"[...]I ignore completely where I am from the end and the beginning, I'm just a simple traveller."
Welcome to this issue’s Artist’s Lounge section! This time around, we’ll take a look at one of the real graphics workshop beasts, a true TWC community member who has contributed to a wealth of mods and spent a great amount of dedicated time to help and develop new artist talents around the forums.
In this issue’s Artist’s Lounge, we’re going to take a look at Cedric37.
Before we jump right into what makes Cedric37 such a great member of the TWC board, we must delve into the deeper meaning of his mysterious name. While admitting that his name is “no Hannibal or other original pseudo, I quite lacked imagination on this feature”, Cédric does happen to be the first name of the artist and means “warlord” in Old Saxon - quite fitting for a forum dedicated to Total War games!
Cedric37’s inspiring avatar offers a glimpse at the warlike background of his member name.
While Cedric37 started out quite humbly on TWC – he was merely a Medieval 2: Total War player at the time of his introduction to the board, and browsed the forums searching for answers on certain aspects of the game – his first graphics project on the site was for the esteemed Call of Warhammer modification. Speaking of this early project of his, Cedric states that “when I look back at it now, I find that I have made a long way, both in self confidence and skills”, but also reminds us of the fact that “the road is long to perfection and may never end in my life time and I ignore completly where I am from the end and the beginning, I'm just a simple traveller.”
Cedric37 is a member who progresses gradually as his experience mounts. From the beginning of his TWC career, Cedric37 recalls his development as an artist: “I think I learned to focus on the goal more than the means to reach the goal”. Further explaining this, he adds that “when I started I was throwing as much as details as I could, to the risk of making all my work too busy and barely useable as an interface. Now I tend to make the UI the more clean as possible, keeping in mind it's an interface. Then I try to give an overall feeling.”
Feeling is something that Cedric37 is especially able to build through his work. Clear examples are his Second Age: Total War UI pieces:
Spoiler for Warning, large image:
There is admittedly a lot of detail, but it all blends together in a way that doesn't feel like it is obscuring the overall impression. It helps keep the work consistent and accurate on the theme, giving it an appropriate 'elven atmosphere'.
Our artist isn’t a simple UI conveyor belt, however. In all his works, Cedric37 has a demand for self-satisfaction. “Auto-satisfaction first, then end users satisfaction” is his work approach: “because I like what I'm doing, I can put the best of me in it”. This doesn’t pose a hindrance to the design excellence of the end product though, as Cedric37 makes sure that he tries “to make it good for others so it tempers a bit [of] my tendency to put [in] too much details and colours”.
Since Cedric37 grows progressively better, he tends to prefer his newest works before older pieces. Currently holding the title of his most loved project is his Shizoku no Senso work, but not only because of the fact that it happens to be one of his most recent creations: “I have thrown a lot of my passion for Japan in it as well as a desire to let something to [the] TWC Community”.
Some stunning examples of his Shizoku no Senso toil (and excellence) can be seen below.
Spoiler for Warning, large image:
The attention to detail, the clear and well-defined style, and the atmosphere help create an excellent UI that is easily one of Cedric37’s best.
Working with Shizoku no Senso, Cedric37 wasn’t only limited to making UI pieces, however. He threw in his texturing abilities as well, helping create units for the modification:
Spoiler for Warning, large image:
The attention to detail here is enormous, and keeps an inspiring Japanese atmosphere about the units.
While Cedric37 is mainly known for his UI work, his drawing and photography skills are sadly overlooked. His great talent in the first of these both areas is best shown through this excellent rendering of a crocodilian-humanoid fantasy creature:
Spoiler for Warning, large image:
Excellent use of color and light helps create a feeling of magic and mystery. The character has depth, an advanced concept to handle as an artist.
As for photography, Cedric37 has caught both landscapes and animals with his camera, and a picture that especially emphasizes how well he manages to portray wildlife can be found below:
Spoiler for Warning, large image:
The leaf of grass, the water droplets, the bright blue colours of the dragonfly... All combine to make an image that simply impresses and inspires the viewer. It captures the beauty of miniscule nature in a fascinating way.
All in all, Cedric37 is an inspiring and driving part of the Graphics Workshop community, helping drive the TWC art forums forward by helping and inspiring its members. His UI footprints are many across the TWC modding arena, and hopefully, he will continue to leave more for mod players to explore and see.
It has come to my attention that the activity in the Graphics Workshop has waned slightly over the weeks – this is most easily noticeable in the gradually falling number of competition entries in the Graphics Competition – and as one of the contributing members of the GW community, one must ask the inevitable questions of “how did we get here?” and “what can we do to improve our situation?”.
Prior to and during Christmas, the Graphics Workshop enjoyed a comfortable amount of creative frenzy fizzing up through the board. A number of new workshops opened, and most of the more famous contributors to the area were very active in the competitions. The high water mark of engagement was reached when the ‘photography’ GC was launched – the number of participants was simply stunning – but a significant number of competitions followed which all could boast a decent amount of participation.
Naturally, activity decreased (but to a worrying extent) as there was less time to spend in the GW following the vacations, but it remained low even throughout the Easter holidays, sparking the question of where all the previous fervor and inspiration had gone. Additionally, the number of new workshops that opened during this period of time, and the inflow of new members into the area, were both small. The most fitting explanation would simply be that a sizeable portion of the drivers of the Graphics Workshop had simply gone to work on other projects, such as mods, or were not able to work inside our corner of TWC.
Upon closer inspection, however, it seems as if this isn’t the entire truth. A lack of drive in the workshop area might explain why inspiration was low, but most of those thriving in the Graphics Workshop are fairly self-sufficient in terms of imagination and confidence. Furthermore, the inexistence of an increase in members within the GW cannot be the direct result of the absence of ‘key contributors’.
It seems more likely, looking at the facts at hand, that the reason for new members not joining the Graphics Workshop of TWC is that they simply do not know enough about it.
This is an unnecessary and unfortunate state of matters: the Graphics Workshop is the ideal place for 2D artists across the board to develop their skills and exchange ideas and thoughts on anything from signatures to UI panels for mods. A striking example would be Cedric37, who regularly consults fellow artists on his own mod interface and other 2D work. There is also a great supply of tutorials and other activities around the workshop (including the excellent Graphics Competition). The GW obviously has an attractive set of characteristics that should be found appealing to the average newcomer interested in anything creative.
We have now reached the point where it is important to, as a sub-community of TWC, work together so that the vigor of the Graphics Workshop can be restored to its former enjoyable atmosphere. Just like the case with mods, using signatures – something everyone in the GW is good at - to bring in more attention might prove decisive in improving our current situation.
~Aanker
All thoughts and opinions expressed are solely those of TWC member Aanker.
Hello, and welcome to the news section of the 4th issue of the Illustrator publication! Here, we’ll treat some of the new things going around in the Artist’s Workshop, and highlight the works of newcomers and old veterans alike.
While the Graphics Workshop has seen a decline in the amount of activity over an exteded period of time, things are steadily improving again, as some new members have come to join the ranks of the TWC artistic community. Among these, we find the workshop of Skyn0s (June 8), Finch (June 4), B-DizL (April 18) and his models, as well as Cleg (May 28) along with his maps and photography. It also seems as if the Graphics Competition is picking up competitors after a shortage of entries throughout the first two quarters of the year, with entirely new combatants entering the fray to claim honour and glory! Please welcome these new members heartedly and hope they feel comfortable in the GW setting!
Many of the veterans of the Graphics Workshop have been paying attention to projects outside the Artist’s Workshop, but Cedric37 (featured in this issue’s Artist’s Lounge section) has been offering a taste of his UI work lately, while Narf has been busy taking avatar requests from various members across the board.
The Community-Driven Comic has been going forward slowly as of late, but the plot is progressing. Check out the latest events here!
This edition's freebie is a set of unique vintage paper textures that can be used as backgrounds for graphic pieces or UI elements. If you liked these textures check out lostandtaken.com to find an enormous free texture library.
That is all for the 4th edition of the Illustrator Art Publication! We sincerely hope that you enjoyed the read,
~The Illustrator Team
Originally Posted by Adar
Russia have managed to weaponize the loneliest and saddest people on the internet by providing them with (sometimes barechested) father figures whom they can adhere to in order to justify their hatred for the current establishment and the society that rejects them.
UNDER THE PROUD PATRONAGE OF ABBEWS According to this poll, 80%* of TGW fans agree that "The mod team is devilishly handsome" *as of 12/10
Questions are not necessarily there to be answered, but possibly there to inspire thinking.
Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri, - quo me cumque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.
If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common. If this be so, then also the reason which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of commonwealth.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
There is no chaos in the world, only complexity.
Knowledge of the complex is wisdom.
From wisdom of the world comes wisdom of the self.
Mastery of the self is mastery of the world. Loss of the self is the source of suffering.
Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it.
It is in our power to create the world, or destroy it.
Homo homini lupus est. Homo sacra res homini.
When deeds speak, words are nothing.
Human history is a litany of blood, shed over different ideals of rulership and afterlife
Sol lucet omnibus.
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
Ο Νούς νοεί τον εαυτόν του ως κράτιστος και η νόησή του είναι της νοήσεως νόησις.
'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' is merely an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.