This week we are chatting with Wench, a "Artist, writer, VPer, occasional modder" who does NSFW art from time to time. Also, she's a Goro simp. ;) She has a lot to say about her art and 2077 which we were very fascinated to hear her take. So enjoy and comment below. Please note; some of her images in the gallery below are NSFW
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into digital creations?
Sure! I grew up in the suburbs of the metro-Atlanta area, where I still currently reside with my husband and our two cats, and I'm just a creative nerd at heart. I've always loved art, writing, traditional photography, cosplay, doing random crafts, etc., especially in a fan capacity. Tomb Raider, Star Wars, and 90s-era Disney movies--These were my main muses when I was growing up. My family was late to get on board with having a home PC, but once we finally did, my getting into digital design and art was really just a natural progression combining my innate love of making stuff with my new love of technology.
Specifically, being active in the online roleplaying forums scene in the early 2000s was what really got me interested in digital art. I used to design avatars and signature images for my characters in Photoshop rip-off I can't remember the name of (no, not GIMP--It was so obscure). Although I would approach that process differently these days, because, in hindsight, there was a lot of copyright infringement there. I would just take whatever cool pictures I found online and mash them up with my celebrity "face claim" and upload them without a second thought. Definitely not a method I would recommend now, especially since there are so many free stock resources available, but that was the norm at the time, and that was how I learned my way around digital image editing programs.
How did you learn your digital creation skills?
I'm mostly self-taught when it comes to digital media. I did take art classes in high school and college that established some fundamental knowledge, like the elements and principles of design, but everything I've learned when it comes to virtual photography, graphic design, digital painting, etc. has mostly been trial and error with a few art book/magazine tutorials, YouTube videos, and helpful friends sprinkled in for good measure.
Could you tell us about your process for each both art and modding?
Modding is chaos, haha. I usually need to be in a very manic, determined mood, hyped up on coffee, and ready and willing to sit at my computer for 5 hours uninterrupted while I beat my poor CPU to death by loading and reloading the game to test out minor changes to an .archive file. I try to be somewhat organized and methodical, but it's just a really messy process for me. I've actually been putting off doing some new clothes for Goro because the stars haven't aligned yet for me to make that happen.
Art isn't really any less chaotic, but it is a lot more intuitive since I've been doing it for so long. I usually have a scene in my head, whether it's just a pretty portrait in a pretty location or a full story I want to tell, and I just kinda do it. Which is probably a kind of unsatisfying answer, but I think anyone who has that drive to create understands on some level. Sometimes I do sketches or rough drafts, especially for really big pieces or VP stories, but a lot of times, I just dive into it.
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