Guild Wars 2 Official Forum Avatars | February 8, 2026

Digital Art, Finished Art, Guild Wars 2
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Artwork showing nine forum avatars used on the official Guild Wars 2 forums.
Top row: 2022 | Middle row: 2019 | Bottom row: 2018

I was reminded of the forum avatar projects I was part of back when I was an ArenaNet Creative Partner for Guild Wars 2. It reminded me that I don’t think I’ve ever shown the original batch of avatars I drew. 

Much of these are older artworks – especially the ones before 2022. I remember this was a really fun project for us to work on as fans of the game. I’m still sentimental over a few of these because of this, despite some of them showing their age! 

I’ve shown the second and third batches on socials before (but i think this is the first time for this blog, now that I’m using it again :D ) – the first and second rows in the image above. I remember posting those, and the original batch (2018’s) was so long ago, that I thought I had only done these 6. I only remembered I had drawn 3 additional avatars during the first time they ran this project, which  I think I was only reminded of when I happened to see them being used on their official forums some time after. 

Four forum avatars from 2018.
The three forum avatars from 2018, including an extra alternate version which was unused in favor of the live version.

I don’t have the original files for the 2018 batch (at least not on my current PC), and found these when searching through my emails for when I submitted the files to ArenaNet. I completely forgot I had drawn two versions of Cadeyrn – which according to the email I wrote at the time, I apparently drew both because I couldn’t decide which to go with. The top version is the one which is used on the forums now, which I’m glad about as it’s clearly stronger as a sized-down avatar compared to the alternate option. 

I do love Cadeyrn as a character, and since I didn’t remember I drew this at all, it was fun to see a new artwork of him I had forgotten about! 

As of this post, these avatars are still live on their official forums. I still get a kick when I see them being used! 

“Surprise Me!” Commission | February 6, 2026

Commission Process, Commissions, Digital Art
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Painting of an anthro bird character sitting on a log with a paintbrush in one hand, a journal in the other, as they look captivated by a glowing leaf above their head.

A “Surprise Me!” (or “skeb-style”) commission finished last month in January. This is a commission type I haven’t really done before, but I’ve been interested in trying. Thank you again to the commissioner for asking me to draw it for them! 

Sometimes also called “skeb-style” commissions, because these are a commission type which to my understanding, first became popularized in Japan. 

Loose line sketch of the previous painting.
Initial Sketch

What I like about these is that they offer more flexibility for both the artist and the client. In exchange for more artistic freedom for the artist, the client enjoys a lower rate. This works best for artwork where the client is open to being surprised by the final art – for clients with a specific vision in mind, or who are more comfortable giving feedback during work-in-progress steps, this commission type isn’t the best fit. 

But for those who enjoy being surprised, this can be wonderfully satisfying for both the artist and commissioner! :D 

A few more process images below, and then I’ll post an overview about this commission type: 

General aspects about “surprise me” commissions: 

  • These are similar to “Pay What You Want” commissions. The commissioner is free to stay within their desired budget, with respect to a potential minimum amount. 
  • Some artists invite you to give a brief description for what you’d like painted. I enjoy asking for: 
    • A) Brief description of your character’s personality. 
    • B) 5 keywords describing what you’d like to see in your commission. This can be anything from the mood, atmosphere, tone, or emotion you’d like to see for your character. 
  • The artist will say (or mention on a page somewhere) what they can do for your general budget. 
  •  Important difference from other commission types: There are no WIP’s (“works-in-progress”) or revisions. The final result is what the client receives. 
    • This is the key aspect which makes “surprise me!” commissions have lower rates than regular commissions. 
    • Of course, if there are character errors in the final art, these will be adjusted at no additional cost. 
  • If everyone agrees with and is comfortable with these terms, the artist then draws what they can within your budget after receiving payment. 
  • If all goes well, you are happily surprised and delighted by the result! :D

I’m considering adding these as listed commission type at some point. In the meantime, if this interests you, feel free to contact me and I can put together a custom order for you. 

Nightmare Court Necromancer Sketches | January 31, 2026

Animated Images, Digital Art, Guild Wars 2, Sketches & Studies
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Drawing two hairstyles from the in-game options to figure out which look might fit the character (Animated).

I’ve been idly wanting to figure out a look for a new Nightmare Court necromancer character I’ve been thinking about recently. He’s in the same setting as “Nightmare’s Embrace,” but isn’t a major character (he likely won’t feature in the mini-comic later this year). Different from my existing sylvari characters, the idea for him arose from a short story I was writing, instead from one of my existing in-game characters. My other sylvari characters originated from their in-game versions first, with their personalities developing afterward. Oftentimes, influenced by the experience playing them in-game. 

I haven’t made a new GW2 character in a long time, and thought this was the perfect excuse to create a new one. I played around with the in-game style options the other day, and thought drawing them might help me decide on this character’s look. I think the color scheme is close – especially for the hair and glow color – but I’m not entirely satisfied on his hairstyle. The two here are the closest I was partial to for him, but I’m leaning toward sketching a few ideas at a later point not based on an in-game style, to see if I can figure out a look that fits him more closely. 

Line drawing of a sylvari showing two hairstyles from the game. Left shows a short hairstyle with broad leaves. Right shows a long hairstyle with numerous small leaves.
Lineart sketch.
Painted still of the previous artwork without the added glow.
Still of the drawing, without glow. 
Same drawing as before, only the right shows the lineart sketch, while the left shows the color sketch.
I just liked how this version looked.
Animated gif showing the pulsing glow of a sylvari with long hair. The glow is warm orange, his hair a dusky, reddish-violet.
Animated version of the hairstyle on the right.

I also tried out animating the glow color to see if it would help me decide on whether I liked either of these hairstyles for the character. Between these two, the one on the right fits him slightly better, and I think it turned out better when animated.

But doing this helped me decide I don’t think I will be satisfied with either hairstyle for him. 

Still of the animated version from the top of this post.
Still of the animated version from the top of this post.

The Harbinger’s Path at Manga Ichiba this Fanime 2026

Comics, Guild Wars 2
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Happy New Year! I hope your year is starting off well. 

I have exciting news! Earlier this month, I learned I was accepted into Manga Ichiba at Fanime this year, the first-ever doujinshi-focused (“indie fan comics”) event for NA.

I applied with The Harbinger’s Path, and I’m pleased to announce I will be self-publishing a very limited print run of my “Trahearne-Malyck doujinshi” comic for this event. It will include all 3 completed chapters (50+ pages), and I hope to also add some bonus material for this print version. (More about this to come.)

If you’d like to learn more, I’ll be sharing more info through email updates. You can receive them by joining here.

Below is an overview:

What is Manga Ichiba?

This is an event officially affiliated with FanimeCon, specifically designed to encourage NA-made indie fan comics (or “doujinshi”). 

Fanime’s official description:

“A brand new event is coming to FanimeCon this year! Manga Ichiba is America’s first original English-language doujinshi market.”

More info on their official page here.

Fanime is one of North America’s largest anime conventions – I remember first hearing about it from the artists I followed tabling at it. I was able to visit for the first time a few years ago as an attendee! They have a plethora of events going on, and I had a wonderful time with people I met there. It takes place during May in Northern California for a few days over a weekend. 

How is this different from an Artist Alley? 

One reason I’m excited about this event is because it aims to be distinct from Fanime’s existing “Artist Alleys.” Today’s Artist Alleys – in general, not only at Fanime – tend to focus primarily on selling commercially. These is nothing wrong with this, but commercial incentivizes tend to push artists toward selling prints and merchandise over doujinshi comics. Doujinshi both take more time to make, and tend to have smaller potential audiences. 

Doujinshi has a well-established community in Japan, while this type of community hasn’t historically been as nurtured for NA-made doujin comics. Manga Ichiba hopes this might begin changing this! 

Manga Ichiba aims to cultivate more of a doujinshi community in NA by shifting the focus less on commercial selling, and more on encouraging artists who are creating doujinshi comics primarily out of their love for their fandoms. 

What is “Doujinshi?” 

You might have seen me refer to “The Harbinger’s Path” as my “Trahearne-Malyck doujinshi” in places since starting this project. Doujinshi is a Japanese term which refers to self-published comics, especially fan comics (but it can also refer to original works).

I have always thought of The Harbinger’s Path this way, but I wasn’t sure how widely-known this term was to western/GW2 audiences. I started also calling it my “fan comic,” in case this was more clear.

Final Note

Quick reminder that this project is entirely fan-made and unofficial, and not sponsored by ArenaNet. If you are affiliated with ArenaNet and have questions or suggestions about The Harbinger’s Path, you are always welcome to reach out!

“Out of the Dream” Fingerstyle Guitar Cover | January 15, 2026

Music
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I’ve been meaning to try my hand at attempting a simple arrangement of “Out of the Dream” from Guild Wars 2, which is one of my favorite melodies from the game. 

Sat down to give it a go this afternoon when I needed to give my eyes a break, and came up with this so far. It’s very satisfying to play! 

Tuning : Standard 9 Capo

Edit: I figured out the correct key! It’s around the 13th fret. And oddly, I can play it with open strings without a capo! Which is fortuitous, because my capo does not fit around this part of the guitar, haha. 

“Out of the Dream” fingerstyle guitar cover (very roughly) arranged & played by Landylachs

Original track composed by Jeremy Soule for Guild Wars 2

Video Edited with Kdenlive v23.04.1

Copyright © 2026 Landylachs (Liz Liu). All rights reserved.