I put all my energy into today to put something together to at least qualify the for this Game Jam, but I'm my own worst enemy. I tend to have troubles completing any of my projects ever.
You all seem to be able to just churn out material like it's a side-effect of your breathing.
Tell me your dark secrets, who do I have to sacrifice to be like you?
Personally, one massive advantage I have is two advanced degrees in Fine Art and working as a professional Fine Artist. But I think the best thing one can do, especially for MÖRK BORG is just get started. It's a very welcoming and helpful community. Lots of encouragement on projects on the discord server and the Facebook group. Don't get self-conscious about what you are making, don't hold yourself to Pelle and Johan's level. You do you.
Start small. I've heard that for years but never followed that advice until few months ago when I found MB and saw how the indie ttrpg community works. I was always working on "my next major groundbreaking project" and they all ended up the same way - in my drawer. I thought that small has to mean simplified and lame, which is not always true. Browse through your ideas and find the one that you still consider cool but will fit on one a5 page. Then work on it and publish it.
That's what I've started to do, so many half-finished Evernote projects that I increasingly got intimidated by because I've no idea how to do layouts, or draw, or edit haha. I've got just enough to submit to a Jam now. I think that's my start, I'm hoping to maybe do a couple more Folklore monsters and creatures and maybe I can successfully cobble them together into a little booklet :)
I don't Cope with it. I just freeze up completely. Thinking of switching my creature to something else, but i cant decide on that either.
EDIT, Im all good now. Dont look for a creature you like and try to draw it from scratch. Find out what you're most skilled at drawing, and find something that fits within that box. Or writing, or whatever.
Honestly I second this Nell, a simple Artifact can be made in an afternoon. I'd be more than happy to help. I've always been better at collaborating with others to help them than finishing my own projects, and since I've at least got something out (which people have been very kind about.) I've got room to help out :)
Frustrated at my rusty art skills as I've been practicing writing for the past half a year now. After deciding I have no idea how to draw a bird that I'm satisfied with, I think I'm switching to a more humanoid folklore creature. I'm much better at drawing mammals. I'm thinking currently of trying out Tuesday's Demon, as I wanted to include a short scene or scenario as well as statistics and picture. My backup is a Plague Maiden.
I do not own a scanner and was planning on using a friend's, if anyone knows any tips to reduce shine when taking a photograph of a drawing, if the scanner thing flops.
Ah I get your frustration. Have you thought about looking for Open Domain art that might work? It's what I did for The Thirteenth Damned Son. I can point you towards some things.
I wish I could help with suggestions, besides use heavy Ink lines, good lighting, and no flash; and up the contrast when you have it on your image editor, it should make it easier to take and edit in a program like Gimp.
I am a master at Gimp and went to collage for graphic design. I just drew a version of Tuesdays Demon that im pretty happy with after about 3 hours of work. I can only really draw humans at lever 5 skill, and alot of folklore creatures are animals with wild biology. I never really use ink in my drawings (Tuesdays Demon is done is Artist's Pencils) unless im drawing in a cartoon style, as im much better at shading that at cross hatching (even if i think cross hatching often looks cooler). Ill try to snap a good picture with no flash and a bunch of soft lights, thanks for that. Im sure I can adjust the levels in Gimp to get it natural looking. Thanks.
anyone reading later feel free to look at my old art here https://imgur.com/user/NellTullDisturbingArt
Froggy here. Just kidding, I picked Sirens and went to town on the sea theme. Reading helps, like coincidentally encountering the Lorelai while looking for germanic folklore. I guess I complained and got lucky, finished in two days. But I need to work on the map... How do you scan the artwork into your zine?
Yeah, then cut out the white background, increase the contrast and cut out anything that isn't your lines. Then you've got a nice .png to work with. Sure, it's not vector art, but it works. Of course you could photograph the map and just trace vectors over it, that would be even better, but the other way works fine.
A bit like yourself I had to just focus on submitting "something" after another week of tinkering and procrastinating with what I really wanted to produce. I originally had an idea for a short adventure revolving around a small village which was being terrorised by my folklore inspiration - the Cü-Síth, a monstrous fey hound. In the end I decided that if I was going to get something I could submit I'd have to focus on something less involved, so I pared it back to just the creature background, stats and some plot hooks. I'll confess that I will probably revisit the original idea post jam, but for now I'm happy with what I submitted even if its not quite as gritty and dark as the scenario itself would have been. Personally I need to learn from this experience and take on board that its actually OK to pare things back, to focus on one idea. I have so many unfinished projects that stare at me from my work in progress folder that sometimes its almost completely disheartening - so submitting something small and "finished" is in many ways a big win for me.
