TWC Resident Artists
We’re so excited to officially introduce the 3 resident artists on Team TWC: Hau, Ishtar, and Wisesnail! We all know and love their work but we wanted to get to know them better so here it is, our first Q&A!
Find their TWC work here: Hau, Ishtar, Wisesnail
Oh and…make sure to grab one of the bundles in Michael Sheen’s lot at the end of the month to take home some special gifts from them!
How did you hear about TWC and why did you decide to join as an artist?
Hau: It was a totally random and lucky coincidence! I stumbled across one of TWC’s very first tweets I believe because someone I follow had retweeted it. I found the name’s idea very cute and funny and it caught my attention. Then I saw what they were beginning to work with, and I started to get interested! I loved the idea of a collaboration between the creators of the project and the artists.
Eventually, one day I told myself “you know what? I am an artist myself. Let’s try and see if I can take advantage of this to help them with the project.”
Oh, the way I’m happy I made that decision, that day!
Ishtar: I remember that it was at the beginning of the quarantine, March to be precise and someone retweeted one posts of the white curl searching for artists to commission in these weird times as a way to help and I said "this looks interesting, I'm going to give it a try" and I also needed the money lol. The organizers contacted me, i made a drama queen, sushi lover, teddy bear and plant boi as my first work and the rest is history
Wisesnail: A friend mentioned that a certain “Bebop” was organising monthly charity events, and that more artists were needed. I looked into TWC and immediately fell in love with the concept and with the idea of doing something I love for a good cause <:
When did you first start creating art?
H: Well I started as soon as I could manage to hold a pen really. Then at some point during my teens I stopped...unfortunately, I must say! Time passed...eventually, two years ago, for some personal reasons I got interested in giving it another try. And I rediscovered how much I actually love making art. There’s not a single day since then that passes without me drawing something!
I: Since I was little to be honest. I loved drawing, messing with colors and stuff, but if you asked me when I started taking it seriously then I'll say by the age of 12, when I got obsessed with anime and animation in general. I always fell in love with the character with less fanart, so one day I said "Screw this! I'm going to do my own!!"
W: Oh dear, it’s something that I’ve always liked to do, so I guess all my life? But I tried to really learn and improve around 7 years ago...
Did you have any type of formal training or schooling for art?
H: I wish I had, so bad! Unfortunately I’ve never had the possibility to attend drawing lessons...so I grew up trying to understand how drawing works myself!
I: Nope! I'm taking the painful path. Everything on my own
W: Not really, I’m self-taught. I went to a couple of classes, but the main goal of those was to paint from life, with a model.
What is your preferred art medium to work in (digital, oil, watercolor, clay, etc)?
H: Digital at the moment, with my beloved iPad!!!
I: Definitely digital! I suck when it comes to handcrafts, I don't have the patience and i hate it
W: The digital world is now somewhat of a comfort zone (and this seems almost strange to me, considering that I clearly remember the initial struggle), but lately I really enjoy watercolours, even if the results are still quite mixed… XD
Most difficult art medium you’ve tried?
H: Oh, definitely watercolors. That stuff goes out of control in the blink of an eye.
I: Again, anything that is traditional or crafty makes me cry
W: Watercolour, probably. I find it hard to control, but that’s also its charm, I think <:
Is there an art medium that you haven’t tried but would like to?
H: There’s not an art medium in particular that I’d like to try more than some others...I’m a curious human being, so if I could I would try quite literally anything.
I: I always wanted to draw something with copics or any fancy Japanese marker, but they're too expensive!! so i'll stay with my free programs at the moment, thank you very much!
W: Oils! Definitely oils! Especially because my dad has always wanted me to try them...
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
H: An artist!! Of any kind!
I: When I was little, i dreamt about becoming an opera singer. As you can see, that didn't go well…
W: An archeologist, then an egyptologist, then a psychiatrist… I’m still mad at myself for not becoming Indiana Jones to be honest, but I would make a very rubbish explorer...
Who is your favorite character or person to paint?
H: At the moment I am getting a lot of inspiration from the two beautiful humans Michael Sheen and David Tennant. But to be honest, I love to draw literally anything that possibly catches my interest, whether it’s fanart or not. About the character I like to draw best...well, like a good part of the fandom probably knows me for, I love to draw Roland Blum. He’s a bastard, but he’s a special one. I don’t even know how to explain it but somehow he sparkles in the most feral way possible, and I just love that about him. A sparkling bastard.
I: At the moment it is Aziraphale or Michael sheen and no, they're not the same person! In my humble correct opinion.
W: I go through phases, as most of my friends and followers might have noticed <; I like sharp features, and I tend to obsess over a specific part of the body that I find interesting in “my muse”: Mads Mikkelsen’s lips, Hugh Dancy’s asymmetric face, Michael Sheen’s nose, or David Tennant’s teeth, just to mention a few… Haha, sorry if it’s weird!
What is your favorite Michael Sheen character?
I: Some angelic pansy from the south, an actor who's losing his mind in quarantine and a dad who happens to be in prison for having too much fun with 23 people
W: I have to admit I’m still going through his filmography, so I guess I’ll go with Aziraphale because it’s the character that really put him on my radar <;
Do you draw people/characters from other fandoms and if so which ones?
H: I don’t regularly draw any other specific character at the moment - a part from my personal art -, at least not as much as I do with Michael’s characters. But in general, I just like to draw literally anything I have an interest in!
I: At the moment I'm really stuck in the GO hole, but I also draw David "that fucking liar" Tennant, the umbrella academy, Doctor Who or my own characters
W: I do! I like portraits in general, and painting is the way I express my love, so I’m no stranger to fandoms: Good Omens, Hannibal, Sherlock, The Silmarillion, Assassin’s Creed… Just to name a few! <:
Are you always pleased with the way a drawing turns out?
H: I usually am, but at the end of the day I’m nothing but a perfectionist. So I always end up finding something I want to improve!
I: I have an extreme love/hate relationship with my work so it's always a 50/50 on that. A 100% in hating them in the future
W: Hahahaha, almost never!
Do you feel as if you have to feel a sort of connection with the character you want to draw?
H: I’m a very empathetic person, and I always see what I draw in an emotive key. No matter whether what I draw is funny, sad or serious, I always draw because I want to express a specific message or emotion. So I do need to have an emotional connection to what I draw, always!
I: Of course! You must feel something or have some knowledge of the character you're doing for your piece, if you want the experience to be enjoyable. Having 0 feelings or knowledge towards a character that you must work on is the worst!
W: Yes and no. I think you can go deeper if you feel a connection, or if a specific character inspires certain emotions in you… But I also enjoy painting random people that I don’t know/have no background story for, as I really do love painting faces <:
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
H: To put a smile on other people’s faces I think is the superpower I aim to have.
I: Time travel because is cool and I'm watching a lot of Doctor Who
W: Forcibly remove anxiety. That counts as a superpower, doesn’t it?
What’s your favourite artwork that you’ve done?
H: Except a couple of personal drawings I don’t think I have a favorite, although I’m particularly fond of a piece I did of Aziraphale grooming Crowley’s wings...
I: Right now is a commission that I made for one of my favorites artist of the GO fandom. I really love how the colors came out
W: A portrait of Cillian Murphy in Enda Walsh’s “Ballyturk”: the pose, the colours, the brush strokes… Something really clicked, when I did that one!
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
H: Oh, I literally treasure every happy response I receive for my art. When people tell me my art really made them feel the emotions, when they tell me it made them happy...every time I succeed in transmitting the emotions, the right vibe...it is a huge win for me, and literally one of the greatest joys.
I: When Michael liked a sketch that I made in 30 seconds… I just tagged him as a joke! And Boom! Like!
W: Every time someone comments on my works, I get super emotional… XD Probably when the people I portray let me know what they think, not only because it means I have been noticed, but because I find it nice to have feedback from the people whose essence I try to capture in my works.
What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
H: Since I’m a digital artist, I guess it must be my iPad and my Pen. I literally bring them everywhere I go. Everything else I need...is here, inside my head!
I: Your good old tablet and having some taste when it comes to colors
W: My tablet (I feel incomplete when I don’t have it with me), and my pencils - emergency doodles never fail to cheer me up <: