For the last few weeks of the dev blog (because we're coming up on release sooner than you think...) I'd like to put a spotlight on some of the people who helped make Penny Larceny happen! This week, it's all about the art. After initial character designs for the main cast were done by Molly Nemecek, we brought on board a two-member art crew -- Crowbar and Solient. Lines and color, respectively. An unbeatable tag team! First, let's learn about... [h1]Crowbar![/h1] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43797975/163556b7d341899545ab12bda8f51c314151b3e7.jpg[/img] Heya, I’m Crowbar, a non-binary artist from Canada who has worked in TTRPGs, board games, and comics! I’m a full time freelance artist and when I’m not bringing others’ characters to life, I’m drawing my own, playing D&D, or riding my motorcycle. Comics have always been the biggest influence in my art, from the likes of Trigun, to the reboot of Prophet, to all the webcomic labours of love out there. The need to get the characters in my head onto paper drives me to draw my own comics, and the labour pays off just for being able to share those stories. The skills I’ve gained from comics easily translated to Penny Larceny, not only for its obvious comic book influence but for being able to give an individual sense to each character’s expressions. I really enjoyed taking the character briefs, finding the characters’ key emotions, and letting that influence all their expressions and emoting. It’s been amazing seeing my art in action alongside the writing and how it lives up to the little scenarios and characterizations I imagined. You can find a list of my socials at: [url=https://mrcrowb.art/]https://mrcrowb.art/[/url] And my webcomic at: [url=https://unboundcomic.com/]https://unboundcomic.com/[/url] [h2]Solient![/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43797975/aa509291725929df79b4d5feac4f33831f7e2c72.jpg[/img] [i]For this one, we'll go with an interview style to mix things up...[/i] [i]Tell me a bit about yourself -- your background, how you got where you are now.[/i] I did video and multimedia work for a museum exhibits division for awhile, eventually realized I'm allergic to capitalism, and have roamed about in search of ethically harmonious work ever since. I found the pitch for Penny Larceny agreeable and very relatable! [i]How would you describe your art style? What do you enjoy most about it?[/i] I'd call it "minimalist second generation westernized anime," as my formative influences were American comic artists that were in turn heavily influenced by Japanese media of the 1980s. I feel one of my bigger strengths, and one of the things I enjoy the most, is creating a sense of pacing in comics. [i]You're working on art for Penny Larceny! What was your approach to that?[/i] I'm flatting and shading some of the art assets, so my goal is to make the work that I do match Crowbar's as closely as I possibly can. [i]What are some of your favorite games which have art you particularly love?[/i] Griftlands, Slime Rancher, and the Monster Prom series all have character art and sound design that I adore. Guild Wars 2 has gorgeous 3d environments and loading screens, and the art direction for character conversations in core content is beautiful. [i]Where can folks find you online if they want to enjoy more of your creative work?[/i] My personal website is [url=https://deadcityradio.org/]https://deadcityradio.org/[/url]; folks can find just about everywhere else I'm at from there.