To celebrate the 9th anniversary of this website and its predecessor, Ultima Aiera, we’ve added a new collection to the Origin Gallery: scans of a style guide produced for artists working on assets for Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn.

There are some interesting examples of art direction to be found in these scans, including discussions of “real” versus “cartoony” art styles, the use of contrast, anatomy of proportions, and the character art creation process. The first few slides also look at the (tight!) schedule and steep requirements that the art team for Kingdom Reborn were facing.

At any rate, enjoy!