[Dev Diary #34] How our Artists Bring Gilded Destiny to Life

Salutations, industrialists!

[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/ifyoTP9Rznc"]

For this Dev Diary, we are happy to introduce you to three of our talented artists!

In this Dev Diary, three of our talented artists behind Gilded Destiny take center stage to discuss how visual identity, historical inspiration, and technical constraints shape the game’s world. From early concepts to in-game assets, we explore how art supports design, strategy, politics, and immersion in a grand strategy experience.

If you're interested in being an artist in the creative industries, or a fan of Bob Ross, then pick up your easel, wash your brushes, and take some notes in this one of a kind snap shot into the life of a gaming artist.

So, without further delay, we're pleased to introduce 2D/UI Artist, Elena.

2D/UI Artist - Elena

"Hey everyone! I'm Elena, a digital artist working on Gilded Destiny. I want to take you behind the scenes of my work as I dive into the process of creating historically accurate assets for the game. Specifically, I'll be talking about how I make sure that every single piece of artwork, from weapons to vehicles, is as historically authentic as possible."

We begin with research and a respect for the period we’re trying to represent, to make sure it reflects the true nature of the era. It's about telling a story through every item, and making sure that players feel like they've stepped back in time. Along with this research, we study art and photographs from the era. This helps us understand the visual style and textures of objects.

Once all the information is gathered, we begin working on the design itself. By using all of the historical references to create an authentic look, whilst also making sure the asset works within the game's context. You can see how these historical references, like Vintage Hats, went into the final illustration.

Here you can see the process of creating a Fine Clothing Icon, layer by layer. Each Goods icon represents one of the resources that your POPs produce, consume, and trade in the game; everything from Coal and Iron to Perfume and Confectionery.

At the end of the day, it’s all about creating a world that feels rich in history, where players can connect with the past. I'm incredibly proud to contribute to this process, and I hope that when you play Gilded Destiny, you'll appreciate the attention to detail we've put into every single asset.

Summary

• Elena makes sure that every single piece of artwork, from weapons to vehicles, is as historically authentic as possible.

• The team conducts deep research and has a respect for the period that we’re trying to represent in Gilded Destiny.

• They also study art and photographs from the era to help them understand the visual style and textures of objects.

2D/UI Artist - Stephanie

"I'm about to walk you through a brief demonstration of my process of creating the unique icons for Gilded Destiny. I'll talk about the Technology Icons specifically, and I hope you will find this interesting."

Preparation:

Before we get started on the fun part of drawing the icons, our content team does the work of sourcing the references for each icon. They're usually the team behind the scenes, making sure that these assets are historically accurate.

While they're sourcing this, we put together an artboard to define the overall style that we want. We wanted these icons to look like old published illustrations. Somewhat reminiscent of a pen and ink drawing:

Thumbnails:

Initially, we work in thumbnails.