Matilda’s portfolio
includes many
detailed pencil
drawings, including
this image of Ciri
from The Witcher IIIThis pastel piece
was inspired by
the poster artwork
for Westwood’s
Dune II. The spice
must flow!CPC: Several of your pieces are based on LucasArts
adventures. Which was your favourite adventure game from
this period, and what is it about LucasArts’ characters that
makes them such great subjects for you?
Matilda: I have a strange relationship with those graphic
adventures, because I often enjoyed watching and helping my
friends to play them more than playing them myself. I could
never really get on with the puzzles in those games. Sam and
Max and Day of the Tentacle confused me a lot.
However, at the same time, the humour and the social
element of playing the games together with friends was really
absorbing. The Secret of Monkey Island was definitely a
favourite. The thing they all have and that, as an artist, I find
really interesting is the sense of fun and wacky atmosphere
they all display with their style, as well as their characters. I think
they’re brilliant.
CPC: What were your favourite DOS PC games?
Matilda: Oh, so many! I loved some slower-paced, story-driven
games, as well as games my dad (fortunately) expected to be
educational, such as Sim City and Sim Earth. I also loved the
escapism of roleplay games such as Ultima 7. These allowed
you to almost inhabit a whole world, and it was so absorbing to
play as a character meant to be me with whom I could identify
with personally, rather than the generic male beefcakes that
were painfully prevalent.
CPC: A lot of your artwork is based on Doom. What is it about
Doom that inspires you?
Matilda: What’s more inspiring than shooting demons in the face!?
CPC: Do you still play PC games today?
Matilda: Definitely! I don’t tend to keep up with the latest titles
or play the biggest games. I just make a list of whatever I’ve
seen that I like and then get around to playing them eventually.
I’m currently playing The Witcher III (still) and Darkest Dungeon,
and I’m about to start Lands of Lore.CPC: Some of your pencil images are really detailed. How long
does it take you to create a piece such as your Ciri drawing, and
how do you build up the image?
Matilda: I’m a weirdo, because I don’t like to do any pre-
drawing, outlines or measurements, and I don’t use grids or
lightboxes or any of those shenanigans. I usually just start with
one of the eyes, drawing it in complete detail and then I just
expand outwards, using judgement to get the proportions
right. Usually, an A4-size drawing will take about five or six
hours, although I can’t bring myself to work in a studious way,
sitting at a desk with a lamp and soothing music. I draw in front
of the TV with my sketchpad on my lap.
You can follow Matilda on Twitter (@Bhaal_Spawn), and buy
her art from etsy.com/uk/shop/YavinPaints