I’ve tried to take pictures of minis or artistic backdrops for Instagram-cool RPG cover photography. It’s hard. I spent a small fortune on ‘table dressings’ from Etsy and other sites.
Jon Hodgson or Handiwork Games has a better idea. Why not just get a ring-bound book of handpainted backdrops and use that? There’s a quick, week-long Kickstarter that’s already met its funding goal for photographers to join.
Okay, you don’t need to be a photographer.
If you’ve got a printer suitable, you grab one or another set of Jon’s paintings to do your own, but with 32 landscapes in the book, it may be cheaper and better to back the project.
The goal was 24 landscapes, but stretch goals are already in place, meaning we’re getting more of these somewhat gloomy (is it Fife?) rural versions from a Lord of the Rings artist.
Photography is critical here; the pages are finished in silk, giving you detail without reflecting camera light, and the “wiro” binding means you can open the book flat or prop it up.
The book itself is A4 in size, in full colour (of course!). The pages are the heaviest stock we can source, coming in at 200gsm. That’s pretty much the stuff a lot of paperback book covers are made from. The covers are heavier still, at 300gsm. Do note though, that this is not a board book. The pages are heavy paper, but paper nonetheless. The covers will be 300gsm heavy stock to protect those pages, and give the book some extra resilience.
You can support the Scottish project by sharing it around, praying to the sun gods or by offering some cash. Backers who take the cash option and pledge at least £18 will get a copy of the background book as a reward.
However, a signed copy is available at £25.
There’s a retailer offer at £35 and a commercial license at only £38. That latter is a complete steal as it means you can use these paintings in your projects, and little wonder it’s popular.
There’s a higher tier at £300 for which Jon will digitally paint a backdrop (from a set of options) as an exclusive for you, and it comes with a signed book.
There won’t be a terribly long wait for fulfilment with Handiwork slating October as the delivery month.
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