This fantasy portrait, “Lyndon,” is a bit of a throwback to 2021—and still one of my favorites.
This one was based on my friend Nathan’s D&D character, and I honestly can’t believe it’s already been five years.
One of the things I love most about D&D is how it creates shared stories that stick with you forever. Lyndon saving a small goblin named Skelly is one of those stories for me and my friends.
Looking back, this piece also marked the beginning of a process I still use today: sketch → digital inks → value pass → full render and paint. It’s strange seeing and remembering the roots of habits and workflows you still carry years later. Keep painting, and keep creating friends!
I’ve always loved beast-like characters. Probably from growing up on shows like Batman: The Animated Series, Beauty and the Beast, and Gargoyles. There’s something compelling about a character who is, by all appearances, a monster…yet still chooses to be a hero.
Lyndon brandished his maul, Thôrn its runes glowing faintly. His small goblin brethren stood close by. Skelly was his name. Lyndon had saved Skelly when he was but a small goblin pup. He had nearly been killed in a skirmish, but Lyndon had seen something in the little goblin. He knew that if he took him under his wing, he would grow into a fierce ally. He however didn’t anticipate he’d grow into such a close friend.
Now they found themselves in another scrap. A marbled red-and-white dragon snarled at them from a boiling hot spring deep within an icy cave.
With a gesture, Lyndon summoned elven skeleton warriors clad in ancient armor to fight at his side. He leapt into action, swinging Thôrn at the dragon. His scale mail would protect him from the beast's fiery breath, should he need it. Catching the dragon off guard, he smashed its jaw.
Skelly unleashed a spell conjured from the depths of the Void. It slammed into the young dragon, blinding it.
Lyndon swung again.
This time the dragon drew back. Lyndon missed.
His summoned warriors loosed a volley of arrows at the beast's exposed throat. They found their mark, but the dragon's scales protected it...this time.
The dragon roared in fury.
Icy stalactites fell from the cavernous ceiling. The ice beneath them began to crack.
Snap.
Snap.
Crunch.
The shifting ice stole Lyndon and Skelly's footing, and the floor itself gave way.
They began to fall...
