Robson Michel on collaboration, idea generation, and yes, those gorgeous dragons too.
A bit of advice. If you’re looking to create a dragon (and we’re not talking about a run-of-the-mill namby-pamby average kind of dragon... we’re talking about a dragon with personality quirks and unexpected but delightful design details), you hire Robson Michel. And then if you are very lucky, you continue to collaborate on as many additional ideas as possible because not only is he an amazing creative partner, he can draw just about anything! You’ll see Robson’s many dragons, creatures, and characters (we challenge you to pick a favorite!) throughout your Mythan adventures. Also, his artwork makes for a killer T-shirt.
Robson reppin’ Fablecraft in our team’s favorite dragon tee!
Name: Robson Michel
Socials: @robmichel_art | @rob_michel
Location: Brazil
Artistic superpower: Berserk mode where I zoom in and draw lots of detail
Interests beyond painting: Games in general, reading sci-fi, gym
Couldn't live without: Some good laughs
Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate
Can you tell us a bit about how you came to be a professional artist?
ROBSON: Drawing was my hobby since I was a kid, inspired by comics, cartoons, and games. I liked to draw my favourite characters and kept doing it since then. Playing tabletop role-playing games was a great incentive to draw, as it helped to create and visualize characters and places. I started selling drawings around my teenage years, making traditional pencil portraits. After graduating in Design, I kept practicing illustration on the side, studying from online courses, tutorials and forums. After a couple of years, I got some freelance jobs and finally made the transition to full time artist.
The Woodland Dragon is extremely elusive, with very few sightings ever recorded.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
ROBSON: Todd Lockwood, Tyler Jacobson, Alex Ross, Andrew Loomis, Piotr Jablonsky.
Kai Pinecrest, a Wildwoods Crooner with many a ballad to share.
Tell us about your favorite medium.
ROBSON: Digital, as it's where I can experiment quickly and change things as I see fit. That being said, I still like to sketch traditionally with pencil. It's relaxing!
The Coastal Dragon is as dramatic and ever-changing as the ocean itself, with a temperament that’s just as tempestuous.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
ROBSON: Fantasy in general, being designs that I've seen in games that I played, or epic scenes that I read in comics or watched in movies. I still play TTRPG with friends and it also inspires me. I also like to take pictures of interesting things that I see in reality, like sunsets or architecture.
Florian Birchsong: A Wildwoods healer that anyone would want in their adventuring party.
Can you walk us through your process when working on Fablecraft artwork, from brief through to final execution?
ROBSON: It all starts with a conversation about which piece it will be: a character or a creature, and the overall setting inside the world of Mythas. After that, a briefing is made, where all the references are carefully chosen and the descriptions of aspects like themes, weapons, outfits or inspirations are detailed. With that information, I'm able to explore ideas and sketch thumbnails and studies to present different directions, resulting in a few concepts. There's a round of approval with the art director to chose which one better suits our objective and if there are things to change. Then, it's all developing, refining, detailing, presenting the piece with colours and showing the progress until we reach the best version possible, being it an adventurous inhabitant of the Wild Woods or a majestic dragon from the Highlands.
The Bone Collector proudly displays the bones of its victims on its body and staff.
Talk us through one of your Fablecraft pieces. Which elements are you happiest with? What was the most challenging?
ROBSON: I believe one of the pieces that I am most proud of is the very first one, the Highland Dragon. Through the brief I was able to know the incredible world of Mythas that was being created, and the discovery was something inspiring. It felt like I was an explorer while I was creating the creature's design, as even I didn't have an idea of what the final piece would look like. One of the elements that I like was creating the concept of the levitating crystals that make its wings, and also how to implement the golden veins that ornate its rocky body. The challenging part was to bring this in a way that could show not only the creature, but also a glimpse of the amazing setting that is the Highlands with its floating mountains and peaks.
The Highland Dragon is sturdy and strong-willed, with a stubbornness that can rarely be swayed.
What is your favorite piece of Fablecraft work that you didn't work on?
ROBSON: The Sandhog by Ilse Gort. I love the execution and idea of the piece. Also, beautiful wings!
Leave no snack unattended in the Coasts, for the Sandhog will swipe it before you can say, ‘Is that a flying pig?’ Illustration by Ilse Gort.
How would you personally define success as an artist?
ROBSON: Financial success aside, being able to express the things you like through your work, being it themes, or elements, or even ideas. It's about being able to see it not only as work, but also as something meaningful.
The Long Meadows Dragon has an adventurous spirit and is the only dragon to have been sighted outside of its homeland.
Any advice for aspiring artists out there?
ROBSON: Does it make you interested? Do you enjoy the process of honing a skill, discovering solutions, creating something that entices your tastes or imagination? Keep it up, stretch, drink water, and enjoy the ride. Art doesn't need to be a great part of life, but your life is a great part of art.
A true harbinger of death, the Gloom Harpy mimics the voice of friends in need to lure its prey closer.
Are there any upcoming projects that you are excited for?
ROBSON: I'm creating a beautiful buff axe wielding warrior woman. Hope you all enjoy as much as I am creating this awesome character!
Check out more of Robson’s work on Riftweaver’s new TTRPG, Fablecraft. Fablecraft is a cooperative digital tabletop roleplaying game set in the vibrant, hopeful world of Mythas. The platform integrates interactive battlemaps, video, audio, and text chat, digital dice and unique game system, and a library of artwork and music, to bring your stories to life.
