She-Hulk, Storm, Wasp and More – Fan Art Interview w/Ayhotte

Today we take a quick jaunt around some Marvel ladies fanart with an interview with Canadian Ayhotte and a gallery of her smashing gals!

Black Widow by Ayhotte (click to see original)

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Where in Canada are you from? What do you do when you’re not painting?

My name’s Audrey, I grew up in Quebec but went to school and worked in Ottawa for a few years. Drawing is a thing I took a liking to pretty early on, I think it came from watching a lot of animated shows and playing video games. Either way I never thought I could make a job of it until my late teens but hey, it worked out.

 

Spiderwoman by Ayhotte (click to see original)

How big is art in your life, is it something you are doing professionally?

I’m presently freelancing full time so I do get to make art as a living. I enjoy the freedom it gives in some aspects, though it regularly means working long hours, nights and weekends. I wouldn’t hate having more time to put on my personal projects, haha.

 

Maybe we can start with your gorgeous Storm. We’ve seen her iterated in different ways in the comics and in the movies, what do you think about her different representations. Do you have a favorite for example?

Thank you for your kind words about my Storm painting! She’s such an iconic character, she can pull off anything they make her wear and still be recognizable decades later. I think she’d make a potato sack look hot. Personally I love the mohawk look the most. I also love seeing her in civilian/designer clothing, Kevin Wada’s pieces come to mind.

 

Storm by Ayhotte (click to visit original)

You’ve painted a lot of fantastic women from Marvel including your Jane Foster Thor which is to die for. Who is your favorite female character today and has that changed over the years?

My favorite character… If we’re talking favorite character in the Marvel universe I’d have to go with She-Hulk as she’s my eternal crush (and the one I have the most of on my book shelf. I would kill for a laywer/hero tv series starring her). Miss America Chavez would be a close second, she’s the main reason I liked the Young Avengers run she appeared in. I’ve been out of the loop of hero comics in the past couple of years but I hear she got her own series now, I’d love to check that out eventually.

But if we’re talking favorite characters in general then that’s a much tougher question… that has changed so much over the years, and mostly depends on what piece of entertainment I’m presently high on.

 

Marvel or DC or both, where do you stand?

Will go with Marvel for the simple reason that I’ve read and watched way more of it. Nothing against DC, it just kind of happened that way.

You have a super cute piece with Wasp, any feelings on Ant-Man‘s brief look at Wasp and the upcoming Ant-Man And The Wasp movie? Good, bad, bit of both?

Ant-man was a lot of fun despite Wasp getting benched, but I’d definitely be happy to see a sequel with more of her. Heck, I’d prefer to see her get her own movie but I’ve learned not to hope for that much in this department. I did like the costume we had a peek at. It’ll probably get redesigned though, as they always do.

 

Wasp by Ayhotte (click to see original)

So if you were casting a Jen Walters Netflix series…?

Oh dear, I have no idea. I’ve never put much thought into actors and casting, I just tend to cheer or complain after the fact :P. It would be nice to see some news faces. However I do wonder how they’d do her She Hulk form. Full cgi would be expensive, maybe a body builder in front of a green screen? But the fact is there are more possibilities now than ever for that. (Just not a supermodel in green please oh god.)

Oh horror if they cast some no-muscle, tiny thin girl to play Jen! OK, that doesn’t bear thinking on!!

Shulkie by Ayhotte (click to see original)

 

If we’re talking Marvel Cinematic Universe which female superhero would you like to see get a movie?

I’m kind of excited for the Captain Marvel movie, it seems to be on the back burner though. Either a Kamala Khan or America Chavez movie would be pretty timely nowadays. Also I’d put up with Jeremy Renner for a buddy comedy with Kate Bishop and Hawkguy.

 

Captain Marvel by Ayhotte

True, that movie is still a few years off but at least we get to see Brie Larson play the Captain in the next Avengers movie. Yeay!

Scarlet Witch is one my personal favorites. You drew her in her traditional costume, how do you feel about Elizabeth Olsson’s SW and the look and movement design Joss Whedon imbued the character with?

Haha this is a character I love too so I might be overly critical, but here goes: I thought Wanda’s design in Age of Ultron wasn’t bad. Not really sold on the Civil War look though, maybe I’m just too in love with the red and pink suit. Regarding Olsen, I love her in everything but I wish they had considered keeping in Wanda and Pietro’s Romani heritage. The Avengers as a team doesn’t have that much diversity to play with already.

 

Scarlet Witch by Ayhotte (click to visit original)

Jane Foster’s Thor is quickly becoming as iconic a look as Mjolnir itself ever was. Not a light hearted story for sure but what do you think of Jane’s new Valkyrie look?
Where else would you like to see a drastic change in look applied? If you could anything?

I love Jane Foster’s Thor form, impracticalities aside. It’s fun to look at, it’s fun to paint, can’t ask for more.

 

Thor by Ayhotte (click to visit original)

 

Thank you so much for sharing your art and thoughts with us, Audrey! I appreciate being able to share these fabulous portraits with my readers and I hope you’ll find time for lots more fan art in the future!

 

You can see more of Audrey’s art and fan art by visiting her gallery on devianART.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Daenerys – Fan Art Interview w/ Yaşar Vurdem

Yaşar Vurdem is an illustrator, graphic designer and art student in Kayseri, Turkey. Besides his art, he enjoys science fiction movies and plays League of Legends. I cornered him for an interview so I could learn more about the man behind the heart-throbbing art you’ll see below!

Yaşar Vurdem

Most of Yaşar Vurdem’s works displayed below are fan art pieces, because that’s my angle and it’s an area of creative arts that often gets relegated to dusty corners because of the inherent copyright issues. But, and this is usually true with anyone I interview here, Yaşar has so many more original and amazing pieces in his gallery that I really must urge you to treat yourself to a visit in one of them. They’re all linked below.

Red Ridinghood by Yaşar Vurdem (click image to see original)

What else can you tell me about yourself? Where do you want to take your art for example?

I like to work on portraits. I think about writing a book. Which includes my art. About psychology of human and women who reflect our moods. I want to revive people’s inner world (with portraits and creatures).

My book will be like this. I will reflect reality with surreal portraits.

 

Harley Quinn by Yaşar Vurdem (click image to see original)

Let’s talk about movies and TV. I sense that Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn from last year’s DC movie Suicide Squad must have seized your imagination, what is it about that character or actress that caught your interest so?

At first, she is so cute ^^ Margot Robbie… She (Harley Quinn ed.) is crazy… Someone who was very logical before. Her feelings are reflected in her body. We can see her soul mood. Effects of life!

 

Harley Quinn – Suicide Squad by Yaşar Vurdem (click image to see original)

Most of your gallery consists of portraits of women done in a style that seems to blend Giovanni Bragolin with modern feathery Japanese art styles. Where do you take your inspiration from?

I like Japanese art. I often check old paintings and sketches. I’m very inspired by the old masters, Rembrandt for example and I’m really big fan of William-Adolphe Bouguereau‘s works. His colors and lights are just perfect. Really great for understanding human’s nature and skin…

 

Leaves by Yaşar Vurdem (click to visit original)

 

Marina Nery Portrait by Yaşar Vurdem

What does it take to get you fired up to do a fan art piece?

My fanart’s are sudden decisions. Unplanned works. I start working on it When I feel I have to do

 

Jhin Deadeye fanart by Yaşar Vurdem (click to see original)

What are you aiming toward as you firm up your individual style?

I’m aiming to improve anatomy and colors of my works. You could say I’m aiming for a line between realism and surrealism.

Gemma Ward by Yaşar Vurdem (click to see original)

Gemma is here captured in her role as Tamara the mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

As a counterpoint to for example your Leaves piece or Marina Nery portrait above, your Durotan is so lifelike you almost expect him to blur into movement at any moment. The style here is quite different than the majority of your works. What were your thoughts working on this piece?

Durotan Fanart by Yaşar Vurdem

About my durotan portrait… Something beautiful can emerge at a time when you least expect it. This is the best example of it in my opinion. At this work I focused on different brush strokes and textures.

And it certainly shows, the lighting alone is breathtaking!

Game of Thrones caught your interest or certainly your beautiful rendition of Daenerys seems to indicate so. Are you a fan of the series, books or both? Was there anything in the TV series visual style that attracted you in particular?

I’m a fan of the GOT series. I like John Snow too as a series character. But I like to paint women in my art so thats why I go for Daenerys.
I like that how she looks natural.

 

Daenerys Targaryen by Yaşar Vurdem (click to visit original)

Your Catwoman piece is also an exception among your other gallery pieces. Crisp and clear lines and the subject is active instead of passive. What were the circumstances that led you to draw her so?

I paint my catwoman in just 3 days. 4-5 hour’s in a day. I aimed at details and subject on this work. Her leather dress caught my attention very much.

I focused on so many details for it. The details were screaming at me like this Hey! Paint us paint us ! 😀

 

Catwoman by Yaşar Vurdem (click to visit original)

So what’s next for you?

 

In my future work, I will continue to focus on portraits and details. I’m planning to add special meaning to them, as I said earlier. 🙂 I’m really glad you like it.

Thank you so much for sharing your art and thoughts with me, Yaşar! I hope we’ll be seeing many decades more of art from you, my friend and I really do hope you write that book, it’ll be spectacular!

Please like and share this post so more people get to see the art style of Yaşar Vurdem. Who knows what sort of art or design gig might lay in wait for a talented young artist somewhere?

Deadpool by Yaşar Vurdem (click to visit original)

You can see more of Yaşar Vurdem’s art on:

deviantART

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Behance

Art Station

Marvel Fan Art Interview For Black History Month – John Gallagher!

In honor of black history month, I wanted to tailor a fan art collection and interview on some of the fantastic black superheroes we have in Marvel. I wish there were more people of color in comics or in my favorite genres of sci-fi and fantasy for that matter, but that lack of representation is being chipped away at. Even if the process can seem slow from the readers or viewers perspective.

John Gallagher is a very prolific entertainment illustrator from

FAN ART – Mass Effect, Witcher, Dragon Age by Shamiana

Shamiana is 17 and lives in Germany where she attends school. While that doesn’t leave as much time for her art as she’d wish, she does plan to make a living out of it eventually. She’s also an avid gamer who is especially into games with character and narrative focus such as Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls, The Witcher and so on. In the meeting of those passions, she produces spellbinding art with a shimmering almost trembling quality of that indrawn breath before movement.

 

Dragonborn by Shamiana
(Click the image to visit the original)

I asked what sort of games Shamiana likes to play:

When it comes to gaming, I’m a really big RPG fan. BioWare’s games are obviously among my favourites but if I had to pick one franchise I’d probably go with The Witcher. Simply because I read the books and very much enjoyed what CD Projekt Red did with the story.
But I also picked up Rise of the Tomb Raider recently and as far as I can tell, it’s really good!

 

What does it take for a game to fire you up to start painting?

I guess the one thing it actually takes for a game to make me paint some fanart are good character designs! If a character looks boring or the design just isn’t balanced I won’t want to draw her/him. But, of course, it also needs a good story and fleshed out characters – because otherwise I wouldn’t be invested in the whole thing at all.

 

The Warden by Shamiana
(click the image to visit the original)

 

Can you give some examples of what rounds out a character for you?

Something that’s really important, in my opinion, is that a design does not only look good but is also able to fulfill its purpose. If you’re going to draw a knight, for example, his armor should look like it is actually able to protect him from any harm. So you have to research how armor works, how it looks like and how it functions.

But, at the same time, you can’t just copy what you research because then you’ll end up with something very unoriginal. And if you’re designing the main protagonist of a game, e.g., then that’s not very good, since the protagonist has to look memorable, hence you have to be more innovative.

For a simple illustration, on the other hand, that’s already good enough.
So this is something I always consider when I’m designing characters myself and something I also look for in video game characters.

Unfortunately, I don’t have many artworks that depict the whole character, but one of the few I do have is my fanart of Evie Frye.

 

The Piece of Eden by Shamiana (click image to visit original)

 

Character design is something that Ubisoft generally does really well in Assassin’s Creed. Almost all of their main characters (that are supposed to fight) look like they are actually able to handle themselves well in a brawl and, at the same time, most of their outfits look very innovative and memorable.

Another character whose design I absolutely adore is the design of Yennefer in The Witcher 3.

 

Yennefer by Shamiana
(Click image to visit original)

 

What I love about her design is that it just represents her personality perfectly. CD Projekt Red designed her exactly the way Andrzej Sapkowski described her in the books and they ended up with a very unique design (or at least I haven’t seen anything similar yet) that also made a lot of sense in the world The Witcher is set in.

 

Is there an example of a character you were very disappointed in? Or have you found yourself painting a character to improve on what it sounded or looked like?

I don’t think I’ve actually encountered any characters that I was genuinely disappointed in, at least not in the games I’ve played. 

There are, however, a few characters whose design I always change just a little bit. For example, I absolutely can’t stand drawing Ciri’s high heels (From The Witcher 3) in any paintings I do of her and I always end up changing her boots to flat ones, because it looks less ridiculous. Apart from that though, I really like her design as well. It’s just this one little detail that always bugs me about her design.

 

Cirilla by Shamiana
(click the image to visit the original)

 

So boob armor? Does it annoy you?

It depends!
If a game is very story- and character-driven, boob armor really does annoy me a lot. Because it just doesn’t make any sense. 
But if it isn’t, I actually don’t care too much about it. Though I still think it’d be hilarious if the male characters got to wear something similar, just to balance things out.
I also don’t mind revealing outfits – I loved Morrigan’s design, for example. It’s just the bikini-armors that I don’t get.

 

Mass Effect Andromeda is less than three months away and there’s that gorgeous Cora you drew in your gallery. Is that the next big thing on your gaming horizon?

Oh no, that’s not Cora, that’s supposed to be my Ryder, haha.  But I must admit, they do look very similar. I designed her a few months ago, back when I had no idea how Cora was going to look. Seems like I unintentionally made them look alike.

 

 

Not Cora!
ME Andromeda by Shamiana
(click image to visit original)

 

That’s too funny! But then Peebee sure caught your eye, yes? Given how little we know about the crew so far, what is it about her that intrigued you?

I found it interesting about Peebee that she seems so different from a lot of the other Asari we already know from the original trilogy. While they were cold and graceful, her personality is described as bubbly and impulsive – she’s basically the opposite of them – and I like that a lot. 

 

 

Andromeda II by Shamiana

 

And what are you hoping for Andromeda? Something different than Mass Effect 3, something similar?

I’m hoping that Andromeda is going to be very different from ME3, or any Mass Effect game for that matter. We’ve got a new protagonist, a new squad, even a new galaxy. If it isn’t different at all I’m going to be disappointed!
But I’m also hoping that they included fewer fetch quests than in DAI. Preferably, no fetch quests at all. That was a nightmare.

 

We can hope and in fairness Mike Laidlaw, Creative Director of Dragon Age: Inquisition has indicated on behalf of BioWare that they’ve learned from the Hinterlands experience. \ o /

A big thank you to Shamiana for agreeing to this interview and letting me show off her art. Please visit her galleries at deviantArt and throw her some likes and comments!

I like comments too, those go down below!

Meet The Artist – CoupleofKooks

Meet the Artist is back. This time interviewing an artist and gamer whose Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls fan art will alternately haunt and charm you and may possibly make you want to boot up Morrowind or DA:O tonight.
Consider yourself warned!

There is a lot more to this artist than his haunting sepia toned fan art. He’s a 31 yo Wing Chun martial artist and competitive tea brewer* from Poland as well as a gamer and board gamer and he’d actually rank Bridge and Backgammon as his favourite games. On top of that he found time to do a lengthy bit of correspondence with me so I could, in good conscience, introduce you guys to his art.

What else do you do with your time? Are you an architect and paint fan art for fun? Are you a student somewhere or a full-time artist?

For the last couple of years I’ve been working in the film industry as an animator in 2D movies and as a designer in stop motion movies. I also build sets, props and models for puppet films. Painting fan art and fantasy related pictures is fun for me, a method of relaxation and a way of improving my skills with something not work related.

TES: Neloth of House Telvanni

What mediums do you use? Have you always used the same?

I feel best with digital painting, though I’ve discovered this technique just two years ago. Before I was painting with oil pastels, inks and acrylics. I switched to digital because it was much faster and much more comfortable to work with as a designer (making changes is so much easier now…). At the moment I use Photoshop (my favorite version is version 7, yes, the ten-year old one) and a kick-ass Wacom Cintiq tablet.

DA2 First Enchanter by coupleofkooks

Why is version 7 of Photoshop specifically your favourite?

When I was studying I couldn’t afford a new computer or a new software and it was the only version that I could use back then. I got very comfortable with it over the years and later, when I finally switched to more advanced machine and could try out more recent versions, I learned to appreciate it’s simplicity. To be honest the only tools in Photoshop I use for painting are brush or selection tool and those and the painting engine didn’t change in years, so I’m completely alright with small, light, retro Seven :]

TES: Ancestor’s Wrath by coupleofkooks

CoupleofKooks is an interesting pseudonym. Do you run your deviantART account with somebody else?

By myself, though you can say there is one more person behind part of the things I publish on this profile. It’s my very good friend, BucklesInTheSun, with whom I write and create the Shades of Red universe. She is responsible for a gigantic part of the story behind almost every picture related to this project.
As for the pseudonym itself – it comes from David Bowie’s song “Kooks”, which I was listening to while creating an account on Deviant Art :]

DA2 Of Love and Other Demons by coupleofkooks

(Orsino and Maidievh Hawke – Original Character story by ChristineFury. Read her fan fiction about Orsino and femme Hawke here: “Blood and Faith“)

What made you decide to practice Wing Chun?

I needed discipline and order in my life for various personal reasons, and because of some health issues I had to add regular exercises to my daily schedule. I was never good at training by myself so I needed something more social. I gave Wing Chun a try because a friend of mine started practicing it and I thought it will be easier for me if I had some company. At first I was all scared and bruised, then intrigued, now it simply raises the quality of my life. Very much. I am aware how cliché it will sound, but training martial arts is indeed training your own character. Now I added Tai Chi to that to balance this energetic style with something more gentle.

Shades of Red: Fallout by coupleofkooks

What video games have caught your interest this past year?

I’m constantly in love with Skyrim, so the most important thing that I’ve played during last year was a Dragonborn add-on. Also I keep playing Morrowind from time to time and the last two of Fallout games, which is my all time favorite series. Looks like Bethesda knows how to keep my interest. For years. And years… :] Aside from those masterpieces I tried out Far Cry 3 which I enjoyed, Hitman: Absolution which was fun and oh so pretty and Assassin’s Creed 3 which bored me to death.

TES Dunmer of Skyrim by Coupleofkooks

Often when The Elder Scrolls games are discussed it seems the art style has fans, haters and few on the fence. What attracts you to it?

I haven’t participate in any serious discussion of that sort, but I myself have mixed opinion about Elder Scrolls art style. Morrowind was, and still is a perfection for me, even though it has obviously aged. But the unique mood and superb visual ideas were what dragged me into Vvardenfell in a first place. The awkward animation and ugly characters is something that quickly disappears and stops bothering in a wonderful world of this game, even if one starts to play it now, in the era of flawless graphics. On the other hand the next part, Oblivion, is a game I’ve had very hard time with. Eventually I learned to like it and I kept it on my HD for few years, but it took me months to get used to awful faces and strange colors. I find this game ugly, simple as that, but it has strong moments that even with the unattractive visuals manage to be quite a show for the eye – Shivering Isles for examples, the best expansion ever published. Skyrim, especially modded, heavily modded, is a game I really like to look at. Lights, weather, auroras – I simply like to spend time in this world.
That’s when it comes to visual side of the Elder Scrolls game series. In general what attracts me most to those games (same goes for the Fallout series) is the open world and the possibility to mod the hell out of it. I love this feeling when You finish the intro / tutorial part and find yourself completely free to do whatever you want and go wherever you want. Even though you’re playing the same game again You can tell a completely different story. Fantastic thing.

TES: Sheogorath by coupleofkooks

How do you feel about the character art changes being planned for The Elder Scrolls Online? And are you going to play when it comes out next Spring?

I don’t like those changes too much. They feel like very general fantasy kind of style, pretty, shiny, generally super-cool, not something specific to the series. Elves for example. I really like the idea for these races in TES series. A little bit ugly, with strong features and facial hair – in ESO they change into I’ve-seen-them-in-all-other-games kind of elves. But yes, I’m going to give it a try.

TES: The Old One by coupleofkooks

“The Old One” in particular, of your TES pieces, seems to ooze Skyrim; not just because of the dragon silhouette but for that tell-tale white-out from the typical Skyrim weather. What were your thoughts (if you remember) on how to compose this piece and include the snow fall?

Actually the thought was very simple – I wanted to paint a dragon (and Paarthurnax was my favorite) and I wanted to try myself in painting this particular kind of weather. Since I was deeply into painting TES fan art this seemed like an obvious choice.

DAO Archdemon by coupleofkooks

It seems you once had a love affair with Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Given the E3 announcement this year of the third installment, Dragon Age Inquisition, do you think you will be interested in playing? How do you feel in hindsight about the first two games and where BioWare may be taking that story?

As for a Dragon Age series I was more attracted to the fandom than to the game itself. I like how everything is so alive among Dragon Age players. Pictures, fanfics, role playing games – fantastic and very inspiring fandom to be in. As for the games – I don’t really like them that much, though I find some character really intriguing and a lot of costumes and places really, really well designed. The story and the world is interesting enough for me to look forward third part of the series though, I think I would be most happy if BioWare would take us to Tevinter. It’s the place in DA universe I like the most. But from what I’ve heard – no chances for that.

(Video uploaded by IGN)

And while we’re on Dragon Age, like The Elder Scrolls, that’s a unique art style; mature, dark and a little gritty and used. Is it safe to say that’s your kind of style?

Yes, it’s very much safe to say so.

DA2 No Compromise by coupleofkooks

Which game releases are you keeping an eye on for the future?

Fallout 4. Really. I know no announcements have been made yet, and it’s not really certain the game will be in production, but I really, really look forward for even the smallest info about this particular title. Also S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. No idea if this one is even planned but I would really like to visit Zone again. As for non-postapocalyptic games? Another TES title – always.

DA2 Have Confidence by coupleofkooks

A huge thank you goes to CoupleofKooks for answering all my never-ending questions of the past few months! This post may have been a long time coming, CoupleofKooks, but I’m proud to have your art displayed on my site!

If you want to immerse yourself in more of CoupleofKooks mellow parchments and shocking reds, visit his (on occasion quite steamy!) galleries at: coupleofkooks.deviantart.com.

Tag the comment box below – we’d love to hear your thoughts on CoupleofKooks’ art and opinions!

* (Actually he tells me he already brews the perfect tea so no competition really. I just wanted to be dramatic  ~Aggie)

Meet the Artist – Evolvana

Taking illustration to the outer limits of what is epic and grandiose – meet Evolvana, a gamer and visual artist from France who will woo you with grandiose views of Middle Earth or behind the Wall. Vana  has spent a lot of time in New Zealand and Japan before returning to France during which time she also journeyed in games and books from the Thrawn trilogy and Final Fantasy to Game of Thrones and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Join us after the break as we talk about her travels, her own dark fantasy project and the do’s and don’ts of in game romance.

Fantastic Spanish Mass Effect Cosplay

Tali’Zorah vas Normandy comes to life with this amazing cosplay and photography. Meet Nebulaluben and Erikku-kun who will go all out realizing the imaginations of their favourite game developers.

Meet the Artist: Kaela Croft – SWTOR, AC3, Elder Scrolls and More

Meet Kaela Croft – avid Assassin’s Creed and Star Wars fan – and her graceful lines and strong women. Scroll down for the full interview where we talk about her arts, future and favourite games as well as show off a handful of  her newest works! In the meantime I hope you will forgive me for hijacking the article with a bit of exposition on what the plan is going forward with fan art posts here on the WeeMadAggie blog.

Fan art, in its countless guises, can be everything from the most sincere expression of appreciation to some very disturbing what-if scenarios and everything in between. This means that as an art genre the word itself is almost meaningless. We use the term to describe anything that builds upon the original work of another, which comes with its own bit of of hypocrisy: What bit of “original” work doesn’t build on previous works in the same genre.

Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.
– Pablo Picasso

So when I tell you that I would like to bring you an injection of fan art as often as possible on these pages, I mean a very specific sub genre of the nebulous term: Gaming and nerd culture fan art. The reasons are both complex and very simple at the same time. Put in simple terms I wish to celebrate us. You and me and the interests we share which include games, movies, TV, books and cartoons. When I look at a talented artists rendering of his or her love for a certain game or story that I also loved, that connection is made manifest in that piece of art, regardless of what form that art takes.

As gamers, sci-fi and fantasy lovers we have come a long way from tacking up the Baldur’s Gate map on our wall because it’s cool. Mind you, that map still is cool but many of us may not have upgraded it to a frame for various reasons. Gaming still carries its portion of stigma, but if, like me, you spend more than an hour a day on games or on science fiction or fantasy tales, then why shouldn’t you show off that love in your home and in your life? I want to inspire you to sport fan art of your favourite interests on your desktops, phones, clothes or walls and feel good about it. Even if I can’t entice you to seek out an artist and buy up all her works in print, I’m still happy to bring you a little colour and a little love for our shared interests during the week. I’m convinced it’s good for you.

Kaela Croft is 20 and from Denver, Colorado where she is a student at Arapahoe Community College. Right now she is getting her Associate of General Studies at the end of this semester but the plan for the future is to get a toe into the gaming industry. Right there is our first clue that Kaela is also a gamer.

Last time we spoke, you were heavy into Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution but that was back in October last year. Is that still the case or are you playing something new now?

I still play Skyrim frequently, however, ever since Assassin’s Creed III was released I’ve been playing the multiplayer of that game nonstop. I’m super competitive and like to keep my ranking and stats decent.

“Assassin’s Creed III” by Kaela croft

Any titles you are planning on picking up in the near future?

I’m a huge Tomb Raider fan. I played the first two games when I was maybe eight or ten, I don’t remember exactly. I wasn’t exactly allowed to play shooter games so I played in secret. Now I can’t wait to get my hands on that new Tomb Raider game.

Oooo! Any chance we’ll be seeing some Lara Croft pics from you when you do, do you think?

I definitely see some Lara Croft pictures in the future. I think I’m going to try and get something done before the release of the new game, so early March.

You said you’d like to break into the game industry. Is that still the case and if you could pick any where, any company what would you do and where?

Yup, that is still the goal I have. As much as I would love to stay and work in Colorado, I wouldn’t mind working outside of the USA for a really large company such as Sony or Blizzard. I would want to work with concept designs or do texturing. I’m leaving my options open really.

“My Darkside” by Kaela Croft

Do you play SWTOR? Seems you are inspired to produce a lot of very touching fan art for the game?

Actually, I’ve never played the SWTOR series! If I had a computer that could handle the game I totally would. I just get a lot of commissions to do artwork from the game.

Two characters in particular keep showing up in your works; the light saber wielding lovers Derek and Sakiko.

“Hey There Stranger” by Kaela Croft

Could you tell us a little bit about who they are?

Oh, Derek and Sakiko… These are two of my Star Wars original characters.
Derek is a Sith and Sakiko is a Jedi. Initially they started out as enemies, but they become unexpected allies as time goes on. As they get to know more about each other during missions they develop a bit of a romance. Derek is completely attached to Sakiko, yet Sakiko is torn between her loyalties to the Jedi and her love for Derek. There is so much to say, but that pretty much gets the point across!

They are definitely an eye-catching pair and it’s been lovely to see their features evolve and solidify over time!

Here is Sakiko with her padawan:

“Taking a Chance” by Kaela Croft

(One of my favourite aspects of Kaela’s art, apart from her gorgeous colour palettes are the hair and cloth movement. It’s so swirly and caught in motion!)

I was looking at this piece of yours, “Hunted By The Thalmor” (see below) and first I have to say he’s very interesting (/fans self).

“Hunted By The Thalmor” by Kaela Croft

I may have to change my plans regarding one of my future characters thanks to this. But I was curious about what you wrote in the note for this image in your deviantART gallery. You noted that you had to cure him of being a vampire in Skyrim, because it was too annoying; what happened?

Altmer are a fun race to play for their appearance alone. I had to cure him of vampirism because I kept forgetting that I need to feed before he reaches stage four otherwise everyone attacks when you approach. It got in the way of selling items and going near any cities.

“Elegance” by Kaela Croft

Have you given any thought to The Elder Scrolls Online? Do you think you’ll play?

I recently found out about The Elder Scrolls Online, and after looking it over I’m very excited to play this. As long as the game runs smoothly on my computer I’ll be playing.

I was also admiring this piece, “Easy on the Eyes” (again, see below) and it made me realize that the women you portray in general are all very ‘normal’ looking (as opposed to overly skinny with balloon boobs) is that a conscious choice or did that just happen along the way?

I like to give my women realistic proportions. Logically if the woman has a small frame she’s going to have small breasts. If she is a bit heavier then she’s going to have larger breasts.

“Easy on the Eyes” by Kaela Croft

From your lips to the ears of a great many cartoonists in the world! Thank you Kaela (again) for indulging my curiosity. And dear readers, this was a very small selection of Kaela’s work. Please visit her galleries at Kaelacroftart.deviantart.com for the full experience. And if you want to team up with Kaela on the Playstation for some AC3 multiplayer, her PSN tag is: sakiko0art.

Feel free to call out in the comments below, both Kaela and I would love to know if you have a favourite among these pieces and why! And let me know if you liked the article set up, image, title and so on or not. Every bit of well meaning advice, suggestion or opinion helps.