Soho News

For this interviwe I will be poking holes into Som aka s0mewhy.
I dont know where I first saw Som's art, it was probably the DoodleCrew Discord, but I really enjoy their painterly style and controll over color and composition. Their website has a good mix between personal and fan art as well as some studies so there will probably be something for you to like there!

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Soho:
First of I will start with the ideal standard question. Did you have any classical schooling as an artist?

Som:
I took a few entry-level drawing classes during my undergrad years.
After I got my Bachelor's, I went back to college for a little while and took a few painting, art history, and graphic design courses. I eventually had to stop because it was just too expensive and difficult to schedule with my job.

Soho:
Ooh you might actually be the first person I interview that has had any schooling past highschool in that regard. And do you think that helped you or did you mainly teach yourself?

Som:
I think I improved a ton while taking college classes; I learned a lot of useful techniques but I'd also attribute a lot of it to just being forced to practice because I had a very off-and-on relationship with art at the time. I've been drawing since I was a little kid so I've always had some interest in it, and I was lucky to have lots of passionate art teachers in primary and secondary school as well.
But I didn't get really serious about practicing until around 2022, a little after I had to stop taking classes.

Soho:
And I imagine your classes focused mainly on traditional mediums?

Som:
Yes, the drawing courses were mainly charcoal and pencil, and the painting course was primarily gouache, with some acrylic.
The graphic design course got me some Photoshop and Illustrator experience and a pricy Adobe habit that took years to break. I'm grateful for it because I probably would never have tried some of these mediums on my own. I forgot to mention it earlier but I think that practicing giving and receiving critique in a group setting was probably the most indispensable thing I got from those classes.

Soho:
Oh absolutely, having a group setting of engaged people to help you with your work is really important towards improvement, of any kind really. But these days you mainly work in digital mediums, would you say that is your favorite?
Or just the most convenient?

Som:
Hmm...that's a tough question.
I think it's mainly convenient. I mainly draw in-between work, between playing videogames, or in bed. I still do keep a sketchbook where I work in mostly pen and pencil. I still prefer the look of physical media over digital so I think that's why I gravitate towards a more painterly style lately. I think digital has grown on me a lot, at least I've gotten less self-conscious about my skills.

Soho:
Interesting answers, I think most of the people I interviewed until now gravitated to digital as their favorite medium because of the convenience.
Can you describe your typical workflow when you work on a piece?

Som:
For sure. Hmm...for physical it's pretty basic, I generally thumbnail in pencil and create a larger version in pencil and then line/color with marker/paint.
For digital, it changes a lot depending on how I feel or if I have a vision or not because I treat digital as less of a commitment. I currently draw on an iPad using Procreate. Usually I block out the composition in a few limited colors with high contrast and try a few comps before I commit to one. Then paint in color layers over the composition. Lately I've been kind of deranged and merge the color layers and just paint on one layer using a few textured brushes and refine it. I sometimes do line art, but I usually do a sketch and refine the sketch itself instead of lining over it. I like to set the eraser tool to a textured brush and carve the lines so they have more of a linocut-type look. I sometimes play with different blend modes for different effects and lately I've been working a single layer in black and white and playing with different gradient maps because I think they look cool.

Soho:
And how long do you usually work on a piece?

Som:
A really long time...I think around 15h for more straightforward drawings and 20-50h for drawings that are detailed or I'm not sure what I was doing and changed my mind a lot. I only recently learned how to check this in Procreate and was mortified.

Soho:
Alright ok that concludes the more technical part of the interview, do you want to add any insights that might fall into such a category? Next up is the more lose part of the interview focused on vibes.

Som:
I can't think if anything specific at the moment.

Soho:
So first off a lighter question, what is your favorite thing to draw?

Som:
I enjoy drawing faces more than anything. I think I'm drawn to the emotion behind them, even if it's subtle.

Soho:
Do you have an example you would be willing to share?

Som:
Sure, here are a few. The last one's a work-in-progress but I just liked how the expression turned out.

Soho:
Oh I have never seen the cat one I think. I love how the arm frames the head in it. And obviously as someone who has a print of it, the Disco Elysium one is one of my favorite pieces of Fanart for that game I have seen. I think what I like a lot with your style is how good you are at putting a focus on certain subjects The compositions in these peices are always great.
Now, this is your favorite thing to draw. But do you have something you can not stop drawing? These may overlap so feel free to just answer that's the case but I found a lot of artists find themselves draw to subjects they might not nessecarily enjoy as much as others but find really satisfying or interesting to draw.

Som:
Ahhhhh! Thank you, I'm flattered...I've learned that my drawings tend to look better when I plan out the composition in advance and also that high contrast in values goes very hard. It's a process though, I'm still trying to get better at these aspects.
And hmm...I think there's a lot of overlap for me, in terms of things I can't stop drawing...I tend to fixate on certain media (movies/shows/video games) so when I'm drawing for myself it's mostly fan art. I find myself drawing a lot of tragic men I suppose. I'm compelled by complicated characters and profoundly sad narratives so I think I'm channeling that to some extent.

Soho:
We all can appreciate a sopping wet middleaged man I think.

Som:
What can I say, they are fun to draw. ^^

Soho:
And do you think that is because any experiences impacted your art? Does anything specific that comes to mind?

Som:
Yeah, I think it's a culmination of experiences but also a sort of release valve. I've always been an introvert so I think I use art to explore my own sense of alienation as well as process various emotions. Often depression. A lot of things going on in the world right now make me angry and sad.

Soho:
I absolutely get that, art for me is certainly a outlet and I have been asking myself a lot how I can channel it into something productive for myself and others.
Now to maybe pivot in the complete opposit direction from this. What would you say is the silliest thing or thing least in your lane, that has someone asked you to draw?

Som:
For sure, I've been thinking about that as well. As far as requests, hmmm...I don't get a lot of crazy requests. I think one of the sillier things I've drawn was a streaming banner for a friend I played Final Fantasy XI with. He played bard in the game and smoked a lot in real life so his friends suggested that I draw his character smoking a giant pipe that looked like the bard's relic flute "Gjallarhorn" from the game.

Soho:
That is really fun, I always like characters smoking outlandish items/big cigars, pipes, bongs etc. Its always good.

Som:

Soho:
That is far more elegant that I expected.
What would you say is the silliest thing you have ever drawn out of your own volition?

Som:
I guess to some extent I take even silly concepts rather seriously. This was all back when I was in my round brush phase.



I drew the respawn scene from Hylics 2 a few years ago. For anyone who hasn't played the game, whenever the protagonist Wayne dies, his face melts off and he washes up facedown on the beach of the afterlife, where baby Waynes frolic in their larval state. So that might be the silliest I can think of.

Soho:
Also Hylics is a rather silly game so I think it is fitting. You did a very good job with both. Now that I think of it, I don't often see you share just doodles, I for reference like to share whatever I piss on the canvas, is there a reason for that or do you just not doodle as much as me?

Som:
Thanks ^^ and lmao! I think I just don't doodle very often anymore. When I'm working digitally I mostly work on longer-term drawings. When I do doodle, it's in the sketchbook or on ttrpg character sheets and I just forget to post it anywhere. I might have to remedy that.

Soho:
Im alway up to see a good doodle. So you already mentioned ttrpgs, but do you have any other hobbies outside of drawing?

Som:
Besides ttrpgs, I watch a lot of movies and shows, play videogames, read books/comics/essays, listen to music, occasionally work on my website, that sort of thing.

Soho:
Anything that stuck with you recently in regards of movies or games?

Som:
Hmm...I've been slowly chipping away at a long roleplay playthrough of Caves of Qud. I got through the Tomb of the Eaters a while ago but I'm still thinking about it. The game is really atmospheric and its worldbuilding and prose are sublime.
I also finally watched the original Star Wars trilogy (4,5, and 6) despecialized editions. I'm not a Star Wars fan and had never watched all the way through any of the movies before, but they really are quite dynamic and I enjoyed the artistry of all the models, puppets, matte paintings, and practical effects. I've also been rewatching Star Trek the original series with my partner. Not all the episodes are good, but the good ones always stick with me. We just watched "The Tholian Web" which is fun.

Soho:
Oooh interesting that you had never seen the original Stars War, I think it still holds up pretty well. Since you are older than me and a big Star Trek fan I would have guessed that you'd have seen them, they certainly been a formative part of my childhood.

Som:
Yeah, I'd seen parts of them and I have friends who like them so I know a lot about Star Wars just by proximity, but had just never seen them all the way through. I agree that they hold up pretty well. I think Star Trek was a much more formative part of my childhood though, and something that's just stuck with me more.

Soho:
Yeah for me too. (I also think its way better than Stars War but dont tell the nerds). Do you by any chance still have some drawings from when you were a kid?

Som:
(I agree ^^) Yeah, here are a couple from when I was 9 or 10.

Soho:
I absolutely adore the big cats, for 9 or 10 thats really good. Im really impressed that you were doing light studies and drawing horses haha. I know I was just scribbling, but I also didnt get a deeper interest in art until I was 16/17.

Som:
That's interesting that you didn't pick up art until later. I guess I've always had an interest in it, although I did take a long break during college. When I was a kid I was mostly drawing horses, big cats, dragons, that sort of thing. I was deeply influenced by cartoons like Lion King, Voltron, and Thundercats.

Soho:
Yeah I basically didn't pick up art in a more serious manner until after highschool in 2019. Makes sense that youd be influenced by the media you watched.
And to contrast the childhood drawings, would you share your three most recent ones?

Som:
And here are the three most recent: a study, some Disco Elysium fan art, and some personal art.

Soho:
I do really like your more recent art. Im always a big sucker for a more limited palette thats is used very playfully

Som:
Thank you ^^ I think limiting myself in some ways helps overcome some decision paralysis.

Soho:
Oh absolutely, I think I say it a lot in casual conversation about this topic, but when I started out with digital in 2019, I stuck to 9 tones. And I thihnk it helped me understand and learn really well.

Som:
For sure.

Soho:
I have only a few outro questions left so maybe we can get to them at warp speed ;P
Do you have a favorite meme?

Som:
Favorite meme...favorite meme...I'll have to go with these ones.

Soho:
Very good ones also fitting for a wednesday. (Editor note: This interview was conducted on a wednesday)
Alright, next one.
How would you introduce yourself to the readership?

Som:
I go by s0mewhy or just som (they/she), I'm a hobby artist living in the U.S. who does mostly digital art. I like cats and sci fi and I hate capitalism.

Soho:
And do you have anything you want to plug, socials, projects, etc.?

Som:
Sure, my website is https://s0mewhy.neocities.org/ and I'm on tumblr and bluesky as @s0mewhy. I'm currently collaborating with my partner on a dark fantasy ttrpg adventure called "In Sasara's Court" and will post more about it in the future.

Soho:
Ooh my god I am looking forward to that adventure so much now.
Thank you for entertaining the interview, it was quite a bit of fun.

Som:
Thanks for having me! ^^