Visuals are an important component of any game. We continue the topic of interviews with our specialists!Last time we talked to our sound designer. Today we will meet our 2D artist - Anastasia Mironova!Anastasia Mironova is a 2D artist doing backgrounds, line art and coloring at Everwayne. She came to us from the comics industry.Tell us about your painting process. Do you use references?I use references. The process of collecting them takes a lot of time. I can spend hours on different resources, looking at the works of other artists and different photos. I have a technique where I save almost nothing (references), I just look at them and study them until I have enough inspiration and understanding.I only save what is absolutely necessary or what I absolutely can't work without. I close everything else after watching it, I try to remember more. After this I have two stages of the sketch. First a quick compositional sketch. Then more detailed. Next comes the line - it takes the most time. Then coloring. This is probably the easiest stage. The main thing is not to screw it up!
What is the most comfortable drawing style for you?
Actually, when I started working, I was drawing comics for a book publishing house. The very first question there was about adaptability to different styles. In general, I can draw in different ways. Some styles come easier to me, some more difficult. Lately I’ve been working with the line, and it’s easier, clearer and faster for me. I also love rendering, but it takes longer and is more difficult to achieve good results and quality.
Is Everwayne's style different from your main one?
As I said, I can work in different styles. It's different from my style, but not much. I have already noticed that each artist brings something different to the established style.
How much of an influence have you personally had on Everwayne?
There was a situation when it was necessary to do something with the backgrounds. I was asked to draw as I feel. Previously, they were rendered - I suggested making a line like with the characters. It was a little different from the current one - there were modifications by other artists. In the end we got to where we are now, so yeah. This is partly my merit, as well as other artists.
Do you prefer detailing and realism or lightness and simplicity?
I have a small professional deformation from previous work. One of the features of comics is the speed of execution, you have to draw quickly. You don't have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on detail. Especially if you do all the stages from storyboarding to preparation for printing as one person, especially when you have 60 pages and time is limited. I wanted to stay at one page for more, of course, but it wasn’t always possible. And after seven years of drawing like this, I forgot how to draw too long - only quick. I can't pay much attention to details. So at the moment I’m all for lightness and simplicity, but I really like to look at works where authors made something big and detailed.
Traditional or digital - what do you prefer?
I haven’t drawn in a traditional style for a very long time, but in general when I sit down, I don’t really feel the difference. The only difference is that in digital there is ctrl+z, and in traditional there is an eraser, of course, but... I don’t like erasers, they ruin the paper. Basically, this is how I do it in digital: I put a line, and that’s how it will lie. I try not to edit too much. There is such a habit, perhaps again from a comic book. Well, or at some point you give up on insufficient execution. But sometimes you want to paint with oils, to remember your “youth”, so to speak. But I cool down quickly enough, because I know that I will definitely get covered in paint, and I like it when everything is clean. Another plus for digital! In the end, I think digital.
Do you have any projects of your own?
Every project I have participated in that is “not mine” - I consider as “mine”. I'm really proud of them. I absolutely love everything I work on. I had my own attempts to make a comic, but it didn’t go far. It’s difficult for me to generate my own ideas and complex stories. It's easier for me to draw. I can come up with a story for some drawing competition, for example. It always comes on its own. But it’s difficult for me to develop this into something global, specific, and logically complete. It’s easier and more interesting for me to work on other people’s projects and bring in my own ideas.
Are AI network evil? Do you feel “competition”?
I tried to do something with them, but now they are more like fun stuff. A neural network has never given me a result that I could not achieve on my own. I don’t feel any competition, but I don’t know how I feel about it yet. But they render better than me!
Do occupational burnouts happen often? How do you deal with them?
As for drawing, it rarely happens, maybe twice in my life, but it passed quickly, I always want to draw. Regarding the project - quite often. But this is individual for a person. I found a solution for myself in switching between projects or tasks within one project.
Talent ≠ skill?
I often hear artists say that talent doesn't exist. They show thousands of sketchbooks and are like: “This is not talent, this is many years of work!” I have a slightly different opinion, I think that the talent does exist. In my understanding, talent is your innate or nurtured characteristics that help you achieve
this or that result much faster than another person without these characteristics. They can be used in various fields. I had a psychology teacher at the university, he one said: “You got in, you passed hundred people. You are more talented than them, in the end. You may have cheated, yes, but you cheated with more talent!"I want to say that I often disagreed with him, but I lived with my classmates and I had the opportunity to observe. I saw that we drew approximately the same, the number of hours worked was the same, but the results were different. Someone with less time drew better: the person absorbed information better, saw better, had better execution. And watching this, I came to the conclusion that talent exists. These are nuances and in general, in my opinion, the topic is close to philosophical. Therefore, I will not argue with those who think differently, because I do not consider a different point of view to be wrong.
But what I can say for sure is that in order to achieve results, there will need more than a talent. External investments of work are definitely needed.
What do you recommend to beginners? How to fill out a portfolio?
Regarding the portfolio: if you know what you want to do, what position you want to hold, in what company and what project you want to work on, then make a portfolio for a specific project, position, etc. Because if you only do, for example, stages or draw something that, in general, is not particularly in demand somewhere, you are less likely to get where you want. Don't put everything in your portfolio, choose the best. I can tell you from experience that you will most likely be judged on your worst work. If you don’t know what you want to do, then try to do several works in different directions, this will show the employer that you have tried backgrounds, characters, etc. Your work should also show that you have basic artistic skills, obviously. And the presentation rules, design it beautifully! You can doubt a person, but their work appearance adds points.
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