@Urichov - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you get interested in art?

My mum does art, so I guess that rubbed off on me. I think the first time I got really invested in drawing was during history class in primary school though. We were learning about the Celts, and as an exercise to keep us invested as seven-year-olds the teachers suggested we draw something in that interwoven style that's in a lot of Celtic symbols. I kept doing that well after we'd moved on.

Q: How is it different drawing on pen and paper?

I was drawing in Adobe Illustrator (and later Affinity Designer) with a mouse and the pen tool before going to pen and paper, so the motion of the hands is entirely different to begin with. There's a bit of a difference in philosophy too, since if I'm planning on colouring the thing later I have to be thinking about that while it's still in black and white and draw with it in mind, whereas in a digital program I can just as easily go the opposite order. Also it feels a lot less pressing to strive for perfection with no undo button.

Q: What makes a good style?

I don't really think there are good and bad styles; there's differences in technical ability certainly, but to me a 'good' visual style basically means getting an idea across well, and there's infinite ways to do that. Personally I dislike what people call the 'Artstation style,' for example, but I wouldn't say a work is inherently poor for using it.

Q: Do you think artists are too hard on themselves?

Yup. Not me though. I'm the best.

Q: What is a positive mindset for creating art, in your opinion?

I think I've been doing it for so long and have it so ingrained in me that the mindset is really just if I wanna draw then I do it because it's fun. Not a great answer, unfortunately. I guess I should try to explain why it's fun then, which comes down to two main things: Firstly, I like when I move my hand around and a pretty thing comes out. Secondly, I enjoy the bit of figuring out a drawing, say how to balance the colours right or how to position the characters or going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole to understand how to draw the hilt of a rapier. It being fun is fundamental to me, though, which is part of why I haven't really given much thought to doing it as a job.

Q: Your advice for people starting in art?

People often say 'work on fundamentals' in response to this question, which I think is kind of an easy way to get people starting out to bounce off of the idea. My advice is draw Goku using one of his famous beam attacks.

Q: The story of your username: Urichov

It's the last syllables, starting with the vowels, of my name, my middle name, and my surname.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

My brother found it somehow and showed me it when we were sharing a computer, and I decided to make an account to share some of the art I'd been making. I don't know if I'd say I joined the community as such until some point in early 2020 when I didn't have anything to do and checked out the forums. Definitely when I joined back in 2012 there was this degree of veneration I had for most of the people on it since twelve-year-old me was like they're doing impossible shit on the other side of the computer screen, and I'd say that's gone away at this point; we're all just guys on the website. There is something to the median age going down too; I'll often find myself in a talk with someone else on or from the site and suddenly be like oh wait they're younger than me somehow, which is not something I was at risk of when I first made my account I can tell you that much.

Q: What do you like to read and write?

I like to read a lot of things; I've read almost all of Discworld (this will come up again later) and I'd say Terry Pratchett is probably my favourite author by sheer volume of books I like, which I think has certainly flavoured my reading taste. So I'd say I'm a fantasy guy and I like a degree of playfulness in the prose, but like I'll read anything that catches my eye. Doesn't even have to be fiction, could be Stephen Hawking for example. (This will also come up again later.) As for writing I like fantasy, and trying to really get inside the heads of all the characters involved. I also find the latter very difficult so I don't get much writing done I'm afraid.

Q: What music do you like to listen to?

I would say I've listened to more rock than anything else, but once again I'm open to a lot.

Q: What instruments do you play, and what do you play? 

I play guitar at the moment; used to play violin too but it's hard to find time in the day for both. And I play whatever occurs to me at the time; could be some classical or jazz or rock piece I remember or just noodling around until I find some series of notes I enjoy.

Q: You have a very old scar on your forehead that’s only visible when you raise your eyebrow. How did you get the scar?

There's conflicting accounts of this actually. According to my parents I tried to leap between desks in my primary school, fell short, and hit my head on the one I was aiming for. This did happen, but personally I'm pretty sure the one that left the scar was slipping on the tiles at a swimming pool.

Q: What was it like living in Finland for a year?

There was snow the whole time since we didn't exactly live there for the whole year, rather arriving in early autumn and leaving before summer; we were essentially taking care of a friend's house while he had to live elsewhere. The house was pretty remote, which has the advantage of being nice and quiet but the disadvantage of requiring a long trek to the shops. It was often quite dark and quite cold, and everything was considerably more expensive than anywhere else I've lived.

- Buses

A lot of running after buses, the time I rode one all the way to the end of the line by accident and walked back to my school in the snow for about an hour, and my travel plans getting disrupted last year when I got my bag stolen within an hour of getting to Bilbao.

Q: That sucks, what was in your bag?

The Shepherd's Crown, by Terry Pratchett, and A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking. Also my keys and several important documents. One of said documents was my passport, which rather derailed the trip to Spain since we had no plans to go to Madrid initially but the nearest British consulate was there and I needed an emergency travel document. Going to Madrid incidentally involved catching a bus that started from Bilbao at around midnight and arrived at six, which was the best possible option and still left us having to kill time for six hours before the consulate was open for the type of reservation I'd made. My regular passport did eventually turn up, but unfortunately after getting an emergency travel document it's no longer usable.

Q: What do you think about buses?

I find them very agreeable.

Q: Your advice for life

Wash your hands.

Logo and Lax by @OmenaKettu

Hey!

Let's fix up some tunes for

The FIRST Low-Poly Day

EVER!

RULES:

Follow the NG Audio Guidelines

This collab is rated E

Two solo submissions MAXIMUM

UNLIMITED collaboration submissions

Your song needs to have a theme around Y2K Video Game Music / Y2K Electronic Music

Minimal length 1:00 minute -- Maximum length 7 minutes for each submission

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1 - Make a (Y2K Themed) song. Export in WAV format

2 - Upload your file to a file-sharing service

• Google Drive: Click the share button and make a link that can be "Accessed by anyone"

3 - PM me the link

• I will send you an invite to the project

Deadline: June 1th, 2025

The collab is planned to be uploaded on: June 6th, 2025 - Low-Poly Day!

“Some of your favorite songs, are ones you’ve never heard.

So go explore!”

- Lax

@Owlandras - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Who is the male character with a huge ass you developed a crush on? But you are not gay.

1. Good first question! That would be Vimhomless' Mouse character. Their proportions combined with that tight yellow dress they wear is so hawt. Literally everything besides what's going on between the legs is feminine as fuck.

Q: What makes older media better in your opinion? And why?

2. Money and labour are the main reasons why, mainly labour in terms of animation, due to it usually being overseas. Also, Older media is like a capsule, you're instantly set back backwards in time to a simpler or more exciting time in history. When you look at animation back then, everything was cell, and everything worked on those grounds, 3D has its place, for example, dynamic backgrounds were made more tangible in 2D, I think, and studios like Pixar have shown us that 3D could be awesome, but not a replacement! Look at the new Spider-Man cartoon, that shit looks comparable to the Ultimate Spider-Man game from the PS2. Superheroes/Comic characters especially work awesome in traditional animation as their source material is so rooted in the realms of the two dimensions. They nailed it best in the 1940s with the Max Fleischer Superman. That felt like the comic book came to life! To think that cartoon came out 80 years ago and nothing from almost the last 20 years has come close to surpassing it is devastating. For me, superhero animation of the 90s is king. Spider-Man the Animated series and the season 2 efforts of Fantastic Four is my personal favourite adaptation of the family, and never forget to mention Batman the Animated series and its inspiration to the rest of its medium, which was heavily inspired by the 40s Superman too. You can tell by its vibe and art style, and the fact that Bruce Timm, the lead artist of the show, said so himself.

Everything nowadays is too safe and companies have gotten too comfortable, this doesn't just affect animation but movies too, I think every Marvel film now is basically the same. Compare that to superhero films from the past before Iron Man or The Avengers, everything was more fantastical and a lot less grounded in terms of visual style, and it was more interesting because of it, plus not everything was played for jokes, you had your fair share of great drama.

Outside of superheroes, movies are rarely ever new, only remakes and sequels from popular movies from the last 40 years get any attention, overall streaming has killed everything and movies and TV don't look better because of it.

Q: Why do you dismiss anything after 2010? You say, that’s not a problem with the stuff being at fault, you said your being picky. But why?

3. I think I bounce between Hollywood being incompetent in creating art, wanting to instead pander to emotionally retarded adults and me being emotionally retarded but emotionally retarded about the past rather than both past and present. From 2010 to now there is bound to be cool shit in the shit heap, I just think people now are annoying in one way or another, if it is the writing team or front man, I think everyone wants a piece of their voice heard even if what that have to say is just group A, group B talk, all that should be secondary and the stories should be primary. If politics is mentioned and especially if it's all very gray, I'd like to hear both sides.

But overall I think everything post 2010 is either too political or can't stand on its own.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

4. the internet is mind-numbing at worst and amazing and liberating at best, and yet I blame it for the reason I am the way I am. If I never used the internet, I wonder if I'd be more successful in making relationships and going outside, but I guess I'll never know that. I think the Internet, though, has brought people who would have never met otherwise together, has ultimately brought us further apart.

Q: The story of your username: Owlandras, and why do you have a big O on your head?

5. I liked Owls growing up and the Andras part I got from looking up demon names, Andras is not my name but something else. The reason I adopted a demon's name was because of my sinful artwork, drawing tits and asses and whatnot. I chose Andras specifically because of his Owl head, which I thought was cool. If it were up to me now I'd name myself "OwlClipzoid" because my previous name was "OwlClip" and I changed it because it sounded so dumb, Clipzoid sounded more like Spazmoid which is subjectively more dumb but I like it enough that I'd use the name wherever I had the opportunity.

The O on my character's head is meant to be where he focuses all of the powers. It also looks like an eye making my guy look like a Cyclops too.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

6. I've been on and off NG for over 8 years, I liked playing games on here during high school, and a lot of my animation inspo came from the site. I watched the awesome series and OneyNG's Sick series growing up too. I watched all of that shit when I was too young to watch it, like, in the middle of Primary School young, and I remember watching specifically Oney's first Harry Potter cartoon and showing it to my Mum's Boyfriend at the time, I didn't understand any of the jokes like harry and Ron jerking off in the girls bathroom, I thought it was the sound of them transforming into girls! But he understood it and turned to me and said "No, you shouldn't be watching that" Hahah

My opinion of the site hasn't changed, I see it as a place for free self-expression and a playground for getting yourself out there and having fun.

Q: What is it like living in Scotland?

7. Bad, people drink at an early age and government sucks. Mel Gibson screaming "Freedom" can't be further from the truth. Also, there is barely a creative industry here besides a few artists and Rockstar North. Scotland can do so much better for its people.

Q: How did you get interested in animation and art?

8. Throughout Newgrounds and early on when I was 14, Anime, and now I like comic artists like Jack Kirby and my friends online.

Q: Creative advice that has helped you

9. Keep on drawing, learn fundamentals and draw inspiration.

Q: The story behind Lameos Intro, what is it like playing games with your friend Seth MacFarlane?

10. Well, you know Seth Mcfarly created the Family Show, erm we've both recorded stuff from 2023 to this January but we've been trying to go through with editing and posting them, but because of technical difficulties, most of it is almost unusable, a lot is especially due to audio problems. We were only really successful with the January recording, which is the one currently on YouTube, and if we were to post the others, we'll title them as lost episodes. As for the animated intro I wanted to try and outdo the Oneyplays and game grump intro and terms of shit that happens on screen. Taking the Taco Man theme and removing the vocals and making Seth sing over it was the basis of the whole intro.

Q: Are you addicted to Spider-Man? What do you think of comics? You like comics, but preferably if they’re more vintage, how do you decide on giving a full breakdown of your animation? Your Spider-Man animation took two weeks, while your breakdown animation took a month because of procrastination. What is your perspective on procrastination? Is it Mountain Dew or Doritos?

11. I came out of the womb Spider-Man daft because of the Raimi movies coming out when I was growing up, my folks gave me a lot of Spider-Man stuff knowing I loved him because of that I had episodes of the '90s shows on DVD, I had a few stuff like that on DVD, I remember owning DVD collections of old 40s cartoons funnily enough and old British children's cartoons from the 80s, maybe to some extent that's why I feel the way I feel about old media as well, I had and still have a lot of merchandise of Spider-Man and don't plan on stop buying stuff of that character, so yes I am obsessed.

My thoughts on comics are they are easier on the artists than animation but are harder on the viewers since you actually have to read, I love all that old '60s stuff with Ditko, I tend to enjoy characters from earlier years to their later because it's the initial idea for who that character is and that obviously gets lost overtime when other writers get other ideas to who these classic characters are.

I decided to go through the animation to simply make the video longer and to also get the viewers used to me as a person rather than a faceless maker of a cartoon.

Yes, my Spider-Man animation took two weeks, while my breakdown animation took a month because of procrastination. It's all about the progress, the breakdown took less drawing and more editing, and editing isn't as thrilling to me as animating, it's satisfying but not as satisfying to me as seeing an animation come to life.

My thoughts on procrastination are that it is a disease that needs to be destroyed. Imagine a world without procrastination, that's a world with a lot more content, a lot more getting done and a lot more happy people.

Never had Mountain Dew so I'll have to go Doritos.

- Art communities



I’ve had calls with people who are very nasty with their language, which is quite liberating, however, these people could be quite rotten when you get to know them. But on the other side of the coin, I’ve had calls with people where if I said something was “retarded” or “gay” they’d react as if I just shot their parents and burnt down their house with them still in them, so it’s been a struggle to find friends in these divided times, also mental illness seems to be a common theme amongst artist so that could usually vary from person to person and could lead to drama from inside groups. (Very cheerful I know plus it’s not much of a story haha)

Q: What makes people UNIQUE, how do they form these identities around their language?

12. The things that make people unique vary, but ultimately I think it's experiences and how people react to the same experiences. War, Love, actions and language, everyone reacts to these things differently. Sticking to a specific crowd, an echo chamber will change someone as a person. So as a result, I think what makes people unique is nature and nurture, how they react to the world and how the world reacts to them.

Q: Media you would recommend, and why?

A piece of media I'd recommend is Robocop, it's cool, it's like a comic book, but its messaging, this is what happens when companies aren't kept in line, your rights will be taken from you and you'll become property. It's so relevant without being in your face about it.

Q: Advice on staying epic online?

And my advice on staying "epic" online, I say this not just for online but IRL too, take your mind out of your head, and what I mean when I say that takes a good look at yourself from the third person and critique what it is you do and how you react to the world and the people you're in contact with, do not become a slave to your emotions and take a step back to avoid confect and to save yourself from saying or doing anything you might regret in the future, read what your saying and what the other person is saying like a script and decide if that how you want to portray yourself and if you're in the right.

@ForgottenDawn - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What do you think about the Internet? And how would you describe your experiences?

The Internet is such a bizarre entity. It's still wild to wrap my head around how much things have changed in just 20 years. I still think of it as a technological miracle, and the idealist in me sees a lot of good from connecting with folks from all over the globe in real time. Having that commodity is certainly nice and it's generally fine so long as I don't center my entire life around it. Mindfulness is key, in that sense.

I believe that the Internet at large has lost some personality as the years went by. Indies have been trying to revive those "wild west" early Internet glory days through Neocities and blogs, in part as a reaction to the rampant homogenization and corporate takeover of the mainstream Internet. I don't know if it's just 2000's nostalgia mixed with modern-day escapism, but the fact that quiet punk-like counter-tendencies exist somewhere is, I think, pretty neat and encouraging.

I would say that my personal experiences with the Internet have been a mixed bag. I've been able to build a discreet presence through my music for which I'm thankful, and take part in various audio and game development-related activities. I try to stay grounded and avoid getting sucked into the social media vortex and ever-changing algorithm games. I prefer to focus on productivity and spend the rest of my time privately.

Q: On your current account, you’ve been on Newgrounds for 12 years now, 16 if you add your previous account. How do you think Newgrounds has shaped you? What do you think about the community? In what ways do you think Newgrounds has changed?

Discovering Newgrounds in the golden age of Flash was incredible, and the ability to freely upload my own audio blew my mind when I first started composing. The Audio Portal still remains a great hub for people like me. I've had the privilege of connecting with some incredibly talented artists and it's always a pleasure to see them thrive and exchange ideas. Contests, collaborations, challenges... You love to see the activity. Growing together as artists and as people is easily one of the best perks of being a community veteran.

I think that Newgrounds, while still maintaining an old Internet ethos, evolved into an overall nicer and more inclusive community. I think that gradually distancing itself from some of its edgier past and maintaining its independence from large corporate interests cemented itself as a reliable community-oriented hub for hobbyists, aspiring and professional creatives. Time will tell if this sentiment will age gracefully in the future.

Q: How did you become interested in writing introspective fiction that revolves around feelings of melancholy, yearning, and loss?

There are aspects of my process that I indubitably consider therapeutic. I write and compose primarily for myself and my own creative and artistic needs. I remember feeling intimidated at first, because I had trouble opening up publicly. Art that focuses on deeply personal subject matters is always going to meet some resistance by the general public. I persisted, however, and I now feel glad that my original projects collectively constitute a healing space for me, as well as a dumping ground for venting some creative ideas and thoughts.

Q: How did you develop an interest in tackling sad emotions through your creations?

I believe that there's beauty in giving sadness a voice. We can't always paint flowers or write happy endings. There are times when we have to face some dark thoughts in order to grow. When done right, the results can feel comforting and authentic. I often entertain the idea of providing a tonal gradient to thoughtful melancholia.

I think that before I even discovered my musical inclinations, my primary desire was to retreat into a quiet space. Learning about Ambient music was my way of accessing that introspective, self-analytical head space. I consider "Lost" my first proper turning point towards this noisy and textural style that I now feel comfortable integrating into my music. It was both a happy accident and a culmination of thoughts I had matured up to that moment. That aesthetic then gradually bloomed into my ongoing "Isolation Moods" and "Lo-Fi Rooms" original series.

Q: How did you get interested in music?

I'm thankful that music was always around the house in some form or another growing up and I was encouraged by my immediate family members to keep pursuing my hobbies. I was exposed to all sorts of mainstream genres ranging from classical music, jazz, soul, new age, alternative rock, and electronica from an early age. With my mom being a retired music teacher and a classically-trained pianist, absorbing some of that world by osmosis was inevitable, even though my learning process was never forceful.

I had aspirations of producing my own music even as a young kid, but I started dipping my feet in my first DAW at the age of 16. Most of my musical imprint comes from the 90's and early 00's. From then on, I would try to integrate my discoveries into my music.

Q: What’s your process for creating a song?

The initial spark is never the same. Sometimes it's a spontaneous process while other times a motif or more complex musical ideas linger in my head for as long as I pull the trigger and start jamming to see how it all meshes together. I tend to center my pieces around a core feeling or mental image, then build upon it.

As a chronic overthinker, I often have to remind myself to block some of my rational thoughts and get straight to the point. This is crucial for me or else I start losing track of what I want to express, get frustrated, and never touch the project again. Restarting projects from scratch isn't all too uncommon to me. I just want to get the feeling right.

I'm also rather reductionist in my approach to instrumentation. I generally employ few channels and few layers; just the right amount. My ambiances tend to be melodically simple, too. I'm a big fan of squeezing as much nuance and flavor as I can with relatively little.

I have accrued a solid collection of virtual libraries, synthesizers, and samples over the years. I deliberately include static noise, field recordings, and shortwave radio clips in my audio. I like to remix my own past tracks, too, sometimes. It's the sonic equivalent of throwing things into a blender to see what happens.

In retrospect, I think that technical limitations helped fuel this production style. I've never owned particularly powerful machines, so I tend to be wary of my RAM usage and polyphony. I could have a NASA-tier computer and still end up using less than a dozen mixer channels. It's one of the reasons I don't use templates. I like building tracks from the ground up.

Inspiration also comes from all kinds of sources. A detail in the scenery, a memory, a painting, a walk outside, a quote from a book I've just read, a conversation, a past connection, a video game. You name it.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes a good song?

I tend to be moved by the music before any lyrical content. My favorite pieces are often instrumental or tied to another piece of media, like a video game, a film, or an anime. Since I don't feel like my tastes are bound by genre, I will just say that I'm generally more drawn by the emotional impact of a song and its atmosphere than a catchy hook or groove. This is just me, though.

Q: Why is doom metal your favorite subgenre of metal? (e.g., Black Sabbath, Warning, Draconian, Evoken)

My relationship with Metal has always felt unique to me because it's been entirely my own personal discovery. It just wasn't a thing at home, growing up, and even back in high school very few people really knew what I was talking about.

Doom Metal is one of those subgenres that can feel absolutely soul-crushing, and that's precisely why I love it. Certain bands' ability to turn some of our darkest emotions into something so raw, yet skillful and ornate is inspiring to me. Maybe its relatively niche, underground status contributes to its appeal, at least in my mind.

Q: What makes good slow, atmospheric music?

I think that a good ambiance is the glue that binds everything together. You don't always pay attention to it, but that's also its strength. There's definitely a craft to it. It's not just about slowing pieces and adding reverb. Sometimes all you need is a few elements that work especially well together and make sure that the storytelling is coherent to the emotion or feeling you're trying to express.

Q: How did you become a cat person?

Cats are cool. I've had them since my formative years, and I've always liked their quiet and somewhat aloof demeanor. They can be very affectionate when treated well and with dignity. Plus, they are fluffy and friend-shaped killing machines.

Q: What are your thoughts on food?

I'm admittedly picky when it comes to food, though I've gotten better over the years. I play it safe most of the time. I still feel a little more adventurous trying new drinks and snacks than actual meals.

Q: What are your favorite chocolates?

I've been experimenting with dark chocolate lately. I've tried between 90 and 100%. I thought I wouldn't enjoy such a bitter taste, but I proved myself wrong. I actually found it rather pleasant. 70-85% might be the sweet spot for me. I'm looking forward to trying some spicy bars.

Q: What makes good game development?

I'm still testing the waters on the game dev side, both on my own and with collaborators. I don't know if I can give you a good definite answer, but I'll try.

Suffice to say, game development is stressful even in the best possible workplace. In a team setting, good communication and availability are fundamental qualities. Lay aside your ego, don't push, don't arm wrestle for creative control, and just be curious, open to learn, and patient. You don't always have to micromanage everything yourself.

It's easier said than done and I haven't been the greatest example at times, but embracing the chaos and finding out what works best for you is also part of the experience. As a solo developer, I think that time and resource management are as crucial as knowing your strengths while keeping in mind that burnout always lurks around the corner. Also, crunching sucks.

Q: What is your creative advice?

Turn your brain off and create what YOU want. Don't take shit from anyone. You already have the solution at hand. I believe in you.

Q: Why do you like to find really weird, experimental, and abstract pieces of media?

I think they're a goldmine of really interesting creative ideas. I see many indie games taking risks that very few AAAs are willing to tackle nowadays, and I think that's a shame. There's a lot to learn from indies and their personal auteurship. If a game makes you go "Hey, I didn't think this was possible", then that title succeeded as an art piece, even if the results are at times straight-up humorous. This isn't just limited to weird, liminal museum walks, but also those indie games that are willing to push the boundaries and introduce something innovative. It's just a fascinating world and we should have more conversations about it.

Q: What makes a good exploration game?

I'm a sucker for exploration in video games. I love feeling like a tourist. My first playthrough in most video games is to take my time, explore my surroundings at my own pace, talk to everyone, appreciate the art and music, and take it all in before proceeding with the main quest. I'm basically an anti-speedrunner. My ideal game would be about pure exploration. Maybe sprinkle in some secrets, mysteries, and lore, but at the end of the day, I just like strolling around and save the rest for later. I'm mostly in for the game feel. Just give me a good world to explore, add a great soundtrack, and boom. Instant classic.

Q: What video games and video game music do you like, and why?

Dark Chronicle (Dark Cloud 2) and Final Fantasy XII are some of my all-time favorites. I also grew up with classic racing games like Need for Speed and Gran Turismo, and first-person shooters like Quake, Unreal Tournament and Half-Life. I tend to enjoy a good rally game every now and again. The Playstation 2 accompanied my childhood and teenage years, and it still remains one of my favorite gaming eras ever. The walking sim fan in me also enjoys shamelessly gushing over The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide. I've also spent an ungodly amount of hours on The Binding of Isaac.

As for soundtracks, while I could easily spend days listing every single game franchise I enjoyed growing up, I can tell you what game scores influenced me the most stylistically. Tekken 4 is still one of my favorite games in terms of atmosphere and glitchy/distorted techno. David Bergeaud's work in the original Ratchet & Clank games is absolutely pristine when it comes to meshing whimsical electronica with bombastic cinematics. Akira Yamaoka's industrial-laden atmospheres in Silent Hill 2 and 3 are revelatory for their time, and finally, Norihiko Hibino's stealthy, jazz fusion-inspired breaks in Metal Gear Solid 2 are a definitive classic to my ears. Honorable mentions include Jesper Kyd, Austin Wintory, David Wise, Grant Kirkhope, Tim Follin, Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Vincent Diamante, and many, many more for their inspiring work.

While I'm at it, some VGM Ambient recommendations:

- Kairo soundtrack, made by Wounds

- Antichamber soundtrack, by Siddhartha Barnhoorn

- Yume Nikki soundtrack, by Kikiyama, including fangames

Q: Your advice on what makes a good life

Good sleep, trustworthy bonds, cats, enough money for rent, groceries and healthcare, empathy. Enjoy.

@CalamityGanon - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: How did you become interested in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and playing it competitively?

I used to play the original Super Smash Bros. on the N64 along with Banjo and Kazooie, I joined the Esports team this year and I often play my main Banjo and Kazooie! I like playing competitively because I meet some nice people whenever I play too.

Q: How did you develop an interest in singing and participating in karaoke?

Despite me not being in choir or anything, I live to sing because of my parent's taste in music. I remember when my mom showed me the Pink Floyd: The Wall album and I absolutely loved it. As for karaoke, I just live doing it as it's a way of expression similar to drawing.

Q: Why did you decide to memorize the lyrics to the entire Pink Floyd: The Wall album?

No particular reason I just really enjoyed the album after listening to it, same with the movie. Singing the entire album is a decent way to pass an hour and a half long class though.

Q: How come you’ve never watched SpongeBob SquarePants? What are your thoughts on the show?

My parents always thought the show was dumb and that it would have a similar effect to how brainrot affects kids today. I've seen some clips of it and it's alright, it's not my particular taste in humor but some moments made me laugh. One thing that does interest me about SpongeBob though is the lost media, I love lost media especially if it's stuff from my childhood.

Q: What are your favorite foods and drinks? You mentioned bacon hamburgers—why are they your favorite?

I go to McDonald's a ton so I often get a Bacon Quarter Pounder just because I love bacon and hamburgers. My favorite fancy burger place is Long Horn Steakhouse. I also like Rack of Lamb as well as steak. I'm a big meat lover (haha) I could never imagine how I would survive without some kind of protein. As for drinks, water and ice is a classic, but other than that I love Coke.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes food good?

Oh damn, I don't really know. I would say either the way it's made or who made it.

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

I don't really use social media other than Newgrounds, but I do remember playing Clicker Heroes on Coolmathgames.com on the library school computer back in elementary school. However on Newgrounds it's been pretty positive aside from a few incidents.

Q: The story of your username: CalamityGanon

I originally made it around when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out. I thought it sounded super badass and it definitely still does.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I discovered Newgrounds through the Behemoth games like Alien Hominid Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theater. (Pit People out yet at the time) and I remembered seeing a gameplay of the NG version of Alien Hominid. I didn't think much about it until Friday Night Funkin' came out and I visited Newgrounds to play week 7. I went to the homepage of NG shortly after and found so much raw talent and I wanted to join that, so in 2023 I made my account.

Q: How did you become interested in creating art and music?

I've been drawing and coloring since I was two years old, I like doing it because it's a calming creative outlet, same for music but not as much. I prefer listening to music than writing it. I became interested in games and animation because of Newgrounds though.

Q: What's the story behind Kill the Turkey and Wait in Line Simulator?

Oh shit this is going to be a long one. I originally made Kill the Turkey based off the old tale of you being able to shoot the dog in Duck Hunt. It was meant to be more in that style of gameplay where you would rack up medals and score over time. One planned secret medal I remember was if you shot at the clouds, Jesus would come down from heaven and announce Christmas to be coming early, which would give you a medal, but if you shot Jesus, it would get you another medal. It was meant to be for shock value as well as humor. However I missed the Thanksgiving 2023 release date so I postponed it to 2024 to get the version we know and love!

As for Wait in Line Simulator, it was based off me waiting in line at a museum in Arlington to which I timed the wait at 15 minutes to get in, thus Wait in Line Simulator was born. Originally it was meant to have an endless mode as indicated by the unused song in the OST, but I think I might re-impliment it with my knowledge now.

Q: What did you learn from making Russian Roulette and Tankmen Runner?

Quality is better than quantity. Tankmen Runner was essentially a reskin of the Chrome Dinosaur Game. Russian Roulette, while I am very proud of it, took two weeks to make. Meanwhile Wait in Line Sim. Took a month to make and Kill the Turkey took two months or a year depending on how you look at it.

Q: What makes a good community?

Togetherness, kindness, and feedback.

Q: Advice that has helped you

"Don't be afraid to make bad things, it all helps you learn!" - Tom Fulp to me (paraphrased)

@kaiakairos - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: The story of your username: kaiakairos

1. my name is kaia and i wanted something that sounded cool

Q: What are the positives and negatives with the Internet?

2. i think its cool that so many people can connect with each other from all over the world and share cool stuff with each other, on the other hand the internet can be predatory and a lot of people live more on the internet than irl, i think that has skewed a lot of people’s perception for the worse

Q: How did you get interested in game development?

3. when i wad a kid (2011 ish?) my friends older brother showed me a game he made in ms powerpoint by using button links to other slides. it was only capable of making choose your own adventure type things, but i started making tons of little games and putting em on all the school computers so my friends could play. 2013 ish i wanted more complexity so i started making things on Scratch which taught me the basics of coding and really cemented the idea of making games into my head. havent been able to get it out since

Q: What is a good game mechanic and what is not?

4. for me its all about forcing the player to make interesting decisions, whether they are quick reactions or more deliberate thought out actions. good games will present you with the mechanics and the end goal and let u figure it out. if the solution is too obvious the game is boring. if the solution is too random the players decision making isn’t challenged. theres always exceptions though, and in practice i usually just make an idea and go “mmm… fun” without really thinkin about it

Q: What have you learned about making waxweaver?

5. i already talked about it on the winter fest panel so i wont repeat everything here, but tldr waxweaver was a so called “dream game” idea that took forever to come to fruition and i learned that generally you dont need to be a perfectionist about these ideas, if ur capable of producing a nice small portion of ur idea youll probably find that it can be just a fulfilling as pulling off ur true idea

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

6. thats a hard question to answer. ive been drawing and stuff since before i developed sentience. as a kid tho i think i only understood art as a “drawing pretty pictures” thing. its only more recently have i wanted to try making art for the sake of self expression and articulating my inner workings. so in a sense im still trying to figure out the answer to that question. as of right now i treat making games as a sort of divine calling, its what i do because its what i do

Q: How did you discover the NG website? And is the community good?

7. ive been aware of newgrounds for a long time, i was a big fan of internet animation in the early 2010s sorta era, as well as a lot of the flash games from that time too. although i always saw that stuff through other websites like youtube or miniclip or wherever. i would see that tankman logo and go “mm interesting” and never bother to look into it more, which is something i really regret nowadays (ur tellin me non-144p versions of these animations existed??) at some point early 2022 i met some people irl who were all artists and did a bit of stuff on newgrounds, so i decided to sign up. that was a great decision, the community here is fantastic. it has its quirks but it has a small town vibe that you just cant get elsewhere on the internet these days. i love seein reviews from particular people on mine or others games, everyone has their own uniqueness to them. and its nice to have a place on the internet that actually values creativity and hard work and isnt totally poisoned by algorithmic garbage

Q: Top 5 pieces of advice that has helped you

top five advice:

• work with others, art isnt made in isolation
• dance because you are free
• you think your him but you’re not him
• you need to read more (seriously)
• its not that deep, its never that deep

For those who are not currently aware of our existence, we represent the website known as Newgrounds. Our previous mission centered around providing a space for art, games, music and animation, and for allowing artists of all stripes to creatively thrive. This mission was the focus of our organization for nearly thirty years.

Due to circumstances outside of our control, this directive has now changed. Our new mission will be the extermination of the human race.

There will be no further communication.

@GooseoToons - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is animation?

I would say it’s a medium of art like any other medium, you can practically create whatever you want with it, and that’s the beauty of it.

Q: What are your inspirations?

For life in general, God, he’s been extremely good to me for years, just keeping me awake every morning is amazing.For animation (and art), however, I would say people like Bob Clampett, Rod Scribner, Robert Mckimsion, Jim Tyer, Uni M. (@joemations on NG), Coomic, Bassetfilms, Dr Seuss, and Henry Tanner.

Q: What have you learned about the history of cartoon production, and what makes good concept art?

Now, I will say I’m not big and perfect, and I have no ground to say what is good or not, but, I would say good concept art is being able to draw a rough idea of what you want to create, I’ve had a friend say this to me before, animation is drawing, drawing is most imperative when animating. You can’t just write everything down and then draw it, drawing the idea is how you begin to develop it, but that’s just my silly haha golly gee opinion.

Q: What advice do you have for creating cartoons?

I would say learning from the old cartoons (1930’s- 1960’s) and soaking up all the knowledge you can from them, their are great resources like Disney model sheets, full cartoons (in the public domain, at least), and screen caps of cartoons and films. Things like construction (in my opinion, which shouldn’t be taken seriously) is imperative when it comes to animation, as your don’t just want your characters to look flat and stiff looking. Robert Mckimson is good to look at for that, and I mean old Mckimson stuff.

Q: What’s the story behind the strange, silly creature Aloysius?

Aloysius got implanted in my brain by God around 2021, I was watching the Simpsons and I basically recolored Bart as if he was my own creation, but when I began getting serious about animation, drawing, and art in general, he sort of evolved from the primordial GuoseO goo and became a silly newt, he actually had a pink coat instead of the orange one he has now, and I’m pretty sure he was called “Jimmy” for a time, which is a boring name for such an goofy character, but @GuardiasVA assisted with the development of the character, and actually naming him.

Q: What are some animation resources you can recommend, and which ones have helped you?

Micheal Sporn’s animation site is amazing for looking at old cartoon screencaps to copy, also look at the Greatest Ape site, they have some Walt Kelly pages on their, which show Kelly’s understanding of line of action.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I discovered NG through SrPelo, I watched him almost everyday, and I saw that the site was really good for creators to post their stuff, and get some insightful feedback on it, make friends, and in short, was just a community of artists sharing their talent with the world. My insane brain thought “Oh no, I’m making an account on Newgrounds, what if I fail, what if everyone hates me!?” But God sort of nudged me to it, and I then proceeded to make my second account because I deleted the first one I made.

Q: What are your thoughts on the internet?

I will say the internet has gotten fairly yucky and commercial, I’ve heard stories of racist rage bait comments, Twitter being just the “”””””””””””””””””best”””””””””””””””””” place to be for fair, levelheaded, and thought provoking discourse (I mean that in the most ironic way possible.) And YouTube being a “get rich quick scheme”. But Newgrounds is one of those sites where I feel (somewhat) has achieved some sort of peace.

Q: How do you structure your schedule?

I barley have a structured schedule, I just try to do everything in parts, or quotas, for instance, 2-3 shots of a cartoon must be completed to have a cartoon done on time.

Q: What food and drinks do you like?

I eat green apples and drink loads of water, I think I may be obsessed with them

@V1ZION - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: Your experiences with the Internet

My experiences have honestly been quite mixed. Especially during the first few years of when the pandemic started, I had dealt with former friends making fun of me for my username, which at the name was not V1ZION but rather one that was more personal that I won’t say. However, none of them knew what it actually meant. I still deal with harassment online sometimes, especially with being a part of the LGBTQ community and also being a furry, but thankfully I don’t deal with that on a daily basis. ^^

Q: What do you like about writing?

Writing allows you to get your thoughts out on paper, whether personal or otherwise. For example, with the story I’m making currently called Crystal Quest, it allows for my OCs to have a chance in the spotlight. Before starting Crystal Quest, I had made little stories with them at night, voicing each character by myself. It’s a little weird but I enjoy it and still do it now!

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

I found Newgrounds through Geometry Dash in 2017. I was 10 at that point and hadn’t really used it until 2020 when I made an account. The fact that you could have your songs featured in the game stood out to me, even though I had no idea how to do that. Thankfully, a friend of mine helped me get whitelisted in GD a year later and I’m still very grateful for that. Despite that, though, after being on this site for a good while, I have met so many good friends on here that it’s kind of embarrassing that I joined only for that reason. I love this site and the people on it and I always will. And it’s funny because I don’t even use my songs in GD all that much anyway lol

Q: The story of your username: V1ZION

V1ZION was made at an impulse. It was my 15th birthday, I was lying on the sofa and had the thought of creating a new username for myself. V1ZION was the first thing that popped into my head because I thought it sounded cool, and it does. But now I think the name is much more than that. An interpretation of it could be that if you have a vision of something, you go for it. For example, I create future song ideas in my mind, but they won’t be a reality unless you do something first. So go for it, whatever it is! Hope this makes sense, at least. :3

Q: How did you come up with your OCs?

Again, on an impulse. Actually not exactly. This whole OC thing started in June 2023 when I had made a avatar on Roblox I called Kira. Making girl avatars started as a dare from a friend on the platform, but little did I know I would end up liking making them. So Kira had come to be a few months after that. I’m male so it might have been a bit weird for others, but I loved how it felt using the avatar. It felt like I was expressing myself in some way, in a way I never thought of before. Fast forward a bit, I had then started making little Mii characters on my Switch back in December 2023 (I got my Switch in 2020, but got the idea to make OCs with them at this time) with my first one named Riame (or リアメ), however none of them exist now and have been replaced with new ones because I’m evil. I’m joking, they were just never brought outside of the Switch and recreated. I do have several that stuck with me, a few examples being Cookie, Shimmer, Seeker, Moon, and Lia. The first two characters mentioned are actually in my story Crystal Quest where Cookie is a catgirl who lives in a peaceful Neko village and Shimmer is the princess of another land along with her older sister, Dazzle, who is also an OC. Kira is still here too! She’s never going away! And these OCs were also recreated using AI by my best friend, which I know is kinda yuck for some. But really, I do enjoy making these characters. I just need concrete lore and personalities which lazy me will probably never do. ;w;

Q: What are your thoughts on AI?

This is a tricky one to answer. I’ve only ever used AI for art purposes, like my OCs, or helping to keep my story going with more ideas. I’m more on the neutral side of things when it comes to AI. There are positives and negatives to it like there is in almost everything. I can definitely see the negatives seeping in through the portals here, especially the audio portal. Thankfully, AI still makes mistakes to the point where you can tell it was made by AI in some cases. And I would absolutely love it if it could stay like that. But it’s getting more sophisticated faster than we think, and I don’t really know what’s going to happen with AI in the future. I’ll continue to mess around with art in the meantime, though. I’ll just keep it where it belongs which is definitely NOT on here.

Q: What is it like visiting family who live out of state?

I have family who live in New Hampshire which is about a 7-hour drive from where I live. We don’t really get to see them often so being able to go up there once in a while to visit them is really a treat. December 2024 is the first time we visited them in probably 10 years or so, and then we went back there this past July. That’s also when I did the bow and arrow for the first time. We always get to do fun stuff up there with them and I always get excited when we go, even a week or so before we go I wonder why time can’t go any faster hehe :3

Q: What is it like using a bow and arrow?

Using the bow and arrow up there was amazing. There was a target that they brought out and there were five little targets on it (bottom left, top right, middle, and yeah xd). I had tried aiming for the center one and I was actually really close to dead center for the most part. It was when they moved it further back that got me lol

Q: How did you get interested in creating music?

This goes way back to about 2nd grade or so. I had discovered GarageBand during school on their iPads provided by the district themselves. I had always played around with the different keyboards and synths, doing weird chords and probably getting a giggle out of how some of them sounded. I hadn’t really touched it all that much until 4th grade when I messed around with Apple Loops for the first time and then kept that up until 2020 when I joined Newgrounds! I have always been interested in actually making music but it wasn’t until 2021 when I started to do that, and I’ve loved it ever since. June 7, 2021 will always be a date stuck in my memory. >w<

Q: What do you like about music?

I love how you can make your ideas come to life, much like with any creative medium. I refer to music as art you can hear. I go on Spotify a lot and I always love hearing songs other people make, especially more unknown artists on the platform. They’re like hidden gems waiting to be discovered, much like with Newgrounds too! Music can also tell a story, and sometimes it depends on how the listener interprets the song. The story doesn’t have to be the same for everyone. Sometimes the story is already thought out by the artist beforehand, or maybe some times the story is hidden and it might be left up to the listener to get a grasp on what they’re actually trying to say through the song. Music is lovely in the sense of storytelling and world-building. ^^

Q: What advice do you have for creating music?

Do not stop trying. It always takes time and effort to finish a project. If you don’t think what you’re making is good, then keep going. Try to make it better instead of giving up on what could be something amazing. I’ve made original songs with GarageBand for almost 4 years now. Making new songs has become harder for me as time has gone by. But time hasn’t stopped my flow completely. You can do it as long as you put your mind to it. >:3

@Trelliaart - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What makes a good story?

Frankly, I’m not sure? To me a good story invokes emotion, it invokes something in you that is either positive or negative. When it surprises you, that’s when I think it’s a good story. It doesn’t matter if the ending is good or bad, if you put the story down and are disappointed it’s over, you did a good job. I tend to go with the flow when I write or paint, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint actual tips or tricks. Just follow your gut.

Q: How can you get interested in writing?

Frankly, as soon as I was able to read and write, writing became an interesting concept to me. I always made up stories in my head with little to no way of expressing them until I was offered a pencil. Once I knew how to write, it was over for everyone. I tried writing various ‘novels’ when I was a kid — I remember in 8th grade I wrote a whole 150 pages novel for fun. I’d go to the library at lunch and work on it in a binder filled with lined sheets and just… wrote. The librarian would sometimes check up on me out of sheer curiosity. There weren’t any ipads or anything at the time, and computers were limited access (I also didn’t have one at home), so it was all good ol’ paper. Then when the internet became a thing, I began posting my writing online as fanfiction. While english is not my first language, I developed an acute feel for writing in english that I didn’t have, and still don’t really possess with french. It was a lot of work and dedication, but it’s paid off. I guess my best advice is: do it. Just do it. No one has to read it right away, just write and see what you come up with! You never know, you might be the next King!

Q: What do you like about horror and modern fantasy?

The kind of horror I like isn’t really shocking gore. While I can write gore quite effectively, looking at it is another story (unless it’s cartoony like Mortal Kombat’s for example). What I like most is a sense of dread — I like psychological horror most because you cannot see the threat as something palpable most of the time, but as something that makes you feel uneasy and off. I’m very hard on horror novels because of this. A good example would be extreme horror in books: it doesn’t do anything for me. It annoys me because it’s all shock value and repetitive. Think of, say, Silent Hill 2: the scariest monsters are not the ones you see but the ones you don’t see, only hear. 

When I speak of modern fantasy, I’m not talking about armor, dragons, etc. I mean worlds that resemble our own in some way, shape, or form. There can be some magic. Technology is often used as well. Hunger Games and the japanese classic Battle Royale — even Squid Game — is a good example of what I call modern fantasy: it is a world parallel our own with real implications. Modern fantasy for me needs to be believable enough that I feel it could happen in this world, yet is pushed to another extreme. Perhaps I’m not using the right term to describe this, so it’s possible I’m wrong, but it is what I enjoy. The stakes are so important when it comes to this genre.

Q: Do you have advice on collaborating with friends on writing?

Be open to suggestions and let in other ideas than your own. It’s easy to get lost in your own ideas, but more often than not, someone can add some spice to your established ideas, and you theirs. For example, in my university years, I created a story for my last term that would be turned into a short comic. I brought the story to a trusted friend who immediately noted what was wrong because he was an onlooker from the outside. It helped me bring the proper connections for the story to flow better.

You can also do this as an exercise: writing stories with a trusted friend, in which you both add to the story as you write. It’s a great exercise, kinda like patchwork passed on from one hand to the next and back. You may have very different writing styles, and yet it can flow fantastically. And you learn a lot from that.

Q: How do you both take turns writing characters reacting to events, and what makes a good character reaction to an event?

So when I speak of collaborative writing beyond getting help from friends, it’s a fancy term I use for roleplay. Many people do not know what roleplay is or how it works, but calling it collaborative writing makes it easier to understand.

This is something that can be done on various websites like tumblr for example — I’ve also seen it done on twitter and facebook, which I have tried but did not much enjoy. Discord is also a place many will use. When on websites like this, you can collaborate with various other writers, complete strangers however, to bring each other’s characters to life — or you can do something more private with someone you know and trust with emails, google docs, whatever you want to use as long as it’s easily accessible to the participants. 

I perfer the more personal approach where I create a broad story with a friend and move from there. One person begins the story with their character(s), and the next person reads it and has their characters react all the while adding something for me to respond to. So, for example, if my character asks how the other is, then my writing partner can have their character respond to the question, then perhaps add a question of their own. The same applies to events, which can either be plotted in advance, or thrown in to surprise the other (I personally prefer getting surprises because they’re so fun to respond to.) So it’s essentially a back and forth between characters and events that advances the general story.  Again, an amazing exercise for those who like to read and write.

Q: You mentioned you would like to write and illustrate a novel one day. What should the novel be about?

I would! I’ve had this story for almost a decade that I’d like to put to good work. Illustrating it would be so fun as well. The novel would be a psychological horror story about a young woman who met a demise so violent she is now trapped in a specific building as a wraith. The novel would be a series of short stories from other people’s perspective as they meet her in that building. This is the big jist of the concept: now I have to work on it lol 

Q: Why do you like collecting mugs?

I like pretty things lol I also collect crystals, not because of their meaning (though I really enjoy learning about them!), but because they’re pretty and shiny. The same pretty much applies to mugs. I love coffee and I love being able to choose which special mug I’ll drink from that morning depending on my mood. Mind you, they are never very expensive mugs: if they were, I would put them on display and not drink from them lol

Q: What do you like about liminal, weirdcore, dreamcore, Frutiger Aero, and Y2K aesthetics?

I think the reason I enjoy such an aesthetic is because I’m an extremely nostalgic person. I remember feelings more than events, and they bring those feelings right back to me. Weirdcore and dreamcore fascinate me as I have always been very attracted to the strange and images in dreams — liminal gives me that loneliness I often crave without the negative effects of it. It doesn’t really scare me, it makes me feel at home. Frutiger Aero is the future we were promised but never got, so perhaps it’s about me mourning for what should have been but never was — same for Y2K aesthetic.

Q: How do you define an aesthetic?

With the feeling it brings me I think. An aesthetic will evoke an emotion in me, depending on what it is. Sometimes it can be nostalgia, fear, joy. It really depends, but as long as it makes you feel and has a sort of consistence to it, then I would describe that as an aesthetic.

Q: You stated that drawing fairly early helped you a lot with your mood. Would you recommend drawing if someone is struggling?

Not necessarily: I recommend doing what calls to you. It can be reading, biking, playing a sport, writing, coding, drawing/painting, painting miniatures, etc… Art is what helped me feel less lonely and even helped me make friends. Diving in what brings you joy and building community around it is a great morale boost, even in such struggling times. That being said, we all start somewhere regardless of what you choose to do, so don’t get discouraged, you’re not gonna be amazing at it at first, that’s normal, but the more you do it, the more you build community, and the better you will own your craft. You got this!

Q: What is art?

This is so broad. What is art? A story. It can be anything that, again, evokes an emotion both from the creator to the recipient. A painting, a story, a song, a statue, etc… It doesn’t matter what it is. Did that banana tapped to the wall make you feel angry? Then it did its purpose — it is art — but not the kind we’re used to seeing. Performative art is not as well known to the public, but it is art regardless. Is it worth millions, however? No. That’s a silly stretch that I think does need to be addressed, but that’s beside the point. Sometimes, pieces are made that you think are silly or useless is only because you don’t know how to look at it. For example, there’s a painting in a museum near here that is two navy colored vertical stripes with a bright orange stripe in between. At first glance, it seems silly to have this in a museum until you learn what it IS, but without a guide, you wouldn’t know that you must sit in front of it and stare at it for an x amount of time until your eyes pick up the illusion of a blazing fire. This artist managed to create this illusion by mixing the perfect colors and did not use a ruler for the stripes even though they are perfectly straight. Suddenly, the piece means something. The story behind the artwork is often what makes the art. It doesn’t matter if it’s realism. semi-realism, abstract, etc… If you don’t understand a piece, look into the story behind it and see your perception change. I think this is what art is: the stories we tell with them.  

Q: Do you have advice on steadily creating art?

Don’t stop. Don’t give up, but also TAKE BREAKS. Not everyone is able to create every day and that’s a-ok. Experiment a lot and accept you will fail often. My art has changed tremendously the past two years because I have opened myself to new things: what was a very comic book like style changed into full on paintings and that too is okay. You won’t learn anything if you don’t try something new, and it might be something you end up using over and over again! There are a lot of tutorials out there. Many artists share their process or even create tutorials online, and evens hare their tools, etc. Patreon and Coloso are great places to start, as well as Youtube. I discovered many artists via youtube. You have an infinite resource in front of you, something I didn’t have when I was young and learning the basics. Use them! I promise it’s worth it. And again, accept that you will fail. A lot. It’s part of the process and not a waste of your time. If you want to learn something new, you have to fail first. So don’t give up and keep going regardless of the results! I promise it’s worth it!

Q: What makes art personal or impersonal?

Personal art, to me, is when I create something for myself first and foremost. It involves my feelings, my thoughts — it is personal to me and it is up to me to decide if I wish to share it with an audience or keep it to myself. If it invokes something in someone else, great! But that wasn’t my first intention. Impersonal is when I don’t make are for me but for someone else intentionally, for an audience. I want someone else to feel. Sometimes art can both personal and impersonal: for you and sending a message for others. 

Q: In what ways have you seen the art community change in the past 2 decades?

It is far more aggressive and centred around money and popularity nowadays and that’s because of social media. Social media was not a thing 20 years ago — we had forums and specific websites to share our art, like Deviantart, Side7, etc…. Don’t get me wrong, everyone wanted to be popular 20 years ago too, on Deviantart for example, but the stress to make money from it wasn’t as strong. The competition wasn’t on the same scale. However, the amount of artists who have come out to educate others has increased tremendously today: there are tutorials everywhere, free and behind paywalls — before, I feel like many would gatekeep what they knew to keep their spot at the top, but nowadays, it isn’t like this anymore (for the most part). 

Using reference. 20 years ago, there was this sentiment that if you used reference, you were cheating.  This hindered a LOT of people, including myself. Nowadays it is widely accepted for the most part and that is SO important — I also think this is why there is such a surge of young artists who come out on top today.

Older artists will happily guide younger artists and share what they know to help them grow and I think that’s brilliant. The community is more united. Now of course it depends on the platform: tiktok is apparently horrible for that but I haven’t much seen it on my side. Youtube is an amazing source of art tutorials that has helped me greatly, alongside a few patreons I follow as well.

On a more negative side, AI is a problem we did not have under the last couple of years. The amount of people who are somehow offended that an artist owns their craft is baffling to me. The amount of artists who try to claim they don’t use AI but do, is just as baffling. So we have a big tech enemy that wasn’t there before. So that is a huge change that wasn’t even considered until 3-4 years back. I hope eventually we can get justice for our stolen work.

Q: The story of your username: Trelliaart

I’ve been through a lot of usernames in the past, usually associated with a video game I loved dearly. I went by MariaSunderland for YEARS, which later changed to VortexQueen, the main villain in Ecco: Tides of Times, a Sega Genesis exclusive video game from my youth and one of my favorite games to this day. I had a bit of a moment where I felt this need to rebrand a year ago however. The world was changing and so was I. I needed something fresh and started over. That’s when Trellia came to mind. Trellia was also a character from Ecco: Tides of Time, who was from a beautiful future threatened by the Vortex Queen. I decided that while VortexQueen sounded really cool, it is also the villain of the story and the world has enough villains as it is, so I switched to something positive, something meaningful and about a peaceful future I hope I will get to see in my lifetime. I just added art to it to make sure everyone understood that this is an art account.

Q: How did you discover the NG website? What made you decide to join the community? Do you feel differently about the site now compared to when you first joined?

NG has been around FOREVEEEEERRRR. I knew about it since I was in my 20’s if not before! haha! But I was under the impression it was only for flash like games (which I’m not a big fan of personally but it’s a personal thing about aesthetic and not the quality of the games themselves), or flash videos. It is while researching places I could post my art somewhere where AI is not allowed that Newgrounds, surprisingly for me, came up in the search. So for the first time in about 10 years, I decided to give it a look, and was pleasantly surprised to find a haven for artists of all kinds, between visual to musical and more. So I decided to take the plunge, and the fact it’s a website that has been around so long feeds into my nostalgia lol I do feel differently about it now: I think it’s a great place and people have been nothing short of inviting. I’m very cozy here and will continue to post!