Here is my entry for the weekly Splinterlands Art contest found HERE
Bringing Thragha to Life – My Splinterlands Artwork and Timelapse
Here’s my latest contribution to the Splinterlands universe: a full illustration of Thragha, a brutal and relentless frontline tank from the new Conclave Arcana set. Thragha is a rare Death-element monster who feeds on damage—both mechanically in the game, and thematically in the art. I designed her with that identity in mind: powerful, unyielding, and sustained by the pain she endures.
This post gives a closer look at who Thragha is, and walks through how I created her artwork using Clip Studio Paint Pro—from rough sketch to finished piece. I’ve also included a full timelapse video, which you can find at the end of this post.
Who Is Thragha?
Thragha is part of the Conclave Arcana expansion, a Death-aligned warrior shaped by arcane power and hardened by endless battle. She costs 4 mana, has 9 health, and possesses the Void ability—giving her resistance to magic damage. Her defining traits, though, are Life Leech and Painforge: she grows stronger as she takes hits, and heals with every strike.
That made her a compelling character to illustrate. I wanted her to feel like someone forged by battle—part muscle, part curse, part living weapon. Not elegant. Not pretty. Just powerful.
The Art Process – Done in Clip Studio Paint Pro
I created this piece entirely in Clip Studio Paint Pro, using its built-in timelapse recording feature. I’ve found it to be one of the most seamless ways to document my process—no need to screen record or export frames manually. You just check “Record timelapse” when creating the canvas, and the app handles the rest. Of course, I did dub my own music in. That musical score is called "Slow Beat" by Matt S. Law, which is me. Pencils, ink, color, music... I do it all.
I start with a grayscale sketch using pastels to block out the main figure, refine a bit with pencils, then ink the line art. I've been experimenting with different brushes, so this is the "legendary lineart" brush that was created by YouTube art teacher Marc Brunett. It's rough, like a pencil, not sure I care for it.
Created a flat color layer then tried adding an auto-color layer above that (set in multiply mode). Then just went to town rendering shadows with different colors on the multiply layer. Mostly using a smooth watercolor brush to push paint around, with the occasional air brush. Also, experimenting with some different texture brushes to make the metal look tarnished, and the leather soiled.
Watch the Full Timelapse Video Here:
https://rumble.com/v6w0b62-thragha.html?mref=18dagn&mc=d3obe
Final Thoughts
Creating Thragha was a blast—she’s not just another Death card, she’s a statement. She reflects the kind of monster that doesn’t dodge or deflect; she takes everything you throw at her, and then hits back harder. I tried to reflect that in every aspect of the design.
Thanks for checking out my work. If you enjoyed the piece or the timelapse, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments—and I’m always happy to answer questions from fellow artists or Splinterlands fans.
This artwork was created entirely by hand using Clip Studio Paint Pro, without the use of any AI-generated assets or tools. Every line, color, texture, and effect was manually drawn and painted by me from start to finish. No part of this image was created, assisted, or enhanced by artificial intelligence. It is a fully original piece made through traditional digital illustration methods and reflects my own creative vision, skill, and effort as an artist.
But ChatGPT wrote almost all of the text.