Projects
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
With a sharp hiss, the flame vanished. The room went dark. There was a moment of silence, then the ground began to shake. From outside the chamber, Ark could hear rubble falling. Storm! Ark ran out of the chamber, half stumbling over an old vine that had grown across the doorway. Stones, leaves, and dust were falling all around him. The earth rumbled, like he was stuck in the belly of a great beast. Ignoring it all, he ran towards the place where Storm was lying and tried to shield him as best he could.
3D Art — May 1, 2019
Ark stood in the doorway, looking back at Storm. “I’ll be back, I promise…” The chamber beyond was brightly lit. A large golden brazier stood in the center, burning so brightly that Ark had to shield his eyes. Coming closer, he could make out another doorway on the other side of the room, but it was blocked by solid stone. The was no other way out than the one he had come from.
3D Art, Writing — April 30, 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
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
“Storm? Wake up…” The faint glow from the Mists energy that had softened their fall faded away. Ark had tried to protect both of them, but he had been so drained already… He touched Storm’s paw, but there was no reaction. It was utterly quiet here, no sounds from the jungle above them, yet it took Ark a long terrifying moment until he could make out his friend’s breathing, faint and shallow. He had no strength left for any healing magic, unless he tapped into that strange power again, and if he tried to move Storm in this condition he might kill him.
3D Art, Writing — April 8, 2019
Ark slowly worked his way along the vine towards the nearby cliff wall, the whole thing swaying dangerously with every movement. The wall was steep but weathered enough for his claws to find some purchase. A crack of thunder echoed through the chasm from above, and Ark knew immediately what that meant: “Storm!”, he shouted. He was answered by a roar, too feral to come from a charr, followed by more thunder, and suddenly a roar of pain. Storm’s voice.
3D Art, Writing — March 30, 2019
A scene from Loki’s past, struggling to adapt to life with just one eye. There are moments when things become too much even for a charr warrior… Full story written by Loki: “It was the longest day of my life… From the moment I woke up and bashed my head against the bunk. Everything felt wrong, looked wrong, WAS wrong. Stumbling through the streets like a warband hyped on citadel whiskey after a successful mission. Bumping into angry, snarling locals. Getting dirty looks and sniggers from passing guards. Nothing went right. Hunting was a disaster, stabbed myself more than anything else. Missed ALL my shots today which… has never happened. Made me angry with myself for the first time in years.”
3D Art — March 28, 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
The original request for this from Sidewinder30k was a scene with Storm practicing elemental magic, setting something on fire by accident, and then frantically trying to put it out. I’ve thought about this for a while and here’s the problem: that wouldn’t be Storm. He’s not that sloppy, and his reaction would probably be: “Come on, it’s just fire!” So instead, here’s Storm practicing his magic by setting a Flame Legion camp on fire, quite deliberately, and without looking. Because cool charr don’t look at explosions.
3D Art — March 16, 2019
Moving quietly, Ark left the path he had come from and hid between two bushes to the side. They were dense enough to cover him, but still allowed him a view of the path. Suddenly he felt silly. Storm had the first watch, and had probably followed him to check if he was alright. That would explain the noises: Storm was great with fire and lightning, but stealth? Ark grinned to himself—he’d teach him a lesson about that. Keeping his eyes on the path, he took a step backward to get better cover and readied himself for a pounce.
3D Art, Writing — March 13, 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
“The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That’s pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts. It never helps. You fight through that shit.” Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace (Pulp Fiction) Also watch this short video of Ving Rhames accepting a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series. I imagine Skarr having both sides: He can be a cold and brutal necromancer in battle, but also sweet and humble when he’s among friends.
3D Art — March 4, 2019
Ark got up and left the camp quietly, telling himself that he just needed to clear his thoughts for a moment. These nightmares were ridiculous—he would never hurt one of his ’bandmates. Walking a few paces, he thought back to the airship crash. He had been talking with a sylvari, a fellow revenant, when it happened. The sylvari had stumbled, and when Ark had tried to help him up, he saw his eyes—
3D Art, Writing — March 2, 2019
A followup to my post about Chui’s imagined voice actor: Chui still hasn’t found the blueprint for a sonic screwdriver, but he did manage to build that famous phone box. With some enhancements - I mean, obviously this thing needed more steel and spikes, right? Just a silly thing I did for practice - not canon, of course.
3D Art — February 28, 2019
“I’m Storm Snowclaw, and this is my favorite spot on the Citadel!” Voice: Brandon Keener as Garrus Vakarian (Mass Effect) Garrus was my favorite character in the Mass Effect series, and he’s got the kind of attitude that I’d imagine for Storm: They’re both independent and professional, perhaps even arrogant sometimes, but also loyal friends and always ready to cheer you up with a joke. I think this is the first scene that really shows Storm’s nose piercing - he’s probably the only member of Snow Warband who would get a piercing, but I think it fits him.
3D Art — February 25, 2019
Ahh, coffee… Commission for Sidewinder30k of his charr Thel Victus, a tired but happy Iron Legion soldier. I also got to design an Iron Legion version of Kianga’s shirt, including a logo and more writing in New Krytan! For some reason writing in this language is oddly fun. Especially sideways, or even better: in circles. See if you can decipher it! I hope you like him, and thank you for the commission! <3
3D Art — February 22, 2019
Most of Ark’s ‘bandmates were asleep, and he should have been too. They’d been marching all day through the jungle, felt like getting cooked alive in their armor. But lying here in their makeshift camp, Ark wished he could have marched through the night anyway - so he wouldn’t have to face those dreams again. Maybe it was just the heat messing with him. His thoughts kept wandering back to that moment when everything went wrong: When their friends and allies suddenly turned against them, and their airship crashed into the jungle. All of his warband had survived, with a few cuts and bruises, but in those dreams…
3D Art, Writing — February 20, 2019
“I don’t quite see how you cherish the memory of the dead by killing another million.” Sean Connery as John Mason (The Rock) Ark would probably have the oldest voice of all my charr, even though they’re actually all around the same age. I just imagine him being the calmest one, with a voice that could probably tell wonderful bedtime stories - or casually call a superior officer an idiot without even blinking, like Sean Connery in that scene.
3D Art — February 19, 2019
It’s a Chaz! Roaming the streets of Ebonhawke and looking a little nervous… I’ve been following Chaz’ adventures on Tumblr for a long time, even before I started making my own 3D art, and I was excited to get the chance to model them in my own style. I based their physique on the in-game model, and the texture design on a drawn reference - probably the most challenging character I’ve worked on so far.
3D Art — February 18, 2019
“Every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things but vice versa the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things, or make them unimportant.” - Matt Smith as The Doctor Inspired by a recent discussion on our Discord, I wondered which voice actor I’d choose for my charr, if it had to be a different one than the default voice.
3D Art — February 11, 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
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
Patreon reward for Miokendai, of his charr Miolius Scriberend! His big floofy mane was the ultimate test for my hair modeling technique - there are still some issues I need to work on, especially when posing the character, but overall I think it turned out well. I also made a simple outfit for him, this time themed for the Order of Whispers. Bonus points if you can figure out that New Krytan script!
3D Art — January 20, 2019
Response to a question by Haruka Emberfall on Tumblr: “I dont recall seeing any of the bandmates sleeping yet. Could we see them cozying up for a good night’s sleep in the barracks?” Yes, our grumpy necromancer has a little plushie for sleeping. Yes, he made it himself. No, you don’t want to ask about the dry rattling sound it makes. I originally wanted to show more of them in the same scene, but the layout of their sleeping quarters makes that difficult. I’ll work on that!
3D Art — January 15, 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
Here’s the first custom charr model I’ve made as a Patreon reward: Loki Roland. The model is based on my previous charr, with more detailed hair and paws. Lucky for me, Loki is also a Blood Legion warrior, so I could reuse Kianga’s eye patch design and the loincloth. I still made a new and more detailed loincloth texture for him, because the old one had some technical issues. Overall this was a lot of fun, and I learned some new modeling techniques along the way - I’ll definitely use this kind of hair again for future models.
3D Art — January 6, 2019
A response to this piece by guildwuff2 on Tumblr: https://guildwuff2.tumblr.com/post/181562317299 When she posted this earlier this week on her Patreon (which is awesome by the way), I felt like doing a little pose and light matching practice - and this happened. At first I had Kianga in that pose, but then I figured my other charr could use some love too, so here’s martial arts nerd Chui Snowblast, ready for some sparring!
3D Art — December 30, 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
“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
With most members of Snow Warband, it’s okay to start a little bar brawl - all in good fun. With Skarr… I wouldn’t recommend it. Skarr Blacksnow, necromancer, medic, and obviously the warband’s most charming member. I think you can see why none of them ever get sick for long.
3D Art — November 30, 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
“We don’t fight for some guy sitting in a chair. We fight for the Legions - for our ‘bandmates, our friends and loved ones. We fight so they have a world that’s worth living in.” Last piece for Charrtober and a salute to all of you, no matter which legion you fight for. Thank you for your support, for all your likes and replies and reblogs and follows this month! I hope you’ve enjoyed my 3D scenes as much as I’ve enjoyed making them. I may need a short break after 31 days of non-stop 3D art, but don’t worry - Kianga isn’t going anywhere. He’ll keep fighting, for the Legions!
3D Art — October 31, 2018
“We didn’t speak another word, yet we both knew that only one would leave the arena that night. Somehow the crowd felt it too - the Bane was eerily silent. When he attacked, it was with a speed I had never seen of him. His claws slashed across my chest, and when I swung to the side to evade him, I left my head unprotected.”
3D Art, Writing — October 26, 2018
“With two of my soldiers in the infirmary after what Fyre called a ‘mortar exercise’, I confronted him. I wasn’t subtle. He hit me. Another charr would have kicked his ass right there, and maybe that’s what he was hoping for, so he could send me to jail again. I stayed calm and did what I should have done long ago: In front of his officers, I challenged him to a fight in the Bane.”
3D Art, Writing — October 25, 2018
“The legionnaire alone bears responsibility for the actions of his warband. No matter how much he hated them, Fyre could not touch my soldiers - and I reminded him at every opportunity. This meant I spent some nights in the stockade for things I didn’t even do - that none of us had done, in fact. It didn’t matter to him, and it didn’t matter to me. We just played this game for a while.”
3D Art, Writing — October 24, 2018
“Strangely enough, Fyre never threatened to throw us out of Blood Legion. Maybe he saw it as a waste of resources. Maybe he wanted to keep tormenting us. Or maybe he knew it was the one thing we feared, and thought he could use that fear to keep us under control. He was also wrong.”
3D Art, Writing — October 23, 2018
My first day in the Maguuma Jungle: “Seriously, burn those pocket raptors.” Try wearing armor next time! This was slightly outside the comfort zone, but fun. Also fun fact: Kianga’s texture is currently mirrored - everything I draw on the right also appears on the left, so I had to be a little clever about the placement of those scars.
3D Art — October 12, 2018