Morels: Pan

The Pan Card in the game Morels is necessary if you want to win. There are plenty of them in the deck, but knowing when and how to play them makes all the difference. Here's a quick breakdown of my illustration process for this valuable card.

The image starts with a pencil sketch, toned with warm and cool colors to help the illusion of a nighttime campfire. As will the other Morels cards, I use the pencil sketch as a map for the colors, done in Photoshop. The base of the background is done with a simple gradient covered in a rough-edged brush to lend texture.

I create a custom brush for the glowing embers of the campfire. Then I start brushing in sweeping, undulating strokes of orange, yellow and white to start building up the fire. Then it's just a matter of using blurs to give the fire movement, and more texture laid down on the base. After that it's ready for the border to cover up all those unfinished edges.

As always, if you'd like to find out more about Morels, you can read reviews and gameplay reports at Board Game Geek. And you can order your own copy directly from game designer Brent Povis at the Two Lanterns Games website. -v