Concept Art from "The Ultima That Never Was"
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Proclaiming that the artwork is from "a 3D Ultima project" that was in development back in 2002 and never released, artist Denis Loubet has uploaded three separate concept art pieces to his Facebook page featuring his interpretation of a mongbat, an orc, and a headless. I'm not sure if he's referring to Ultima Worlds Online: Origin, or if there was another single player title in the works around the same time that wound up being cancelled, but here are the summaries he includes with them:
Here is the classic Mongbat from the Ultima series. A flying monkey based loosely on the ones from The Wizard of Oz if I remember correctly. Golden haired and with a long tail, it terrorized the Britannian countryside with its fearsome teeth and claws.
I did this concept piece for a planned 3D Ultima project in 2002 as a freelancer.
Oddly, this guy looks kinda friendly. I probably shouldn't have made the eyes so big. Richard specified the white crest of hair, but I think the tail-vanes were my idea.
This was done in Painter 6, with a Wacom graphics tablet. I just used the pencil brush with a dark sepia color, and colored it on another layer with the Simple Water watercolor brush.
I was trying for a sunlight-tinted-red-as-it-passes-through-the-wing-membranes kind of thing, but I don't think it worked.
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Here's two more from the Ultima that never was. We have the Headless, which is just a creepy idea from the get-go, and an ordinary orc.
I made the Headless hairy and primitive with no clue as to how it eats or detects its surroundings. That's just left mysterious. Stumpy legs, long torso, and ape-like arms make it dangerous, and the absence of a face makes it so alien it's unpredictable. Also note, it has a horrible tail. That has to be canon because I wouldn't have included it if I hadn't been instructed to.
The orc, unfortunately, is a little bland and generic. The only mildly unusual thing about him is the vaguely Roman leather armor he's wearing. That and his general state of cleanliness.
I have a habit of trying to do the most with the least. When drawing a knight, I'll avoid the enormous fantasy armor in favor of more realistic protection. I'll draw a fairly ordinary orc rather than indulge in horns and decorated tusks and axes as big as the character itself. I'll tell myself it doesn't need all that crazy stuff to be interesting. It's the character in the face that's important. It's the way the character carries itself. It's the impression and feeling that the character establishes that I'm after. So if my illustrations aren't wild or flamboyant, that's why.
Even keeping things real, I do get to focus on things l like or find fascinating. For instance, I worked hard on the way the hands support the headless, trying for that ape-like knuckledragging effect.
And the beefy torso of the orc came out very nice, as did the simple design of his leather skirt. I also enjoy the massive sturdy quality of his sword. Little successes like these are what keep me working.
