From The Dragon's Vault...Something for the Fans

'Steam' the Iron-Clad Locomotive Boss and The Conductor from Munitions Forge...

Steam Boss plan views for modeling reference...
Sometimes things just resonate with us. Whether its a movie or a book, or as is increasingly becoming more common place; a video game.... sometimes somethings just grab us and stick in our minds. It becomes a powerful influence, an experience we must have time and again and one that regardles of how old or dated it becomes will always hold a significant place in our psyche. Holding onto a piece of that 'something special' is an amazing thing, as whatever it is can have a profound and everlasting effect that puts wheels in motion and can set us on the paths that our lives may take for years to come.... but actually being a part of its' creation is something entirely unique again.

I posted not that long ago, but it seems to me that there is quite a large body of people for whom the world of Spyro the Dragon holds a great deal of significance. I myself am an epic fan of Dragons, and for Spyro I tried to re-inject that ancient and weathered majesty for the Guardians, and get Spyro dragons walking on four legs again! When the franchise came to Krome Studios Spyro was in need of a style makeover and so I did my best to ensure that everything that was loved about the old Purple Dragon of Legend remained intact, while along with Bruno Rime and fellow concept artists Ron Marc, Rod Wong, Mark Hansen and Danh Nhan we sought to rejuvenate the franchise with contemporary style and heart.

I did not in a million years expect the reception that Spyro, Sparx, the Dragon Guardians and the Spyro visual style would get from such a diverse range of people... but it has certainly lit a welcomed fire in this old soul :) So, this post is for the Fans; those hard core and devoted souls who craft websites, make avatars and create simply amazing fan art in the Spyro space. This is for you guys. With humility and gratitude I thank you. Helping to create something that means so much to so many is all an artist could ever hope for. I deeply hope you enjoy this little offering...

Kind regards,

J S Pulen

The Steam Boss' caboose...

The Caboose was very much part of the Steam Boss' character; it housed Cynder's minions to taunt Spyro on his high speed rail chase in TLOS: A New Beginning and acted as armour to be damaged and stripped away. Steam was the only machine type Boss designed for this title.

Steam Boss Caboose plan views for modeling purposes...

'Dreadwing' creature: Themed for the Munitions Forge world...

These sinister agents of Cynder were a blast to draw and theme for every environment type. We had strong elemental themes that served to influence every design, right down to materials, so drawing became an almost unconscious thing for me. When I first designed this beasty I called it the 'Dreadwing' as a working name, but the name just stuck right through to the printing of this title's hand manual.

'Dreadwing' creature: Themed for the Dante's Freezer world...

'Dreadwing' creature: Themed for the Tall Plains world...

Dreadwing plan view for modeling purposes...

Tier 2 Cynder Leader Class: Themed for Dante's Freezer...

Hands down these jibbering Baboon-like minions were the most fun to create, as the theming posibilities were endless. My only lamentation was we had but four theme types to work to, and if scope had allowed there was so much more I wanted to do with these guys. These minions added a comedic vineer to what could have become (if allowed) a very dark game. I went with a Mongolian touch for these snow bound bruisers...

Tier 3 Cynder Commander Class: Themed for Dante's Freezer...

With these types of mainstay foe consistency was key; in their theming and materials across all world types and also in their sense of scale across the three enemy tier types. To keep scale cohesion between the three enemy sizes, I made sure that the feet, hands and eyes generally remained the same scale, regardless of tier size. This really facilitated a cohesive look. Having items of armour stay the same scale on both the big and small guys reinforced their scale also... see the bear's paw on both Leader and Commander for an example of this.

Kane the Atlawa warrior champion from Tall Plains...

A somewhat Mayan influence seemed appropriate for the proud and independent character of Kane. What began as a four legged Lama, resulted in the image you see here. Our character animators referred to him as 'that chicken-lama' whenever Kane was mentioned. I created a back story and mythos for Kane, but it was never used in the story.

Luggs: An Atlawa warrior...

This unfortunate creature had the dubious honour of being 'lugged' off by one of Cynder's Tall Plains Dreadwings... and didn't feature strongly in the title despite a fair ammount of time being spent on both the design and his character model. Aptly named for his role, Luggs was a pleasure to draw nonetheless...

There are many more concept art pieces relating to character, props and environment from both TLOS: A New Beginning and TLOS: The Eternal Night that I will share in coming months, but I hope you have liked what you've seen here so far. (For other Spyro related works see the art of Ron Marc, Rod Wong, Mark Hansen and Danh Nhan.)

Very different things from me next post ;)

Listen to the Soul: Remember always what is most important and never compromise on it. Defend that like a Savage.....

J S Pullen