I’m very happy to announce that one of the projects I’ve been helping with recently is now available! “One Day I Swear I’ll Reach You” is a visual novel by SetsunaNoroi that works something like a choose-your-own-adventure book. In it, you play as an up-and-coming YouTube gamer invited to speak at a convention. There, you meet the Let’s Play YouTubers Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and Matpat, and depending on the interactions you choose, you can either earn their respect and friendship or alienate them and destroy your popularity online. While it’s made with dating sim software, it is definitely not romantic in nature, as that would be crossing a line that SetsunaNoroi understandably did not want to cross.
Even though I know very little about Let’s Play, I had a lot of fun with this project and it was definitely a learning experience drawing on my new iPad. I drew three characters with five facial expressions each, plus the game’s creator for the end. Jackskepticeye was the most fun. He’s so expressive, which made drawing cartoon versions of him easy and fun.
I’ve played through two scenarios of this game so far and it’s great. You can really see the amount of dedication that SetsunaNoroi put into it, and how much these three mean to her, especially in her very touching message at the end. And with all the recent controversy surrounding a YouTuber not associated with Let’s Play, this game sets Let’s Play and these three YouTubers in particular apart as people who care about their viewers and truly love what they do, rather than just being in it for the popularity. I think this game should be played not only by fans, but by anyone thinking of starting on YouTube. It really gives a sense of perspective.
On to the weekly Artist Question topic!
I mentioned recently that I found a list of questions from reblogger-ocelot on Tumblr that I wanted to answer once a week, and now that I’m mostly caught up on projects, I’m going to get started!
1. When did you get into art?
If the question is “when did you start drawing,” I have been drawing my whole life. I don’t remember a time I was ever not drawing. My school had no art classes when I was growing up, so I had to teach myself by copying what I had on hand – my dad’s D&D handbooks, his collection of fantasy art books by artists like Larry Elmore, Boris Vallejo, and Julie Bell. Later I learned via online tutorials.
But if the question is “when did you become serious about art,” that’s a bit more recent. I grew up drawing, but I never really considered it as a career. Then, in 2001, I started watching a cartoon called The Zeta Project. It was a real turning point for me. I learned to draw the characters and colour them on the computer, first in MS Paint and then in Photoshop, and decided I wanted to be an animator. Although that didn’t work out — I had a negative experience in college and later realised I didn’t want to draw the same thing over and over after all — The Zeta Project had a lasting impact on my art and my life.
I had a few minor victories in the following years. I sold my first painting and did some minor jobs and personal commissions on the side, but it was an uphill battle against the personal issues in my life at the time. Finally, in 2013, I met my future husband at DragonCon, and that changed everything. I moved to Savannah, Georgia and soon began saving to come visit him in London. I took commissions to raise money and found that I loved drawing monsters and fantasy characters. Freelancing also helped me raise money when we got engaged and I was planning to move to the UK. As soon as I was legally allowed to work here, I started taking commissions on the side again, and now I’m happy to say that it’s my full-time job!
Next week: What art-related sites have you ever signed up for?
Vanessa Ellis 