Starting today, we will put into the spotlight one Workshop artist weekly. We aim to get you to know the persons behind your favorite sets and to encourage the Dota2 community to support the workshop artists. Don't forget that your votes and feedback are very important because Valve do takes into consideration how popular a set is when they decide which one goes into a treasure chest or directly on the Steam Market.
Michael 'Hawf ' Shilliday: creator of one of the first Troll Warlord sets
Two weeks ago Troll Warlord was added for the first time into the workshop and as expected, a few artists have already started to come up with ideas about new sets. One of them is Michael 'Hawf' Shilliday with whom I had the pleasure to talk about his Juggernaut set a couple of weeks ago. This time around we talked more about himself, his art and about his Raging Whirlwind Troll Warlord set.
Hello, again Michael ! Before talking about your new set, tell us something about yourself and your Workshop career. When it was all started and why?
I started doing Workshop stuff way back in 2010 when Valve first announced the Team Fortress 2 contributor program. Although I wasn't very good at 3D art back then, it wasn't until 2012 I finally got my first item in-game. It's been pretty slow and steady since then. Started working on Dota 2 in 2013 and I`ve been working and improving since then but the last year and a half has been rough. We've had very little feedback and support from Valve, so I've been looking into picking up another job. Maybe getting back into the studio scene. Now I run a small business with my fiancee called "whiterend creative" which operates as a small art development studio but we've been designing our own projects for the last year now.
What do you like and what you dislike about your job?
I love the creative freedom I'm given to work and design for the game however I please but there's no guarantee that what it will be accepted in the game. It's really difficult to gauge that kind of feedback from Valve themselves. They've been really quiet as far as feedback goes for the last two years and frankly it's frustrating a lot of contributors, but it's not like this hasn't been said before.
What I dislike the most about the workshop is having to justify your design choices to voters who don't understand the creation process, I know that sounds super pretentious but it gets really frustrating
How about players’ feedback, does it affect your work?
I feel like players' feedback is a really mixed bag. Some people understand the set creation process more than others and some people will give you completely useless feedback, the kind of stuff you can't build off. I usually go off my own judgment and the feedback from other artists since they're far more involved with the creation process they give the most useful feedbacks.
Which was your most popular set?
As far as our most popular sets go I have no idea which one is the most popular, but Rider of the Avaricious is our best seller.
Nexon was publishing Dota in Korea at the time and wanted us to make a special Korean region exclusive version for the chest.
I saw your working process on Troll Warlord from the scratch until you finish it and I have to say it`s pretty cool. Tell us a few words about it. From where it all begun?
Back during The International 2014, we had a Workshop area where we could do showcase panels. I did one where I supposed to make a set using only attendee suggestions and feedbacks from the crowd. One guy shouted out to make a Troll Warlord set and we started from there.
Other themes that were suggested were things like "Aztec and native American themes" and the wildwing neutral creep for some reason or another. It was a really fun panel ! Someone from Valve staff was there to monitoring the Workshop area and he thought it'd be really neat to have a community/attendee supported item. I have to mention that they said they will add Troll to the item importer shortly after TI4 so we could make it but the design was reworked over and over for the last three years and they only ended up adding Troll to the workshop just two weeks ago.
I wanted to design something wildly different from Troll`s default design but I received a common criticism: "your designs are too safe" or "it looks too much like the default". I've been trying to stretch the limits of how different a character can look but still it can be recognizable.
I'm personally very happy with the set. I think it's my favorite out of all the others I've worked on this year.
Thank you for your time, Michael ! Best of luck with your sets and don`t give up !
Besides Troll, another hero benefit from workshopper`s attention and received a brand new set that is now on the waiting list.
„Monkey idol, a symbol image, reflection, imitation, and manipulation. If you do not bow down before him, your illusion will do it!” - wrote the artist as a description.
To be honest, this one is my favorite Dark Seer sets so far, and trust me, I have them all ! The monkey allure is a unique approach to this hero and the artist managed to combine the DS lore to his idea in a wonderful way. Give the set some votes, I mean, come on, who can resist to this little squishy guy?
I`m not really a fan to Nyx Assassin but this set looks amazing and yet, frightening. Even though it`s basically an insect, the artists that created this set managed to make it look majestic.
Of all zealot scarabs, he alone was selected for the highest calling. After his metamorphosis, he was reborn, by the grace of Nyx, with abilities which shaped him for one thing and one thing only: to kill in the name of his goddess.
A cute set even though the artist has not strayed far from the original model, comes with five pieces designed carefully, with lots of attention to the details and shades.
„This is my version of how I see Bane elemental. Yes, he has eyes! I also tried to accentuate in his character the sadistic vibe he has.”
A Robin-Hood Windranger set it`s not quite a unique idea, but we surely didn`t saw a bow so big as this one at any of the previous WR sets. The tail in Indian style with the accessories fits Windranger so well ! So, yeah...my words are kinda needless here. What are you guys thinking about this one?
Halloween is almost here and no one but this guy received a „costume”. I really liked the idea of a Chaos Knight without a head or a pumpkin instead of it. Submitted only a few days ago, this set received already five stars (out of five) so you must check it out!
