Ravenloft Artbook of Talon Dunning

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

The card thing works out, though, as it allows you to display the art separately or trade them with friends or whatever.

I'm quite glad you did it this way. I have mine on display (in a plastic "hard case" card protector) on my Ravenloft shelf.

[CaptainTrips]

Regardless, I'm pleased that everyone has been happy with their sketches so far (at least no one has yet complained) and I appreciate you scanning them and sharing them with the group. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and will have a happy New Year!

-Talon

And thank you for being cool with people scanning and posting the card art. I have saved all of the art and turned it into wallpaper so that I can see your cool art on my computer when I am in a Ravenloft mood.

[CaptainTrips]

I'm quite glad you did it this way. I have mine on display (in a plastic "hard case" card protector) on my Ravenloft shelf.

Ah, very cool idea. I have extra card holders that aren't being used, I think I will do the same for my card.

[Talon]

Hey everyone. Just dropping in to let you all know that I'll be appearing at MegaCon in Orlando, Fl March 25-27. You can find me in Artist Alley where I'll be taking commissions and will have prints and sketchbooks for sale. I love to draw PC portraits, so if you'd like to get your favorite character drawn, come on down! I hope to see you there! And if you can't make it, I still have plenty of Ravenloft sketchbooks available for order! Thanks!

http://www.arcane-marks.com/store.html

-Talon

[Scipion_Emilien]

Damnit Orlando is so far from here!

[Talon]

Damnit Orlando is so far from here!

I know the feeling. I'll also be appearing at HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, May 3rd-5th. That's all I have scheduled at the moment, but I hope to be at Dragon*Con again this year in some capacity or another.

-Talon

[HuManBing]

Well, GURPS Horror has been released - and in fact (unusually for a mainstay sourcebook) its internal art is all black and white, which suits the genre well.

However, I looked through the credits and alas! no Talon Dunning.

A pity we miss out on some excellent artwork. But the book itself is a top-notch game publication nonetheless.

[Talon]

However, I looked through the credits and alas! no Talon Dunning.

Ha! Well, I've never done any work for Steve Jackson Games, so I guess that's not too surprising.

BTW, for those that might have missed it, I'll be appearing at Origins Game Fair this year, where I'll have plenty of copies of Out of the Mists as well as my new sketchbook, Big Damn Heroes: The Mutants & Masterminds Art of Talon Dunning. I hope to see you there!

-Talon

[Mortavius]

I'm late coming to this party, but I'd like to chime in with the multitudes that I think your work is some of the finest ever to grace a Ravenloft book, Talon.

Whenever I would buy a new book, I used to flip through them, looking for all of your artwork. Your piece of Strahd in Gaz 1, fighting on horseback, is one of my favorites, even though Strahd isn't my favorite character.

Question for you: I know you have drawn both Adam and the Frankenstein Monster for their respective books. In horror literature, golems have always been a favorite of mine, so naturally, I love these characters. But these characters are always drawn somewhat "toned down" it seems. For example, many authors just add some scars to them to hint at their origins. Why is this? Not insulting your work mind you; but why do you think so many authors choose to draw golems more "humanly" than really going crazy with them? They are cobbled together from bits and pieces after all...

[Talon]

I'm late coming to this party, but I'd like to chime in with the multitudes that I think your work is some of the finest ever to grace a Ravenloft book, Talon.
Whenever I would buy a new book, I used to flip through them, looking for all of your artwork. Your piece of Strahd in Gaz 1, fighting on horseback, is one of my favorites, even though Strahd isn't my favorite character.

Thanks! I appreciate that! That's one of my favorites, too. It was fun to draw Strahd doing something other than standing around looking vampirey.

Question for you: I know you have drawn both Adam and the Frankenstein Monster for their respective books. In horror literature, golems have always been a favorite of mine, so naturally, I love these characters. But these characters are always drawn somewhat "toned down" it seems. For example, many authors just add some scars to them to hint at their origins. Why is this? Not insulting your work mind you; but why do you think so many authors choose to draw golems more "humanly" than really going crazy with them? They are cobbled together from bits and pieces after all...

That's an easy one: the 1931 Universal movie, "Frankenstein" starring Boris Karloff. That vision of Mary Shelley's monster set the standard by which all Frankenstein's monsters are judged and influenced pretty much every version of him that has come since. And, of course, in 1931, they were pretty limited on what they could do with movie makeup, so Karloff didn't exactly match Shelley's vision of the monster. When I drew the monster for Masque of the Red Death, I wanted to make him less Karloff and more Shelley, so I based my drawing directly on the novel's description...

"His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! -- Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips."

With this drawing, as with the portrait of Adam of Lamordia, I kept in mind that both Frankenstein and his counterpart, Victor Mordenhiem, had created the monster, as you point out, out of parts that were individually beautiful. Adam, especially is built out of individual bits and pieces none of which match or fit together. You'll note that the lines of his face all connect, like organic puzzle pieces. Of course, with Adam, I had to be somewhat true to what others had done before me, so I was carful not to show any Karloff-like stitching. I figured Victor wouldn't have let such sloppy construction show anyway. I imagined that Adam was built anatomically, with individual facial muscles (there are 52 or so) having been attached individually to the constructed skull beneath. With my Frankenstein's monster, I was less concerned with the realistic depiction of the construction and more with matching Shelley's prose. The only bits I took artistic liberty with was the stitching down the front of his chin and around his eyes (and just under the ear, there). That was there specifically to make him visually interesting and as a little nod to "Karloffian" tradition.

Of all the portraits I did for Ravenloft, the ones completed for Masque of the Red Death are the ones I'm most proud of. I was really ecstatic over the opportunity to draw such classic characters from literature as Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and Professor Moriarty, all of whom were based on their literary descriptions (or historical in the case of Dracula), not their classic movie archetypes (although I did tone down Moriarty's receding hairline a bit for the sake of making him look more sinister and not so much like a high-school janitor). And drawing Sarah Winchester, a real woman, was a bit humbling. I felt that, as she had once lived, and was such an unfortunate soul, that it was imperative of me to treat the subject with a certain amount of respect. Of course, Mrs. Winchester didn't make it easy on me, considering her aversion to having her picture taken and her obsession with wearing a funeral veil. She was possibly the most difficult portrait I've ever had to draw. I wish I had known at the time that Madame Delphine LaLaurie was a real person as well. While I might not have felt so strongly about showing her respect (the woman was a true horror. Seriously. Look her up. Its beyond disturbing), I still would have liked to have been somewhat respectful of the history and at least tried to capture her likeness.

But I digress. The point, I suppose, is that our image of Frankenstein's monster has been indelibly influenced by the classic Universal Pictures version of him, which is why we see so few depictions of him that are accurate to the original source. I would like to think that my rendition would have met with Mrs. Shelley's approval.

-Talon

[Talon]

By the way. I just wanted to mention that I will be appearing at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH from June 23-26. Being a game convention, I plan on being there with, pretty much, ALL of my original Ravenloft art as well as copies of my Ravenloft sketchbook, Out of the Mists. I'll also have copies of my 2009 sketchbook, Stray Marks and my new 2011 sketchbook, Big Damn Heroes: The Mutants & Masterminds Art of Talon Dunning. So if you're headed to Origins, be sure to come by the Art Show and say hi. This would be a great time to pick up some original Ravenloft art or get a commission done of your favorite Ravenloft PC!

I will also be at Gen-Con this year (August 4-7), however, I missed the opportunity to appear in the art show, so I'm going just to check it out. If you can't make it to Origins, but are planning on being at Gen-Con and would like to meet up, let me know and we can arrange something. I won't have any of my work with me, but if there's a piece you'd like to purchase or would like me to sign anything, I'll be happy to make that happen.

I hope to see you at either event!

-Talon

[alhoon]

I downloaded Adam. I think that portrait looks quite like the one in the 2nd edition DoD.
Who else have you done from the darklords Talon?

About Adam: Victor connected the individual muscles one by one to the skull? I thought the procedure to make Adam was quite simpler...

[Talon]

I downloaded Adam. I think that portrait looks quite like the one in the 2nd edition DoD.
Who else have you done from the darklords Talon?

I've drawn all of the ones that White Wolf put into the Gazeteers. I don't recall which ones that was specifically off the top of my head. I'm assuming it was at least all the Darklords of the Core.

About Adam: Victor connected the individual muscles one by one to the skull? I thought the procedure to make Adam was quite simpler...

I have have no idea how he did it. That was just the approach I had in mind when I drew the portrait.

-Talon

[Guardian of Twilight]

I thought this might be a good place to ask if Talon would by any chance be at DragonCon this year. I have a friend that's going, and was hoping to get a book signed, perhaps.

[Talon]

I thought this might be a good place to ask if Talon would by any chance be at DragonCon this year. I have a friend that's going, and was hoping to get a book signed, perhaps.

Well, of course I'll be at Dragon*Con! I wouldn't miss it! I have a table in the Art Show this year, so look for me there. I'll have copies of all three sketchbooks, Stray Marks, Out of the Mists and Big Damn Heroes. See you there (or at, least, your friend).