“The rat guy totally thinks he’s The Professional.”
A. Ortiz, pseudonym “VahnFox” or “Vahn Alkaid”, is a Mexican-born, US-based independent game developer and artist currently living in Georgia with his fiancé, Blair Mason. He enjoys art of all forms and is usually busy working on some or another project. He works primarily in digital media and in the digital world, always looking excitedly into how people and technology relate and how culture is reflected in the way technology is integrated into society.
He also happens to be a red-hot smokin’ creative dynamo, so with his familiarity with the modern action aesthetic so prevalent in today’s games, he was the highest candidate on Alex’s list for the assignment that would become the story “What It’s All About” in HC Vol. 2: to create a set of new characters that would, in the space of very few pages, resonate very powerfully with the reader on a very personal and emotional level. Impressed with the degree of life Vahn imbued in his designs, Alex was quick to bully him into coming on board to do a full story.
My interest in Heathen City was primarily the opportunity to search for real, concrete societal concerns and be able to flesh out truly three-dimensional characters in the artwork. I was excited by the prospect of a less idealistic adult graphic novel that really tried to focus on themes, characters, interactions and development as opposed to gratuitous action, sexuality, etc. from the very get go. When given the opportunity to jump aboard and contribute to the tale, paychecks aside, I was very happy for the opportunity to flex my artist fingers and really push pose, gesture, position and environment to present a deeper psychological narrative.
Long hours. Lots of stress. Redoing panels over and over because I was not satisfied. Researching Renaissance imagery. Light tables and tracing, light tables and tracing, endlessly repeating. Working for months. Trying to figure out which color to put where. Shadows everywhere. Too many shadows. Too few shadows. Deep blues making my eyes ache.
Squinting at the screen late at night. Wielding Cintiq screens into the wee hours. Battering my old Intuos 3 until it almost stopped working.
In the end, when I scrolled through the finished files, I felt an immense weight being lifted from my shoulders, and I was smiling.
It felt great.
- Vahn, the artist: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/vahnfox/
- Vahn, the independent games developer: http://www.ortizgames.com
