Dissecting Avowed's beautifully abstract artwork, and how it was made

Avowed key art; close ups on digital art, it shows a skeleton warrior with colourful plants and fungus growing from it
(Image credit: Obsidian / Microsoft)

When Skylight Collective set out to craft the key art for Obsidian Entertainment’s fantasy RPG, Avowed, the art team knew they weren’t making just another traditional video game box art. The result – a striking, watercolour-inspired image that feels at once both mysterious and evocative, abstract and traditional – sets Avowed apart in the world of fantasy role-playing game. But how did it come to life?

To understand the creative process behind Avowed’s key art, I spoke with the creatives responsible, including David Cipriano, Executive Creative Director at Skylight Collective, and Carrie Patel, Avowed's Game Director. This is a piece of art that took me back to the heyday of Atari pack art; the Avowed artwork is a naturalistic image designed to tell a story as much as promote a video game.

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Editor, Digital Arts & 3D

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

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