Tips & Techniques: Trip Noose

One of my illustrations for the recent Magic release Shadowmoor was simply titled, "Trip Noose." The description for the illustration, originally titled, "Noose Trap," suggested I show the noose trap yanking some elf off the ground as he's caught in it. I sorta liked this idea, and played with it a bit. Elves in Shadowmoor are lanky, spindly, and have thorny horns--a nice variation on the usual theme. As for the noose trap, it was ambiguous from the description whether this was a trap that one is caught in by stepping in it, or a more traditional noose that would catch you about the neck. I went for the latter at first.

In the end, I decided I liked the scene portrayed a few moments after the character has been yanked up, when he's just there hanging, grimly. I thought it'd make an ominous image, and went about sketching it out:

6x8.5" pencil

The next step was putting a quick value study together, which included the equally-creepy forest and some mood lighting. I don't know what those creatures are, fluttering about, but they're probably hungry and unhygienic. Occasionally I do a piece vertically, planning for the horizontal crop. In this case I thought the piece would benefit as a painting from being extended up and down, though this would only be for my pleasure, of interest to fans, and finally for whomever might eventually own the painting. I think I intended it to still be my usual 11x14" or maybe 12x16"

With this piece I thought I'd draw in the branches and such in the paint, sort of free-form. Anyhow, the sketch was rejected with the explanation that I'd deviated too far from emphasizing the noose trap itself. I still liked the image enough that I cropped way tight on the upper shoulders/head to increase emphasis and resubmitted.

It was bounced back once more. I was told to lose the figure, since the card only taps the creature, it doesn't kill it. Just paint the noose trap itself. Ack. We don't get the rules of the card with the assignment, but in this case it would've saved a bit of effort! Granted, their initial description didn't have a dead creature, but it wasn't very explicit, and we're often encouraged to use descriptions as jumping-off points as long as we don't jump miles away. I was a bit crestfallen, as I had high hopes for this piece, but I proceeded to do a more straight-up portrayal of the artifact itself.

6x8" oils on treated paper. Don't ask me how it works--this is, after all, Magic.