Art for GenCon?

[hwango]

It's that time of year again - time for me to figure out which pieces of art to take to GenCon to show to game company reps while I use my spooky mental powers to compel them to commission me to create more art. I'd love advice from people on which pieces would be the best to take with me this year.

http://hwango.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://hwango.deviantart.com/gallery/?type=browse&offset=24

The cutoff point between what I took last year and what I made after GenCon is on that second page, at that hateful anthro lion, so the earliest piece up for consideration is the Scorpion Clan Samurai. I'm not sure I should take anything from earlier than that unless it's really awesome. Hopefully I've improved beyond stuff that old anyway, and I don't want to show people the same thing they saw last year either. I can still wear my sock-stealing bird t-shirt to show that off. = )

Comments

[hwango.livejournal.com]

For pieces with backgrounds and stuff, what do you think of Cthulhu standing in the snow or the Decay Flute?

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/27972662/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/26823502/

[fenris-lorsrai.livejournal.com]

Decay flute dosn't quite look like its firmly anchored to its background. It's also a bit baffling out of context.

Cthulhu is amusing but has some problems. I'd take it along as an "extra" piece to tuck in the back of the folio to show to select groups (like Chaosium). Cthulhu's got two problems, the ground is tipped too steeply compared to the placement of feet. The horizon line need to be lower. Cthulhu's skin and wings also look too much like they had a quick photoshop filter effect applied. They're a bit too regular with the pattern.
It's a good piece to show off to places known for having rather tongue in cheek illustrations, but doesn't show off the technical skills as well as any of the landscapes do.

Since you're taking all color images, when you apply to RPG companies, you're basically competing to get hired to do a bookcover. Large technical pieces are you your best bet for that.

Since you'll also be showing some stuff off to CCG directors, doing a page of effectively "thumbnails" might work out well. While the big showy stuff might land you a book cover, it won't look good 2" tall. Doing a page of monsters that have been shrunk down to card art size shows off to them that your work will look good on a card too.
It also conveniently lets you stuff 9 monsters on a single page. :)

[hwango.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I see your point about the Decay Flute...and the snow in Cthulhu. Didn't realize the problem with Cthulhu's skin and wings either.