Community Spotlight is a regular feature which highlights amazing fan projects in the Remedy community. This week it's Katerina's work that has gotten our attention. Many of you may already know her online as the lovely SeaCat2401.
Despite joining the Alan Wake community fairly recently, Katerina has already produced several pieces of wonderful fan art which she has posted via her Twitter and deviantArt pages.
At time of writing, she has created twenty different pieces! Some pieces focus on specific scenes from the game, whereas others continue the stories or fill in some of the moments players didn't see on screen, such as Hartman taking Wake to his clinic. For the pieces which extends the narrative of the original games, Katerina uses established pieces of the story, such as specific manuscript page or comments, as inspiration. One example of this is her interpretation of what Thomas Zane might look like underneath the diver's helmet using the Anderson brother comments in episode four. Some of her work also features crossovers; taking Wake into the game, Unravel, or the movie, Imaginaerum.
Not all of Katerina's work is done in the same style; sometimes she makes beautiful collages, which combine a selection of scenes from the game, at other times she creates large, full colour pieces. What makes Katerina's artwork stand out in the latter group is the strong use of colour which fits perfectly with the game's look. A lot of effort has gone into creating an atmosphere which connects to the dark tones of Alan Wake, the brighter sunrise palette of American Nightmare and the bright icy blues of Quantum Break. For her collages, it's her attention to detail and knowledge of events which shines through. There's also a blend of styles in those pieces, some parts featuring detailed sketches, with others having a cartoon theme such as with her "first March sketch".
I was really interested about how she joined the community and what her inspirations were, so I asked Katerina if she would be okay to do an interview. She said yes! So she has very kindly taken the time to answer some questions about her art, check out her answers below!
1) Tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Katerina, I was born in Saint-Petersburg, which is in Russia. I am not a professional artist, but I deal with digital graphics very often. I am a music lover, I draw anything with music in my ears, it's like an addiction. Mostly rock and metal. And I'm a bit of writer, too, as Alan is. Unfortunately, I'm writing only in my native language.
So, you know what I especially like in [Alan Wake]? The music here is like a separate character which guides you and tells its own special story. I had the same concept in my own novel, and I was more than impressed when I found something similar in Alan Wake.
(Huh, I just noticed that Remedy has an army of really talented Russian fan-artists, this is something!)
2) Where did you get your passion for art?
It was always with me. I have been drawing since I [can] remember. But I found myself an illustrator or portraitist only four years ago (it's when I decided to draw digitally, too), and after that I started doing everything to improve myself and my drawing style. The progress is clear, I should say!
3) How and when did you become an Alan Wake fan?
It happened quite suddenly. I heard many things about Alan Wake, although I didn't go any further to learn more. Until one guy I'm watching on YouTube decided to record a walkthrough of it at the end of the last year. I watched it, and something happened to me. It left me different. I even drew a 'secret fan art' for this guy as my thanks to him for showing this game - for people like me who's mostly late for something. Some time passed, I watched this walkthrough again, and this January I surrendered. I bought this game and played myself! That's how my new personality was born, I guess.
4) What made you want to create fan art for Alan Wake?
You know, I have an unspoken rule: "Draw everything that impressed you". Why should I hesitate, Alan Wake impressed me, more than much. However I thought that one drawing is enough. I was way wrong! (laughs) I got in a trap because, no kidding, I found my ideal game to draw fan arts for. I can be a very bad shooter, but the story and the atmosphere of this game are incredible. Maybe I am a sort of connoisseur who seeks for the games that have a complicated plot, not just an active gameplay. Alan Wake was one of my best finds.
5) Can you talk us through your process on how you go from the first idea to the final product?
Ideas are such things, they come without expecting. And I am quite impatient to embody them. I don't like leaving them just in my head. I spend around 3-6 hours on each of my recent pieces. I was told once that my line-arts are too rough and quick, but I take it as my style. Because almost all my digital arts are created from simple pencil drawings, and I try to save this effect of traditional drawings in digital.
6) What would you like to see in a possible Alan Wake 2?
At least, I want it to be! (laughs) But if talking seriously, I wish to see more disasters from Mr Scratch. Yes, American Nightmare can seem an existing ending of Alan's story, and Scratch is banished, but - remember this quote "Or it's merely a dream?" So it can be not real, and Scratch is still in real world. Maybe he should write his own novel along with Alan's "Return", and there could be the epic battle of writers!
Let me fantasize, let me imagine this! And after that Alan sets Thomas free from the Dark Place, and we could see his real face. Yes, it would ruin the mystery of Thomas Zane, the forgotten poet who's living under the lake, but it could be interesting, right? And it would be like: "Oh my God! His face! Unbelievable! Aww!" (laughs)
Remedy are cool guys. I believe they can make it as amazing as they always do. So... My best wishes to you all!
A huge thank you to Katerina for the permission and for the interview! You can follow her adventures and see more of her artwork on her deviantArt page and Twitter channel!
