Getting to know your EQ2 Community – Coniaric

This smaller image does not do this picture justice. Be sure to check it out in its full glory either on the EQ2player forums here, or on Coniaric’s deviantART site here.

In the past, I’ve found talented people in the EQ2 community (via forums most of the time) and had a little interview with them here on my site to show readers just what talent we have in game. It’s been a while since I did one, and I thought it was well past time.

Coniaric can be found on the forums posting his deity series, which is nothing short of amazing. The posts are quite spread out, so if you’re looking for a place to find all of his artwork, check out his deviantART site. Coniaric finds his inspiration from the styles of “A. Mucha. He was well known as an excellent Art Nouveau artist. Many artists today are inspired by his work and tried to follow his lines and his styles closely or loosely.” For more information on this art style, just google the name, you’ll come up with all sorts of it.

• How long have you been playing EQ2?

I have been playing EQ2 ever since it first launched back in November 2004. Prior to EQ2, I had started playing the first EverQuest sometimes between Velious and Luclin expansions up to Gates of Discord. After leaving EQ, I tried few different MMOs out there. Final Fantasy XI Online for the duration of a month. City of Heroes, which I still play now and then when the mood strikes me. I also had checked out World of Warcraft which didn’t work out for me. (It lasted for 2-3 days.)

• How did you get into posting artwork related to EQ2 on the forums, what inspired you?

I had always liked to see art being done outside EQ2. I picked the Norrathian Pantheon to work with for several reasons. The gods were the least used among the artwork – other than the screenshots of course – and I thought them intriguing, being a large part of the universe of both EverQuest games and yet not seen very often. If I had wondered, I’m sure there are others out there who thought the same … and so, hence the posts of the artwork on the pantheon. On average, I suppose 20-30 hours per piece. From initial concept sketch to final. Some are quicker, others take time of consideration.

• Do you have any advice for artists just starting out who want to do their own works of EQ2 art

Use references, photographs especially … they help a lot with the lighting, shadows, forms, shapes, and folds of body or clothing. And environments. While Photoshop may appears intimidating with all of the features it has, only few tools are necessary: Brush, Smudge, and Eraser Tools … and try to avoid the use of Dodge/Burn Tool as much as possible. Other than that, just play around and discover things you may had not thought of before. Plan your color palette ahead of time and keep it handy while you work. Oh, and layers, layers, and layers. If you didn’t like something, you can just turn the layer off or delete it while keeping the rest of artwork intact. And organize the layers into folders so it’ll be easier to find again later.

I hope this isn’t too much to process. =)

• If you could be any kitchen appliance, what would you be and why?

A kitchen applicance? Um … a toaster, I suppose …simple, unseeming, aloof, and all at first glance, but warmth within once getting to know who I am.

• Have you ever gotten a bad reaction from your artwork?

No, I have not gotten any negative reactions to my work. I dare to hope I will not get any later on. =) So far, the responses are generally positive.

There you have it. Be sure to stop by the eq2player forums and let Coniaric know what you think of his work. If you know anyone who offers their talents to the EQ2 community and think they should be featured here, drop me a line at stephanie.kitten@gmail.com or leave a comment here. Be it through writing, artwork, video, or some other means. I’d like to keep this going for a little bit, perhaps more frequently then once a year *chuckles* we’ll just have to see.