In short, because showing the faces and bodies of these characters is important, and high-quality character art is the best way to do that. And the best way to make more character art available, is to let other people help.
You see, there are several aspects of the Enemies of Creed series that I’m very proud of. The emotional weight of the journey, the suspense of the mystery, the relatability of the dialogue, and the openness of the world and its history are just a few.
But one aspect in particular that I’ve become increasingly proud of (especially given the how much I’ve learned this year about my own implicit racial bias) is how diverse the cast of characters is.
There isn’t a “default” skin color in this world, and the characters come in a variety of shades, shapes, and sizes. Multiple body types, facial features, and age ranges are represented, not just the ones that Hollywood considers ideal for marketing purposes.
And I believe one of the best ways to celebrate this diversity of characters is through the amazing art of Ryan Salway. Ryan approaches character visual design with a careful eye and genuine respect for each character as an individual, and I think you can see that in the art I’ve commissioned from him in the past. Every piece that Ryan has created for Enemies of Creed has never failed to far surpass my expectations, and further fuel my excitement for the series and provide endless inspiration.
And that’s why I want to be able to provide SO MUCH MORE of this incredible and diverse character artwork to all of you. But funding those commissions on my own requires saving up, and that takes time. (Usually just about two pieces every other year.)
That’s where Patreon comes in.
Ryan has agreed to partner with me in creating this Patreon page to see if we can use it to successfully fund new ongoing character art every month. It’s an experiment and we’re taking a chance on it, but I’m hoping you’ll help us make it work.
By becoming a patron, you’ll be helping to support the creation of independent fantasy art that both enriches the Enemies of Creed series AND promotes the idea that not all fantasy characters need to look like they’re Europeans in their mid-twenties.
Patrons at ANY tier of support will be able to continue new chapters of Enemies of Creed as they come out each month (yes, I’m committing to that) and they’ll be able to see new character art as it appears within those chapters. (In other words, you’ll see the art for a character when they appear in the story.)
Patrons at the next tier and above will get early access to character art as soon as it is shared by Ryan (even if that character may not show up in the story for a long time.)
I won’t go into all the different tiers and there benefits here. My main point is that by helping us fund this art, we want to make sure you’re getting something out of it too. And if you have any suggestions or feedback on how we can do that better, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
I’m excited to be on this journey together with you all! Now let’s make something FANTASTIC!!
