Join us at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre as Erik's Curiosa takes its place at PAX Australia 2025! Whether you're here to play, collect, or simply immerse yourself in hand-painted fantasy, our booth #TT2828 is your portal into the realm of all things 

 to bring the realm to life at PAX Aus this year!

? Join our demo tables and master the fundamentals with guidance from our team.

, whose hand-painted artistry helps bring 

will be available at the booth each day. Come early to secure yours!

Meet and Play with the Erik's Curiosa Team: 

 creator Erik Olofsson, will be at the booth. Stop by to say hello and play a game of 

If you're attending, we'd love to see your photos and stories from the show floor! Share your moments on social media using #contestedrealm, tag us on socials, or share in our 

Not in Melbourne? Stay tuned to our channels all weekend long for updates from PAX Australia 2025!

The Realm Opens in Melbourne at Pax Australia

Drew Tucker

Few artists capture the haunting undercurrent of 

, our next highly anticipated set releasing December 5, Drew’s work once again merges myth and madness through his unmistakably expressive brushwork.

, embodies that eerie blend: something half-remembered, half-feared, rising from the darkest corners of the realm.

 to explore the tribal subgroup of Demons as the next Gothic focus, we take a peek at the art behind Drew Tucker’s Flayer, a piece whose card will be revealed later this week.

“When I get a commission,” Drew shares, “sometimes there’s a bit of direction - in this case, something about a demon with a whip, or the idea of a lasher. But I wanted to figure out what this demon 

. Why do demons even torment people? Is it for entertainment? What’s he having them do?”

Rather than depict mindless cruelty, Drew built a scene around intent and purpose. “I started to goof around with compositions and landed on this idea that they’re building a scaffolding. So there’s a reason for the whipping - they’re 

. You can see below the text box, people hauling timbers and beams. The first step was giving the demon purpose, not just making him another monster.”

Drew’s process balances structure and spontaneity. “Sometimes I do a color study first… sometimes not. I’m not sure I’m supposed to say that. The danger is, once I lock it in, the painting can sometimes want to go somewhere else. In 

, the demon changed a little along the way.”

“I fleshed the sketch out first in whatever weird language I sketch in,” Drew shares, “But sometimes I go straight to paint - probably not what you’re supposed to say, too, but sometimes I do. Sometimes with sketch, I’ll project the image, rough it in, and then just 

. I want to stay loose so the painting doesn’t lose its feeling. It’s still what the sketch was, but I avoid retracing it too tightly. I want it to 

For Drew, the real challenge lies in preserving the energy of his early marks.

 “Looking back at progression shots, it’s like ‘wow, that was just a blob of yellow and black.’ The hard part is keeping the same energy the sketch had. I like free lines and keeping it loose, but also true.”

That looseness serves a deeper purpose. “A lot of the horror is filled in by the viewer,” he explains. “The way I paint, the brushstrokes, the open spaces, I try to hit the subconscious. It’s like those old horror movies that don’t show everything. Your mind fills in the blanks, and that can be way scarier.”

Originally titled Lasher, the piece was later retitled Flayer. “I’m really proud of the motion in Flayer,” Drew shares. “That’s what I’m most drawn to - that sense of movement and power.”

 exemplifies what makes Drew’s art so distinct: that boundary between chaos and composition, where meaning seems to flicker in and out of focus. It’s a piece that invites the imagination to step in and perhaps to flinch, just a little, at what it finds there.

The painting is only half the story. Check back tomorrow to see how 

From Lash to Legend: Drew Tucker’s Flayer

Brian Smith

It isn’t just Erik’s Curiosa that’s making its first appearance at PAX Australia this week. Thanks to our partnership with 

 (AIE), we’ve brought an expanded booth to PAX Aus, complete with learn-to-play demos, artist card signings, and an unforgettable showcase of traditional fantasy art, including original pieces from 

These paired works embody creation and destruction, two opposing forces rendered through the same divine gesture.

“The original request was for a single painting,” Brian recalls. “It was to be a godly, translucent hand in the sky with beams of light streaming down through the clouds - a gesture like releasing a pinch of salt. I saw this as being a heavenly kind of painting, angelic, full of wonder and beauty. Uplifting, but also a little imposing.”

That painting became Sow the Earth, a vision of radiant benevolence. A massive celestial hand hovering above a living world, scattering vitality into a river valley below. Its tone is serene, suggesting that creation itself can be both generous and unfathomably powerful.

 creator Erik Olofsson, the feedback shifted the project in a new direction.

“Erik liked the painting but thought it was too bright, too positive,” Brian shares. “So he requested a second piece - the 

 version of the same hand. That’s how Salt the Earth came about. It turned into a concept of opposing focus, like Angel’s and Devil’s Eggs.”

Where Sow the Earth breathed life, Salt the Earth withers it. A more skeletal red hand tears through a dead sky, sprinkling ruin upon land. Both paintings share a composition, but their atmospheres couldn’t be further apart, one suffused in light, the other in shadow. Despite one conveying peace, benevolence, and wonder, and the other death and destruction, Brian adds, “I see them as equally terrifying in their own ways.”

Known for his bold style, Brian’s approach to 

 art focuses on impact over complexity. “More than anything else, I try to create powerful paintings,” he shares. “For 

 cards, it’s important to keep things simple and bold. Too much information can be difficult to read in such a small format. For these pieces, I wanted to convey simplicity and power. These are two big hands, with the power to create or kill entire realms.”

Brian joins us at the Sorcery booth at Pax Australia in Melbourne, where you can see these two power pieces in person, get Sorcery cards signed, and get your picture taken with one of Gothic’s most prolific artists.

 community has been a new kind of experience for me,” Brian adds. “I’ve made a lot of new friends, and there’s a great deal of support from all around. I’m happy to know there are so many people that find joy in the game and in the art. They motivate me to want to make better paintings!”

Come visit us at booth TT2828 and keep an eye out for more of Brian Smith’s work in 

Sowing and Salting the Earth: The Dual Visions of Brian Smith in Gothic

Juan Machuca

, an emerging illustrator from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, whose striking talent makes him a powerful new voice within 

 and a welcome addition to the game’s ever-growing roster of traditional fantasy artists.

 marks his first major professional project as an illustrator, a milestone born from years of self-driven study, creative perseverance, and a lifelong love for fantasy and horror art.

With the community voting in the Sorcery Discord and Facebook Group to explore the tribal subgroup of Demons as the next Gothic focus, what better time for Juan to share the process behind his piece, Shackled Demon?

From childhood, Juan filled his schoolbooks with strange sketches and stories. “I’ve always been a very imaginative person,” Juan shares. “If I’m not thinking about stories, I’m thinking about developing games, zines, or art. I like to tell stories, and I do this through my art.”

Though he trained in renewable energy engineering, Juan’s creative instincts led him elsewhere. Without access to formal arts training, he began learning illustration through online communities and YouTube channels by artists like Matt Busch and Jeff Miracola, and through the art blog 

“My work is very influenced by comic books,” Juan explains, “I like to maintain a rhythm through patterns, shapes, and colors. People have described my art as dramatic, and that’s true. I want to make images that live on the edge of emotion.”

When Juan received the commission for Shackled Demon, he knew it was a moment of arrival. “The instruction was to create a chained demon,” he recalls. “I came up with two thumbnails, and the one you see now was chosen to develop. Originally, I thought it was supposed to be a small demon, but I was asked to add more chains and something for scale, so I added a small wizard inspired by the classic 

The final piece depicts a massive, imprisoned demon stirring beneath a forgotten temple, its chest glowing with a white seal that holds its power in check.

“I imagined a demon that’s been long imprisoned in a dungeon, condemned to guard a temple for eternity,” Juan shares. “The wizard who approaches becomes the chance for escape. You can see dark energy beginning to rise from the demon’s wings, surrounding the oblivious wizard who doesn’t realize the danger that’s closing in.”

commission brought unique challenges, but 

 carried special weight, as Jaun's father was scheduled for a major surgery at the same time as it was being worked on. “It was always in the back of my mind while working on this set, and in some ways, it influenced the mood of my paintings. Even though it was a difficult time, I decided to commit myself fully and create something people would enjoy. Thankfully, my dad recovered, and I’m proud I had this chance to follow my dream.”

 and, on a whim, sent his portfolio to Erik’s Curiosa. “Erik replied just a few hours later,” he recalls, “he said he liked my work and he gave me my first few assignments.” 

 represents a realization of a lifelong goal. “This is a brand new world for me,” he shares. “I’m achieving a dream that once felt impossible. Seeing people enjoying my art makes me so happy. Knowing that something I created is out there, traveling around the world, it means everything.”

 nears its release on December 5, Shackled Demon stands as both a warning and a promise. It’s a reminder that in the darkness something powerful stirs, waiting to be set free.

Please join us in welcoming Juan Machuca to the 

 community, and be sure to connect with fellow players and artists in our community hubs on 

You can find out more about Juan Machuca on his artist page 

Juan Machuca: Welcome to Sorcery: Contested Realm

Darker forces shroud the realm, but the darkness lifts as we herald the forthcoming launch of 

The official Gothic trailer has premiered exclusively on TCGplayer’s YouTube Channel. Get your first glimpse at the horrors soon to arrive in the realm!

Gothic

Darkness Descends December 5th

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Latest News

The Realm Opens in Melbourne at Pax Australia

From Lash to Legend: Drew Tucker’s Flayer

Sowing and Salting the Earth: The Dual Visions of Brian Smith in Gothic

Juan Machuca: Welcome to Sorcery: Contested Realm

Darkness Descends: The Gothic Trailer Revealed

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