Some items aren’t meant to be collected quietly.

Some are meant to be used when the combat gets messy, when you’re outnumbered, and when the only way forward is to hit harder than the enemy expects.

That’s exactly what Rage Elixir: Spadefire Tonic was made for.

This piece is a fantasy potion illustration created for my game world Barker’s of Ruin, where card-based combat and item effects blend with story-driven moments. It’s the kind of potion you’d find in an inventory screen and immediately think:
“I should save this…”
…and then five minutes later you’re drinking it anyway.

♠️ Item Effect: What the Rage Elixir Does

In Barker’s of Ruin, this potion has one job:

Rage Elixir: Spadefire Tonic
✅ All Spades cards deal +2 damage this combat.

Simple. Dangerous. Effective.

It’s a power spike you can feel instantly—especially when your Spades cards are already your heavy hitters.

🎨 How This Artwork Was Made (Materials & Process)

I wanted this potion to look like it has pressure inside it—like it’s almost too strong to stay contained.

This illustration was made using:

• ✏️ Mechanical pencil (for the sketch and structure)

• 🧽 Kneaded eraser (for removing the sketch)

• 🎨 Watercolor pans (to build the rich crimson energy and gradients)

• 🖊️ Acrylic pen (for the bold outline)

The watercolor does the heavy lifting on the “alive” feeling—soft transitions, bright saturation, and that glowing liquid look—while the acrylic outline locks everything in with a crisp finish.

🧪 What’s Inside the Bottle?

The details in this piece are what sell the fantasy item vibe:

✨ Floating particles inside the liquid
🧊 A mysterious cube-like catalyst suspended in the center
💡 Glass highlights that make the bottle feel real
🔥 A red elixir tone that reads as pure combat aggression

To me, the cube feels like the core—almost like the potion has a controlled ignition source inside it. Something that keeps the rage burning… but also contained.

Barely.

🎥 Watch the Speed Drawing (YouTube Short)

If you want to see how it came together, you can watch the sped-up drawing process here

🖼️ Collect the Print

This artwork is available as an open edition print here:

🛒 Rage Elixir: Spadefire Tonic (Art Print Listing)

🔥 Final Thoughts

I love creating items like this because it makes the world feel playable. Even as a standalone art piece, it still carries the feeling of game mechanics, inventory decisions, and that one moment in combat where you commit to going all-in.

Because sometimes the only plan is:

♠️ Spades hit harder.
🔥 Everything else burns.

Thanks for checking out Rage Elixir: Spadefire Tonic, and stay tuned—there are more Barker’s of Ruin items and effects on the way.

— Justyn Simon