Playing with object layers

Continuing with some three minute tutorials in Tiled, we stay along our path using the Old World Style sets and this time play around with two object layers. You can see from the video just how easy it is to use Tiled to build your map bases, especially if you have tile sheets set up.  As always, I hope you enjoy!

-Russ

New premade maps and sets on the way

It's been a whirlwind month, with many things going on in the background while working on illustrations.  It started with just wanting to make some things for a simple wagon train. The wagon train evolved into a merchant wagon train; and from there I decided there needed to be tent merchants as well. As things progressed, it was more difficult to separate the sets so I made the choice to just keep expanding. The result:

Family things...

Sorry for the brief interruption of posts this week everyone, I had a family member that was rushed to the ICU and spent most of the week there. They are out, all is much better and things should be returning to normal here soon.

Thank you for your patience!

There are times...

...when you just cannot concentrate enough to create

...when you must push through those things in order to begin creating once again

...when inspiration comes once frustration settles down

It's been a tough week. We've all been there. It appears thought the storm clouds have now passed, and from some of the bleakest moments this past week, all of a sudden ideas just came flooding into the ol' brainpan.  I'm looking forward to this coming week to get them out onto the digital paper.


Oh, and a shout out to Joshua Kurz for his new blog. Click on the link in the left column there with the other artists and give him a shout out too!

Hoodalolly!

Throw pillows

For fun, in celebrating the latest Scene Additions set 8: Rugs, hides & Books, I decided to make a few thank you decorative items as freebies and will put them on here for folks to grab if they so choose.

First up: "Muthur" pillow...no self respecting orc cave doesn't have a commemorative pillow of when their mom said no to desert after the midnight raid and was met with three arrows to the heart.

Just right click as 'save image as' - Enjoy! 

--Russ

Rugs and Floor covering

I've always enjoyed drawing fabric - the folds, the way lights and darks meet and create triangular patterns. This latest scene additions set takes advantage of that fondness to create some rugs. So far, I've created close to 40 variations of runners, rugs, and animal hide floor covering.

Now mind you, it is yet to be seen how well this will be received, but it sure is fun making it.

Sneak peek:

Old World Style set 10: Winter is Coming - The next set by R. A. Hapke

With one job on hiatus for the winter, I can fully concentrate working on illustrations and digital tilesets.  Last winter, while making the Old World Style set 9: The Polar Regions, the vast majority of pieces were created for either a world view level or the zoomed in regional level. I played around a bit with adapting the underground caves to the arctic, but didn't pursue it for some reason.

This past week I picked up that set, and wowsers it was a great decision! At a regional zoom in level, the arctic caves were just one thing I revisited and digitally reworked. As the set closes in on over 300 design elements, it will be fun to see how folks enjoy this latest set!

So, a little banner preview as the set gets ready for upload:

A little map preview without the banner text, featuring the new iced over name banners, mini snowmen army, mammoths, ice covered bridges, and ruins covered in ice. The scroll edge has also been adapted and given several variations with and without icicles. Hoooooodalolly!

UPDATE 12/18/2015: Old World Style set 10: Winter is Coming is now available at the Roll20 Marketplace! With over 300 elements, I hope you enjoy the set!