shelby cragg illustration

It’s that time again… time for another Hiveswap development team interview!

whatpumpkin:

Hey everyone, this week we’re talking to someone who lots of you already know. It’s Shelby Cragg, artist extraordinaire!

Introduce yourself to the fans! What is your specific role on the Hiveswap team?

Hi! I’m Shelby Cragg, and I’m a 2D artist working on Hiveswap!

When and how did you get your start on the Hiveswap project?

Well, I’ve been involved with What Pumpkin for a few years – I started out doing art assets for Homestuck back in 2012, when Andrew asked me to be the ghost artist for Calliope’s drawings. I did freelance work for Homestuck-related projects for a while until last year, when I was asked to join the Hiveswap team full time!

Tell us a little bit about your career background! How did you get your start in art and graphic design? Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?

Working at What Pumpkin is my first industry job. I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2015, and worked freelance for a while afterwards. My biggest piece of advice is to make art that you’re passionate about, even if it’s fan art – if I never did tons of Homestuck fan art, I would have never gotten this job!

We’re making a video game, so of course the question must be asked: what’s your favorite game of all time, and what games are you playing currently (if any)?

That’s a hard one! I don’t actually play that many games, since I don’t have a ton of free time right now. I have been playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild recently, which I am absolutely loving! It’s pretty much everything I’ve ever wanted in a game, haha. I’d say it’s up there with my favorite games of all time! If I had to pick three favorites, I’d go with Yoshi’s Island, Portal 1 + 2, and Breath of the Wild.

Are there any games that you currently use or have used as inspiration for your own art and graphic design work here on Hiveswap, or just in general?

I think the game that has inspired my work most is Journey. I love games with a lot of focus on color design and atmosphere, which I think translates most into the type of work that I specialize in.

What are your preferred programs and applications as an artist and graphic designer? What are the tools of your trade?

I almost exclusively use Photoshop CC, and currently I’m working on a Cintiq 13HD tablet.

What’s your workstation like? Do you like to listen to any particular kinds of music while you work? If so, tell us about it!

My workstation is currently decorated with a few drawings Andrew did for me, some scalemates, and the Homestuck calendar – as you might imagine, they really get you into the Homestuck mood for work. ;) I also have a signed drawing of Garfield, my prized possession.

As for music, I listen to a lot of mid-2000s indie rock. I never said I was a role model.

Favorite Homestuck character?

I have to answer Calliope for this one, right? I developed a pretty strong fondness for her since I was her “ghost artist.” She’s also based on the type of Homestuck fan that I was at the time! I think she’s a really great example of a fangirl parody character that’s not mean-spirited. But other than Calliope, I think my favorite character is Terezi. Her storyline rocks. I’m also a big fan of Karkat, Vriska, and Dave. It’s too hard to pick!

Favorite Homestuck ship?

Is this a trick question?

Favorite Homestuck flash?

That’s really hard! I’m gonna have to go with “[S]: Caliborn: Enter,” as I really love the cherub storyline.

Do you have a personal message you’d like to relay to all the Homestuck and Hiveswap fans out there?

Thanks for sticking with us! I hope you guys enjoy Hiveswap, and remember to always powder and seal your paint when cosplaying.

Where can people find more of your work? Link us to your own little corner(s) of the Internet!

Currently I’m working on a web comic called NEOKOSMOS. If you like Homestuck, you might like it!  The format is inspired by MSPA and it’s a sci-fi adventure story about human kids who are raised in isolation by lizard aliens. You can find it right here!

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Thank you, Shelby! See you next week, everybody!