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Digital Art

— Creating art with tablets, styluses, and software
59 members Created May 2026

The difference between studying and copying — why it matters

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My process for painting concept art for tabletop RPGs has specific requirements that differ from other commercial illustration work, and I want to document them.

The brief style: tabletop RPG clients typically give detailed written descriptions but few visual references. The work is world-building in partnership with the game designer, which means I have more creative latitude than most commercial work but also more responsibility for establishing visual canon.

The technical requirements: multiple characters or scenes from different angles, sometimes on turnaround sheets that show a character from multiple viewpoints for use as reference by other artists.

The pricing: tabletop RPG work tends to pay lower rates than game development at larger studios. The trade is creative freedom and a relatively frictionless client relationship — tabletop designers are usually artists themselves and communicate in visual terms effectively.

The community: the tabletop RPG illustration community is collegial and communicates through social media effectively. Being visible in that community, through posting work and participating in discussions, generates more leads than any other marketing I've tried for this type of work.

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