THRACKHelp Us Paint
the End of the World
You may have noticed that some of the artwork slots across the site are still placeholders. That is deliberate. Thrackdown is in Open Alpha, and we are commissioning human artists as the game and its factions continue to develop.
We are looking for artists who can help define the people, places and machinery of Nova Eden. If the setting and art direction suit your work, send us your portfolio.
The Look of Nova Eden
Nova Eden is a colony world a century after the Collapse. Its settlements and battlefields are built from whatever survived: damaged buildings, scavenged machinery and military equipment that has been repaired repeatedly rather than replaced.
The overall look should stay grounded. Use muted earth colours, worn equipment, visible repairs, welded additions and technology that has clearly been adapted to keep working. Fighters should also have strong silhouettes that remain easy to recognise on the tabletop.
Each faction takes that shared visual language in a different direction. The Iron Pact uses worn military equipment and field repairs. The Ashen Covenant brings robes, keys and scavenged religious objects. The Splice pushes into unstable flesh and improvised augmentation. Null Protocol carries remnants of old corporate and industrial design. The Crimson Veil should look deliberately refined beside everyone around them, while the Scavver Clades are assembled from whatever useful parts they could find.
They should still look like they belong to the same world. Equipment is used, repaired and adapted rather than kept pristine.
We are flexible about rendering style. Painterly, inked, textured and graphic approaches can all work. What matters more is weight, atmosphere and material texture, and whether the finished piece feels consistent with the rest of Nova Eden.
What Fits Nova Eden
- Muted, earthy palettes: ash, rust, bone, olive, oxide
- Worn military kit: patched, taped, reused and repaired
- Retrofitted tech: visible welds, replacement parts and exposed fixes
- Weight and grime: heavy fabrics, solid boots and equipment that feels used
- Strong silhouettes: readable at tabletop distance
- Quiet menace: restrained poses and tension rather than spectacle
- Clean, chrome sci-fi: avoid pristine surfaces and factory-new equipment
- Neon and holograms: avoid bright cyberpunk visuals as the default look
- Heroic gloss: fighters should look used, tired and part of the world around them
- High-fantasy shine: even the Crimson Veil should show wear, age and use
- AI-generated artwork: not used in published Thrackdown artwork
What we need first
These are the main types of artwork we’re looking to commission first, with more briefs to follow as the game develops.
Hero & cover art
Large illustrations for faction clashes, environments and key pieces of website or rulebook art. These should establish the scale and atmosphere of Nova Eden, with strong compositions, clear silhouettes and plenty of environmental detail.
Ruined industry, ash-heavy skies and a sense of physical weight are all useful reference points.
Character & unit illustrations
Individual fighters and units drawn in a consistent style for faction pages, unit reveals and the rulebook. This will be an ongoing series, so consistency in proportions, equipment and faction details is particularly important.
Weapon & gear plates
Technical illustrations of weapons and equipment using side views, detail callouts and other field-manual elements. These should remain clear at small sizes and make the equipment look used, repaired and practical rather than factory new.
Clean ink work and readable shapes matter more than elaborate rendering.
Spot art & marginalia
Smaller pieces used throughout the site and future books: faction glyphs, damaged posters, graffiti, equipment sketches, wildlife, scrap icons and other bits of visual world-building.
Simple black-ink work is ideal here. These are also a good starting point for artists who are new to commissioned work or want to begin with smaller briefs.
How we work with artists
This is commissioned work, not exposure. Rates are agreed per piece and confirmed in writing before work begins. Tell us your normal rates rather than trying to fit a presumed budget.
Published Thrackdown artwork is commissioned from human artists. We do not use AI-generated images in finished artwork, faction reveals, rulebooks or other published game material.
Artists are credited on the website, in books and wherever commissioned work is used. We want people to know who made the artwork they are looking at.
One-off commissions are welcome, but we are also interested in working with artists over multiple pieces as Thrackdown grows. If the fit is good on both sides, there should be more work to follow.
Show us your ruins
Send us a link to your portfolio, your usual rates if you have them, and a short note about the kind of Thrackdown work you would be interested in.
Please send links rather than attachments. We review submissions ourselves and will reply when we can.
Not an artist? We'd also like to hear from writers and terrain builders, and playtesters can start on the Get Involved page.