Meet the Artist: Karin Hammarsten Pt. 2
Q12: Tell us about your favourite card game, and bonus points if it's one we don’t know!
There's a storytelling card game called Once Upon A Time that I think is great, which involves trying to tell your own cohesive story using a series of cards with different characters and items and so on, all while trying to keep the other players from taking over. It's enormously fun.
Q13: Do you find time to play video games? Which one have you played lately?
I do! I tend to play the same games over and over rather than trying lots of new ones. Most recently I played Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets, and I also really enjoyed Pokémon Legends Arceus. My favourites are story-driven games and puzzle games.
Q14: So we should talk about Dragon Age! How obsessed are you with this fantasy RPG!?
Pretty obsessed! I've played every game in the series multiple times (in fact I replayed all of them very recently) and I have very strong opinions about them. I've been a fan for probably ten years now. I think the worldbuilding is really interesting and I love roleplaying elements in games, but I think most of all I just love the characters!
Q15: Flats or heels?
Flats! I just don't have it in me to be uncomfortable just to look pretty. I wear sneakers most of the time. I do have one pair of fairly comfortable low heels that I break out for special occasions, but I definitely prefer flats.
Q16: Vampires or Werewolves?
That's a very tough choice, but I think right now I'd have to go with werewolves! I was very into Anne Rice as a teenager, though, so I can't say I don't have a soft spot for vampires. I think it really depends on execution!
Q17: What is your ultimate fantasy costume?
I promise I’m not just saying this because of the deck, but I would actually love to have one of those fancy realistic mermaid tails!
Q18: Which part of your art kit do you treasure the most?
Most of the time I work digitally, but in terms of traditional art I have a large tin of coloured pencils that I got as a gift many years ago and that I really love!
Q19: What is your favourite Flick deck and why?
Deep Space Desperados caught my eye as soon as I downloaded the app, and I've been using it almost exclusively ever since. I think the art style is so fun and unique, and I love the colours! I love bold, stylized art, so I really just fell in love with it immediately.
Q20: How did you find your bold and colourful art style?
I think a big contributing factor was the fact that I became absolutely obsessed with Alphonse Mucha as a teenager, which led to a strong preference for art styles with very clear and stylized shapes. I think I was on that track already, but that really cemented it. I've tried a lot of different things over the years, but if there's anything that's stayed consistent it's that I love colour and I love creating expressive characters!
Q21: Do you have a project that will eternally be a WIP?
For my first year of art school, my big final project was a series of illustrations for the ballad of Tam Lin. I would love to create more and illustrate the entire ballad (it’s long, so I had to pick a few verses), but I’m not sure that’ll ever happen!