Colors Gallery, meet SilkieFeathers
@SilkieFeathers is a crafter of lore and fantastical cartoony critters! Their love for fantasy and horror is only matched by their love of creature art and world-building. Now let's let them craft their backstory for us in this interview!
Slide on in and tell us about yourself @SilkieFeathers ! Who're you and what're you all about?
"Ohhh hello!! Good timezone and all That!!"
"Starting off with the hardest question huh, I never know what to say about myself haha.. Who Am I??? Well, I guess I can start by saying that I’m originally from Germany, and that I’m a self-taught hobby artist. I don’t like to take myself too seriously, and mostly just never stop thinking about characters and stories. Just in general, from games to shows to talking to friends about theirs and mine. I love bright colors and silly little creatures, and that’s about most of what I draw. But I have a particular fondness for horror, even if it’s not something I draw often, that mostly shows up in my writing!"
Airships by SilkieFeathers
When did you get into art and what initially inspired you? What're your biggest motivations and inspirations?
"I have been drawing my whole life, I often equate my love for it starting from a very specific drawing I did, before I could even read, of a brontosaurus. It’s pretty silly, but it’s one of my earliest memories about being in love with my own art, so it sticks with me!
But, I’d say I began taking it a lot more seriously when I understood animation was something I could aspire to do and work toward a career in. I never did find a career in it, which I’m okay with! I prefer it being a hobby anyway."
"A lot of my early inspirations was Pokémon, Digimon, Mario, Pikmin and all the fun creatures that those games and shows have! My family was also really big into Dungeons and Dragons, so I would always be going through my dad’s Bestiary books. Original comics from indie creators have also been hugely inspiring to me, the amount of dedication and creativity is always so impressive. (Am I allowed to give names on any? Cause Slightly Damned was such a big one that I always looked up to.)""
Tri Attack by SilkieFeathers
When and how did you discover Colors Live? What made you join the community and what keeps you around?
"It’s been a little over 2 years now that I’ve been on Colors Live. My partner actually got it for me once they stumbled across it. I had developed severe technophobia relating to computers some years prior which completely stopped me from being able to create art in the way I was used to and enjoyed the most. Genuinely, Colors Live gave me back something I felt like I had lost. As long as I can keep using it to do what I enjoy doing the most, I’ll be around."
Do you use any other software or mediums? How does Colors Live fit into your process and if you could have any feature(s) in Colors Live what would you want to see?
"I used to use Paint Tool SAI and Aesprite, but as I said I have technophobia and so I cannot use those anymore. Other than that, I have my sketchbooks. I use regular pencils or gel pens, often both of those together. I also have Watercolor paints I enjoy using! It’s been a while, but I love working with clay too! I tend to only pick one at a time and just focus on that for a while, so if I’m using Colors Live that’s all I’m gonna use."
"Oh I know exactly what feature I’d want! I would definitely love some kind of HEX Code input for Colors! That is honestly the only thing I’ve wanted that hasn’t already happened haha."
Which Colors artwork of yours are you the most proud of?
Oh goodness, definitely kicking myself for not always uploading my art ahaha, I have a few I never uploaded that I’m quite proud of. But of the ones I do have uploaded, I think this one!
Lil Dude! by SilkieFeathers
What are your favorite 3 paintings in the entire Colors gallery?
Favorite three, uhh!
This is one I come back to frequently, I just love looking at it so much! Such a fun, dynamic energy to it!! And it was done without using the undo or eraser tools?? Absolutely incredible!!
Velociraptor 3D! by Twarda
This Porygon has also stolen my heart, just everything about it! The way the green accents it and pops is such a striking visual to me! And the tasteful glitching effects work so well too.
Internet Explorer by Puzzled
I’m always so thoroughly impressed anytime someone can recreate something, and this is no different! There’s definitely nostalgia at play here too and gosh I love it all the more for that! There’s also a softness to this that I find really appealing!
Special Delivery! by Mewsea
Favorite artist on and off Colors Live?
"I’d consider Twarda my favorite artist! Been a fan already from another website and was big surprised when I saw them here too!"
Alien lifeform by Twarda
I love your cartoony artstyle! How did you develop it and did you always draw this way? Also is art style something you should strive to achieve in order distinguish yourself from other artist or do you just keep drawing and let it develop subconsciously overtimes?
"Gosh thank you! So I did have a different art style years ago, it was more leaning into anatomical accuracy instead of what it is now. I realized one day that I just simply wasn’t enjoying what I was making anymore, and it was actively stressing me out to keep going like that. I looked a lot at how I used to draw as a kid, what I found the most appealing in the things I loved the most. And it eventually amounted to “bones don’t exist anymore, anatomy is a lie… everyone become noodles now” hahaha - it was a process of a lot of experimentation and throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what stuck and felt the most comfortable to me. I tried a lot of different things with different styles before I landed where I am now."
"I had definitely gotten too focused on what I had assumed was being perceived as valuable that I just stopped listening to what I personally found enjoyable. I think it’s very important to listen to yourself, do what feels right that brings you the most joy. If you have fun and enjoy it, it’ll always have value."
"In my case, I feel like my style is little pieces of various things I’ve cared about, and continue to care about. Some things I can pinpoint to certain eras of how I used to draw that I’ve reflected on and wanted to bring back, and others are little accidents that only exist now because I just liked how it came about. Then there’s also the little details I’ve seen in media I’ve enjoyed and wanted to see if that would work for me as well, and finding ways to adapt it for myself."
"I wouldn’t consider my style as it is currently to have been a natural progression though, since I made the choice to completely change it. But there was a natural progression at one point, and even in the few years I’ve had my style as it is now I can look back and see little details shifting. I believe most artists have their style evolve over time, and I think it’s something that should be allowed to happen."
"I’m always in favor of finding one’s own style, but for me it’s more about what I personally enjoy doing. I just want to have fun and draw my funky lil guys and go with the flow of how it wants to come out. It makes it a bit inconsistent sometimes, but that’s okay!"
Burning Wings by SilkieFeathers
Do you ever struggle with burnout? What helps you reignite your creative passion and keep on going?
"Oh yes, I’m feeling a bit of burnout right now actually. When I have a hard time drawing, I generally shift gears into something else. I’ll plot out stories if I can’t draw, and if I can’t do that I’ll find something else entirely, like constructing a map."
"Right now I’m just making plans of what I could work on later once I get that energy back. I’ve had luck with reigniting myself through new materials though! Trying new methods and experimenting with something outside of what’s considered The Usual. Just anything different, really."
"Sometimes it’s helpful to just be really sloppy, perfection is certainly my enemy with burnout."
Sweet creature character designs! Do you have a story you're working on or any lore behind the characters/their world?
"I love this question, yes!! And thank you!! I have lore that spans many years and I’m sure if I tried to go in detail I’d be here writing an entire novel haha! So, I’ll just be more loose with it."
"I have several stories spanning multiple realms. Three major realms that I actively work with, two of which are connected. I have multiple isolated casts of characters, with multiple different story threads happening both simultaneously and throughout different time periods."
"For an example of one of the worlds, the white and orange bird character I frequently draw, his name is Rhyme, he is from a world I refer to as CotU. It’s a post-apocalyptic world with the base premise of; The world’s magic had been sealed for so long it’s become forgotten. That seal has now broken, and magic can be bestowed upon people using ancient artifacts. A Lot Of Chaos ensues And nobody knows what’s happening."
Charm of the Unbound by SilkieFeathers
You're a lover of lore and world building, what advice would you give to writers who want to do the get good at it?
"I have no idea if I’ll be at all helpful with this one, but I’ll give a try! I’m so sorry in advance for my thoughts being all over the place."
"I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a bad idea if you’re not hurting anybody. And that taking inspiration from the things you enjoy can also bring a great deal of creativity! Taking inspiration from pieces of life events, your own feelings and experiences is also worth exploring. Even if not one-to-one, you can adjust and adapt as you see fit. For myself, every single one of my characters has at least a tiny piece of myself in them, and much of one of my settings has evolved through my dreams."
"I am pretty much constantly asking myself “what happens next” when making scenes, and for locations considering what creatures would be around and how that would affect things. But don’t be afraid to revisit and change details either! If you plan out a scene or location, it doesn’t have to be permanent. Draft as many times as you need!"
"Sometimes, I’ll focus on a single detail and get a bit carried away, but it can lead to something interesting. As an example; I was recently working with one of my aquatic species who have absurdly long hair, and I thought about how heavy that must be- especially when wet. So I got caught up in figuring out how that species would manage the weight, and came up with having them incorporate their hair into parts of their clothing in ways that would reduce the strain on their neck. The result may be a little silly, but it would stand out as a pretty normal part of their fashion and probably be memorable for anyone visiting those cities. Then from there it would create an opening for traveling characters to have something to react to! Would outsiders think it’s strange, would they want to try the styles? Etc."
"I guess a lot of what I do is frequently ask myself a million questions haha!"
Buncha lil Dudes by SilkieFeathers
What goals and plans do you have for the future?
"I don’t have anything for the immediate future, but a longterm goal of mine is to write a book with one of my storylines someday!"
Anyone you want to shout-out?
"My partners for their eternal patience and kindness for me honestly. I love them so very dearly. They’ve always encouraged me throughout anything, especially my creative endeavors. It keeps me going."
"Also, @Mewsea honestly. When I first started posting, I remember their presence and kindness. It encouraged me to not just disappear into the void. So for that, thank you."
That wraps up our interview with @SilkieFeathers ! The Colors Team would like to thank you for your time! If you adore charming cartoony critters we recommend checking out their gallery!
Check out our interview with our previous artist of the week @sparks516
http://colorslive.com/page/Meet-sparks516
For those who may need a reminder
The Artist of the week will be posted every Friday so be sure to tune in! Prior to that, the artist may be contacted via email or other means at least a week or more in advance so be sure to check your emails( and spam) so you don't miss out on a chance to be featured. If you don't reply within 48 hours another artist may be chosen to be featured for that week instead and you will be in a future artist of the week update.
The announcement of who is the upcoming featured artist will be announced at least 2-3 days in advance or eariler so look out for that too! If you would like for any of your questions or comments to be featured in an upcoming interview please check out colorslive.com/discord and visit the official artist of the week channel to submit questions/commentary for a chance for those to be answered before Friday.
Suggest a new artist for artist of the week on the forum post on my gallery or by posting with the #heyzyik tag.
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Stay creative!
Zyik & The Colors Team
