Sims FanArt

SIMS ART with SimScraper

SIMS ART with SimScraper

This month I would like to introduce an artist who has been very hard to pin down, that isn’t a bad thing, it just means this artist is in demand not only through their commission work but also in their personal lives, so when Simscraper was able to take the time in his busy schedule to talk with us, we were over the moon. Simscraper joined Twitter in 2019 and has been delighting the Sims world with his gorgeous artwork which always has a fantastic Sims element of fun and humour included, his portrayal of the characters and his overhauls of some such a Bella Goth, are not only extremely detailed but give you an insight into just what this artist is all about.

Hi Billy and thank you for taking part in this August issue, it is finally nice to be able to chat to you about all things The Sims and your art of course. You are currently studying at Uni and I know this takes up an awful lot of your time, so I will make sure we do not inundate you with questions. I am sure our readers would like to know more about you Billy the human behind the Simscraper accounts.

Hi! It’s so lovely to be here, I feel SO excited and lucky to be here!

Tell us, how old are you, do you have any siblings, where are you from, what is your favourite food, do you have any hobbies, do you have a favourite item of clothing to wear and if so what is it, and if you could be king for the day, what would your first instructions to your people be?

I am 21 years old, born in march (a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon, Taurus Rising - astrology lover hehe). I have an older sister, and I’m currently living in the big city of London studying Public Relations at University. My biggest hobbies are drawing/illustration and animation. I also play around with video creation from time to time and would really love to get into creating music (video game sounds etc.) down the line! My favourite item of clothing is a baggy pant – you can *always* pair them with something, whether it’s an oversized shirt or small tee, to make a cute outfit! If I was king for the day I’d simply instruct people to have a bit of fun and be more creative. Things have become so dull and structured in our current societies, an injection of fun and passion would be my first decree as king.

Being a UK based company, we love featuring people who live here in the UK. Were you born in the UK and if so where, and if not where? What is your favourite

part of living here and what is the worst? If you could live in any part of the world, where would it be and why? What was the strongest influence you had when you were growing up artists, movies, cartoons, comics?

I was born here, in a little town in Hertfordshire. My favourite part of living here is just being close to my friends and family – they play such a huge role in my life so I’m super grateful to have them so close by. I’d say my least favourite part is the weather and, currently living in London, the extortionate price of coffee. I’ve always loved living in big cities so somewhere like Paris or Rome would be nice – both hold extremely dear places in my heart and even living there for just a little while would make me happy.

When it comes to influences I always struggle to pinpoint a few exact ones. Musically I love animated artists – people like Tierra Whack and Nicki Minaj have always captured my attention due to their animation and the way they manipulate their voices. Ghibli movies always cheer me up on my down days and the style has definitely always been a huge inspiration for me artistically – my art is nowhere near as beautiful but one can always hope! There are a few odd series, movies and cartoons that have definitely inspired my style but I cannot for the life of me remember their names…

How long have you been playing The Sims and what first inspired you to start creating Sims Art? How has the community response been to your art?

I’ve been playing The Sims since I was quite young, for maybe 10 or 11 years now. I remember being introduced to it by a friend, after school one day. She ultimately started my complete infatuation with these little animated people. I honestly don’t remember what inspired my first sims-related art piece. Thinking back on it, I believe I might have been creating some artwork to sell on RedBubble at the time and had already designed a bunch of things relating to my interests and hobbies – The Sims fit into that category rather well and so that kinda push started my descent into sims themed artwork and later commissions.

I like to think the community response has been good(?) for the most part I usually receive lovely replies and support from the community which I’m so insanely grateful for. I truly wouldn’t be where I am today or have the possibilities I do, and have had in past years, without them. I’ve definitely had ups and downs due to starting commissions at such a young age - it’s always a learning curve and I’ve had some really big mess-ups on quite a public platform. I remember receiving some pretty nasty comments and negative critiques a few years back that really hurt and upset me. I think it should be somewhat expected given how accessible apps like Twitter and Instagram are but it doesn’t make the impact any less hurtful or intense.

Mental health is something we like to make sure we support here at SIM

Magazine, and I know you like many others have those times where you also need to take a break for your own mental health, does creating art help you in these areas of your life? And how do you stay motivated when you are having a bad day? What advice would you give to other artists who also struggle with their mental health?

Mental well-being definitely plays a massive role in my life as a creator. I spent a few too many years neglecting that side of things and have been practically microdosing artistic burn out for a while. Art can definitely help me feel better especially when it’s a piece I’m creating in my free time. There’s a lot of creative freedom, breathing room and stress relief that comes with creating something that doesn’t have to comply to any standards or audience expectations.

When it comes to having a bad day, that’s something I’m still navigating. I can often be quite tough on myself for not creating enough art in a day or if things aren’t going too well. I’m definitely improving but as with most things it’s a journey of growth.

I’d advise artists to put themselves first – at all times. No amount of money or likes or good feedback is worth destroying your mental state and brains capacity to create art. Be honest with your clients and tell them if you don’t feel you can finish something by a certain deadline - I’m still learning how to go about things like that, 7-8 years later, but more often than not you’ll find a lot of people are very understanding and also care about you protecting yourself from burn out too!

Is there something that you have designed that you are most proud of? How has your style changed over time? Do you have a network of other artists, and if so how do they support you? How do you manage a work/Uni-life balance as an artist? Describe your ideal working environment for creating your art?

I think my proudest accomplishment either comes from my Bonehilda and Cottage Living pieces being shared on The Sims official Twitter and Instagram accounts or my series of Twitch emotes that I created for Stephen @SpringSims being posted on a series of Twitch Billboards around Times Square in New York. Both were quite insane to experience and witness and to this day I’m just kinda in awe about it all.

My style has evolved immensely though in recent years has followed a similar look – you can definitely tell the character archetype has remained the same. Comparing it to work from years beforehand always provides me with a good chuckle as the style and characters just looked SO bad!! It always makes me smile seeing how far I’ve come stylistically though. I don’t currently have a network of artists I talk to, though I’d really like to have one. Things can be a little lonely in the art world so if you’re an artist please reach out! Haha.

Balancing art and uni work can be tricky, there’s been many-a-time where I’ve skated far too close to a deadline due to mismanaging my time on either one. I like to think I’m getting there slowly though, balancing commissions while in year 2 at uni definitely worked out much smoother than year 1! My ideal working environment would

honestly be my bedroom, my desk has a warm salt lamp, I have a tray of incense, some fairy lights and a warm blanket that keep me feeling cosy while working. To top it all off I LOVE the sound of rain in the evening, so a stormy night paired with my bedroom set-up would for sure be my ideal workspace.

The Sims account on Twitter has retweeted your art creations, how did it feel when they first did this and did this interaction from them inspire you

more?

Oh my gosh, I was SO excited! I remember being at my boyfriends place the first time it happened and just jumping around, acting all giddy because I was so thrilled about it. It’s honestly such an honour and 13 year old me would just be so insanely shocked that we’ve made it so far! It’s really sweet to think about and definitely pushes me to work even harder – I’d love to one day work on a project with them.

Your artist skills are highly sought after, not only do you create art for your own pleasure but you also offer commission work from, profile pictures and headers, to emotes and more, tell us about the work you offer through your commission work, and what was your favourite commission piece to date is that you can tell us about?

I dabble in a few different things hehe, I’ve recently been teaching myself how to animate which is veryyy long overdue but also really exciting! I’m a little messy with it but with time and practice comes

growth! Because of that I’m finally able to offer things like animated emotes, cheer alerts, intro videos, animated screens and more!

My favourite piece is a tricky topic, I have a lot of favourites but for different reasons. One of them is a banner I created for Mollie @EnglishSimmer – it was actually the first commissioned piece I ever did so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart for that reason alone! A recent favourite was a sailor-moon/princess peach crossover piece I created for @AshGotSpice – it just turned out so pretty and girly and pink and I just loved it so much!

How often do you get to play The Sims and what did you think of the Werewolves pack released in June? What are your favourite and worst packs in The Sims? Do you play with mods and CC and if so, who are your goto creators? Has anyone in the community been an inspiration to your own artwork?

Truth be told I really don’t get to play The Sims very often. Between my studies and out-of-school responsibilities I don’t have much downtime for hobbies and gaming in general, as sad as it makes me. Luckily, this summer is providing me with a bit more free time than I’m used to and I did get to explore the Werewolves pack for a little while! Personally I love the pack, you can tell a lot of passion went into creating each aspect of the game, especially on the lore side of things (one of my personal favourite aspects of The Sims games). The CAS and build buy items are brilliant and the world is really great too, I really feel it’s one of the most well-rounded packs we’ve received in recent years! It makes me excited for the future of The Sims 4, which is refreshing to say.

I have a few favourite packs, picking an overall favourite is like picking a favourite child… I just couldn’t do that to them *sigh*. I love The Sims 2 in general – it was the first game I got to fully explore and it provided some gems when it came to expansion packs – I really love all of them; from Seasons to Apartment Life, Freetime to Open for Business, Bon Voyage and Nightlife. They each provided so much gameplay and character and I just remember having so much fun with each of them! I really enjoyed Sims 3 Supernatural and Seasons with its inclusion of festivals – I remember feeling so cosy during the winter seasons, playing a little sims family at Christmas time. When it comes to The Sims 4 it’s quite tricky, I feel as though a lot of them maybe haven’t been completed to their full potential and it makes them a little tricky to enjoy at times – I think my favourites are probably Snowy Escape and Cottage Living. As for my least favourite pack it probably has to be Island Living. The pack had sooo much potential but it fell so extremely short. The gameplay felt quite shallow and there was so much more that could’ve been done, especially with Mermaids.

I don’t currently play with mods or CC; however, it’s not out of choice. My current setup can barely load the game by itself, I dread to think how it’d play with the addition of Custom Content and Mods. I of course have a few creators and CC designers I follow and always check out @icemunmun @RAVASHEENCC @VanilaSims @IllogicalSimmer and @SixamCC are a few of the creators I follow and adore over on Twitter! I’ve always wanted to work alongside a CC creator to create some kinda CC kit or stuff pack – still holding out hope to do that one day down the line!

Speaking of art Inspiration and CC stuff packs - @LuddySimmer and @LittleDica over on Twitter have created some amazing stuff on Twitter recently, I’ve absolutely loved all of their creations! Other artists I loveee and totally recommend to everyone reading are

@CottoneeSocks (she makes THE most adorable cowplant figurines), @TazreenTasnim, and @LegaSimmer!

Now for a little fun! Continue the phrase: I would never draw… and why?

I would never draw… Judith Ward of course! The Agnes Crumplebottom-wannabe simply lacks the stardom other Sims icons possess, she does not deserve her own fan art *rolls eyes* …

Can you tell us 10 things you can do with a pencil other than drawing?

Oh wow… 10 things… I think I might struggle with this one, but let’s see…

1. Create a suave French moustache.

2. Use it as a cute hair accessory in your messy bun… did somebody say “it’s giving teacher”?

3. Wendell’s visiting the main plaza… become a walrus and tuck two pencils in your top lip.

4. Play the drums… on quite literally any surface –what a variety of different noises you can make :p

5. Perform a magic trick – we all know the one. The bendy pencil trick.

6. Write something! Whether it be a list of all the sims you’ve killed in “accidental” house fires and pool incidents or it’s a confession of your immense love for Eliza Pancakes…

7. Simply rub out the many many mistakes you’ve made in life *sigh*

8. Curl your hair with it.

And that’s as many as I could get… I tried my hardest Sami I promise!!

Haha I absolutely loved all those answers, getting to 8 was a fantastic try! If the Sims asked you to create a design for any pack/stuff or kit across the whole Sims franchise, what would you like to design and why?

I actually did this one in my free time recently. I’d absolutely love to design some assets for a kids/ family themed pack. Over on Twitter I shared some toddler hairstyles I’d created some (fan made) concept art for. It’d absolutely be a dream to work on assets like that officially just because there’s so much variety, whimsy and fun to be had with them and I definitely think there’s a lack of such items in the game as it is in its current state.

And finally, can you tell us how our readers can find/ follow/subscribe to you and how would they contact you if they wanted to book you for a commission piece?

You can find me on either Twitter @SimScraper2 or Instagram @SimScraper :) my bio usually lists whether or not my commissions are currently open and people can enquire via DM! I’m always looking to make more friends within the community too so I’d love for people to message me outside of just commissioning me!

Thanks again for this wonderful interview Billy we look forward to seeing more of your beautiful art in the future and wish you every success at Uni and beyond.

Thank you Sami! I’m so grateful to have been given this opportunity, I always love checking out the magazine each month so it’s truly such an honour to be featured!

Simscraper