeping area in Hero’s Canton. I’ve always found it a little strange that charr have their beds right next to the showers, but I guess it’s efficient…? Happy holidays to you all!
3D Art — December 4, 2018
“Look what we got: New casual clothes for the whole warband! There’s even our emblem on it. Neat, huh?” I’m especially proud of the subtle Blood Legion design on his back. Cough.
3D Art — December 3, 2018
Based on a drawing prompt Ark can’t beat Kianga in a game of arm wrestling, but it turns out that drinking games work much more in his favor. The only downside is having to get a drunken 500 pound charr back home safely… Also introducing the third member of Snow Warband: my engineer, Chui Snowblast, to the right.
3D Art — November 22, 2018
Based on the drawing prompt “outside in a terrible storm” “Oh I love storms, nothing terrible about them!” Hmm, I’m not entirely happy with that lightning and rain buuut I guess it’s okay for a first attempt? I hope?
3D Art — November 18, 2018
Based on the drawing prompt: “in the middle of a fight/battle” “There are different kinds of fights…” Ark may have picked the wrong one here.
3D Art — November 17, 2018