Operation Winter Scar

Originally posted Aug 10, 2024

It was an honor to illustrate another cover for @Lancer_RPG. Had a lot of fun working on this. Please check it out! Enjoy a clean version of my cover art. I had to draw SO many little guys for this one. https://t.co/rCZSoqNaK7 pic.twitter.com/NNTxZLE6ss

— Peyton (@Gee0Man) August 9, 2024

The cover illustration I did for Operation Winter Scar. Designed as a sequel to last year's Operation Solstice Rain, this narrative campaign module is followup that continues the story and will take your players up to LL4.

You can get it now at Massif's itch page.

When I was first contacted by Kai Tave and Tom about the cover for Winter Scar, the first thing they emphasized was a desire to create a sense of one against many. Strong The only thing they fear is you energy. Lancer's covers, largely handled by Tom had yet to have a cover evoking this feel, so it was an exciting opportunity. In general, I've broadly attempted to avoid aping Tom's style too much for the Lancer covers I've worked on, mostly out of a desire to avoid unfavorable comparisons. Tom's style is dense, kinetic, and evocative, whereas mine is often described as precise, almost clinical in its shaping. If Tom's a draftsman, I'm probably closer to a sculptor. Even if I copied his composition style, I don't know if I'd be capable of evoking the same writhing energy.

For Winter Scar's cover, I emphasized distinct shape hierarchies and lighting to create a natural sense of progression through the composition. The fun thing about this style of composition is that it is so blatantly graphic based rather than naturalistic that you can use the individual subjects of the composition to create a flow that feels staged, like a diorama. I think this generally suits my style better.

For the Vestan enemies, there were only a couple official designs at the time I was working on the cover, designed by the talented (and fast! I wish I could bang out mechs as quickly) Oshlet. She'd go on to design some new ones for Winter Scar but I'd finished the cover by the time I'd seen them. As a result, many of the Vestan designs are my own, inspired by her designs. With so many required to make the composition work, I couldn't afford to spend too much time on each individual one, so it became a bit of a mecha free jazz session. As long as they had rounded heads and boxy armored plates, it felt Vestan enough.

On paper, could a LL4 Everest realistically take on so many alone? Probably not, but that's part of the fantasy isn't it? Who could believe Raven singlehandedly destroyed the Redguns? How many Covenant died at Noble Six's feet at the fall of Reach? How did Mobius One destroy the seven guns of Stonehenge? Do I need to say anything about Doomguy? Suppose a mere Everest could break through the entrenched Vestan defense, stop the Tartarus launch, and save Cressidium? Well, that'd be the stuff of legends wouldn't it?

#gee_art #mecha #design_notes #lancer