As part of a personal project, I created my own series of original ideas for items/ characters/ creatures based on Dungeons & Dragons as a way to share my ideas for the game and improve my illustration and design skills. I decided on a collectible card series called "Chaos Magic."
So far, I have created over ten full concepts and digital paintings for various types of items, characters, and creatures and am currently working on more! For each card, I developed the concept for the item/ character/ creature and its game mechanics, fully illustrated the art for it, wrote the flavor text and description, and designed the individual cards. In addition to this, I also developed the system by which the items/ characters/ creatures are organized; designed and illustrated the card back; developed and designed the branding; and am currently working on packaging designs.
Below is the first set in the series, titled "Beginnings," for the Chaos Magic Homebrew Card Series.
Process Images
The organization system for the series is made up of color coding, icons, and "gems" that denote the item category, type of item within that category, and the rarity of that item (details laid out on the Key Card)
I started by researching and developing the visual system, which took inspiration from fantasy visuals and styles similar to those found in card series like Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone. The banners at the top show the name of the item, and the gem on the right denotes its rarity. Each of the gems is shaped like one of the dice typically used in table top games like Dungeons & Dragons.
The Beginnings set in the series uses a flag or banner motif, but future sets will have different styles that fit the theme of that set. Currently I have 4 additional sets in development.
Final Cards
Below, you can see each of the cards in detail, as well as the card back and key card designs.
Click to enlarge images.
Future Plans
I currently have four future sets in development with items in the concepting stage. Each new set will have a specific theme which will be illustrated by the overall design of the cards as well as the items in the set. Future plans include "Gifts of Starlight" (a star and constellation themed set), "Revenant's Delights" (a vampire themed set), "Celestial Warfare" (an Aasimar/ Celestials themed set), and "Horrors of the Void" (an Eldritch and cosmic horror themed set).
