These original works were created before or outside Faith Power and Truth Holy Wars™. They are not game artwork. Together, they show how William Earl Byrd III returned to drawing, developed his signature linework, and learned to create through a changed way of seeing.
Optic neuropathy took William’s central detail and much of his central color vision. Straight lines can appear bent or warped, while color is easier to recognize through peripheral vision. His work adapted: layered lines describe form, realism is concentrated in carefully chosen areas, and color is used sparingly where its placement is known.
William often works at 18 × 24 inches because a larger surface helps him create detail. Some works are 16 × 20 inches, and the size is sometimes determined simply by what materials he can afford. Whatever the surface, drawing remains a place of peace.
Charcoal and linework
This early work from William’s return to drawing portrays his youngest son with an angel behind him. The angel is not hooded: its indistinct face reflects how a person more than about fifteen feet away appears through William’s vision. The uncertainty also felt natural because the Bible does not describe an angel’s face.
Linework with selective realism
Inspired by a couple William saw going through something deeply painful together. The beauty was not their sadness, but that neither person was alone. One small realistic area in each face carries the emotion; the surrounding linework reflects how William sees the world.
Charcoal, linework, and selective color
A laughing child William saw at work inspired this portrait. He preserved the happiness in her face and added a sunflower, placing yellow only where he knew it belonged. The face holds the realism; the hair and flower carry his signature lines.
Original artwork drawn by William. Motion added with AI assistance.
Personal work · Childhood trauma
Matthew 18:10 accompanies a deeply personal reflection on childhood abuse and the part of William that still carries sadness and lost hope. Partial realism, a single point of color, and fractured linework place the remembered child between presence and distance.
These physical artworks change under ultraviolet light. The reveal is created with UV-reactive pigment—not by AI.
Charcoal and UV-reactive pigment
Under ordinary light, the moth appears as a black-and-white drawing. Under UV light, white pigment reveals a luminous blue moth and moon.
The light-reactive transformation belongs to the physical artwork. AI assisted with the video presentation.
Charcoal and UV-reactive pigment
Created after someone suggested William make his own response to The Starry Night. Rather than copy Van Gogh, he drew an isolated island from personal reflection. Its night sky remains hidden until ultraviolet light reveals it.
Large-format studies helped William develop the directional linework that became his signature style.
18 × 24-inch practice study
A study of the human body in which line direction, rather than smooth tonal shading, defines the chest, shoulders, arms, and abdomen.
18 × 24-inch figure study
A traditional study of the human form. Unlike the musculature study, this work focuses on proportion, posture, and the relationship between the body, drapery, and wings.
Portrait study
The realistic face took considerable time, while the clothing demonstrates greater confidence and control in William’s developing linework.
Historical note: The handwritten dates are accurate. The phrase “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph” is associated with Thomas Paine and is often misattributed to Washington; “Deeds, not words” is not verified here as a Washington quotation. The original drawing is shown unaltered.
Selective realism and color
Realistic charcoal shading gives the face and shoulders softness, while the hair remains unmistakably constructed through William’s energetic lines. A controlled touch of red draws attention to the lips.
Animals gave William a playful way to explore how lines behave as fur, scales, horns, and feathers. Carefully rendered eyes become the emotional center of each drawing.
A lighthearted character study built almost entirely from William’s linework.
Large, carefully developed eyes bring softness and life to the dense, expressive fur.
16 × 20 inches
An imaginary creature given personality through realistic golden eyes. The photograph below shows William holding the original and its physical scale.
16 × 20 inches
Flowing lines build the cow’s long coat, while the visible eye creates a quiet point of connection with the butterfly.
16 × 20 inches
The eyes and slight smile hold the expression while repeated lines create the animal’s soft coat.
Sharpie on fabric
A friend asked William to draw an angel on a T-shirt. Normally working on canvas or paper at the time, he applied his linework directly to fabric for this one-of-a-kind piece.
Two drawings on separate sheets
William’s interpretation of the two Jokers in a deck of cards: one angel and one devil. The separate drawings were placed together on an easel for the photograph.
The animation preserves the line between the two sheets, then lets the angel’s wing cross over that physical separation. Original figures hand-drawn by William; motion added with AI assistance.
This collection is currently larger than the Holy Wars art archive because William’s artistic journey began long before the game. New character drawings and development work will be added as Faith Power and Truth Holy Wars™ continues to take shape.