**Rick thrusts Niki into the Backer Update section because he firmly believes that Layout artists are the unsung heroes of the TTRPG world.**
Hiya everyone! I am Niki your resident layout artist, here to share a little bit about me and, more importantly, some info and updates on The Black Ballad.
So about me…I am artist amongst many other things: a typesetter, a cover design, a lady with 3 cats, and a big FFXIV fan. Learning typeset happened on a whim, however over time, I experimented with more complicated designs and eventually incorporating my own illustrations into the layouts which is now how I'm here! The Black Ballad layout takes inspiration from various sources. From Greek and Gothic architecture, Greco-Roman relief sculptures, Nokron the Eternal City from Elden Ring (one of the best areas in the game btw), other artists like Nekro and above all else, the content and themes from The Black Ballad.
My ultimate goal was to deliver a design that stands out with the story being told. I hope you all love what you have seen so far but I am here to show you some more! This week, I designed and painted out the chapter headings and formatted how letters will appear. Our section pages are made using the awesome art by __ and each section will include an accompanying full page piece by various other artists. As of now, everything is right on schedule. All of the main body text has been laid out with the proper fonts, sizes, and spacing. The remainder of this month will mainly be focused on bringing in the art and formatting the tables and drop-in text as well as updating and creating assets as needed. Thanks for tuning in to this update and can't wait to bring you more as we get closer to completion!
-Niki Tantillo
**Here is an example of the Layout evolution of a page spread! Also, if you haven't gotten a preorder copy of the Black Ballad, the Black Ballad preorder store on Backerkit will only be open until we place our Print Order!**
