Your D&D Character Has Been Invisible for 7 Years

How a wife's detective work exposed the silent crisis at every gaming table

Written by Jan 👋

I've drawn over 500 D&D characters since 2023.


But I didn't understand the real problem until last month, when a wife emailed me at 11 PM:


"My husband has played the same character for three years. Blue fire for hair, like Hades from Disney but 'more real.' I've watched him spend entire Saturdays on Hero Forge trying to make it work.


He has a folder with 200+ images labeled 'Kullen_sort_of' and 'almost_but_wrong_weapon.' He even bought the $40 STL file but never printed it because 'the hair just looks like blue plastic.'


He defeated Strahd with this character last year. It was apparently huge for their campaign. But he's still using art where the character has normal hair because he can't find anything with actual flames.
 

Is it possible to get his real character drawn for Christmas without him knowing?"

She'd done reconnaissance. Screenshots of his Hero Forge attempts. Photos of notebook sketches. Even a recording of him describing the character to a new player: "Imagine if Ghost Rider and Hades had a warlock baby, but the flames are cold."

This man had spent 40+ hours and roughly $75 on various character creators, trying to show something that doesn't exist in any preset system.


When he opened the portrait Christmas morning, she said he went completely silent for thirty seconds.
 

Then: "The fire. After three years... this is actually him."

His D&D group's Discord explosion two hours later:


"WAIT THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DESCRIBING??"


"The flames explain SO MUCH about your combat choices"


"We've been picturing him COMPLETELY wrong for THREE YEARS"


That's when I understood: This isn't about art. It's about finally being seen.

The Invisible Character Crisis

After 500+ commissions, here's the math that should terrify you:


The average D&D player waits 7 years before commissioning art.


At 4 hours per session, 40 sessions per year, that's 1,120 hours playing someone invisible.

The "Close Enough" Trap

It starts innocently enough.


You save a Pinterest image. 

 

"That's almost the armor." 

 

Another one. 

 

"Close, but the hair's wrong." 

 

Before you know it, you have 847 images in a folder labeled "Thorin_inspo" and you're no closer to actually seeing him.

Then you discover Hero Forge.


$8 for the basic version. You spend three hours adjusting the jaw, the stance, the exact angle of the cloak. 

 

It's closer. But the fire effect looks like cheap plastic, and no matter how many times you rotate the camera, it still feels... off.
 

$40 for the STL file. "Maybe if I can print it and paint it myself..."
 

You never print it. It sits in your downloads folder with the other 20 attempts.

 

So you try the AI generators. ChatGPT will fix the armor! 

 

Except now the face is wrong. 

 

You fix the face, the armor breaks. 

 

You fix the armor, and suddenly the face is wrong again. 

 

There's always something.

Picrew. Midjourney. That one generator someone mentioned on Reddit. 

 

You've exhausted 10,000 combinations across platforms you don't even remember the names of anymore.


Every single one feels like a compromise.


Because "close enough" isn't enough when you've spent 300 hours being this person.


You've hung out with your friends as this character every week for years. Inside jokes at the table. That one critical roll everyone still talks about. The running gag with the bartender NPC.


You think about them between sessions: what they'd do next, how they'd react, that perfect one-liner you're saving for the right moment.


And right now? They're represented by something you cobbled together in 30 seconds on ChatGPT.

That's not right.


So you finally decide: it's time to commission real artwork.


You start researching. Reddit threads. Artist portfolios. Price comparisons.


That's when you see them.

 

The horror stories.

"$300 stolen—artist deleted their account."

 

"Waited 6 months for garbage. When I asked for revisions, they ghosted me."


"The 'artist' just traced Google images and charged me $200."


Your partner notices.


They've watched you spend entire Saturday afternoons on Hero Forge "just one more time." 

 

They've seen the notebook margins filled with the same face from different angles. 

 

They hear the excitement in your voice when you explain your campaign, then watch it deflate when someone asks to see your character.


They know there's something you want but won't ask for.


They just don't know what it is.


Because when someone asks "What do you want for Christmas?" how do you say:

 

"I want the person I've been pretending to be for 300 hours to finally be visible"?
 

You can't. It sounds absurd even to you.
 

So you say "dice" and move on.
 

Another critical campaign moment passes. Another year of your party imagining someone who doesn't exist.
 

Your character stays invisible.

Why Every December, You Say "Dice"

It feels impossible to explain why someone who doesn't exist matters so much.


You've spent hundreds of hours with them. They've been your Friday night for years. 

 

You know their fears, their dreams, the way they'd react to finding a lost child. 

 

They exist in your mind as fully as any character from a book you love: except you created them.


But when someone asks "What do you want for Christmas?"


How do you say: "I want the person I've been pretending to be for 300 hours to finally be visible"?
 

You can't. It sounds absurd even to you. So you say "dice" and move on.


The people who love you aren't fooled. 

 

They notice things:

The notebook margins filled with the same face from different angles

The Saturday afternoon you spent trying Hero Forge "just one more time"

How you light up explaining your campaign but go quiet when asked to show your character

They sense there's something you want but won't ask for. They just don't know what it is.


Last week, three different non-players emailed me:

A wife: "He's been playing this dwarf for four years. His hammer, blessed by his god, the brother he failed to save, etc. But he uses generic dwarf art. I want to give him his actual dwarf."

"She draws the same elf in every notebook since middle school. She's in college now. I think it's time someone else drew her."

"I don't understand D&D but he's explained his character's backstory to me a dozen times. It clearly means something deep to him."

They get it. Not the game, but what matters: 

 

That you've created something meaningful that deserves to exist outside your head.


They're just waiting for permission to make it real.

The Table Transformation Nobody Talks About

The moment I understood this problem was when I drew Eraellyn.


She was a tiefling cleric in a campaign I was playing in. 

 

For three years, she'd been keeping everyone alive. The reliable healer. The one you called when things got bad.


But her player had been describing things we never really heard. 

 

Something about purple robes and penance. A voice that haunted her. The way she healed with desperate intensity.

 

I realized she was being overlooked. So her player and I started working on a secret project together: to finally bring her character to life.
 

For the rest of the party, we just saw "the cleric."
 

Her player had been using generic tiefling art for years: wrong class, wrong colors, wrong everything.


The moment I posted the finished portrait in our Discord, the table lost their minds.

"Wait, THAT'S Eraellyn?!"

 

"HOLY SH*T IS THAT A DEMON BEHIND HER?"

"The purple robes are PENANCE robes??"


"Is something watching her in the background?"


"NOW I get why you panic every time someone takes damage"

For three years, none of us understood. We never knew about the Voice that once possessed her. About the purple she wore as eternal penance. About why she healed with such desperate intensity, each spell cast was an act of redemption we couldn't see.


The moment that portrait dropped, everything changed.
 

Our DM immediately started weaving her guilt into healing descriptions. NPCs began noticing her purple cloak, asking about it.

 

For the first time in three years, Eraellyn wasn't just mechanically present, she was narratively alive.

One portrait transformed three years of "the cleric" into Eraellyn.

Why This November Changes Everything

You have approximately 21 days before your December delivery window closes.
 

21 days before another holiday passes with you saying "dice."
 

21 days before your character goes invisible through another year.
 

But here's what's different right now:
 

The people who love you are searching for the perfect gift.
 

Your partner Googled "D&D gifts" last week. Your sibling texted the group chat asking for ideas. Your best friend knows your character means something but doesn't know how to make it real.
 

And I've spent the last three years solving every single commission fear.

 

The Heroic Money-Back Guarantee: 

 

Most artists won't offer a money-back guarantee.

 

And I get why. Commissions are risky. You invest hours before seeing a dime of profit.

 

But here's the thing: I've realized most people never commission art not because they don't want it, but because they're terrified of getting burned.

 

So the risk itself is what's killing the sale.

 

If I take on that risk instead, two things happen:

 

First, you finally get the portrait you've been wanting for years. And if I do my job right (which I do, unlimited revisions make sure of that), you're thrilled.

 

Second, you realize commissioning art isn't scary. So you do it again. Maybe from me, maybe from another artist you discover. 

 

Either way, you've joined the community of people who support artists directly.

 

That helps everyone.

 

The guarantee isn't a gimmick. It's the only way to get people past the fear that's been stopping them for years.

The Character Blueprint:

 

Remember being terrified you'll describe them wrong? I created a simple form that captures everything. 

 

If you're giving this as a gift and don't know the details? I help you investigate without spoiling the surprise.

Direct Communication, Always 

 

No middlemen, no confusion. You message me directly. I respond within 24 hours. Every question answered, every concern addressed. You'll know exactly where your commission stands, always.

The Living Motion Upgrade 

 

This month only - your portrait breathes. Literally. Cloaks flutter, eyes blink, magic glows. When you drop this in Roll20 or show your table, jaws drop. 

 

(Free $50 value)

Real Players, Real Victories

I could tell you all day about bringing characters to life. But here's what players who've finally met their heroes face-to-face have to say:

10/10 recommend Jan!

I spent weeks looking on Reddit, getting frustrated by the lack of price disclosure and feeling nervous about getting ghosted. Then I found Jan through a Facebook ad. She brought every detail to life based on written descriptions, scattered references, and a mediocre Hero Forge image. I'm so glad I took the plunge!

-Kaitlyn G.

Verified Customer

She really gets your character

Jan understands visual storytelling takes intentional reflection. She's not a 'draw a pair of boots' artist, but a 'where have those boots been, how many miles have they seen?' kind of artist. You can't teach that kind of care and curiosity. It turned out spectacular, can't wait for my next character!

-Jayce S.

Verified Customer

Jan brought my character to life!

Honestly, I was scared at first, because I'm really picky with art. But Jan managed to gather everything I described into the picture. I nearly heard my character speaking out of it. Her eyes seemed to be alive. It was worth every bit of anxiety and doubt I had going in.

-Luzy L.

Verified Customer

Even better than Hero Forge

The Weaver has been my character for a year and a half, and I could never get them right with Hero Forge or my own drawings. Jan brought this enigmatic courtier to life perfectly. I'll definitely commission again when the campaign wraps to show how the character has changed and evolved.

-Gale S.

Verified Customer

The Real Cost of Waiting

Your character at minimum wage hourly: $8.25/hour played
 

After 100 sessions: $3,300 of time invested
 

Current representation: Wrong ChatGPT/Pinterest image (Free but soul-crushing)
 

Actual portrait of YOUR character: $99
 

That's 3% of what you've already invested. For the only permanent record of hundreds of hours of creativity.
 

You've bought dice sets you've never used. Books you've never opened. Miniatures for characters you played twice.
 

But your main character? The one you've been for hundreds of hours?
 

Still invisible.

What Happens When You Finally Order

1. Instant: Get emailed my Character Blueprint for you to review and fill out

2. Within 24 hours: I respond personally to confirm your details

 

3. Within 2 weeks: You see initial concepts

4. Within 2.5 weeks: Your character exists
 

5. Unlimited revisions: Until every detail matches your vision
 

6. The moment you share it: Your table finally understands who you've been

This Is Your Sign

The wife from the opening? She knew nothing about D&D.


She just knew her husband had been trying to show people something that mattered to him for three years.


Your partner sees it too. The gap between your excitement explaining your character and the deflation showing placeholder art.


They're waiting for permission to fix it.


Give them the link to this page. Let them make you visible.


Or do it yourself. Because after 7 years, your character deserves to exist.

FondlyFramed

4.9

|

324 Reviews

D&D Character Portrait

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I get a character portrait?

Because right now, you're the only one who truly sees your character.


After 200+ hours of play, your party still forgets their name. The DM overlooks your backstory. That epic moment from last month? Already forgotten.


And that ChatGPT placeholder isn't cutting it either.
 

A portrait changes the entire table dynamic.


Suddenly, you're not "the wizard", you're Kalendra the Stormcaller. Your plot hooks get woven in. Your victories stick in everyone's memory. You go from background player to the character everyone's invested in.


Plus, campaigns end. Groups drift apart.


But that hero who's lived in your head for years? They deserve to exist beyond your imagination.


A portrait is proof that all those Thursday nights mattered.


And with Living Motion, they don't just exist. They breathe.
 

Bottom line: Your character has earned the right to be seen, remembered, and immortalized.


The only question is whether it happens before your campaign ends.

Not sure where to start or how to describe your character?

No problem at all! I'll guide you through the commission process step-by-step. Many of my clients are first-time commissioners, so you're in good company.

 

If you'd like to be extra prepared, you're welcome to grab a free Character Blueprint and fill that out with as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.

 

Otherwise, you can simply make a purchase, and I'll personally walk you through everything from there. My goal is to make this easy and enjoyable for you!

How does the Money‑Back Guarantee work?

After I deliver your polished concept (in around 2 weeks), you will have 3 days to decide if the art feels right. If not, just email me, I'll refund you in full.

Once I start revisions, the guarantee ends. Simple, risk‑free, and there so you can commission with confidence.(See the full Refund Policy for the fine print.)

 

I truly believe every D&D player deserves to see their hero come to life. This guarantee is just my way of making sure you feel safe jumping in.

What does my order include?

1) A custom hand-painted portrait of your character

 

2) My Heroic Money Back Guarantee

3) Unlimited revisions until it's perfect

 

4) 2-week turnaround on your first concept

 

5) Limited Bonus: Get a Free Living Motion upgrade on your finalized portrait. (Regular Price: $50, Limit 1 per customer)

P.S. - For the gift-givers: You don't need to understand hit points or spell slots. You just need to know their character matters to them. I'll handle everything else. That wife from the opening? She knew nothing about D&D. Her husband's portrait now hangs in their game room.

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