The Greater Guardian...
Once again I left the great stone door of the 'Vault' ajar... and once more the creations from Spyro issued forth. February was a tad freaky, so this offering should lighten the mood. While the body of work I've done for Spyro TLOS is very dated now, there's just still so much more of this work that I havn't shown yet... and so from time to time I'll unearth a few pieces because I remember the time on the project fondly. There was just so much of me in every piece, and I spent alot of energy passionately trying to create a mythos in the visual form. It was a great and fun responsibility to help shape the new feel for the franchise at the time :)
The image of the great Guardian statue above was an homage to Dragon culture in general, but more specificly a stately and regal representation of an actual ancient Dragon hero... the last Purple Dragon before Spyro's time. Indeed it was my intention to have this statue foreshadow Spyro's future, and set down a clue as to what he may even look like in the coming decades. From the very outset I wanted to portray what a fully grown adult Purple Dragon would look like, how it might stand and carry itself, and I pitched the idea that the statue itself was actually a representation of The Dark Master.... before he renounced the path of good. So you could say that right from the beginning, from 'the new beginning' we had already caught a glimpse of the Dark Master... I thought it a very fitting and 'full circle' type thing to do.
So here's to a fun time well remembered, and to creating alongside talented friends! I hope you enjoy this offering!
Kind regards, Soulful Savage.
Dragon Temple Entrance...
Ignitus' War Helm...
There's a story with this piece and the other Dragon armour relics... (as there is with so many pieces from TLOS) This helm was intended to be Ignitus' personal war helm... I drew it up as a feature prop and a story hook for Spyro for when he first encounters Ignitus.
The story went thusly, that back during the 'Ape Wars' Ignitus was a General who led a company of War Dragons into battle against the forces of the Dark Master. After a fierce struggle in which many Guardians were lost, Ignitus' forces were driven back until only the four Guardians remained. When Ignitus failed to repell Gaul (the Ape King) and gave up custody of the last remaining purple Dragon egg (Spyro) in a biblical flavoured attempt to save him, Ignitus exiled himself to the Swamp, casting off his armour in despair, becoming the crestfallen figure that Spyro meets in 'A New Beginning'.
As an idea I'd intended the Helm, the broken Lance and the Shield to be symbols of Ignitus' return to vigour. At Ignitus' request I'd intended Spyro to go on a mini quest to hunt for and retrieve the missing pieces of Ignitus' armoury. This was to be a way of developing a friendship with the old Fire Guardian, introducing a clue into Dragon culture and Ignitus' military past, as well as reinforcing the magnitute of his feelings of failure. It was a way for Spyro to actively rekindle Ignitus' desire to rise from his despair in the game.
While the 3D props were made from my drawings, this little story nugget did not make it into the game due to time pressures, but having drawn them I feel that at least a little bit of culture was injected and I feel that added some value. Despite intended as one off features, the armour props were duplicated throughout the Swamp level and so became common objects, which was lamentable, but I'm glad they made it in at least. Regardless, giving backstories to your pieces can help them feel more realised and more plausible... it's the little details in the background like this that can strengthen your work and give it presence, even if your story or vision doesn't make the final cut. Well, at least we know ;)
Ignitus' Battle Lance...
I felt it best to break the lance as it seemed a more fitting representation of Ignitus' state of mind when we first meet him; a broken weapon for a broken leader, gathering dust and moss in the dark. But even in its damaged state, the lance is still a potent reminder of the rigours of battle and deeds long done. (Ignitus was by far my favourite character... I can truly identify with him.)
Ignitus' War Shield...
The Shield was the final piece in the armoury and I imagined that this mounted on a swivel and brace attachment slung over Ignitus' left shoulder, protecting that flank from glancing blows. A while back I did a rough sketch of Ignitus harnessed to the hilt and in full plate armour, with his Lance, Helm and Shield attached. Unfortunately the rough sketch was lost (somewhere in the Swamp presumably) but it's very fresh in my mind... I may just have to draw him up in all his glory as a way of giving back to so many wonderful Spyro Fans who have been so very good to me. To those Fans, I thank you all for every comment you've sent me in support of this blog, and I'll be sure to reply with kindness as soon as I can... I'll wrangle up something special and personal for you all :)
Earth Breath Elemental Sigil...
Electricity Breath Elemental Sigil...
Fire Breath Elemental Sigil...
Earth Dragon Elemental Banner...
Electricity Dragon Elemental Banner...
Fire Dragon Elemental Banner...
Iconography in the world of Spyro was very important to me, and you may have spotted a great deal of it already... I'll talk more about the graphic language of Spyro in a future post later on when I can explain it in closer detail.
Smashable 'Shroom Roots...
Frogweed Spawning Mud-Pile...
Collapsing 'Shroom Root Bridge...
Thorny Brambleweed...
Fossilised Swamp Predator...
Gellatinous Stench-Bulb...
Parasitic 'Shroom Shoots...
Greater 'Shrooms: A Swamp Feature...
Strangely enough, this image was by far the most prevalent of all images that went out when Spyro TLOS rolled out onto shelves. The 'Feature Tree' of the Swamp became the official mascot of the series and seemed to resonate with many people for its stylistic simplicity. Originally created to fill an enormous void in the starting area mesh in the game, this 'tree' added so much charm to the space that it became the style exemplar for the rest of the Swamp world's content... and so the 'Mushroom Swamp' was born. Talented concept artists like Ben Ward, Ron Marc and Mark Douglas pushed things furthur to create the gorgeous mushroom forest walls and twisted vine laden corridors that set the Swamp world apart. Check it out in game... in 2006 it was something quite unique at the time and something I was proud to be a part of.
So keep creating, and more importantly keep creating stories... for the trick to creating memorable art and works that capture the imagination seems to be all in the details; obvious or implied.
Listen to the Soul: remember always what is most important and never compromise on it. Defend that like a Savage.....
J S Pulen
