Some of 'sir_AXE' sets.
At the end of February, we bring into the spotlight a young workshopper who aims big. He is talented and very passionate, and it looks like nothing can stay on his way to success. To find out more about him read the interview below. Afterward, don`t forget to check his Steam account for more awesome sets.
Tell us a few things about yourself and your story. How did your Workshop journey begin?
Hey! My name is Eugene Shchigolev, known as "sir_AXE" in the Dota 2 Workshop. I'm a 23-year-old from Latvia who likes to draw, sculpt and play video games.
It all started with Photoshop when I was in the 8th grade. Fascinated by art and trying to earn some money to get my first Graphics tablet (Wacom), I learned how to make websites (2D). One of my clients hosted a pirated Lineage2 server and asked if I could do 3D as well to create mods for him. So that was the day I opened 3ds MAX, only to close it immediately after. I did occasionally try again but with no luck. After a while, Dota2 beta was opened and one of my friends, knowing my passion for art, showed me the Workshop and suggested to try it out! After that, I was really lucky and fortunate, and I realized I could turn my love for art into something more. I made a choice to pursue a career in CG and applied to Gnomon, from which I recently graduated. Now with the skills, I learned there I’m experimenting and creating new sets for Dota2 in my spare time.
I'm sure you still remember your first submitted item or set. Can you share that experience with us? What was its name and how did you feel after submitting it?
Demigod's head collector was my first item I did for Sven on my first account (I don’t remember why I later created a second one). But it was amazing! I checked how well it was doing every 5 minutes, how people responded to it. And to my surprise, later on, it was even accepted into the game!
Among your creations, do you have one that's really close to your heart? I'm sure you love all of them, but I want to know which is your favorite. Also, which one is the most popular among Dota 2 fans?
The Gifts of Yoskreth Set would be my most popular set.
I don’t have a particular set that I love the most but I thought Chain Slicer turned out pretty well.
What aspects of this work do you enjoy? And what do you dislike about it?
I would say the best and at the same time, the worst thing about the Workshop is that there’s no time limit. On one hand you can work from home and spend as much time as you want but on the other hand, “art is never finished, only abandoned”, as Leonardo da Vinci said. After a while, you get tired of your work and you don’t know if the change you just did made it better or simply different. And of course you never know if anything you created will be accepted, it might take a week or almost a year… My advice would be: treat the Workshop as a hobby, not as a job, try to create art you’re interested in, push your limits and set a deadline for when you plan to finish the work.
How does feedback affect you? I'm sure you get both positive and negative feedbacks from people. How do you react to them?
I do read the feedbacks I get, and I try to take them into account for the next set I create. Everybody has their own sense of style and you probably won’t be able to please everyone. Short feedback is pretty useless, I feel much better when people bash me in the comments but tell me where I went wrong and how I could improve. Details and suggestions are the best!
About the void set. I just love it! From where did you take inspiration? What was on your mind while you were working on it?
I’m currently making a few sets on my own and some with my friend Konstantin (Ka’as). You can check his work here.
Concept for the Void set
As he described it, he wanted to make something ancient and alien-like but at the same time, he wanted the set to be golden and have flexible shapes. Also, yellow and purple are complementary colors.
After finishing the first version of the set we realized that most sets used part of Void’s head as a helmet. Also, most weapons had a hole in the middle to work with the particle effect. So we decided to make changes and create a second version.
If you like our set, you can vote for it here, we really appreciate every vote and feedback!
Tell us a few words about the Troll set. As I'm sure you know, there are many many sets for this hero! How does your set differ from the others? And what made you want to create a set for him?
The concept was made by Konstantin (Ka’as). And I started to work on it at the end of 2016 but I had to put it down for a while and finish first a different set, for Riki. Konstantin wanted to make a silhouette that could be recognized from above, so we went with horns around the shoulders.
Troll concept
But the best part of the set I think is on the back, it took me so long to figure out the best way to add fur on his back…
Anyway, you can vote for my Troll set here.
Most of the sets for Troll look really well made, but my favorite would be Chieftain of the Ironblade by Yunl.
You can find sir_AXE on Steam or on his Facebook page.
Besides the beautiful sets for Void and Troll, five others were added this week. Let`s take a look at what the workshoppers prepared for us.
Feathers of a thousand solar flares
As the name says, the feathers are incredibly well made! They won my heart completely. I like the gradient used on them and I believe it offers Phoenix a new charm.
Phoenix boasts its feathers as it carries the fire of the sun. The sun itself can destroy anything that comes too close to it yet it is a great necessity of life. Phoenix's intent is that of its creator, born of the sun and reborn of the flame.
If you really want to see this set inside the game, don`t forget to vote for it here.
Royal Winterbloom
Although Cristal Maiden has more sets available on the market than any other hero, Royal Winterbloom is way different from all the others considering the concept it uses. With a stunning story of Rylai behind it, this set comes forward as an upgrade to another that was submitted 3 years ago. You can find its old version here.
Vote for it here if you think that it deserves to be added.
Azrael
Although everyone is waiting for the Juggernaut arcana, the workshoppers are trying to display their offer with fresh new sets until the arcana is properly released. Dressed as a fierce warrior, Azrael, as the artist named him, is looking stunning!
You can leave your feedbacks and votes for this set here.
The gift of Nothl Realm
This is a totally new approach for a Huskar set. I really don`t know how many of you will appreciate this crazy look but you can give it a try.
If you like this crazy concept vote for it here and maybe leave some feedbacks too.
Abyss Devourer
More daring than the other Enigma sets already submitted, Abyss Devourer is one of the best so far. I like the fact that it has a stronger armor and some fierce horns. Maybe it strays a bit from the hero`s lore but I don`t think it matters considering it looks amazing!
You should also check Enigma`s Eidolons here and maybe vote for it. I truly believe that it has a chance to be added to Winter Treasure III.