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This is the Nisan Sanctuary's
little corner for all the talented folks out there that excel
in the field of literature and visual art. It's our own way of
recognizing those people who took time to put their thoughts
and concepts on paper. Every week we'll feature fine young artists
and their works, and if you think you have what it takes to be
Artist of the Week, then send me your info, plus a few samples
and I'll write you back for an interview if you're pretty much
qualified. Click
here.
YOU can also view our past week's awardees, CLICK HERE
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Amber Michelle is the talented
face behind the site, "Guardian Angels" and RPGamer's
Fan Fiction section. Aside from being a good webmistress, she
also excels in both graphic and written art. She specializes
in colored pencil portraits, as well as different fan art pieces
from various RPGs. The stories she have written are things to
be admired too. ^_^ |
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Interview |
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Nutz: What are the main mediums you use
for your artworks. I see you're
pretty good with colored pencils... any other mediums you use?
Amber: Hmmm...... colored pencil is my prime media
for fan art, but I also use oil pastel, soft pastel, and oil
paint frequently, usually for originals. (I like vivid color.
^_~) |
Amber's Sephiroth and Kielle |
Nutz: What are the secret techniques you
apply in your art? LOL, can we also ask what brand of colored
pencils you use? They seem to blend so nicely!
Amber: I don't really have a secret technique, unless
coloring too lightly
counts -- but I almost never use a real "light source",
and that tends to
give the colors a softer look. ^_~ I use Prang pencils a lot,
though I
just got a nice set of 92 Prismacolors from a friend!
Nutz: What's your favorite artwork subject?
I find that you are fond of anime and videogame characters, but
do you work on any other character aside from the ones from Japanese
titles?
Amber: I love anime/manga styles...... I'll probably
pursue a career with that somewhere -- but I like to draw humans
in general, especially with realism. And I love drawing/painting
cats! They're too cute to resist! I think I've concentrated
on those areas the most. |
Amber's Krelian and Sophia |
Nutz: What makes you concentrate on XG characters?
Are there any particular
characters you like about this game? What are your other favorite
games?
Amber: I am, and probably always will be, obsessed with
Xenogears! (Don't ask
why - long story! ^_^) The characters in this game were more
complex than any I've seen in RPGs to date, and they're all pretty
likable. Krelian, Elly, and Shitan are my favorites by far......
And other games? I've always liked Vandal Hearts, and FF Tactics,
and most definitely the Lunar series! If only I had the finances
to back these obsessions...... |
Nutz: Any particular favorite anime and
character? How can you relate yourself to him/her?
Amber: I'm an avid fan of Fushigi Yuugi -- and my favorite
character is Hotohori. ^_^; I'm not exactly sure why I related
to him...... maybe because he was lonely during his childhood,
and it remined me of mine. I ended up getting a circle of friends
sort of like the Seishi, so it was almost a reflection of what
happened to me. Creepy, ne? ^.~
Nutz: We see you're also into writing.
Do you have any writer you look up to?
Amber: I think I look up most to Timothy Zahn. His
writing is just wonderful, and he manages to paint deep, vivid
characters for his stories that never fail to impress me. (His
books also tend to spend a lot of time on the Best-seller lists
-- and that's always inspirational!) I hope to write science
ficton at least as well as he does, someday -- that's *part*
of what motivates me to write so often.
Nutz: How can you balance writing and artwork
at the same time, without
sacrficing quality? Who (or what) are your inspirations?
Amber: I just go with the flow of my "muse".
If I feel more like writing than drawing, I'll write, and if
it's the other way around, I'll draw. It makes
it really hard to stick to any kind of schedule, but I always
have just enough time for each type of project. And in a way,
they work hand-in-hand anyway. My inspiration really depends
on the subject, too...... The Perfect Works is good for anime,
and something painted by Michael Whelan usually inspires my normal
fantasy art.
Nutz: What are the main themes you use for
your compositions (themes = political stuff, human emotions,
society, or whatever)? What's the mood and style you usually
implement in your stories?
Amber: I try to go for a sense of awe, or something
ambiguous, ethereal, that you don't really understand until the
end. I think I do tend to stick with "emotion" and
"soul" most of the time, though I do occasionally go
into things that would fall under "politics and society".
(That's rare.)
Nutz: Does your work in RPGamer contribute
to your growth as both an artist and writer?
Amber: I'm not really sure. I think most of my practice
(and practice does seem to make perfect) comes from writing IFs,
and the in-progress fics in my shrines...... but being fiction
editor certainly exposes me to a lot of different styles. It
probably does effect me in some way that I just can't see. I've
gotten a better sense of perspective, at least. ^_^ |
Nutz: Of all the artwork masterpieces you
have done, do you have one or two
favorites? How about your favorite composition? Can you provide
us a link
to those favorites?
Amber: Most of my favorites aren't even online. ^_~;
But I think I could say that Elehayym, and my very first drawing
of Shitan are my favorites. For a favorite composition...
<Shadows
Falling>
is the one I'm really wrapped up in, but since that one is still
in revision... I'd say <The Battle Within> is my other favorite.
Nutz: Did you have professional training
in both fields? Do you use any special material to aid you in
your works?
Amber: All the training I've had is a high school art
class -- it wasn't really anything but practicing with different
media, but it helped. Aside from that, I haven't had any kind
of training at all in either field -- I just learn by trial and
error, and a lot of practice. (Well, when I have time......
^^) And when I work, all I use other than my pencils and paper
is a mirror (for my never-ending quest to draw symmetrically). |
Amber's Elehayym
Amber's Shitan |
Nutz: What can you advice us amateur artists
to get our work at least half as good as yours? How about tips
in conjuring up very nice stories?
Amber: I usually have a story behind my drawings, and
an image of some sort behind my stories. Words, or particular
quotes sometimes just give me ideas out of the blue too, and
I use those as my themes. Practice is always the key though
(and I should do more of that!), if you want to do something
well. And emulating certain styles you like doesn't hurt either,
if it fits the way you draw or write. ^_^
Nutz: Thought you might want to take this
chance to plug for yourself (lol). Anyway, somebody out there
might read this and might be more than willing
to recruit your for a job!
Amber: I'm always up for a real job. ^_~ I'll be building
a personal webpage soon, to display all of my designs and original
works that I can't put on my Xenogears page. Until then, however,
Guardian Angels is the place to go if you want to see my work. |
Amber's Igraine |
Nutz: Free comment part. You can say anything
you like. =D
Amber: I'm not sure what else to say... though I'm
glad to be chosen as Artist of the Week. It's nice to know that
people actually like my work. ^_~ I just hope no one is getting
tired of Xenogears, because my obsession is still going strong!
And the Shadows Falling series is far from finished... 20 or
so illustrations to go. ^_^ |
We'd like to thank Amber for her
time, and we bid her goodluck in every future endeavor. If you
want to see more of Amber's works, you can visit her Homepage
mentioned above. You can also catch more of her artworks in the
Fan Art Section of TNS, and you can always visit her section
at RPGamer.
~Nutz |
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