Thank you everyone for your support so far! We are closing the store at the end of today and will be distributing the zine tomorrow. If you haven't had a chance to get yours yet, it still available at: http://bit.ly/buytffzine!⠀
Today we interview Jorge Pérez! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
From a very young age I had the need to draw, I always had things that inspired me to continue doing it. But about ten years ago I decided to learn, study and develop my own artworks more seriously.
Everything I see in nature, people and entertainment motivates me to interpret and represent it in a very personal way.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
Traditional and digital are the same delightful ways to draw. But I prefer mechanical pencils, inks and pens (on traditional). And Adobe Photoshop,
because it is an application that I have used for a long time.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
For now I do a lot of fanart and little original art, because I think it is very didactic to study the created, to have clearer ideas when you want to create something original. In the future there will surely be a lot of original art, to explore freely and build my portfolio.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
Oh yeah, there's a lot of artists and masters I admire and I've been learning from. Name some ones could be unfair, because I always learn something of each artist I see.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
Keep always drawing, painting, everyday. Doesn't matter if you think your art sucks, do it even when you don't know what to draw. Use your eyes and see other artists, you can even study their artworks, but sit down and work harder.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I can materialize my ideas, I can take elements from other artists, things that I like and represent them as I would like to see them. You really enjoy the creative process.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
You can find me posting my art on:
https://www.deviantart.com/jperezs
https://www.facebook.com/JPEREZART
@jorgeleoperez (On instagram)
I thought that doing a Patreon would be a good idea, but to my regret, I'm not quite ready yet. I will prepare everything as it should, I will take my time to offer something good . At the moment I am wanting to take a more fluid work flow.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
DS1 - DS2 - DS3 (Didn't played Demon's Souls and Bloodborne) :C
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
Swear words but not in English.
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
The moment when the gargoyles take you to Annor Londo for first time, speechless.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
After 6 months in production, we proudly present to you 60 pages of new DARK SOULS inspired artworks. A worldwide collaboration between 32 amazing illustrators together in this artbook titled🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥
𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏!
𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺
New exclusive fan art of Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3 characters
Total of 40 full page illustrations, spreads & comics
60 pages Digital PDF with embedded hyperlinks
Bilingual English [EN] & Spanish [ES]
🔥GET IT HERE: DARK SOULS ZINE STORE
More details on 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page with the full list of contributors and their social media links (open in browser)
Today we interview Confederate Yuni! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
I've been drawing for 5 years, I tried my best to figure out why I started it but no I can't remember...! But it won't be a problem as long as I'm enjoying it now!
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I use pen and pencil to concentrate into making details, and procreate for digital works.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I highly appreciate other people's creation, so no doubt why drawing fan arts based off of their work are so enjoyable to draw. Meanwhile, the fascinating works I see from other artists keep on inspiring me to draw original work as well.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
A LOT of artists inspire me, especially the ones who draw armors, robots, creatures and weirrrrd stuffs.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I can draw pretty much anything I want. You can draw 5 armed abnormal creature and call it a robot like me.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
I like most of my works which involve armor in it. Dark Souls and Berserk is responsible for me liking armors so much.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
I post mostly in Instagram and Twitter, and I'm drawing Medieval Bloodborne again now. I basically add armor stuff into bloodborne's attire, so name pretty much tells what it is.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
Bloodborne - Dark Souls 2 - Dark Souls 1 - Demon's Souls - Dark Souls 3. Bloodborne is and will be favorite so on.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
Swiggity swooty here comes the talisman.
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
Fighting Soul of Cinder. It just straight hits you in the face with Gwyn theme.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview Mecharune! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
I've been drawing since I could hold a pen, and I've gotten serious about it in 2017. Prior to that, they were mere scribbles on blank notes.
And just like others, I got into art as a form of exposure toward literacy and pop culture
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I use mechanical pencil and brush pens for traditional media. As for digital medium, I use Photoshop CS6 because it's an industry standard. Other times, I would use Autodesk Sketchbook on my mobile phone for portability purposes. And it's free :)
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I'm currently leaning toward fanart, but they're mainly for practicing and engaging more with the community. I do have several original works in mind, a continuation of my original artbook/album and IPs.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
Masahiro Ito, Yasushi Suzuki, and Isamu Kamikokuryo are my primary artist
inspirations.
I'm always fond of H.P Lovecraft, dark fantasy and steam punk world. So any creations alike that relives the depiction of these themes had great inuence toward my artwork as well. Namely, Silent Hill, Bloodborne, and Bioshock.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
If you're passionate about it,
go for it regardless of how long it will take for you to get there. Acknowledging the risks should help you keep an open mind, not tearing down your confidence. Plan ahead, be patient, be determined, and ultimately be creative in tackling challenges.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
It's the liberation to express yourself and, perhaps, to influence others (e.g. initiating conversations).
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
"Blissful Redemption"
This is one of my early digital illustration that I created. I like to bring out genre- bending themes into my work. And this art piece marries both mecha and fantasy in certain ways.
“Limits”
This is actually the rst illustration of that year, 2017, when I too started to pick up the motivation in pursuing my artistic journey. It's an original piece inspired by the year Fire Rooster of Chinese Zodiac Calendar, and maybe an original IP in development.
“Yurie - The Last Scholar”
I love everything that From Software has to offer since Armored Core. And Bloodborne by far is my most favourite. I really like the Scholar's Lore for their admiration and unusual harmony they had with the Great Ones. Yurie was my rst Bloodborne fanart that I've managed to create, but also my first time tackling a full body portrait with background.
“Fear the Old Blood”
First art of 2019
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
You can follow this curated link: https://linktr.ee/mecharune
In terms of project, I'm currently in the progress of making BB 5th anniversary zine scheduled for 2020 release. Stay tune for more sneak peaks in the future :)
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
DS2, Bloodborne, DS3. +Fav: Bloodborne
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
The Lord’s name in vain.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview Asrielle! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
My dad used to draw my favorite TV show characters for me as a kid, and it inspired me to start drawing too. I've been drawing since I was a toddler, but I only started taking it seriously in my teens, so it's been over a decade now that I've been studying and trying to improve, but over 20 years drawing for fun.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I prefer to use a HB pencil and regular paper for most things I draw, and then if I really like a drawing, I'll move it into Adobe Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. I've slowly started using those programs more for illustrations because of their brush capabilities, which are really fun to work with. I think I'll be using Clip Studio Paint a lot more in the future!
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I mostly make fan art! It's so much fun talking about things that I love with other people, and I love seeing everyone else's fan art as well. I have original works that I care about, but I get wrapped up in my video games a little too often and draw even more fan art as a result, haha.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
Ayami Kojima, who did a lot of art for the Castlevania games, is a big inspiration of mine! James Gurney is fantastic. He's my inspiration for playing with all sorts of lighting in my work. I love looking at art that features dramatic sunlight and shadow and perfectly replicates how light changes throughout the day.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
I can understand this. I took a lot of risks pursuing art, and I still wonder if it was worthwhile sometimes. It really depends on what you want out of creating art. If it's for money, I can respect that, but if you force yourself to do something, it will just make you hate it in the end. But if creating art makes you happy and leaves you with a sense of fulfillment, I think you should accept the risks. Life's too short to play it safe and wonder "what if?" Usually, I'll just tell myself "just do it" nowadays. Failure isn't failure if it can be turned into a learning experience. At least, that's what the Souls games taught me!
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I have a really bad memory, so when I finish a drawing I'd spent a lot of time on and look back on it later, I can remember a lot of how I felt when I worked on it and the steps that led up to its creation. It's like putting a part of myself on paper, as cheesy as that sounds. It's the same with how photos can really capture a moment in time. The community is also really cool, since there are so many other artists who go through all the same struggles and you all can bond over the creative process and the results. I love that there are so many of us out there making really cool things that we can wake up to and get inspired by, and that I get to be part of that too.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
Solaire is such a fun and interesting character that really stands out in a dark game that's aptly named "Dark Souls." I love kind and supportive characters and I immediately said to myself "I must protect him at all costs." I drew him in all sorts of funny situations and turned a few of the drawings into stickers. People who saw them would get so excited and we'd chat about our favorite sunny boy, and it's honestly really fun!
Bloodborne is near and dear to my heart and the sight of Yharnam is something that is so inspiring to me and I knew if I did any Bloodborne fan art, I would have to draw the city eventually. I want to draw it again!
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
You can find my work mostly on Twitter! (@asrikins) I post a lot of WIPs and general video game stuff, as well as conventions I'll be selling my artwork at. If you like anime conventions, you might find me there with a bunch of Soulsborne merch! I also plan on returning to Twitch, where I have streamed artwork as well as a playthrough of Dark Souls 3 in the past. I hope to open a sticker shop soon with Soulsborne merch, but that will be announced on my twitter at a later date. Right now you can find a few of my designs on Redbubble at www.redbubble.com/people/asrielle.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
I started with Bloodborne when it was free for PS+ members. It's my favorite. It took me a week to get through Central Yharnam because I was so terrified and I would have nightmares every night. I kept playing because I would get further than my husband (who almost quit because it was so difficult) and then he would try to catch up. When I beat Father Gascoigne on my first attempt after struggling and learning along the way to his arena, I realized how well-designed the game was and got extremely hooked. The high from winning a major fight is amazing! It taught me a lot about perseverance and learning through trial and error and affected how I approach a lot of things in real life as well.
After Bloodborne and its DLC, my husband and I immediately bought Dark Souls. Then Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3. We beat all the DLC and got the platinum trophies in each game. We've met and bonded with so many Soulsborne fans and I regret not getting into the series sooner over fears of "not being good enough to play." Right now we're playing Demon's Souls and Sekiro and I love it! The series has taken over our lives, haha.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
I laughed! "Why are its legs so long??"
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
There are honestly so many memorable moments! One of my favorites is when my husband and I were playing with our friends on Dark Souls 2 and we got invaded. We were all standing there dual-wielding the Smelter Sword and Aged Smelter Sword on a narrow bridge. The invader saw this, and promptly ran away and knelt for forgiveness in a corner as the four of us engulfed him in huge red and blue flames and destroyed him in seconds. It was the most ridiculously over-the-top execution I'd ever seen of an invader in the series, haha.
Another favorite is in the first Dark Souls when my husband and I got really far into Anor Londo, just to get invaded. We were so sure we were going to lose our progress that my husband dropped all the money he had on the ground in an attempt to bribe the invader to leave while we backed away. It worked! He took the money, praised the sun, and left. We found each other on PSN later and started playing co-op later on as buddies!
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview Bolterfist! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
I've been drawing since I was a kid, but I really have my grandma to thank for the fact I still am so passionate about art today. She's an incredible painter and has been nurturing and supporting my art as long as I can remember.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I mostly use digital and CSP, but I dabble in traditional with ballpoint pen. CSP is affordable, works with a wide array of hardware (I use an UGEE), and is extremely capable and flexible. Highly recommend it, especially if you're looking for a Photoshop alternative that isn't a billion $$$$$$$$$$$$
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I make a lot of fan art, right now a big interest for me is Warhammer 40k/HH. Besides painting models a bit, I draw lots of art of my fanchapter, and maybe some comics in the future as well. I also like drawing art from my dnd campaign and I'm working on a story/comic with another artist.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
I really enjoy concept art, comics of all kinds, and renaissance sculpture.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
If you've got the dedication
there's nothing to be afraid of. Practice, have patience, and utilize good networking skills and you'll be fine.
That said, I haven't and don't plan on entering the field of professional art, but there are some really friendly and amazing artists out there in professional fields that talk about their experiences publicly and offer advice they have for breaking into their field.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I can make anything I fuckin want!!!!!
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
This was my first finished souls fanart. I had a profound experience with Laurentius' death that lead me down toward Ash Lake and ended up inspired the piece. I had a plan to make a series of prints similar in theme to this, but I haven't gotten around to it.
I'm relatively new to painting, digital or otherwise, and this is one of the first full paintings I've made.
Kentaro Miura's art really blows me away but this part in Berserk in particular I was really taken with.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
Right now I post most of my art and doodles on my twitter: https://twitter.com/bolterfist and my finished works on artstation: https://www.artstation.com/bolterfist
I mentioned earlier that I'm working on a story/comic with a friend, so I'll take some time to talk about it. It's about a crew that does odd jobs/intergalactic cargo hauling. Think kind of a bebop/gintama/80's-90's scifi vibe. It's not to a point I can publish it online yet, but if that interests you at all, stick around! It's called Headspace.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
Dark souls, Demon's souls, Bloodborne, Dark souls III. Dark souls and Bloodborne are my favourites. I still need to play DSII and Sekiro.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
“nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo”
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
One of the most memorable parts of Dark Souls to me was the first time I entered the depths. You go from a wide outdoor area, seeing the sky, traversing castles, seeing drakes flying around, talkin to peeps... Then you open this door to just this dark, stale, dank, quiet spot and I remember getting the chills and thinking "Oh shit, I gotta go in there???" It's still one of my favourite spots in the game.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
After 6 months in production, we proudly present to you 60 pages of new DARK SOULS inspired artworks. A worldwide collaboration between 32 amazing illustrators together in this artbook titled🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥
Praise the Sun!
SPECIFICATION
60 pages Digital PDF with embedded hyperlinks
Bilingual English [EN] & Spanish [ES]
New exclusive fan art of Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3 characters
Total of 40 full page illustrations, spreads & comics
Today we interview Ryan Van Dongen! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
Probably since I was about 2, so roughly 20 years. I always loved drawing growing up, and I took a few painting classes to focus my skills a bit more throughout grade school. Towards the end of high school, I got into digital painting and have been doing it ever since.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I prefer to use Photoshop for digital, because of all the customization options and it's what I'm the most used to. For traditional, I like pens, pencils, and charcoal for drawing and gouache for painting.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I make a lot of fan art but most of my work is original concepts. I'd like to get into the concept art business and part of that is being able to come up with new characters, creatures, and environments. I do like making fan art a lot though, since a lot of the creative legwork is done for you, leaving open room for putting your own spin on things!
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
My favorite art movements are probably Impressionism and Russian Realism. Some inspirations are Illya Repin, John Singer Sargent, Ivan Shishkin, Jeremy Lipking, Richard Schmid, Claude Monet, Caspar David Friedrich, William Merritt Chase, Craig Mullins, Ruan Jia, and Jaime Jones
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
It's a tough step to take, I haven't taken it yet. But if you have the will and the dedication to keep practicing and improving your skills, you'll keep getting better and those risks won't be risks anymore.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I like being able to create things that other people might enjoy!
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
This piece, 'Desert Witch', It’s all brush tool and I had a lot of fun painting the background and the characters.
I like how I handled the lighting with this 'Father Gascoigne' piece, I think I did a pretty good job giving it an intense feeling.
This piece, 'Nodachi', took me the longest of everything in my portfolio to finish. I worked on it on and off over about 8 months, and had fun building up the "cyberpunk Philly" background and adding in lots of easter eggs.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
You can find more of my work on my i=Instagram @ryanvandongen and my Artstation https://www.artstation.com/ryan
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
I played Dark Souls 1 first, then Bloodborne, then a little bit of Dark Souls 2, then Dark Souls 3, and I just started Sekiro. I would say that Bloodborne is my favorite but Dark Souls 1 is a close second.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
Swear words.
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
Riding that elevator in Undead Parish back down to Firelink Shrine for the first time. A lot of the world design in Dark Souls 1 kept surprising me like that.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview Anne Marie! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
I was drawing since before I can remember and, thankfully, I never grew out of it. I decided to focus on art professionally since 2014.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I like graphite and inks, as I feel the most comfortable using them; traditional media seems to be less used in this digital colouring age, so I've decided I would rather form a niche for myself with traditional only tools.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I enjoy working on original pieces for the most part. If I am drawing fan art, then it's only from a series which speaks to me. For example, I draw Legacy of Kain fan art as that was the first video game series which gripped my attention and never quite let go of.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
I have always found a great deal of inspiration from the classic illustrations of Arthur Rackham, John William Waterhouse, Edward Gorey, Alphonse Mucha, and any intricate classic pen illustrations and ink work. Due to this, I put particular care in clothes and details from these artists and aim to tell a story through every illustration.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
If you don't start trying, you're forever failing.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
I can create whatever I envision.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
I'm proud of this work as I managed to create a dynamic atmosphere, use a bit of foreshortening, and went into insane amounts of detail.
Using pure ink and a lot of concentration on the stippling, I was able to make a djinn/Arabian Nights atmosphere, something I had been wanting to do for awhile.
My first fan art and homage for the Legacy of Kain series; I achieved a fully developed piece using nothing but ink and some careful planning, with detailing on the Elder God and Pillars.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
Follow me for WIPs, sketches and more at my Twitter or my Instagram. For my final pieces my ArtStation gallery holds them. I am planning a project surrounding death and deities, stay tuned!
Want to commission me? DM me with your image in mind and I'll work on making it a reality.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
Swear words and the Lord’s name in vain.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview Gillytin! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
True to the prophecy, my art career began when I started drawing dragons and tigers at the age of five. I also really wanted to make my own Pokemon-esque card series except with dinosaurs, but I sucked. A couple decades later, still no dinosaur cards, but I guess I'm okay.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I prefer watercolor, colored pencil, acrylics, oil painting, traditional printmaking and working with about any digital art program just to get a hang of it. So far, my favorite digital mediums seem to be Procreate, Photoshop and PaintTool SAI.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
Original works are what I have been more comfortable with over the past few years. Fan art and such are just plain ol' fun and it's nice to work with something that I like.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
I draw inspiration from music and all sorts of other mediums. As for art, some of my favorite artists include Lee Bontecou, Virgil Finlay, and Michael Whelan.
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
Chase your bliss.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
The knowledge that I would fail so hard on a sanity roll if I were in the Lovecraft universe.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
I like making pieces that deal with my own personal characters I've written about for years and having them interact with each other in different ways. They don't always get along, but when they do, it feeds my soul.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
ArtStation and a mostly inactive Tumblr are my only other outposts on the web. I fly by the seat of my pants to make whatever comes to mind.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
I played the series in this order: Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 1. Bloodborne is my baby.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
Swear words and the Lord’s name in vain.
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?
Successfully sitting at a bonfire and yet still having an enemy, in the same exact moment, whack me in the face. After the fog resets, the enemy disappears, but the massive chip off my health remains as a monument for my shame.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
Today we interview AlvhOmega! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.
Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?
If I’m not wrong, I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid, I started to draw thanks to Rayman, and all this time my style has been changing quite a lot, but there are still things that remains, like doing comics, I still have all the comics I’ve drawn during my childhood.
Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?
I personally like CSP (Clip Studio Paint), for me it’s the perfect all-in-one software for drawing/comics/animation. It has plenty of tools and plugins and also, it’s easy to learn. Regarding traditional media, I always like to draw with ink in my toned sketchbook. If you ask me, I’d prefer digital because I can do clean drawings, and I don’t need to spend a lot of money in new materials. But I can perfectly understand why traditional feels more “organic” and “real”.
Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?
I do both, years ago I was afraid of making my own content but on 2017 I decided to create my own OCs, and even started my own webcomic. It feels really good when people enjoys something created 100% by you.
Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?
Aside from Tenebrism, the art of video games give me inspiration. For example the Soulsborne saga (obviously), Alice Madness returns, NieR: Automata, BioShock… regarding artists, it’s hard to say because there are too many choices, but for example, Kentaro Miura (Bersek creator), Echiro Oda (specially when I was teenager), and HR Giger (Alien artist).
Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?
I’d say: I understand you, living for art is quite hard, hard but not impossible. I’m not gonna be like “If you keep believing the dream that you wish it will come true uwu” because I prefer to be honest with you, reality is tough for us and maybe only 1 among 10 artists reaches this goal, but you can be that one among 10.
Being artist for me is 50% art/creativity skills, and 50% social skills, in order to sell your content, engage with the public, and create a fanbase who is willing to support you.
Don’t expect getting popular in 24h, just work hard, don’t give up, accept criticism in order to improve, SHOW your stuff and promote yourself, and above all, most importantly, ENJOY doing art. I would be here hours talking about this tbh, but I think you get my message.
Q: What do you like about being an artist?
We artists have something special, and that’s the skill to create something new from scratch… concepts, ideas, characters, environments… that’s something I love about art, creating your own stuff and see people enjoying it.
Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.
That’s quite a hard, because Twitter don’t have gallery and Tumblr is pretty outdated, but I’ll do my best.
This is Midir, I personally like this drawing because animals aren’t my strongest point, and this one I’m, pretty happy how it turned out.
This gives me heavy metal cover vibes, I like how the colors looks.
This is from Monster Hunter, when I saw this buddy I wanted to draw him so hard, and there is. I’d say this is special because is an hybrid, between traditional and digital art.
I made this like 2 years ago and still today it looks fantastic, and that’s something really weird, from someone like me who see a drawing from 3 months ago and thinks looks old and shitty (haha).
tbh I feel like all my Nier Automata pieces were a bit underrated. If I had to choose one I’d say this, because I felt totally inspired and the execution is cool to my eye.
Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?
My Twitter where I post all my stuff. https://twitter.com/Alvh_Omega
My instagram where I post exclusively my inkings and soulsborne stuff. https://www.instagram.com/alvhomega/
My webcomic where I write stories about silly goth girls doing silly things. https://twitter.com/BS_Gothventures
I have a print store where you can buy prints. https://society6.com/alvhomega I’m currently preparing a patreon page, but still needs some fixes. Follow me and stay tuned.
Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?
Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Bloodborne > Dark Souls 3 I haven’t played Demon Souls because I don’t have ps3, sadly. My favorite one is Bloodborne, the art, the boss designs and the crazy story is really my jam.
Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?
I honestly don’t remember, but I think I was already aware of mimics in my first playthrough
Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you’d like to share?
The Taurus Demon, that son of a… witch. The first time I played Dark Souls this was the reason I left the game and started to hate it. But one day a good friend suggested me trying it again because the game is worth it, aaaaaand here I am, drawing art for a zine.
Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page
After 6 months in production, we proudly present to you 60 pages of new DARK SOULS inspired artworks. A worldwide collaboration between 32 amazing illustrators together in this artbook titled🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥
𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏!
𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺
New exclusive fan art of Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3 characters
Total of 40 full page illustrations, spreads & comics
60 pages Digital PDF with embedded hyperlinks
Bilingual English [EN] & Spanish [ES]
🔥GET IT HERE: DARK SOULS ZINE STORE
More details on 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page with the full list of contributors and their social media links (open in browser)
Meet Wild Arrow, artist in this Dark Souls fanzine project!
As the one who started this project, I’m so proud and honored to work with such an amazing team of great artists. Please support them, or at least take a look at their art.
