☀️Nala J. Wu☀️
Hi! I’m a proud ND Queer trans NBi POC working full tine as an Art Director and Illustrator in TTRPGs! I specialize in character/costume design, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Illustration, and environment paintings.
💼:
📧: naladraws
@gmail
.com
hey artists, gentle reminder: if a commission client does not provide visual refs for their character (aka they’ve asking you to design an outfit/face/etc based on written text)— YOU CAN AND SHOULD CHARGE MORE.
That’s not just a drawing, that’s also a DESIGN commission.
Are you an art!st who wants to be p
@id
to dr
@w
(essentially) whatever you want?! Do you have availability this fall for work? Do you want your blorbos immortalized in a book about romance???
I'm seeking folks to h!re on this project. Submit your p0rtf0lio to the form below:
Our crowdfunding campaign for How to GM Romance is ending soon, only on
@BackerKit
!
As the AD for this, I want this to be a collection not ONLY of good advice, essays, and mechanics that can be woven into ANY game— but also an art book celebrating the diversity of love.
Now I’m not saying you HAVE to do that. I’m just saying that there is more effort and more of your time going into it, and you absolutely deserve to be paid more!!
@ clients— unsure of where to find visual refs if u don’t already have art made?
1. Find a face claim, aka an IRL person whose face resembles your OC
Here is a Pinterest board I curate featuring over 1,000 unique and diverse faces!
2. Use
Many different picrews have gone viral over the past year or two, but if you still don’t know what this is: you can build your own character portrait using predawn assets! Lots of artists here on twitter have made their own! A great resource!
4. Draw an example. It’s ok if it’s shitty (that’s maybe why you’re paying someone to draw the thing for you)! But even the messiest of chicken scratch sketches can help an artist visualize what you want!
3. Gather additional resources for clothing, shoes, accessories etc! It’s ok to say “I want the character to wear the shirt from this picture, the pants from this picture, and the shoes from here, but in blue instead. Also maybe a brown sash, like the one here?”
Diverse Vampires is a collection of 11 full-color character illustrations created by 6 BIPOC artists featuring non-white vampires from a range of genres.
Our goal is to provide TTRPG’s, writers, and other creators with unique vampires to inspire their stories.
#BIPOCVampDay
✨PORTFOLIO SUBMISSIONS✨
I made a form so that artists can submit their work to be considered as I hire for future projects! Please read the form carefully— the more info you provide, the easier it’ll be to hire or recommend you to others.
[RT]
Want to commission an artist? Are they asking for references.... a thing you Don't Have?! What IS a reference????? Well, I have a FREE guide for you, with eight ideas for how to get started!!
link:
⚠️BEWARE OF COMMISSION SCAMS⚠️
Here is a list of common phishing scams, most common on Instagram. If in doubt, ask for payment upfront and DO NOT start until the money clears/processes.
Do NOT take payment via check/cheque unless the client is a known, established company.
✨PRELIMINARY ARTlST CALL✨
Hey! I am an AD for an upcoming project I am seeking a queer & BIPOC illustrat0r to do cover art for us! NO A/I 🚫 pls rt!
🌈 looking for a strong use of color
🗓️ final due by late summer
💰paying $2-2.5k
Paste samples/‘folio link below 🥰
5. If all else fails, you can definitely use other art pieces as visual reference. DO NOT just ask an artist to copy someone else’s character design. A lot of artists will just outright refuse. It’s also ,, stealing. BUT, again, if all the other above suggestions fail — >
I’m working on this in the new year!! I hope to build an inclusive community focused on giving & receiving crit, career development, and chatting about working in TTRPGs— rather than it being a place where people just drop finished work/self promo but otherwise don’t talk.
My team on
@AllTheWitches_
is seeking artists who utilize lineart in their work 👁️👁️🌟 we are also looking for a magic vfx concept artist ✨
Artists from diverse backgrounds will be prioritized!
Info & application here:
✨ FREELANCE ART GIG✨
I am joining
@GamesUnbound
as Art Director and am looking to hire ppl who have NON-PAINTED fantasy realism styles (cell/flat shading, lineart, etc).
Artists from diverse backgrounds will be prioritized!
If this is you, apply here:
6. Mood boards: if you can’t/don’t want to find visual refs (maybe you DO want the artist to do the design for you!), providing a mood board can be helpful for your artist/designer! Aesthetics, colors, lyrics, etc are all things that can help capture the essence of your OC!
— > finding Art you like to show to your artist “I want my tiefling to look like this, but with the outfit in this other picture, but with a floral pattern instead of stripes”
Pls,, don’t steal other ppls character designs. This is a LAST RESORT option.
7. Text description: artists sometimes ask for this anyways, but if they don’t, it’s helpful to have a text description IN BULLET POINT FORMAT with info about your character. Paragraphs are harder to comprehend in a short period of time. — >
@ artists doing design comms: INCLUDE in your terms a max number of revisions / thumbnail process if applicable so you can avoid the endless back and forth edits. Trust me, you’ll save time.
here’s the pitch: a mother, her child, and the vampiric ambassador who murdered them in order to keep his secret— a story set in a futuristic world, where science, technology, and the aesthetics of the Victorian Times have been melded together.
do you want to get a piece of customized art made JUST FOR YOU??? let me tell you about a brand new thing!! It’s called ✨commissioning an artist✨
It’s this super cool thing where u give an artist money and u get art of whatever u want 🤑AND! It doesn’t hurt the environment! 😳
In the context of the above— text descriptions are helpful to accompany all of the wonderful visual reference you’ve gathered! Especially if your character has any super unique markings on their skin, for example, that you made up and that you couldn’t possibly find existing ref
Also in general? Pls be honest with feedback :0 most if not all artists want to make the best work for you that you will be happy with! But we aren’t mind readers,, you gotta tell us if something isn’t what you were looking for! Don’t wait until it’s done to ask for changes.
@ clients: ASK YOUR ARTIST what their revision policy is, not just for design comms, but ESPECIALLY for design comms
Try to give ALL feedback in one message. Giving us stuff one thing at a time is time consuming and just,, annoying.
So what I mean is— include text description along with visuals, if you can!
And again, doing just text if you want the artist to design the OC themselves is also fine!! But maybe tip them if they don’t charge you extra 👀💖
Oh lord this blew up 💀 welcome to art Twitter I guess 😂
I got nothin to plug except that I just started posting art here and would appreciate a follow if you like my work!!
Last thing— some ppl missed the bit where i said “you don’t have to do this”
If you work faster with or prefer just text, by all means you don’t “need” to do this lmao
I made this thread bc a lot of artists don’t realize they CAN be charging extra if it takes them longer!
Artists have a history of being underpaid/charging WAY less for commissions. @ clients, if you think your commission is particularly difficult, or if u just wanna, you can DEFINITELY ✨tip your artist✨
I promise u it’ll make their day.
And @ artists, if you’re consistently being tipped extra money (but even if you aren’t) — consider raising your prices!!!
Art is hard, and you deserve to AT THE VERY LEAST be making a live-able minimum wage. Don’t sell yourself short (literally) 🥺💖
🌿about me🌿
Hey y’all! My name is Nala/Jae✨ I’m a queer ND NBi illustrator of color who specializes in character/costume design & fantasy/fashion illustration! I also play
#TTRPG
’s, voice act, and write c: nice to meet u!
💼:
📧: naladraws
@gmail
.com
Form has been closed temporarily bc it’s almost at 800 submissions and I’m OVERWHELMED 😵 tysm for the interest; yall gotta let me look through submissions
It’ll reopen in a bit :’) thanks for you patience
I’m art directing for Hunters Entertainment now!
If you work in the style of our games and want to submit your portfolio for consideration, please email support
@huntersentertainment
.com (subject line “portfolio submission) with a link to your website (no PDFs/G drive links)
It’s
#AAPIHeritageMonth
👀💖 I am an award winning illustrator, Art Director, and an AP performer with a passion for costuming and makeup design.
I’d love to take this time to announce that I will be joining
@Hunters_Ent
as their new Art Director on a part time basis!
(Tips for non humanoid commissions)
Ty
@CanineDragons
✨ I only draw humanoids so this is helpful for anyone who might be looking for furry art or similar stuff!
This is really good advice for artists and commissioners for providing visual references!
Since most of the ref advice is for humans/Humanoid characters I'll make a list of stuff you can do when asking for animal/creature and you don't have a ref.
I’m going to start a thread of general portfolio tips/advice as I start to look through all the submitted portfolios so far. Disclaimer that this will just be my own personal viewpoint, so take or leave this advice :’)
I’m working on this in the new year!! I hope to build an inclusive community focused on giving & receiving crit, career development, and chatting about working in TTRPGs— rather than it being a place where people just drop finished work/self promo but otherwise don’t talk.
there should be a TTRPG artist guild or discord or something. Id love an active space to learn and work with other artist. Does that exists or will i have to create it?
the Godex of Words Unspoken🌾✨
They hear all wishes whispered to the wind, youthful yearnings, and any words left unsaid at the end of the day. Your voice shall be heard, always.
client:
@PublishGoblin
🌟FLASH ART SALE🌟
✨ $30+ and I’ll sketch you or an OC (PM me refs) in either pencil or pen!
✨ $50+ I’ll add color!
Alternatively (bc these were popular the last time)
✨ $5+ I’ll doodle ANYTHING (your pets, your BBEG, a campaign scene etc) VERY BAD on purpose 🤌🏽🤣
You can reclaim where you came from / Reclaim who you are / cause family can be found / and so we sing aloud / This is my Reclamation.
and this is not the end.
You may also post samples here if you want but you MUST fill out this form and state in the final question you'd like to be considered for the "Romance Book"
TYSM!! Queer, BIPOC, and disabled artists to the front <3
✨PORTFOLIO SUBMISSIONS✨
I made a form so that artists can submit their work to be considered as I hire for future projects! Please read the form carefully— the more info you provide, the easier it’ll be to hire or recommend you to others.
🌻 BOOKS OPEN 🌻
I’m open for freelance work & priv commissions for the holiday season! I specialize in character/costume design, and I love drawing fantasy/sci-fi themes ✨
Portfolio:
Email naladraws
@gmail
.com w inquiries!
Why....is there a divide between “big” and “small” artists ???
ALL artists deserve a living wage, no matter the size of your social media. If you don’t feel comfy charging more, that’s fine. If you’re commissioning someone who is charging “too little” PLEASE tip them.
To clarify even further, please see this 4 tweet thread!!
In the end, communication matters and what artists prefer is unique to each person. I can only speak for myself and my experiences!! But I hope at least SOMETHING on this thread will resonate w u!
@inkfycreates
I think the simplified “two sides” of art commissions is someone handing you an existing design to get fanart for a canon ship (like for Star Wars or something) or their OC that has art made already and being like “draw this but in this pose” and someone being like “design my OC”
and in all seriousness, if you want to draw your own OCs and be paid for it, I'm 100% serious— I want to see that!! This is a perfect project to get paid for your passion projects, so PLEASE share around/with friends. Looking for folks with STRONG color theory skills.
Re style — I'm NOT looking for Manga style art, that's a bit TOO cartoon. Looking for those who like drawing character portraits, OC art, and who like or are familiar w TTRPGs
If you know any artists whose work fits, please tag them or send them this thread!! Thank you all!!
Hi
#PortfolioDay
! I am a QTPOC concept artist and sci-fi fantasy Illustrator looking for full time employment in
#TabletopGames
/
#TTRPG
or
#animation
VisDev. Recent grad w/ several published credits & willing to relocate!
💼:
📧: naladraws
@gmail
.com
@lysapenrose
big agree— I think at this point I just associate it with like, white ‘wiccans’ who just steal & appropriate from closed (usually indigenous) practices
They’re the only ones I see using the phrase unironically at this point too 🥴
Happy to announce that on top of
@AllTheWitches_
, I'm also going to be Art Directing for
@temporalhiccup
's Apocalypse Keys stretch goal expansion book for
@EvilHatOfficial
!! So excited to see what this POWERHOUSE of a team creates!!
I’m almost done with this client piece and y’all— I’m SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE AAAAAA I CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW Y’ALL 🫣🫣🫣🫣
A little sneak peek of this pattern I drew by hand bc I can 👀👀👀
The waters of Embersoul Pool sit stagnant, still as the grave. Something watches from beneath the surface, waiting. What at first glance appears to be a grove containing nature’s solace holds sinister secrets and a ferocious appetite…
My print collab with
@dieharddice
👀✨
After like, over a year, I finally finished this 8 outfit lineup for Aditya LaVehre 🥺💖 which is your favorite look? 👀
Sketches were commissioned from
@forestbansheee
; inked and colored by myself 🥰
this is an INTEREST GATHERING tweet for a potential✨BIMPOC Vampire Portrait Collection✨to be sold starting on the
#BiPOCVampDay
this September!
Keep reading this thread if you’re interested. Please RT for visibility!
oh also!! Artists will ALSO get royalties on all sales of the book ON TOP OF being paid. so that's cool :D
Paying artists what they're worth is SO important to me as an AD!!!
Siram Ika Manavi 👁👁🍷✨
Friends are allowed use of Xyr first name: Zebulon. They hail from the wealthy island port city of Algernon, known for producing luxurious textiles and fashion.
#OC
#TTRPG
#TheFlowerCourt
Yet another outfit design for Zebulon featuring Xyr spine tattoo which covers their scars from scoliosis corrective surgery 😩🤌🏽🤌🏽
#TheFlowerCourt
#FashionIllustration
hi
#PortfolioDay
🥰 I’m Nala/Jae, a queer trans NBi illustrator of color looking for full time employment/freelance in tabletop games upon my graduation this winter!
📧: naladraws
@gmail
.com
💼:
For more about me:
A friend pointed out something very important that I want to address! The original tagline for the Diverse Vampires project was ‘decolonize your bloodthirst.’ This friend pointed out that the phrase has lost a lot of its original intended meaning due to mis/over use.
Had an absolute BLAST working with this cast on their character art for the Radiant Citadel stream sponsored by
@Wizards_DnD
on
@loreeverlasting
👀💖 Super super proud of these and I hope y’all tune into the stream tomorrow!
✨2021 art stats✨
I was rlly curious so I counted and this year I completed:
~100 full illustrations
~187 sketches & studies
- 54 of those were client/commissioned work (ty 🥺💖)
-graduated summa cum laude w a BFA in Illustration!
-got my first 3 pub. credits!
seeking an illustrator who works with a line art style who is interested in drawing characters playing a magical sport for
@AllTheWitches_
sports anime enthusiasts im lookin at you (however I'm looking for an art style that's a bit more detailed/semi-realistic than manga)
My team on
@AllTheWitches_
is seeking artists who utilize lineart in their work 👁️👁️🌟 we are also looking for a magic vfx concept artist ✨
Artists from diverse backgrounds will be prioritized!
Info & application here:
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to the premiere of Avatar: Reclamation 🥺💖 wanted to share these two character portraits I did illustrating Qiuyu’s struggle to choose between upholding their family’s expectations of following tradition and their personal freedom.
[RT] My
#Pride
commissions are now open to the public!! Get a square bust portrait with your choice of pride flag for the background and support a ND QTPOC artist this pride month!!
#SupportQueerArtists
ALL the info you need is in my commission document, which I’ll link below!
Introducing: the official covers for KIDS IN CAPES!
Our original cover is a vibrant nightscape full of possibility by our Art Director, Nala J. Wu (
@naladraws
)!
The Kickstarter-exclusive Deluxe Edition cover by Sean Peacock (
@allsorrows_
) rhymes with the same song at sunset.