DAN WOODWARD

The primary focus I have moving into my next unit is how I navigate a creative practice that spans both Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) and secondary school science education. I can't really stumble into it, but at the same time I want to avoid my predisposition to over-think and create unnecessary structure. Ultimately I'll need to operate two distinct streams in parallel rather than forcing a blend of approaches artificially. I can see a common thread that joins tablet

When I first looked at the Practice and Research unit, my first takeaway focused on some sort of fundamental reshaping of my approach to illustration, moving me away from rigid expectations toward a more authentic, and fluid illustrator's voice. However, if I look back further to my previous units, I can start to see a cyclical pattern of setting myself tight expectations followed by an aspect of 'unlocking' an aspect of my practice. My personal circumstances have threatened

My Emerging Illustration Voice It's interesting to see the path this unit has taken me, and the effect it has had on my practice. I also have to acknowledge the considerable personal challenges that I have faced; it's impossible to ignore that these will have had (perhaps unexpected) impacts on my work, practice and approach. I started out the unit with a plan to start smaller projects and explore different aspects of illustration that intrigued me. I also had some leads on s

Are you meeting the aims and intentions of your project plan? Where I am at now, compared to my original project plan, is very different. That does not necessarily mean worse. In my experience it is more important to be adaptable, and be able to change your plans based on what you learn as you go. In that regards, I think that I have been successful. My aim and intention was to try and identify what made my illustrations 'mine', so that I could then refine that identity in th

Once the document layout was settled using placeholder space for images, I noted down in my sketchbook what illustrations I would likely need, alongside a little indication of their size (without being precious this time about specific dimensions) I then started to sketch out some rough thumbnails with some broad ideas which I could then scan and develop more digitally. The Seaborne Adventurers One of the first images I started to develop was a group setting of adventurers fr

As I had managed to get the Campaign Frame's setting out into the world through a public Daggerheart campaign that I would facilitate, it also gave me the opportunity to build the style and sense of the world through game-specific content. I offered my players the option of having their character portraits created by me, rather than finding a random image off of the internet to use. Some of the players happily took me up on the offer. I was juggling a lot - getting the game s

The design of the Campaign Frame document has gone through many different iterations as I have tested and tweak the content and layout. I started by creating some 'Masters' in Affinity. I had watched a useful video [1] that gave me the idea to use a Master page not as a template, but as a place to store different stylised page elements (different headings, quote boxes and the like). So I created one of these along with a generic master. As I would need to add the official Dag

I started to explore ideas for the document's design system based on the map, using my sketchbook to thumbnail different cover ideas. I also wanted to have a limited palette of colours, so tried out a few combinations based on what I had seen during my research. I then chose a few of the thumbnails to develop further. The first idea was based around Terry Gilliam's Monty Python animations. I used publicly available images from the British Library to photo collage a background

Trying to merge the elements of my layout research on paper proved a difficult exercise. So rather than getting bogged down trying to conceptualise the overall aesthetic, I decided to try and sculpt it like clay by making a start making things. To me the best way to get a feel for this new world would be to create the map first again. That way I could transfer what I learned into a design system for the document I needed to create for the PDF. Rather than emulate a simple top

I started the colour illustrations on such a high note. Buoyed by my progress with the pencil drawings, I was excited to bring this world in my head to life. The first thing I did was to add in placeholder images to the spaces left in the document, so that I could get a sense of the overall finished article. As much as I dislike the ethics behind a lot of it, this was a useful job to use generative AI for. The quality of what was produced was never going to fit with what I wa

Writing and Layout The first thing that needed to be created was the text itself. Using the existing campaign frames as guides, I went to work on creating my setting, iterating and getting feedback from friends. Some parts come easier than others, so rather than getting too bogged down, for areas that needed more thought, I added placeholder ' lorem ipsum ' text that roughly equated the word count of the same sections in other frames. I first worked in a Google Doc, but once

An example to follow In the rulebook, each of the campaign frames came with its own map. I studied these frames to look for common elements that made them all fit the overall style of the book. An example map from the Witherwild Campaign Frame. © Darrington Press [2] I noticed that each of the maps had a graphic quality. Some used an oblique isometric-esque angle to present geographic landmarks more illustratively. Only essential landmark names were placed on the map itself,

Introduction Each of the Campaign Frames in the Daggerheart rulebook follows a specific structure [1]. This would give me guidance on how to structure my own frame and a consistent approach to break down and understand the visual language. Example of a Campaign Frame front page. © Darrington Press Researching the House Style I had the rulebook in both printed and electronic formats, so I was able to take a good look at the structure of the campaign frame chapter. The font pag

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For this exercise, I was asked to produce my first reflective commentary, an opportunity to revisit key learning moments, project...

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Starting the final level of the degree is both exciting and a little overwhelming. I am moving from a legacy curriculum approach to one...

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Introduction Over the past 15 years my 'day job' has been working with teams and organisations to manage and improve delivery and...