TTRPG Community Interview with Acecasinova

Hey there and welcome to another TTRPG Community interview! These are low key, prewritten interviews which are available to fill out on this page. If you are a part of the TTRPG space in almost any way at all, there should be something for you!

Today, we're hearing from Matt, aka. Acecasinova!

Please introduce yourself and the content you create!

Hullo hullo! I'm Matt (or Ace- there are so many Matt's in the ttrpg space aha) and I draw a lot of ttrpg characters and adoptables~ (characters with no home /yet/)

How did you get started in the art world? What motivated you to begin doing this for TTRPGs?

I started drawing aaaaages ago, and went to school for it, even (though the degree ended up more like a jack of all trades). I really got into the ttrpg space drawing my characters in home games and fan art from Critical role, TAZ, and a few others.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Man, every session is new inspiration! It's also cool to get online and see what everyone else is up to~ I also like following fashion accounts to see what designs and fabrics people use in their collections~

What was the first TTRPG related piece you ever made? Are you still proud of it?

I think the first piece I ever drew was some references for my draconic sorcerer halfling, Garrett. I'd like to redo it at some point, but I'm definitely still proud of that one~

What's your favourite thing about being an artist within the TTRPG space?

I love how much the space embraces original art! A lot of spaces skew STRONGLY towards fan art, and while I know that still does numbers, it's fun to spin up a new character and chat with other artists about what they might do~

AI generated art has made a huge impact on the community. As succinctly as possible, can you sum up your opinion of it?

Not. A. Fan. If it was ethically trained, I might feel better.

Do you play TTRPGs as well as create for them? What system is your favourite?

I do! I play a lot of d&d 5e and I find it the easiest to run one shots, but man Changeling the Lost, Symbaroum, and Blades in the Dark are also a blast. But even though I'm not playing in a game using it right now, I think the Fate system is my favorite ~

Are you a part of the LGBTQIA2S+, BIPOC, AAPI, Disabled or any other marginalised community?

I am~ I'm proudly queer and coming more to terms with being disabled, as well.

If yes, do you reflect this in the content you create? How important do you think it is for folks of all identities to feel recognised within the games they play?

Well... I do draw a LOT of tieflings, eheh~ But more seriously, yes- I try to think about how each character might present and how they feel, and I like to draw and create trans characters when I can. I don't think I talk too much about how it affects my speed, but it definitely makes me slower than I'd like. I think it's very important for people to see themselves in the games, be it through mechanics that allow various disabilities to be baked in, or like when you find NPCs who are nonbinary or queer. It's more fun and realistic that way~

What's the next project people will see from you?

I have a few more batches of adoptables I'm thinking about- Maybe more orcs and some half-halflings this time, but I'm also going to probably make a small animation goof for my Symbaroum character ~

Of all of the things you've created, which one is your personal favourite?

I'm really really proud of some ouroboros art I've made for my 5e warlock- he's such a dramatic, evil little guy and his color palette has let me push some things I normally might not. One piece I made a while ago was him entangled with the Goddess he's trying to kill, both locked together with a snake in an infinity loop behind them- the colors and movement were really strong.

Tell us about your process when creating. Do you have any tips or tricks for other creators in the same space as you?

Usually after a really good session, I'll immediately start sketching on paper something that happened or something inspired by it~ But a lot of the time I have to wait until the next day to scan or line it. I'm about 50/50 split on if I line it in ink and convert the color to opacity (it gives it a nice texture but you can't fix it as easily), or scan just the sketch and ink it digitally (way easier to color the lineart or duplicate it to soften it). You can also set it as a reference layer in clip and erase along the lineart, which reallllllly helps with my speed. Then I play around with shading either with the same brush as my lineart or with a Gouache brush~

Shout out a fellow creator! Who in the TTRPG community inspires you? Why do you admire them/their work? Please provide a link to their website/social media.

Man, I love Graeme Bloodworth's stuff! His maps are amazing and he has so many Inkarnate tricks up his sleeves~ And he ALSO has some written stuff he does too! Very cool guy all around and his stuff makes me want to go back and try my hand at maps again or draw some characters using his ancestry supplement ~

Do you offer commissions? How can interested folks find out more information about this?

I do! I'm kinda casually always open for them, and I have my prices and ko-fi shop where you can order them pinned on twitter~ (@AceCasinova) I also can be reached with questions over DM~

Are you available for commercial hire? Do you enjoy taking on commercial projects?

I've done a few commercial pieces before! They're fun and I do accept them, but there's a bit more stress behind them to make sure the client is happy, you know?

What's one piece of advice you'd like to give to people looking to hire you for either a commission or commercial work?

I try very hard to be quick, but never be afraid to poke me about something! And definitely don't be afraid to do a stick figure sketch of how you'd like something, if you have an idea- I love seeing a direction~

Are you playing in any TTRPG campaigns at the moment? Tell us about your favourite character!

All of my PCs are my special little blorbos but LISTEN, my little rat boys are my favorites, I'm sorry.

Hasr'Thal, my warlock in a homebrew 5e world, is my longest running PC and a neutral evil little sh-t~ He wants to kill the goddess of Darkness and Secrets, but he uses those same qualities to go avoid it and it's almost inevitable that he's going to die at the end of this campaign, get the whole world consumed by the Void, or worse, succeed in killing her and /take her place/.

(My other little rat is a LITERAL rat sometimes because he's a shape changing vampire monk who enjoys being vermin~ He's (unfortunately) chaotic evil despite the rest of the party's BEST efforts and under Strahd's thumb at the moment... the Lord of the land found out he /does/ care about Valaki's orphanage and has leveraged that now that Lazarus can shrug off his standard charm~ He's also dumb as a bag of rocks and can't read, which is a fun break away from Hasr'Thal, who has 24 CHA and 20INT, whereas Laz has a 10CHA and 8INT (but his wisdom is nearly twice Hasr'Thal's)

Tell us a fact about yourself that others might struggle to believe.

Hmmm.... well- I have a day job in marine insurance? That's pretty far away from TTRPG stuff aha~ I'm certified in workers compensation insurance as well~

What is your favourite smell?

DIRT. Man, I love a good fresh dirt smell~

If time, money and skill were no object, what would your ultimate cosplay/Halloween costume be?

ONE DAY..... one day I'll finally best wings and make a set that opens and closes, ideally with electronics. Maybe I'd make them part of a re-made Vax cosplay, or make some kind of messed up aasimar~

Please add anything extra that you'd like to share below.

Thanks for opening these up in this style! It's a cool way to do an interview- I dig it and I can't wait to see who fills these out for you ~

Where should folks go to find out more about you, and/or check out your work?

I try to post consistently on Twitter, Tumblr, ko-fi, and Patreon! My handle is AceCasinova pretty much everywhere, but I haven't changed ko-fi over to that just yet ehehehe,,,

Disclaimer: The information and answers contained in the interview posted above represents the views and opinions of the interviewee only and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of myself (gothHoblin). The appearance of an interview on this website does not constitute an endorsement of the interviewee or their statements.