Filed under: Arts and Crafts

Do you love creating Warcraft art? UDON Entertainment is teaming up with Blizzard to create what may be their biggest Tribute collection yet, featuring art paying homage to World of Warcraft. Both Blizzard and UDON have called on artists from around the world to submit their original World of Warcraft-inspired artwork for consideration. However, the deadline for submissions is fast approaching. If you'd like your work to be considered for this incredible collection, you'll need to submit it by January 15.

This is a worldwide collection, so anyone in any country may submit their art. However, you'll need to be 18+ to submit. Selected artists for the Tribute collection will have their work included and credited in the book, which was announced at NYCC last year, and should make its first appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 as a special, limited-edition hardcover.

If you're an artist and you'd like to see your Warcraft-inspired work make its way into print, this is an opportunity you don't want to miss. For more information, including rules, guidelines, and submission information, head to the official World of Warcraft Tribute website.

---

The snappily titled Blizzard Entertainment 2012 Dessert and Holiday Art Program is here! Blizzard put a call out on Facebook this morning for Blizzard-themed desserts and holiday cards, featuring art or craft inspired by Diablo, Starcraft or Warcraft.

Successful submissions will be featured in Blizzard's facebook gallery, so get your crafting hat on and get creative! If you're looking for some World of Warcraft related inspiration you can check out WoW Insider's World of WarCrafts for some ideas on art, craft, and cake!

To enter the competition, simply head over to the battle.net page and fill out the forms.

If you're a fan of science fiction and fantasy, the name Michael Whelan is likely familiar to you. And even if the name isn't familiar, it's incredibly likely you've picked up a book with Whelan's art on the cover. Michael Whelan has been one of the world's premier fantasy and science fiction cover artists since 1980, with covers that grace the works of Isaac Asimov, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey and many more. In 2009, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in Seattle -- the first living artist to be included in a distinguished list of notable authors.

Whelan was approached for a commissioned piece by Blizzard's Art Director, Jeremy Cranford. The subject? Deathwing. This month's ImagineFX magazine includes a two-page spread of the full painting, but Whelan has also featured a behind-the-scenes glimpse showing the full process behind creating this beautiful work of art on his official website.

It's a fascinating look at what that process of creating a piece of art is actually like. There are a tremendous number of steps involved -- including, in this case, a detailed head study of Deathwing, shown above. The end result is a dramatic, bold, beautiful and very Whelan piece, but the post on Whelan's website includes all of the developmental pieces of art as well.

Head to Whelan's website for the full story behind this gorgeous piece of art and an illustration of the work it takes to go from idea to finished piece. And if you're interested in a truly unique holiday gift, the head study of Deathwing is available for purchase, too.

---

In celebration of the launch of Mists of Pandaria, Mega Bloks have been kind enough to inform us that for a limited period they are offering 10% off on all purchases of World of Warcraft Mega Bloks sets with a spend of $50 or more.

To get this offer, you need to head over to coupons.com and grab the coupon, then get shopping for Mega Blocks and build your own Theramore scenario with as many opening quests as you like!

If you're wondering what these Mega Bloks things are all about, WoW Insider's very own Alex Ziebart recently wrote a complete account of his construction of a fairly awesome goblin zeppelin, rather similar to the one that dropped the mana bomb on Theramore. And back in July, we had a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Mega Bloks creative process, as well as a preview of the first season of Mega Bloks sets!

Well, I think things went marginally better last week. One commenter made a great point that all it takes is for one person to know where these locations are, and that tears it for all the readers. I am quietly encouraged that it's not purely that I am such a dreadful WoW explorer that I can't come up with any decent locations!

Last week, we had a pixellated version of the crypt uphill of the Dustwind Dig Alliance flight point in the Badlands. Credit goes to wowpiper for giving directions which made it easy to find -- although yet again, despite my amazing picture editing skills, the first responder knew where it was. Alas, "the crypt in the Badlands" was not detailed enough for me to find it by your directions -- and you know the rules!

This week's picture is one of my own, slightly doctored. It has been in my screenshots folder for a long old time; I'm not sure exactly when I took it, but I found it while looking for something else on a machine I haven't used for WoW for about nine months. I found it while out and about, and I was struck by how pretty it is and how I'd actually like it on my wall at home.

My fear with this one is that the same picture is found in many locations, but I'm only going to accept the one where I actually found it. I will police the comments as closely as possible so I can tell you if the location you've suggested is wrong.

I have to be able to find my way to the location via your description. Coordinates are good, as are detailed directions. As ever, your guesses have to be in a new comment to be counted, not in a reply (or it's impossible for me to tell which came first). Good luck -- not that you'll need it!

If you're going to keep getting these right within such a short time of my posting them, you're asking for it. I won't stand for this! So let's see if this one isn't quite so easy. I'm kind of hoping it isn't -- and if it's too hard, well, I'll come back again and make it easier. But somehow I doubt it will be too hard, knowing you people, and next week I'll find myself trying to make it harder again.

The very first commenter, Deyoue, got the right answer first for the last picture, and an honorable mention goes out to SamLarrimore for expanding on Deyoue's description with coordinates and somewhat enhanced directions. But Deyoue had it first -- big congratulations to you, Deyoue. I tip my hat to you and your WoW exploration knowledge!

This week's Where in Warcraft image, as you might notice, has been somewhat doctored. It comes to us in its raw courtesy of Xelophant of Bloodhoof (US). Thanks very much, Xelophant; I loved this suggestion.

For this week's answers, I'm looking for the exact location, and I have to be able to find my way to the location via your description. As ever, your guesses have to be in a new comment to be counted, not in a reply (or it's impossible for me to tell whether or not the chicken preceded the egg!). Good luck -- not that you'll need it!

---

There's so much in Azeroth (and Outland!) just waiting to be found. Tip us off. If you've found a fabulously quirky landmark, hidden treasure, or special hideaway somewhere in Warcraft, drop me a line at olivia@wowinsider.com with your screenshot. You could be featured in a future edition of Where in Warcraft!

It is a difficult balance, you know, writing a guessing game like this. It's a bit like the difficult balance facing developers of computer games. You don't want to make a challenge so utterly impossible that the majority of people feel excluded, but neither do you want to make it so easy that everyone guesses it within a few seconds! But who am I kidding -- I'm not Blizzard!

I am, however, impressed with your speed and accuracy in guessing the last Where in Warcraft installment. DavidSikes, almost to my annoyance, had it within moments of posting! Good job, DavidSikes. You win a cave near Ahn'Qiraj and the respect of the girl who writes this feature. (The last one is a rather dubious reward, let me tell you.)

Anyhow, as the Foo Fighters sang in All My Life, on, on, on to the next one. The above screenshot was kindly submitted by Trakand of The Maelstrom (EU). Thanks very much, Trakand. And before you yell "faction bias," this scene is out in the world for anyone to find. And that's all I'm saying about it. Or it'll be guessed in all of three seconds again.

So you know the rules: I have to be able to find my way to this location with your instructions. I'm also adding a new rule to avoid situations like we had a while ago: Your guess has to be in a new post, not a reply to another post. Otherwise, it's impossible for me to know who guessed first! That leads to unfair decisions, and nobody likes those.

In other news, in England, Where's Waldo? is called Where's Wally?