by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Early October 2014 I found myself suddenly in possession of a BlizzCon-ticket. Naturally the first question I asked myself was “Who will draw my badge?”. I scoured the Twitterverse after badge art that appealed to me and stumbled across the work of Whitley Cleghorn, also known as “Faebelina”. I sent her an inquiry, despite not much hope of her being able to take on more commissions that close to BlizzCon, but as it turns out it was my lucky day because she had just had a cancellation. I sent her about twenty reference pictures of my mistweaver monk (anyone who’s read my transmogrification articles will understand why), and she graciously accepted them all (in one very large .ZIP-file). Two weeks later I was one BlizzCon-badge the richer, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome.

Since then, Whitley’s work has become increasingly popular, and I decided to find out more about her and her artwork, but also her thoughts on why World of Warcraft players are so keen on immortalizing their characters by commissioning portraits of them.

Name: Whitley Cleghorn a.k.a. Faebelina
Twitter: @Faebelina
Website: http://faebelina.tumblr.com/

BlizzPro: Hello, Whitley! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Whitley Cleghorn: Hello again and thank you so much for the honor!

BP: Who are you as an artist?

WC: I’m self-taught and very dedicated! I try to draw every single day in order to be constantly improving. When I first started studying art seriously, it was just a fun hobby. Now, it’s become not only my job but an all-consuming passion. I’m happiest when I’m drawing. I think about art morning, noon, and night!

BP: Who are you as a WoW-player?

WC: I’m a restoration shaman named Sweetsong on US Kel’Thuzad. I started playing WoW towards the end of Wrath of the Lich King and have loved it ever since! My guild is very silly and I love them to pieces–except when I have to heal them through fire… then I love them a tiny bit less.

BP: When and why did you start drawing fan art?

WC: I’ve been doodling my favorite characters for as long as I can remember but around June of 2014 I decided I wanted to start posting my art online. It was my way of staying accountable to myself since people would be watching on Twitter–a way to get me out of my box and learn more.

BP: The demand for your work has grown a lot during the past few months, why do you think there is such a big interest from players to commission portraits of their characters?

WC: As MMO players we put a lot of time into our characters. We save the world with them time and time again and sometimes even develop our own unique stories. I think a lot of people want to commemorate those feelings and memories with more than just a screenshot.

BP: As an artist and a WoW-player, what would a dream project be for you?

WC: I would die of happiness if Blizzard called me and asked me to design Vrykuls as a playable race. Haha! In all seriousness, I love what I do. Character concepts and creation are what excite me. Bringing the description of a character to life is the coolest feeling.

To see more of Whitley’s work, check out her website or follow her on Twitter. Why not do both? There are bound to be character concepts of Vrykuls popping up sometime in the near future!