The Team !
Behind the crow, the people :3
Because making a game asks for a lot of personal dedication, we thought you would be interested in a little break between our devlogs to see who is behind the scene !
We are two in the main team, but, as for any video game, there is people who help from time to time, so we decided to present you our Intern Extraordinaire, who spent a full month with us, and who will face the same interview than us today !
Ready ? Go :D
Can you tell us about yourself ?
Mathias : I'm Mathias, Qodax on internet. I'm a 3D artist who wants to specialise in rigging, animation and concept art.
Sebastien : I'm Sebastien Annoni, I'm an illustrator mainly for book edition and specialized in SFFF. I love to explore medias and mediums to share emotions and dreams to people.
Asha : I'm Asha du Rosel and i'm also a SFFF illustrator plus concept artist, AND an Infodumper Supreme on random fun facts entirely useless in good society.
What do you do at Murdock Prod ?
M : I was graciously hired for a one month internship to model Environment and props asset, plus a few concept arts. I suppose we could summarize this as 3D environment artist ?
S : Writing, Concept art, Integration, I'm everywhere, like Asha.
A : I'm here and there. Programming in addition of art, writing, correction and marketing. (It's me who writes on tumblr :D)
Who is your favorite character in Amalgame ?
M : The Oracle. I like their design and their weird helmet, they have a dnd wizard vibe.
S : Tough question ! Lyra, I think. It's a character who was created with The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend in mind. It's a personal tribute who speaks to me.
A : Lyra. She is cool and MUSCLES ! More seriously, I love that she acts tough but she really is a motherly figure who loves dearly her Followers. She's cute.
What is the asset you had the more fun to create until now ?
M : The blue trees with the gears, I thought they were cool in 3D. And the jellyfishy plant.
S : Seryn, for now ! It helps to see the project's progress, it feels like a payoff.
A : The Followers concept ! It's very fun and challenging to find an outfit design who allows for subtile character variation while retaining a certain unicity.
What classes did you take to do this job ?
M : I began with a fine art option in highschool, then entered at Strasbourg's Ecole Brassart (in France) where I did a preparatory class. I began in Fine art, but changed for Graphic Design, just to discover one month deep in 1st Year that it was not meant for me and change again to 3D art, where I did the 3 following years. Now I wait for the start of my 5th school year that I will attend at NAD-UQAC school in Canada for a double major in Narrative Game Design (DESS).
S : WHOAH. I began with a fine art specialisation in highschool (I don't know if it still exists...), then I chained with a Fine Art first year at university, then a MANAA in Paris at Sainte Genevieve Institute. Next I did a DMA in Animation Movies at the same institute, while taking Medical Illustration cursus as a free auditor at Estienne. Finally, I moved in Nantes (still in France) where I did School Pivot in the Illustration cursus. I couldn't finish the year because of money, and I began as a freelance Illustrator and Art teacher. I'm in these business since 18 years now !
A : NONE LOL ! I had... A lot of difficulties at the end of High School and many more after because of AuDHD, and I couldn't keep on... I began as a freelance illustrator 10 years ago because I was broke and only could draw and because it was an old abandonned dream of me, and I loved it. I entered as a free auditor a now defunct Game Art school in 2022 where I met Sebastien. I am also an art teacher for 3 years now.
Why did you want to do this job ?
M : It's from a very young age. I'm a big fan of video games since I'm 7, and I love art since highschool, so I looked for a job who could merge these two passions.
S : I saw some color pencil drawings on a pharmacy flyer, and was very interested to know who did those. I discover the job of Illustrator with this, and it called me, even if I thought my calling was to be pharmacist at first ! It was without taking account of the incredible Super Nintendo game boxes' covers like the Secret of Mana one, who was very beautifully painted, and the discover of those who is now my favorite artist, Gerald Bröm. They built this choice by giving it sense.
A : I began to draw at 11 because I needed to put on paper all the stories and characters I had in my mind. It's finally someone who told me that if I spent every moment in a dayjob writing in the margins of papers, I should live an artist live fully. It made sense, and since I began as a pro, everything clicked for me.
What do you prefer to do ?
M : There is no side of 3D art I truly hate, except post processing and compositing that I avoid at all cost. But i love the concept phase, and the rigging and animation, like I said before. Having a concept I created coming to life, it's something ! Even if I was not sold to rigging and animation at first, I ended really liking it by working on it enough.
S : I truly love all the puzzle-y steps of composition, then the freedom of painting flow, this magic where every brushstroke is an everchanging emotional language who asks you to look into yourself without pain. It helps me think, like a music improv you gradually compose... [he stops to paint in mid sentence. I ask him again and reread what he told me until now]
There is this thing where you are in full mastery of your instrument, and you can improvise, you know you will come to a good result, so you just peacefully enjoy the ride.
A : The concept art step. This moment where you freeze the first pictures, with all their possibility, and this joy.
Do you have an advice for those who would want to do what you do ?
M : Honestly, you need to multiply personal projects, even if you find your work bad compared to the other's. You have to write your ideas, draw them : it's primordial for motivation. I must have tens of photoshop files of random ideas I loved creating, even if they may not concretize fully. So, yeah, as soon as you have an idea, go for it ! Even if you do not have the skills to execute it right for now, it's very motivating to try.
S : I would advice to draw from observation, to forge your artistic eye. It seems simple, but it's terribly efficient : take a sketchbook and draw everything you have in front of you, to build your fondamentals. Everything you can learn in a school, you can learn by doing this, without spending this much money. I would have loved learning this earlier. You can teach yourself all of this by this constant work, and look at the rest in books.
A : I'd say, in opposition to what Seb told you, that we sometimes need help from a teacher to go out of our confort zone. Don't hesitate to ask a human for help ! I'm mostly self learned, but every workshop I attended on blocking points helped me.
A hint of humor, now ! If you could be a narrative trope, what would you be ?
M : Giant Space Flea from Nowhere ! I'm as random as this trope I think.
S : The one who says the bad guy is not really the bad guy but hides a bigger threat. I always was hit by this trope in games like Tales of Fantasia where you get to the end of the adventure only to discover the stunning motivations of the antagonist who protects you from a bigger Evil and allows the story to get a new epic breath.
A : It's awful because it's pretty sexist, but I vibe so much with the Manic Pixie Girl. I like the idea of people coming in the life of someone and changing everything, and the bold and outrageous, very out of normativity side of these characters. Free the Manic Pixie Girl !
Your favorite Crackship ?
M : Morrigane X Spiderman because of Marvel VS Capcom ! Everyone ships them but they're not even from the same universe, it's funny.
S : Kratos from God of War and Inosuke from Demon Slayer. One is desperately trying to control his anger because it's leading him into trouble, when the other only finds solution when he listens to it.
A : Link and Tingle ? The absurdity of them and the terrifying weirdness of Tingle make me laugh. The scenario would probably be Tingle asking Link how to become a true fairy, or, better even, the reverse lol
What do you say when you break a glass at your best friend's place ?
M : "OH SHIT"
S : "Sorry do not hurt me é_è"
A : I say nothing i cry
Tomorrow, a transport truck carrying Hello Kitty merch falls from the sky and flattens you. What is your last thought ?
M : "At least it will make a funny message on my tombstone" or "I will have the most original death in the guiness book !"
S : "What a pain in the ass, I won't have time to finish my painting, I'm gonna be late"
A : I'd be frustrated to not be able to see what is inside all those boxes. This and "Oh lol and I won't even be able to tell this to anyone"
A last sentence before our leave ?
M : It was a pleasure to work on Amalgame with Murdock Prod ! Keep an eye on the production the game ambiance is cool and play when it releases ! Support indie creators !
S : YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE ME UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO LICK YOUR OWN ELBOW !
A : Don't ever let people decide of how you are doing and what you need to do !
So, did you learn interesting things ?
You can consult our portfolios here !
Portfolio Mathias Waltz
WebSite Sebastien Annoni
Linktree Asha du Rosel
Have a nice week :D