Ironclad Tactics

Project Overview

In 2013, Zachtronics Inc. were in the middle of development for card-based tactics game, Ironclad Tactics. The game featured comic-book style cinematics before and after missions, and the team needed additional help to facilitate quick turnaround. This is a detailed look at my work on the project.

Goals

The main goal was to assist the art team with completion of the in-game cinematics by alleviating workload and stress from junior and lead artists by slotting somewhere in the middle of production.

My Role

As a flat color artist, I was responsible for taking pages that had completed line art and then adding the base layer of color using detailed and organized layer management within Photoshop. This allowed the lead artists to easily grab my pages and begin the final render. Frequent communication was key to staying organized and productive. Regularly held weekly check-ins and 1-on-1s with lead artists to ensure my files would set them up for success.

Research

Color, style, mood had all been established by the team. I used background art and character designs to familiarize myself with the design direction.

First test

I was sent a page with final inks to color in order to determine if I would be an asset to the team. Using the fully rendered images above, I created a color palette made up of neutral tones that the lead artist could then take in any direction. This is what landed me the job.

Layer management

It was important that I was setting up the lead artists for success. To do this, I kept strict layer management in groups and folders per frame, per character. Each color is on its own layer

To the left, each panel is in its own group, with sub groups for characters and environments

To the left, this is one character’s worth of layers on a given page.

Results

The art team delivered exceptional quality art and Ironclad Tactics went on to garner more than 400 reviews from critics and users, overwhelmingly positive.

Below is an example of a fully rendered page from the game.