Our community has many talented and skilled Guardians in it, some of those Guardians are artists. What they create is incredibly special and they share with the whole community and beyond, bringing ideas to life and taking our imaginations with them. Each week we, at DTR (Destiny Tracker), will showcase some pieces of art created by one of our very talented artists in the Destiny community and get to know little about them. This week the Travelers Light shines onto a Guardian that discovered his love and passion for creating art at a early age, " I suppose when I was really little? I have super early memories of drawing dinosaurs, tanks, ninjas and skulls (maybe even in the same piece lol). I'm pretty sure I'm a reincarnation of an artist from the past, because I've always had an eagerness to draw from my earliest memories in life. Seeing a blank sheet of paper with a pencil in my hand, gave me an indescribable excitement as I couldn't wait to unleash some scribbles on it! I imagine any artist out there knows that same feeling I'm describing. I tell this story in my stream a lot, but I used to get into trouble in kindergarten for speeding through my tests just to flip the paper over and draw on the entire blank side of it. It seemed to be a problem, until the teacher realized I was acing the tests anyways haha". KobOne is well known in and around the community for his amazing art pieces, which he creates on his Twitch channel, as well as his kind and fun loving sense of humor. He truly has a passion for the Destiny community and all the Guardians in it. KobOne began playing Destiny since the beginning, " I've been with Destiny since day 1 of the beta, back when we were ALL Kinderguardians! I truly play them 33.33% each now, but if you go all the way back to the beginning for me, it's #warlockmasterrace from the get go. I even ran three Warlocks in year 1 vanilla, until I realized I wasn't experiencing the game to its fullest. That, and I needed the trophy for my platty on Destiny. I'm glad I did though, I've been enjoying each class equally for a while now right into Destiny 2", KobOne added. KobOne has always had a recognizable gamer tag, which so many know. I asked KobOne where his gamer tag came from and how it came to be what it is today, he replied, " Funny story. Back in 2005 I formed my clan [LOD], when we all played SOCOM online multiplayer on PS2. We all chose comic villain/hero names and mine was DEADPOOL-52. I stuck with this over the years until just before Destiny 2, I decided to change my name to align more with my art brand. It was a much needed change and long overdue. Only thing that sucks is all of my accolades under my previous account didn't carry over to Destiny 2. Playstation really needs to quit farting around and get on that whole name change thing!".
KobOne is truly a talented artist. Over the past few years, Kob has become a popular creative streamer on his Twitch channel. When KobOne is streaming you can find him greeting every person coming in to watch while he creates incredible pieces by hand. He creates a great experience, interacting with viewers while he brings his pieces to life before your eyes. Since he created his pieces by hand, I asked KobOne what his favorite medium is and if there is a medium he would like to try in the future, he responded while smiling, " My first love will always be pen and ink. When the ink hits the sketched lines, it's so beautiful to me! If you would have asked me back in my college days, I would have said watercolor. I've enjoyed a plethora of mediums over the years, but I'll always go back to traditional pen and ink. I'm also enjoying the use of cool gray marker tones and white ink on toned paper too. ( replying to the second question) Funny you ask, I've been thinking lately I'd like to dive back into doing some sculpting. Maybe even live on stream. It's been many moons since I've touched modeling clay, but I'm thinking some Hive would look pretty darn sexy sculpted out of clay!." KobOne is one of the greatest pen and ink artists seen in the community, creating pieces that have captivated much of the community. Many of his prints have been seen framed on countless Guardians walls, with great appreciation and love for his work. I, for one, would love to see KobOne host a sculpting stream, creating something three dimensional. That, no doubt, would be incredible. So many Guardians fall in love with KobOne's embracing warmth and contagious positivity. I asked KobOne what sort of emotions he feels when he sees how others are impacted by his work and how important he feels art can be in/for the community, " Oh man. Just hearing this question gets me in the feels. That should imply to you that I do get very emotional when it comes to my art and the connection it makes with others. It brings me so much joy it's indescribable. Every time I get a DM that tell me I inspired someone to get back into art, or to keep on doing art or anything to that matter is very special to me. I do not take those messages for granted. I get very emotional when someone has a story attached to a commission, or when they describe the joy someone gets from receiving my art. A few years back, a redditor made a post about his friend that had lost everything he owned in the massive fires in western Canada and was reaching out to the community if there was anything we could do to help/inspire our guardian friend in need. I immediately replied to him that I would love to draw his guardian and send it to him at no charge in the hopes of bringing a smile to his face. He obliged and got me his buddy's Titan reference pics. That illustration ended up being the piece titled "Stay Strong Guardian" featuring his St. 14 Titan with a Hawkmoon in tow. I mailed it off to Canada and kind of forgot about it. About a month and a half later I got an email with a picture of the guardian holding his framed drawing giving me the thumbs up with tears in his eyes. His buddy described the sheer joy his friend had over it and thanked me so much for taking his mind off of everything even for a split second. After I read that at that exact moment, twin specs of dust pierced each eye and the waterworks started. That was a fulfilling moment for me that truly exemplifies the power of art and the impact it can have in someones life, whether creating it or receiving it. That is something I will never take for granted. I've also done several pieces for Bungie employees who have worked on Destiny. Some pieces even hang at their areas in the Bungie studios. This is truly near and dear to my heart, as well and a huge honor. I'm also proud to call a lot of them my friend. It's pretty damn cool to play Destiny with the people that helped create it. Kind of like shooting hoops with Michael Jordan in a way? Ok, maybe that's a bad analogy, but you get what I mean. I'm humbled, and I've sat down", Kob replied. He gives a perfect example of how art can have a huge impact art on many. By allowing emotions to flow free, many can be inspired or empowered by a piece that connects with them personally. Art, like music, can teleport someones imagination to other worlds. It can lead people to create something incredible from a single piece that they connected with on a personal level.
With KobOnes' fun-loving and welcoming personality, he has gained a dedicated following. They are a group deservedly named the "Kob Mob" who tune in to watch KobOne create new pieces every week. I asked KobOne when he began streaming his art and what his first piece that he created on stream is, Kob responded, " I always wanted to stream my art and make a better connection with my followers/community, but I never took the time to do it. So I finally decided to do my very first ever live stream on Instagram shortly after the option became available. I remember I was doing a piece for my buddy and fellow DCA artist, Boompus, of his Staglock. I tried to engage with chat and answer questions as I drew and it was super fun so I asked the chat if I started a Twitch channel, would they watch and I got a great response! So I made a Twitch channel, the Kob Mob was born, and I haven't looked back!". Viewers tune in to not only watch Kob create his incredible pieces by hand but also to converse and interact with him. Kob has recognizable styles and amazing line work but also keeps his viewers engaged to make them feel as they are part of the stream itself. His appreciation for everyone that tunes in is never lost as he greets everyone tuning in with a smile and warm welcome. He has a genuine kindness all while he creates jaw dropping pieces before your eyes. KobOnes' passion for the community is inspiring to others to share in that same passion. I asked Kob what his favorite part of the community is, he replied immediately, " Well that's an easy one, the people of course! I get to meet some of the coolest and genuinely amazing people such as yourself! The community is amazing with its love for Destiny. I met so many guardians at the Destiny 2 reveal and Guardian Con last year, it was awesome! True Guardians have each other's backs no matter what. It's an amazing community to be a part of and I'm forever grateful". The Guardians, without question, are the heart and soul of the community. Having KobOne in our community with us is a true honor. His talents as an artist are only half of what makes Kob a true inspiration in the community. He has a positivity and eagerness to engage with everyone like one big family. All those that share in that positivity is what makes the Destiny community a unique community that stands out from others. One of the many awe-inspiring attributes of KobOne is his willingness to help others find their creative sides with tips and helpful directions on how to take ones own art to the next level. That being said, I asked Kob what advice would he give to an aspiring artist in the community just starting out, KobOne responded genuinely, " Any aspiring artists just starting out, I would say just keep drawing. Never stop drawing. You will get better, and better, and better. Draw at least once a day. Even if it's on a napkin. There is a saying, that practice makes perfect...and that's a load of thrall turds! Nobody is perfect, ever. Just keep developing you and your art. Don't be afraid to show it to someone and get some critiques back. If someone is mean and negative about your art then they can suck it and you're better off without them. Every artist will have to develop thick skin and take critiques as a growing experience. Maybe they are right and you will learn something. Maybe they are wrong and can go to Hell. Maybe it's Maybelline. Point is, keep doing you. Art is art and it's completly subjective. Have fun with it! Draw what inspires you and makes you happy. Sometimes I really don't care for a drawing I did, and it becomes someone elses favorite. You never know. YouTube is also an excellent way of learning new techniques for yourself as an artist as well. My DMs are always open to slide up in, so I always invite any artist who has a question or wants to show me some of their art! You can always hang out with me in one of my Twitch art streams too! My Discord channel has a sub-channel you can also share your art with other artists of all skill levels with no judgement! I get a lot of messages from kids and adults alike that tell me I've inspired them so much, but the truth is, all of the people that support me and my art are actually the ones that inspire me to keep creating it!.
It was truly and honor having KobOne as this week's community artist spotlight. He is a complete joy to commune with and he continues to spread his positivity throughout the community with his art and engagements with other Guardians. KobOne has also been a guest on community podcasts. I asked Kob what community podcasts he has been on and a memorable moment from one that stands out to him, he replied, "Oh man, I've truly loved every second of every podcast I've been on. I've been on the Destiny Community Podcast (DCP), Rasputin Radio, Destiny Truth Cast, Planet Destiny, Saint-14 Project Podcast and Waking Up with Soop and Sugah. All of which I have clickable links for viewing/hearing on my Twitch channel if you so desire. I remember a question from a viewer on the DCP involving a hand with penis fingers and high-fiving. That was interestingly hilarious to say the least!". KobOne has also assisted with donating his art to community charity events, further helping the community make positive impacts on others' lives. When I asked how many prints of his work he has sent out to Guardians throughout the community, Kob responded, " If you included the 600 from Guardian Con last year, I would say about 1,500 roughly". That is a staggering amount of prints. I, for one, enjoy seeing those prints and prints from other artists in the community framed on proud Guardians walls. This year is already proving to be a big year in the community, with that I asked KobOne if he had any big plans for this year he could share with us, " In a couple of weeks I leave the country for the first time ever to visit Betty in Canada! I'm pretty excited about that, aye. Also, on July 13th and 14th I will be in Tampa, Florida at Guardian Con 2018 again this year, and have a booth/table in their artist alley! Yay! Come by and say hello!", Kob said excitedly. It was an absolute pleasure having KobOne join us for this week's spotlight. We all look forward to more from this incredible Guardians and artist. To find more works from KobOne you can check him out at his socials at instagram.com/koboneart , twitter.com/koboneart . "I stream my art live on my Twitch channel twitch.tv/koboneart and my YouTube channel youtube.com/kobonart has tons of time-lapsed drawings (obligatory Please Like and Subscribe!) that I do live on stream as well as some old graffiti pieces. I have originals and prints available on my Etsy store koboneart.etsy.com . You can also use the googler to see lots of my old graffiti art. If that tickles your fancy. I always tell anyone interested in a commission, or just want to be a pen pal, email me at [email protected] oh!, I just found out that I was accepted as a sketch card artist for Topps Trading Cards! The first two sets I'll be doing will be for Star Wars and The Walking Dead and I'm super pumped! My art will be inserted in packs for lucky peeps to find around the world! How cool is that! A nerdy kids dream!". This Guardian can express the amount of joy he has for that incredible news! and I personally will be buying a few cases of each card series with hopes of getting a KobOne hand drawn card!. Lastly before letting KobOne go back to being awesome and making amazing Destiny themed art in lieu of the exotic weapons Bungie has redone that many truly are amazing weapons now in both PvP and PvE I asked KobOne his personal opinion on what's better Vigilance Wing, or Graviton Lance? " Well, I've been decimated by both in PvP, but I personally like the Graviton Lance better if I had to choose between the two. Maybe my opinion will change after I get that full-auto exotic catalyst on my Vigilance Wing! Now that Skyburner's Oath in PvP... muah!!" KobOne replied in a excited maniacal laugh while rubbing both hands together . Til we meet again in the Tower or in Shaxx's Crucible, Thanks for reading!.
"Not sure of the originator, but I use it as my clan quote on any game..."If you want peace, prepare for war"You could look at this quote in several different ways, I take it as you've got to fight for what you believe in. It's not going to happen on its own and it won't be an easy road, but with hard work and perseverance, anything can be achieved". - KobOne
Shout Outs! A special shout out to YOU Joe and the entire DTR Team! You guys have been killing it since A1 Day 1. Thanks so much for having me on, this was fun! The St. 14 Project and all the goodness it's doing for guardians! What's up to all my special DCA peeps out there!! All of the amazing artists are too many to mention, but you know who you are!! Thanks to any and all who have supported me and my art since the beginning, you inspire me and I am greatfully appreciative of you all!!
Thanks again Joe, this was a blast!
-Kob
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