MTG Arena: Bloomborough | Interview with Illustrator David

Bloomburrow is a highlight for many Magic the Gathering players, especially because of the illustrations. Comic book writer David Petersen contributed some of these questions and answered our questions about the set.

Wizards of the Coast / Nils Hamm

With “Bloomburrow,” “Magic the Gathering” enters the cuteness zone. Because the cards featuring otters, rabbits, and lizards all look so cute. You can also find anthropomorphic creatures using swords, shields, and magic to fight evil forces in David Petersen’s “Mouse Guard” comic series. He did some of the illustrations for “Bloomburrow” and answered some questions for us about the creation process and how it differs from its story.

TVMovie.de: What was your connection to “Magic the Gathering” before you did the illustrations?

David Peterson: I played Magic in the mid-90s. I think I got into it around 4th edition, but I also had some old cards that I'd traded with friends – and at some point after college, like when Exodus or Felsenburg came out, I stopped playing it, except when old friends came back to town and we dusted off our old decks and played again. So the idea of ​​designing graphics for Magic cards was pretty cool.

How did you manage to not just copy your work on Bloomburrow's “Mouse Guard,” and how different is your approach?

The way I draw in Mouse Guard, especially the mice, is not a style that would suit the people who use mice in Bloomburrow. We wanted Mabela's anatomy to resemble that of a real mouse – that meant we had to draw the right number of fingers and toes, more accurate ears, and even a different facial anatomy. The difficulty came from my muscle memory of not doing what I normally do out of habit and drawing Mouse Guard with Mabela's flamestone sword. After Mabela's card, I was able to get used to the task relatively easily, and with the other animals I didn't have any habits that I had to break. However, the actual process of inking and coloring was the same.

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Which would you rather watch, a movie or series based on the first part, “Mouse Guard” or “Bloomburrow”?

I’m biased, but I’d like to see Mouse Guard first. We were so close, the digital environments were created, the actors were already shot in mo-cap suits, but after the Disney/Fox merger, the movie was cancelled and the rights were restricted — to feel complete, I’d like to see Mouse Guard first. But I think Bloomburrow, especially with the animated shorts that have been developed, also provides a great opportunity to explore talking wildlife and tell stories. There’s no reason not to do both — we have enough superheroes, right?

What is the most interesting map for you to draw and why?

Helga felt it was best for me to let her say something through her pose. But Brain Cramp Rat was the most interesting card because it seemed less like a figure study with the subject in a pose and more like a moment of action captured in an illustration.

What makes this fantasy subgenre of anthropomorphic animals with swords and magic so appealing?

There is a long tradition of storytelling, dating back to oral tradition, where animals are embodiments of us or of certain ideals or characters. I think that is a very deep root in our storytelling that we all respond to. My book Mouse Guard is about how small we are in a very big world and where every obstacle seems insurmountable. That is something we have all experienced as humans at some point, and my mice are always trying to bravely overcome these larger-than-life obstacles. I think Plumborough has that too.