Meet Chemicalalia
Last Updated (Tuesday, September 08 2009)
Been a while..but lets put some focus on an artist by the name of Chemicalalia. She has an amazing project going on right now and she frequently post some cool items here in the forum. Let's get a better idea of who she is. On with the show!
Dudette! Thanks for showing the site some love with your amazing art! Your gallery is filled with amazing things...you are a very creative gal young lady!
Would you start with a brief bio about yourself...as little or as much as you would like to divulge (age) name, etc. what you do..blah blah blah...
My name is Shaylyn Hamm and I'm 27 years old. I came down to Texas from Pennsylvania after I graduated college with a fine arts degree, to attend the art creation program at The Guildhall at SMU. It's an 18-month master's degree program for video game design where you can specialize in either art, level design, or software development. My focus is in concept art and 3d environmental art.
Favorite game on each system - Snes/ N64/ Playstation/ Xbox/ 360/ PS3 (if you don't have system just say n/a)
Super Mario World / Paper Mario / n/a / Halo series / Gears of War / (Haha, what's a Playstation? I was a NES/Genesis/PC kid 
)
What makes an illustration complete in your eyes?
I find that any piece could be refined and improved endlessly, so I tend to consider a piece finished when the idea I'm trying to convey is expressed to my satisfaction. That's something that may require more or less detail, depending on the nature of the artwork.
No, this isn't a photo this is a digital painting from photo reference. Not a paint-over or a photomanipulation.
Grrl gamer, has anyone ever referred to you as that? Your preference (playing with guys or gals or if you are cool you are cool)
Thankfully that term has eluded me until now! I have absolutely no gender preference when it comes to playing games, and I do like playing with like-minded people. Though it seems that the less common it is to find females playing a particular game, the more aggressive and persistent some guys can be in trying to ruin my experience. Gears of War multiplayer would be a great example of that, yet I've enjoyed it for years.
GEARS!!! YEAH BABY!!!
Calm down Birdo...That's Cole Train's Line...
At what age did you know video games and art was something you wanted to go after as a career?
I remember having tons of fun drawing Mario characters and Sonic since grade school, but back then I had no idea how games were made nor thoughts towards a career. I didn't do much art-related for a few years while I was a linguist in the army, but after a few changes of major in college, I found myself studying traditional art at Kutztown University. I somehow discovered a huge admiration for game art while I was there, and started developing my digital drawing and painting skills. It was all on the side, since most of my professors weren't very supportive of digital media and production art in general. It wasn't until I learned about The Guildhall that I considered any real likelihood of finding a job in the video game industry. It seemed like such an intangible, competitive and far-away profession, but now it's hard to imagine doing anything else!
I see you have a thing for Gears and Team Fortress art...What draws you to each franchise?
Well, I love the over-the-top brutality of Gears of War. Something about how visceral and gritty it is really adds to the playing experience, especially online. The art style is beautiful, and everyone is just so large and hilarious that it becomes somehow endearing v:
What I love most about Team Fortress 2 is the visual style and humor of the game. It's the same with Half-Life 2, the design process was so thorough and elegant and when you look at the worlds and characters, you get a real senses of place and history.
Who are some artist that you admire?
Jan van Eyck, Franz Hals, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It's all about the Flemish and Netherlandish Rennaissance and Baroque periods, for serious.
You are the first Zombie infected in the coming Apocalypse, where do you go first to do the most damage and spread chaos?
An anime convention. I'M TAKING OUT THE WEEABOOS FIRST.
*** Editor's note***
| Weeaboo | ||
| Someone who is obsessed with Japan/Japanese Culture/Anime, etc. and attempts to act as if they were Japanese, even though they're far from it. They use Japanese words but usually end up pronouncing them wrong and sounding like total assholes. You can find alot of these faggots clogging up the forums of Gaia Online, hanging out in the international aisle of the supermarket, or crowding the manga section of your local bookstore. Synonym of wapanese. | ||
Well that is it! Great stuff on your master's project. Some people have talent and some people have something a little extra...you know where you fall! A company would be foolish not to pursue you when you are done with school! Good luck!
Anyway, thanks for the interview! I hope that provides some helpful insight into...stuff.
It was bananas Girl! My wife and I are definitely down with some Gears by the way! For her full Gallery click here!
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