Love inspires people to new heights. The author of MAC-10 Allure knows this for sure because it was thanks to his beloved girl that he created the skin that was included in the new case.
All of you, for sure, have wondered: are the skins of novice authors taken into the game? Exactly. WhoisVac9 told CS.MONEY what it’s like to wake up famous.
CS.MONEY presents a series of interviews with the best skin creators! And we start with the artists whose works were recently included in the Fracture Case.
— Tell us a little about yourself.
— Well, first and foremost, I’ll be telling you not about myself but rather about us.
My name is Vlad, and my girlfriend’s name is Milena. I used to do photography for about 10 years. Milena is fond of tattooing. And we worked on the MAC10 |Allure (Isoonna) together.
— Congratulations on the Isoonna entering the game. Tell us about this skin. Is Isoonna some sort of mermaid-vampire? Where does the idea come from? Why exactly this demon?
— Thank you! Milena is a vehement fan of anime. The passion’s really serious: she even has this list of titles that we should watch together. I used to be rather skeptical about this genre of animation, and for a long time, I didn’t agree to watch anime with Milena. And, as you could’ve guessed, I gave up eventually and was astonished by how these cartoons combine good and evil. I took a fancy to Japanese mythology and suggested that we draw one of these Japanese demons whose image would contain both beauty and hatred.
— There are very few skins in your Workshop. Are you a budding author who quickly found recognition, or have you previously worked under a different name?
— I harbored the idea to start creating skins for a long time, but I put it off all the time. Some doubts always held me down — you see, most authors have a whole portfolio of works under their belt, so, you know, “I’m definitely no match for them.” But the poet’s soul couldn’t stand the artistic temptation, so to speak, and we finally embarked on our journey.
— Isoonna featuring the case was a surprise for you?
— Oh, yes, it certainly was. We never imagined our work would be selected. I woke up in the morning, opened YouTube, and saw a video telling about the new CS update. That’s how I learned that Isoonna was accepted. Milena’s morning started with my cries “Isoonna was accepted!”
— How did you start making skins? Do you remember your first skin? How long did it take you to create it?
— The P250 | Mirror crack was the first work we uploaded to the Workshop. At that time, we didn’t yet know how and what to do. All told, we spent 3 days working on this skin.
— Compared to the rest of your skins, Isoonna is a stylistic outlier. Were you rethinking your style as an author or was it a random experiment?
— I believe this can be called an experiment of ours.
— Do I require the skills of a professional designer to create skins?
—No, it’s not necessary! The key is the desire to express yourself, and the skills are acquired naturally over time.
— How do ideas for skins emerge generally and where does the creative process begin?
— Ideas are born in a rather spontaneous fashion. You watch some movie, listen to some music, read some book. And then bang! — and an idea dawns on you. Then we start working on the general concept. Theme, character, minor character, antagonist (if any). And naturally, the elaboration of the whole atmosphere. Everything is almost like in cinematography.
— How do you like Fracture Case? Any notable works besides your own skins?
— We want to congratulate all the authors whose works featured the Fracture Case! This work is rather time-consuming and laborious. Valve doesn’t select unworthy works. Also, I’d like to note that I am very happy for the creators whose works first appeared in a case. I expect they’ll continue to delight the community with their works! And we would also like to express our gratitude to 2minds, hexeth, and Apel, because they can be called our inspirers! Each of these authors has a very interesting story.
— And if we take all the skins, not just Fracture Case, can you name a few of the best? From your perspective.
— Works by Apel such as the AWP Fever Dream. 2Minds with their Tarot Collection.
— If you could change Dragon Lore the way you like, what would you change in it?
— Nothing! I consider Dragon Lore part of the CS history.
— Where do you draw your inspiration from? What are your favorite books and movies?
— Speaking about skins, I began to really delve into Eastern mythology after Milena introduced me to the world of anime. But I’d already had a close relationship with the history of Japan and China before that since I am an orientalist by education, but I never imagined it would affect our lives so much. Some of our favorite movies include Pirates of the Caribbean and Shawshank Redemption. We like watching movies with good acting and excellent direction.
— Do you play CS? If you do, tell us what your favorite weapon is. And your favorite skins.
— I love CS! I’ve spent countless evenings in this game. My favorite weapon is the AK-47 The Empress, and Milena prefers the AWP Fever Dream.
— So if you play CS, the question is: do you use your own skins?
— Ha-ha… Not yet 🙂
— What about the maps? Any favorites?
— Yes. Mirage and Anubis.
— Do you follow the CS:GO competitions? Do you have favorite teams?
— I try to follow the general developments, but I don’t always manage that. No favorite team as such, but it’s nice to watch how CS:GO teams methodically move towards their goals and how their level of play increases every year.
— Any plans for the future?
— The fact that our skin was approved and accepted in CS provided us with incentive and motivation to evolve further in creating skins.
We plan to master new techniques and implement them in future works.
— Any guidance you can give to those who are only thinking about creating their first skin?
— Perhaps the most important thing is getting rid of your doubts. If you don’t try it, you’ll never know! And of course, try to develop yourself in a comprehensive way. Learn something new, become better every day.
This will help you be more unique and implement your plans.
