Posts with tag wow-art

Here at WoW Insider we're suckers for a sweet story. And this is definitely a sweet story, with a very Warcraft theme. The MK over at Khalanil wanted to make a warcraft-themed proposal, and so got to work, heading over to an unofficial WoW blog by the name of World of Warcraft Papercrafts. Amongst other things, Khalanil found an origami treasure chest, as pictured in the header image above.

He also managed to lay his hands on some quest background images, the Morpheus font, and some other WoW assets, that enabled him to put together what must be the sweetest questline we've ever seen. He created three quests, one to find an afternoon tea spot for Lor'themar Theron, the completion of which opened up a quest to eliminate dwarves at a local tea-room, and finally, Clara was sent out to scout a high-price eatery for Trade Prince Gallywix.

Completing the final quest granted Clara a Legendary item, which was concealed in the box we saw at the start. WoW Insider particularly enjoyed the stats on this item: +100 Love, +100 Happiness, and, just for good measure, +10 Melee Damage! You never know when you might need it. Do head over to Khalanil to read the full post!

[Thanks for the tip, Alex!]

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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.

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I was doing my weekly blast through Karazhan for transmog purposes when I noticed that tapestry in the screenshot. Who is that guy? Is that guy Medivh? The same tapestry is hanging in Medivh's bedchamber if you go up and check it out, so it would kind of make sense, but I don't recall Medivh rocking the bare-chested look.

Seriously, all that guy needs is a big gold medallion and a panel van.

There are actually quite a few such portraits of various people in various places in WoW. I recall paintings in BRD, a portrait or two in Stratholme, various and sundry in Stormwind ... It makes me wonder who these portraits are of and who makes all of them. I kind of wish I could get a game portrait of my characters -- but of course, since I don't have any place to put it, that would be kind of meaningless. Then again, with the amount of time I spend in Karazhan, I could almost say I live there.

What about you? Seen any strange or interesting art lately in game?

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.

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World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

You know, while I love seeing ridiculously complicated and detailed Warcraft fan art, there's something to be said about understated art. There's a certain charm and sweetness that comes with simplicity, and while a lot of Warcraft is understandably brutal -- we are talking about Warcraft, after all -- there's a whimsical undertone to the franchise that adds a different level of appeal to it. And when one forgoes the detailed and raw, one is left with the simple charm and whimsy that Warcraft is notorious for.

Today's artist takes a totally different look at Warcraft and reflects it in artwork that is infused with that natural charm and whimsy, without losing the essence of Warcraft itself. Druid Meebles of the guild House of Arathor from the Argent Dawn server (US-A) has been creating artwork for as long as she can remember, playing World of Warcraft on and off since the days of vanilla. Her artwork is infused with light and frothy charm, a far cry from the dark battles against the Destroyer and the Twilight Cult. It's a breath of fresh air, and Meebles was happy to chat with us about both her art and Warcraft, as well.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

I am pretty much the last girl on earth that you'd see squealing over a pair of shoes. However, today's submission hit all the right buttons when it arrived in my mailbox. Nice heels? Check. Open toe? Check. Covered in panels of Warcraft comics? Check. ... say what? I did the biggest double take in the world when I realized these are actually pieces and panels of the official Warcraft comics, artfully applied to a pair of shoes. As a comic collector, I can safely say this is probably the coolest use for old comics that I've seen to date.

Rhonda Vandeputte has been creating all kinds of crafting projects for a very long time, and her experience definitely shows here. From the carefully chosen panels to the flawless application, these shoes aren't so much footwear as they are fully functional and wearable art. Rhonda was happy to send in pictures of the process in the gallery below and happy to chat about the creation of this fabulous footwork as well.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

Bet that header image got your attention, didn't it? It certainly got mine when it appeared in my mailbox! From the details on the armor to the expression on the face, you can't really help but stare and admire. Ginny Higerd, otherwise known as Tsunomi on the Elune server (A-US), has been doing artwork for a very long time, and her Warcraft fan art is the stuff dreams are made of -- well, my dreams of being pretty good at that whole drawing thing, anyway.

But art like that also takes a lot of hard work, and Ginny's certainly no stranger to it. What's more remarkable than Ginny's work itself is that you can see the natural progression of skill with each piece that she draws, from early-day scribbles to full-out masterpieces like the image above. Ginny was kind enough to send in a submission for World of WarCrafts -- and heck, with skills like that, how could I not interview her about her methods?

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

I love putting out a call for submissions because I get bombarded with some of the coolest stuff in response! It seems that dolls and plush toys are in abundance this season, including the sweet duo pictured above, created by Layla Rei. Layla's no stranger to creating dolls; her deviantART gallery has dozens upon dozens of delightful, whimsical creations.

It's the tiny little details that makes them so utterly charming. The button eyes remind me of Coraline, and come on -- how could you not love that goblin and those goggles? But here's the kicker behind all of this: Leyla doesn't play WoW. Instead, she created these dolls and others for her sister who does play. For someone who doesn't play the game, Leyla's got a wonderful grasp of the whimsical feel of Warcraft ... and she was more than happy to sit down and chat with us about her delightful creations.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

When I was a little kid, my sister and I used to make clothes for our stuffed animals, all sewn by hand. My mother was fine with giving us needles and thread and showing us how to stitch, but we weren't allowed to use her sewing machine. On the one hand, I have fond memories of all the little outfits we made; on the other, I remember quite vividly exactly how many times I accidentally stuck myself with a needle. Sewing by hand is not an easy thing to do at all.

Even more difficult than making outfits by hand is making a three-dimensional plush toy. Katie, known in game as Adgie the warlock, not only made the adorable murloc shown above -- she did it entirely from scratch. That's right, the concept and pattern were all her own, and every bit of stitching on the murloc was done by hand, no sewing machine used at all. How impressive is that? But there's more -- this is only the third plush that Katie has made! Katie sent in a whole host of photos of the construction process and her other projects, and she had a chat with me about crafting homemade plushies and World of Warcraft.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

World of WarCrafts is looking for more crafting creations! Do you make cuddly plush critters like the druid kitties shown above? Or perhaps you spend your time creating parodies of popular music with a Warcraft twist? We are currently looking for more people to interview and feature in World of WarCrafts. If you've got the knack for crafting and some creative projects you'd like to share, don't hesitate to let us know.

What counts as "crafts"? A little bit of everything, really. We've featured makers of plush critters, musicians, creators of fan art and fan fiction, chefs, cakes, and even a bathroom remodel with a Warcraft theme! Amigurumi creations, custom action figures, knitted Warcraft wearables, sculpture, cosplay, and even taxidermy. Basically, if you've created something Warcraft-inspired or -themed and you'd like to share it with the rest of the world, we'd love to hear from you. If you have any friends or family who have creations worth sharing, tell them to send in a submission.

So if you've made some homemade creations that you'd love to share or have a how-to for a fun crafting project, drop us a line and send us a photo or two ... You could be featured soon!

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World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including arts and crafts, fan art, WoW-themed recipes, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by emailing anne@wowinsider.com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

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World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.

Once upon a time, decorating cakes consisted of homemade frosting and a spatula. These days, however, cake creation has developed into an art form that is technical enough to make one's head spin. Cake, frosting and fondant have evolved from edible delicacies into full-on sculptural elements that can be used to create some jaw-dropping stuff, like the cake pictured above. You might not realize it at first glance, but the whole thing is completely edible.

Deathwing's head was created to celebrate his demise in game -- and what a delicious way to celebrate! Created by Domestic Scientist, Deathwing shows an amazing amount of patience and attention to detail -- check out the veining on the horns and plates! For more photos and information on this amazing creation, check out The Domestic Scientist, and for more gorgeous cakes, follow after the break.