Infrefest 2025: My experience creating RPG art for Artist Halley

When I was accepted into Infrefest's Artist Halley , I was so excited I couldn't help but scream a little. It was one of the markets I was most excited about, so I immediately got to work preparing all the RPG-themed creations I could bring to the event.

At first, I thought it would be cool to design patches to decorate clothing, backpacks, and other accessories. I also really liked the idea of ​​creating D&D-inspired figurines , little playmates that could accompany adventurers in their games. Finally, I added stickers, mugs, and a new keychain to the list.

So I got to work and started on the patches, which turned out pretty like this:

I started looking for a supplier to make them, but then... WHAM! I realized I'd messed up the design. I'd created illustrations with too much detail to be able to turn them into patches, so I had to improvise and come up with a similar alternative.

After much research, I ended up deciding on some badges , which retained the essence of the idea but were more viable.

Pictured above are some beautiful badges , perfect for identifying anyone who wants to proudly display that they are a “Certified Dungeon Crawler” or an “Ally of Misunderstood Creatures.”

But the reality, until I was able to hold them in my hands, was a tortuous and somewhat agonizing path: first trying to reach an understanding with my supplier until they finally sent them to me, and then dealing with claims and complaints to the parcel company... who decided to hold my package for two weeks in their warehouse :S.

While I was sorting out all those logistics, I kept drawing with the idea of ​​creating a series of stickers inspired by the classic roles of a Dungeons & Dragons -style role-playing game. The original idea was to make a design for each role: tank, ranged DPS, melee DPS, caster, and healer.

Buuuut... the truth is that I didn't have time to finish them all :,) and I was only able to take two of them to the event: the Tank and the Caster (I promise the others will arrive soon!).

I felt frustrated and deeply OCD for not being able to complete the collection I'd planned from the beginning. But if I've learned anything over the years of attending themed markets, it's that there's never enough time . Sometimes you have to choose which pieces to finish and accept that punishing yourself or pushing yourself beyond what's humanly possible is a bad idea. Seriously: don't mistreat yourselves or become abusive bosses, please.

By the time I finished the designs, there was no time left for anything other than printing stickers (yes... I always end up doing that at the last minute, damn ADHD :,) ) and preparing some special figures just for that event. These exclusive pieces could only be purchased at Infrefest (although if any remained unsold, I would upload them to the website later).

For the figures, I was very clear that I wanted to create companions for the adventurers who decided to take them. And there was no doubt that one of them had to be a dragon. Thus, this beauty was born:

I loved making this figure; it was a lot of fun, but what I enjoyed most was painting it and then adding little sparkly scales that gave it a magical touch. ✨

I then considered several options for the next figures: a rogue capybara , a bard bird , another dragon, or even a new owlbear .

And what happened in the end? Well, I didn't do any of those XD. My creative mind decided to improvise at the last minute and I ended up creating a fairy wren bird and a little moonkin inspired by World of Warcraft .

(Here's the moonkin with his small backpack, a mana potion, and a hearthstone, ready to delve into dungeons with his friends.)

(And here is the little fairy wren , with his satchel, lover of stars and flowers ✨).

This was all I had time to create for the event. I would have loved to have done more, but I was still very satisfied with the result. It's important to remember that these are handmade pieces , carefully thought out and created with all my heart and magic. It's not a quick process (although with practice, speed improves), and that's why I keep telling myself that it's okay not to get everything done. I'm speaking from experience: sometimes we can be our own worst enemies or our own worst coworkers.

The event was great : I was able to meet and reconnect with so many wonderful people, and the organization was incredible. In the end, all the effort was completely worth it! 💜

   

Finally, I want to tell you that if you like role-playing or board games and you have the opportunity to come to Barcelona, ​​you definitely can't miss Infrefest 2026 ^-^.

And if you would like to have any of my creations, you can find them on my website 👉 www.asteriancreations.com or contact me directly through the website form , on Instagram or at my email: asterian.shop@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, and see you on the next adventure! ✨