Wednesday, October 12th 2005 Hello. Steve is busy scheming up new ideas for games, so I decided to hijack this weeks entry. I, of course, am Tricia, a.k.a “the mean-jean of the design machine”. Okay, not really, I just made that up. I am the Creative Director for Painted Horse Games, which means I make (and approve) pretty pictures. This weeks topic:

The importance of good illustrations

I am a visual learner. I learn 100 times faster by following a diagram than reading about it. The point of this confession is: never underestimate the power of illustrations in your games.

I can't tell you the amount of times I would get in trouble for �reading� the secret parts of the White Wolf's Storytellers Handbook for our weekly Vampire games.

"Stop cheating!" Steve would yell at me. "You are reading all of the secret stuff you shouldn't know!"

"But I'm just looking at the pictures!" I would explain with a sneaky grin.

Of course he didn't believe me, but it's true. I would go through every single one of my brother's games- from the books to the boards, and pore over the illustrations. I really didn't care so much for the flowery text describing character classes or the secret plots in the adventures section - all I wanted to see were the illustrations. I would read game books like comic books, flipping from page to page. For instance, White Wolf did a great job with Werewolf: The Apocalypse - dropping in illustrations with a continuous story line. How fabulous is that? It's like getting a comic book and a game in one!

My favorite illustrator to date- the guy I always look for, scavenge through books to see if he is in there is the character artist for Vampire, Josh Timbrook. I love his style - a mix of Japanese and American influence all rolled into one energetic drawing. By far he has most strongly influenced my personal drawing style. Of course there are many others whose works I covet: Brom, Larry Elmore, Tim Bradstreet, Larry McDougal and John Cobb, and plenty of others I don't know the names of. I think I used to have daydreams that I would marry all these guys, just because I loved their drawings so much. I can't express how much the art of these fellows has inspired what I am doing now for Painted Horse Games. Great art is key to a great game, and that is one of the main goals Steve and I have for Painted Horse Games. As a creative director I am pushing for the next level of art in our games- from great illustrations inspired from my heroes listed above, to fantastic photographs, beautifully composed computer landscapes and figures and illustrations rich in history and meaning. Keep an eye out for Hades and Persephone- I have my mind set on some fabulous illustrations for that one.

So, the moral of this meandering story? Use lots of illustrations, strive for a unique vision and pay your illustrators well. And hug your designer every day. We love the contact.

-Tricia Diaz
Creative So-and-So, Painted Horse Games