Art by Accident

[Kaelrik]

Why hello!

Welcome to my brain-space. While I can't guarantee that I will be posting to this little corner of the interweb with anything resembling regularity, here shall be a number of my blurbs and babbles whenever the mood hits me. Firstly, I'd like to start by just hitting the ground running with the thought that prompted me to post this.

Back in 2011, I was sitting about in my dorm room browsing the internet looking for artwork that closely resembled a character concept that I had in my head. I was creating a new character for a different writing forum and after spending hours and hours scouring web I had yet to find anything that really resonated as true to the character in my brain. I was struck with a thought after that and decided that if I couldn't find the character scouring the internet, then I would create the character myself using what skill I had. So I started doing some research into what it took to become a decent artist. I went to the library, I went to Barnes and Noble and looked at self-starter books and resolved to one thing: I would not nor do I have the patience to become an artist who draws things by hand. To this day I can't hand draw anything more elaborate than a stick figure. So I started looking for alternative and stumbled upon a program known as DAZ 3D studio. The software and its basic starter package were only about $30 at the time as they were having a promotional sale and I thought, "Why not?". Suffice it to say, my first creations were....awful. They had no texturing, their poses were mechanical, expressions weren't all that believable. Lighting? What's that? Gradient? Ha! Did someone say background? How do art gud? Herp derp. 6 years (and a lot of YouTube tutorials, lots of bugging other artists, dozens upon dozens of hours spent pouring over forums for tips and pointers) later, I've stuck with it. Sometimes I manage to produce something mildly resembling acceptable that I don't just frown at.

That being said, working with a program like DAZ 3D studio makes things seem easy sometimes now that I look back at it but it's a lot of work. A single scene, no matter how simple, will take anywhere between 3-5 hours of work to complete. The most complex piece I've ever done took about 80 hours of work total.

Since registering on Standing Trials, I've had a fair amount of inspiration and as a result, I've done a few pieces depicting my character Kaelrik and his twin brother Korik as I see them in my head. Here they are for your viewing pleasure!

Redacted Content.

Whelp! That's all I've got for now. Hope you guys enjoy!

Warm Regards,
Kael

[Kaelrik]

Howdy folks!

It's been a minute since I've actively posted or done anything on Standing Trials. I'm still lurking about but work and my upcoming exams (tomorrow as of this posting) have had me a bit preoccupied. Once the exams are over and I don't have to stress about them I am going to return to regular writing. Until then, hope all is well!

-Kael

[Rumour]

Happy to see that you're still around & haven't forgotten about us! Best of luck with your exams. We look forward to having you back once they're done with!

As a side note, your art is fantastic. So cool! Can't believe how much production time each one took. You did a great job. I especially enjoyed the synopsis you included with each picture.

x

[Kaelrik]

Oh my heavens!

Has it been a whole month? Goodness. I did not mean for that much time to pass before getting back to writing. However, busy work schedule, some focus on a few art projects (I got to present some of my work at a gallery! Ahhhh!) and lack of energy/muse has culminated in me being a terrible writing partner. So, for that, I apologize.

But!

I am not gone. Just been busy dealing with an upcoming major transition in my life. I'll be getting back into the swing of things here shortly.

-Kael

[Kaelrik]

Old Wealth. All wealth was taken from Kaelrik upon him being inducted into slavery. This annotation is for the sake of accounting what he lost only.

Ledger

Item	Adjustment	Total
City Dweller Pack	+100 GN	100 GN
Shortbow	-10 GN	90 GN
Arrows (40)	-1 GN	89 GN
Longsword	-25 GN	64 G
Memory NPC	-10 GN	54 GN
Tent (One Person)	-15 GN	39 GN
Bedroll	-5 GN	34 GN
Compass	-5 GN	29 GN
Torches (6)	-3 GN	26 GN
Dagger	-3 GN	23 GN
Heavy Blanket	-8 GN	15 GN
Light Blanket	-5 SN	14 GN 05 SN
Food and Wine	-4 GN	10 GN 05 SN

[Kaelrik]

Hi, howdy, hello!

It's been a while since I've created a finished art piece related to Standing Trials. However, given that I've gotten back into the swing of things here on ST (a little bit) and my PC brother has also returned for the time being, I felt the urge to create the twin Lotharro again. My art style and process has changed dramatically since when I first joined ST. So, here are the brother Kaelrik and Korik as they are currently depicted in my head. I drew some inspiration from their face claim but I did my best to make them unique. They are identical twins of the Bred Lotharro variety. I chose their outfits rather carefully as I wanted them to express their personalities and also their fighting styles. Kaelrik (left) is more of a martial artist. While he is capable of wielding swords, he tends to resort to more hand to hand combat. Korik (right) wields swords and battleaxes. He tends to be more of a brawler in hand to hand situations. The Twins are both from Clan Stahlmark and take their heritage very seriously. Their parents were both of good standing in the Clan and ensured their sons received an education as well as training in order to assume their place in society properly.

Kaelrik tends to be the more stoic and reserved of the two. He is also the elder by a few minutes. He's more liable to glare at someone he doesn't know as opposed to engage in conversation with them. He tends to be very disciplined and prideful. That is not to say he can't be friendly, if he finds he likes a person he'll be very social. He is Lothar, after all. But his recent life of slavery has made him somewhat hesitant to form relationships with people on a meaningful level.

Korik is the younger of the two by a few minutes. He is a man who lives for adventure and the thrill of both battle and challenging situations. He is determined to make a name for himself as a legendary Lotharro. He is more outspoken out of the two of them. He is more ready and willing to engage in conversations with people and he's also a tad more boisterous. Korik believes wholeheartedly that life should be lived to the fullest with ferocity and passion. While recent events have forced him to reconsider many things, at his core he is still a man who pursues his dreams tenaciously.