WELCOME TO THE VITREOUS HEROES WORKSHOP, MY FRIEND! YOU SAY YOU’D LIKE TO PROCURE MY SERVICES? WELL, STEP THIS WAY…

This venture began when the world changed in 2020 and I started playing Dungeons & Dragons. (If you’d like to read a more in-depth telling of that tale, check out the About page.) Although I’ve been a professional illustrator and designer for 25+ years, this genre was not my usual go-to, but thanks to a pandemic and my newfound love for fantasy RPG, here we are!

BRINGING THE HEROES TO LIFE

The Vitreous Heroes illustrations start as simple sketches to establish the general pose and simplified elements of the character, based on the client’s information (see below and the VH Workbook here.) This is then reviewed with the client and changes or tweaks are suggested.

The sketch is then transferred to Procreate on my iPad Pro, where it is further refined, usually with the character’s head and facial features being developed first, then the body, clothing, gear, and weapons details follow. Once the linework is approved, color and texture are added.

TELL ME MORE

When you’re ready to start the process, please click on the Vitreous Heroes Character Portrait Workbook or download it here. It’s a fillable PDF, so you can just download, fill it out on your computer or device, and send it along to donovan@vitreousheroes.com.

Inside this form, you’ll find two pages of questions, categories, and prompts that will help you to describe your character in detail. All of this information will help me to get a clearer sense of who they are and will make the process of bringing them to life that much easier. 

Here are a few other things you can also do to share your personal vision of your character:

• Already have a character description sheet or backstory document? Send it along in addition to filling out the VH Workbook.

• Would you like your character to look like you? Go ahead and attach a photo of yourself, as close as possible to the pose you have chosen. Keep in mind — these are torso portraits within a set frame, so try to avoid big wide gestures, i.e. overhead sword swings, grand spellcasting flourishes, etc.

• Have you seen a character illustration or photo that you like, with features or characteristics that resonate with you? Or a custom miniature? Feel free to share that as well.

• Do you feel comfortable drawing or sketching? Send it along!

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

The Vitreous Heroes illustration style is meant to emulate a stained glass window, so some facial or body features, gear/clothing, weapons, and other items may not be able to be rendered in fine detail. We can work together to find solutions that fit within the style.

These portraits are intended to be formal and idealized versions of your character, not action shots. The pose will be torso only, with hands and weapons close to the body and within the frame as much as possible. Some items, like weapons or hands/arms, may overlap the frame somewhat — a visual trick to add some depth and dimension to the composition.

Vitreous Heroes are intended to be family-friendly, so requests for poses or features that do not reflect this policy will not be honored. If what you envision isn’t PG-13, let’s chat about how we can create something together that is.