Hello everyone in the community! It’s been quite a while since I last posted, and I hope you’re all doing well. For this week’s Splinterlands art challenge, I wanted to step it up a notch and create something special.
I’d like to introduce my piece featuring Rune Arcanist — yes, I decided to switch things up and focus on this rare promo card instead. It honestly took me a great deal of effort to complete this one. With my exams looming around the corner I had very little time, but I’m glad I pushed through.
Rune Arcanist: the card
Rune Arcanist is a rare promo monster from the Rebellion set in Splinterlands. (splintercards.com) While she may not have been rated at the very top among her peers, she brings a distinct strategic value. (splintertalk.io)
Abilities & Stats
Here are some of the key details about her:
As a rare card, she carries the rarity weight of being less common but with good utility. (splintercards.com)
She offers control and utility rather than raw attack damage: for instance, abilities like Weaken (reducing maximum health of the opposing team) make her a strong choice in certain rulesets. (Hive)
Another unique ability she has is Phase Ward: she grants the unit in front of her the “Phase” ability (which helps avoid magic attacks). (docs.splinterlands.com)
Because she’s high mana and high utility, she tends to be used in more specialised situations rather than the standard “deal‑maximum damage” style. (Hive)
Gameplay & Strategy
When it comes to how you might use Rune Arcanist in a battle:
She fits best in a team where control matters — for example in rulesets where healing is disabled or magic attacks dominate. Because her abilities chip away at opponents’ maximum health or protect your key units.
A suggested placement is behind a sturdy tank so that she can apply her utility while staying safe (especially since her speed and attack may not be elite compared to full‑damage monsters).
Pairing her with a tank in front who benefits from the Phase buff is a smart play. Use her to give that tank sustainability and let your team do the work.
She may not shine in every match — for example, in a low mana cap battle or a “Back to Basics” ruleset where abilities are disabled, her value drops significantly. (Hive)
Why I chose her for my art
What really appealed to me about Rune Arcanist is her visual aesthetic and the vibe she gives. In the illustrations I found: she’s an elf‐type sorceress, wielding runic magic, wearing elegant armor with mystical runes. (Hive)
I loved the idea of capturing that blend: someone who’s both graceful and powerful, not just a brute warrior but a commander of arcane forces.
So when I sat down to draw her:
I made sure to keep the original design in mind (hair colour, rune motifs, staff or magical implement)
But I also added my own touches and extra designs — little embellishments on her armor, subtle patterns in her cloak to reflect my style
While painting I tried to emphasize her expression and posture in a way that says: “I am the one who shifts the flow of battle through magic, not just through strength.”
My process
For this illustration I used:
Laptop
Tablet & stylus pen
Clip Studio Paint software
Here’s how I worked:
Rough sketch: I began with a loose outline to determine pose, expression and basic composition.
Lineart: Once I was happy with the rough, I cleaned it up into clear lineart — this helped me lock in the character’s silhouette and details.
Grey base colours: I laid down flat greys and mid‑tones first, to build the structure without worrying about shading or fancy colours.
Rendering & details: Gradually I added highlights, shadows, texture in her armor, runes glowing, subtle gradients in her cloak, small decorative touches.
Final tweaks: I refined the lighting, maybe added ambient glow around the runic staff or symbol, made sure the composition felt balanced and that the character had presence.
Final Thoughts & What’s Next
I’m really happy with how the illustration turned out — though I know there are still areas where I can improve (for example, I want to push more dramatic lighting next time, and experiment with more dynamic pose). As an artist I’m committed to keeping craft moving forward.
Thank you all for your support and for taking the time to view this. I hope you’ll appreciate this piece of Rune Arcanist as much as I enjoyed creating it.
See you all same time next week for the next art share!
Thanks again for reading and for being part of this community 💫