Suvudu Universe

I’ve been asked to post the illustrations I made for the booth at the Exile Game Studio booth at Gen Con 2013. I was reluctant to put them up because I was afraid people would think we had slashed our art budget, but they seemed pretty well received. Unfortunately, the blue grid didn’t pick up on the scan, so they don’t look as “blue print-y” as they do in real life. What do you think– is it worth Photoshoping a grid in?

Anyway, here they are, starting with my favorite one. The original order was for a single rocket ship, and all my practice with the other designs was to make a good go at this one. The idea was that we wanted to communicate that we had the blueprints to get us to Mars (Exile’s next book is Revelations of Mars). Heck, I might save it and use it in The Menace From Beyond equipment section.

The one I drew before the X.I.L.-14 rocket was actually my least favorite, but I finally figured out why. I wanted to have a Martian 3-legged walker that looked different from all those other Martian 3-legged walkers. I thought it would be cool if it could retract all its limbs to become a ship, and I also wanted to give it a 3-domed cockpit as a nod to the 3-eyed creatures of H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds. The reason why I ended up not liking this design so much is because I was going for “manta ray” with the body of the ship, but I think the wings ended up making it look like a duck. If I were to do this drawing again, I’d probably go for more of a classic saucer-shaped body.

Speaking of flying saucers, the second practice drawing I did was for a classic version of the U.F.O. I had some fun with the cutaway view. It’s hard doing curves and my lines are a bit sloppy as you can see, but I was pleased with the overall because it was clearly a flying saucer and yet had some distinctive details that make it recognizable.

The first practice drawing I did was much more simple than the others. This could pass for a cargo rocket, but it’s a little too fat to look cool. At least you can see how I was starting to think about details I would add to the later drawings.

As you can see, the final versions were a minor but visible part of the booth. Several people asked if the blueprints were available for purchase (I wonder if they were far sighted?) but it was nice that they were so well received. I’m definitely an amateur artist, but it’s something I really enjoy doing, so I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

^That’s my wife Katie and my buddy, Exile President Jeff Combos.