Greetings Forge community, and welcome to the twenty-fifth edition of our Stars of the VTT Galaxy series. This ongoing interview series celebrates the brilliant creators who bring magic to the TTRPG world through art, music, maps, and more! The Bazaar is home to an incredible lineup of talent, and we love spotlighting the visionaries behind the assets that shape our adventures.
In this edition, we sit down with David North, an illustrator, concept artist, and creature token specialist whose detailed and dynamic creations bring monsters and characters to life. With a passion for storytelling through visuals, David’s work has become a go-to choice for many GMs and players alike, adding immersive depth to countless campaigns.
Join us as we explore his artistic journey, inspirations, and what it takes to design unforgettable creatures for the tabletop gaming world!
Our sky consists of many stars. Each of them illuminating our planet. As you can guess, the stars are you. Yes, it's you, the great content creators who, in your own unique way, shine on our worlds. Thank you for being part of our heavenly sky and weaving the fabric of our Community.
Let's meet today's star.
Introduce yourself, for those who don’t know what you do, what would you describe yourself as doing for a living?
David: My name is David North, and I'm an illustrator within the TTRPG space. I also make tokens for people to use on VTTs like Foundry.
What’s one random fact about you?
David: I love pixel art, but sadly, I'm not very good at creating it.
How did your journey as an artist begin? How did you become a concept artist and illustrator?
David: It was a very long journey actually.
I started as a comic pencilist straight out of high school back in 2004 for multiple indie publishers. After still working 18 hours a day and still not being able to afford to live, I switched over to video games to work as a concept artist. I loved that work, but I was moved to mobile games when they started to gain traction.
I was unhappy with the type of work I was doing and had just started playing Dungeons & Dragons. I decided to try my hand at being an illustrator with a focus on TTRPGs, and it has worked out so far. I'm having a blast and feel like I belong.
That is quite a journey. Sounds like a long journey, too.
David: I jumped around a lot. I've loved working on comics and video games, but I love working on TTRPGs, so I feel good where I'm at.
Glad to hear! I like where you're at as well. Could you go a little deeper into your decision to move to creating art and tokens for TTRPGs? It sounds like there's a good whole story there, inside the brief one you've already told.
David: So when I started playing Dungeons & Dragons, I played with my friends and family who all lived in different parts of the state. We were playing on VTTs every week, and at the time, there weren't a lot of token artists that worked on some of the larger, more boss-like creatures.
I started making my own tokens for my games and decided to try my hand at selling them as token packs, too. The way I saw it, if the tokens had sold enough to cover the cost of all the manuals, I would be happy. I didn't expect them to sell so well.
I really enjoyed making these packs, but when I saw lots of 3rd party companies making new content for 5e, I felt like I was missing out on something fun. I changed my portfolio to focus a bit more on illustration and started applying for gigs.
How has your style and approach to creating TTRPG content evolved? Have there been any significant turning points or influences on your art?
David: Coming from a background in comics, and even in my game development days, I was mostly using line art. I would add colors to concepts but nothing crazy.
When I first started to work as an illustrator, I pulled away from using line art and really tried to add a more painted feel to my pieces. After all, that's what we see a lot in the books. While my pieces did turn out nice, it never felt natural.
I tried doing that for years, and it just felt like I was trying to make art that fit in with other art, rather than making art that fit the subject matter. I decided to start introducing line art, and even traditional mediums back into my commission work, and the energy to my pieces has come back.
For me, having energy in a piece is very important, no matter how well the fundamentals of art are used. That's why I love Jeff Easley's work. His pieces have so much energy that they tell a story all on their own.
Huh, I’ve actually seen this artist’s art before. Neat!
David: He did a lot of art in the old D&D days. He still paints too, and his work is amazing.
Where does the inspiration come from in the work you do? Or perhaps, your “muse”?
David: Inspiration comes from a mix of things.
Of course, the energy in the older D&D books and horror inspires how I approach monster illustration. Rather than just drawing a creature standing there, I want to show it in its environment, showing off its personality, and maybe even attacking a poor unfortunate adventurer. I like the darker, more harsh parts of the adventuring life.
I'm a sucker for the campfire gathering piece every now and then, though.
You draw a lot of art for TTRPGs, with tokens being some of the most common. Have you ever considered creating original creatures as part of a token pack?
David: I'm actually sitting on a lot of original creatures that I'm hoping to make a book for, haha. I have already done some original creatures in some of my token packs, like The Dark Order, The Midnight Hunt, and my SciFi Battle set.
I often make up stories for them as I draw them up, but ultimately it's open-ended so any GM can add their own story to the tokens.
Do you prefer illustrating original creatures or creatures inspired by common folklore and fantasy?
David: My preference changes day to day, really.
Some days, I want to draw some dwarves, and the next, I might feel like drawing whatever I think is lurking in the deepest depths of the cosmic seas. I get to work on a whole bunch of different projects, so those influences pulling me all over the place probably don't help with that lack of focus.
How do you approach token creation? What is your typical workflow when creating tokens, from concept to completion?
David: When I start working on a token, I look at the design of the character or creature. I'll start sketching out a pose to try and convey the nature or personality of the design. I think this helps bring a more dynamic sense to the token. I want players to start to worry when the GM drops a token on the map.
Once I get the pose down in the sketch, I'll start with the line art, fixing any issues as I come across them. Once the line art is down, I throw in my base colors, and then start rendering. I do go for a more darker feel, so my shadows are pretty strong. I tend to go heavy on my highlights as well since the images are small, and that helps to make the token readable.
Once the token is all drawn, up I try to TPK my players with it.
How do you balance creativity with functionality when designing tokens for use in VTTs?
David: That's a tough one! Honestly, I'm still figuring that out. I love drawing my tokens in action poses and really feel that getting that dynamic feel is important to help the GM with the storytelling element.
So I'm constantly battling having to fit something that gives a sense of action, and shows off the cool design of the characters, all while fitting in a tiny little box. I fear I may never master it, but I'll always continue to try.
What is the most important technical consideration when creating tokens for VTTs like Foundry?
David: I think now, these days, it's making sure to offer different size images for the different sizes of creatures. I use to try and fit large, even huge creatures in the same image size as medium creatures, and while it does work, it might not be the best for helping a GM truly show scale to help instill fear in tense moments.
What are the most difficult challenges you tend to experience as a digital tabletop creator? How do you work to overcome/minimize them?
David: The toughest challenges these days are trying to get your work in front of people using social media, and combating AI art.
Social media platforms have some very harsh algorithms, so promoting yourself is basically a whole second job on top of creating things to promote.
There's also the issue of AI art being used. Some companies are using it as a bargaining chip to get better rates. Others are just grabbing art they find from social media posts, and throw it into the grinder to churn something out.
Normally we ask this question later, but this is kind of too good a transition point. What is your opinion on AI, especially in the tabletop space?
David: Oh, I have very strong feelings and opinions on AI.
In terms of art, it has no place. The use of the term AI is just a marketing term and masks what it really is, which is just a terrible photo-chopping program that steals art from real artists. It has no intelligence to actually create and lacks the consciousness to make art on its own. It's just stealing, plain and simple.
In other areas of development like writing, I can see where it can be helpful for a writer to help keep things organized. But I don't think it should be used to write out and format the finished writing for a book.
What role does feedback from the TTRPG community play in shaping your creations, especially any supporters you might have?
David: Feedback is huge, but the negative stuff is the real gold. I know that might seem weird, but it does help an artist understand why a certain piece isn't resonating with them.
As an artist, we make a lot of creative decisions, and while they may seem like the right choice, we can't predict how everyone will react to our art. Getting feedback, so long as it's constructive, can sort of help us artists continue to make the art that appeals to the community. It helps keep us in check.
Do you have a favorite token or project you’ve created? Why does it stand out to you?
David: I think my favorite token-related project would have to be The Dark Order set. The story I came up with in my head while drawing those tokens up really stuck with me, and now I'm painting a Warhammer army based on it, haha.
And what's your least favorite piece of content you've created? (If it exists).😊
David: Haha. I think the Boss Monster set would have to be my least favorite. It was the first token set I drew up.
Do you think you’ll ever redo that token set?
David: I doubt I will.
A lot of the creatures in my old sets have been used in newer adventures, like Phandelver and Below, so I've taken the chance to get a second try at some of the creatures. It's crazy how much can change in the span of 10 years.
Do you have the opportunity/time to run/play TTRPG games for yourself still? If so, what systems do you play? What VTT do you use?
David: Not as much as I'd like, but I'm going to get a chance to run through Seasons of Ghosts, run by The Dirty Rollers on Twitch. Ever since I've been playing with that group, I've really enjoyed the Pathfinder modules in Foundry VTT.
Do you have anything you want to say to the greater TTRPG/VTT community?
David: Just be creative together. That's the spirit of TTRPGs, so don't lose sight of that.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists looking to create tokens or assets for TTRPGs?
David: I've seen a lot of creators come in and make a set that's already been made by at least 30 other creators. Don't try to replicate what's already out there. Put yourself into your work, and that's what's going to grab people’s attention. That's how you develop your own style.
Can you give us a sneak peek or hint about any upcoming projects you're excited about?
David: I'm working on releasing my own horror-themed tarot deck that will be on Kickstarter soon.
And of course, for TTRPG news, I have started to work on creature pieces for Troll Lord Games, and it's been an absolute blast!
Here's one of the pieces I'm allowed to share.
What are your plans in general for the future as an RPG creator? Are there any personal or professional goals you hold for your career as a TTRPG content creator?
David: My plans are to keep charging ahead with all the projects I'm in.
I love creating token sets, and I love illustrating for games. I do think the end goal is to get to a point where I can release my own books, but I don't see myself ever halting token creation or my work for other companies.
Once again, thank you so much for your time, David!
David: No problem. It was great to sit and chat.
You can follow the image links below to learn more about David North, and follow him on various social media:
