Zabi Hassan is one of the talents that has helped create the aesthetic of FAITH. His style is sharp and vivid, with perfect physiques and great poses. He is currently helping us create new NPCs and Gear cards for FAITH: A Garden in Hell (currently funding on Kickstarter) and we thought it’d be the perfect chance to get to know him better.

When did it dawn on you that you wanted to be an artist? 

So far in my life it has crossed my mind many times to be an artist (elementary, late middle school and high school). The time that I truly made up my mind was during my final year in high school (2014). Prior to that I was discouraged from such thoughts not only by others but also as a child seeing some artists on the streets.

What were your inspirations back then? 

When I first decided to become a concept artist it was largely because of Feng Zhu’s Design cinema videos. Having him demonstrate his amazing skills and give lots of insight about the industry even made me want to study at his school in Singapore. Later on I discovered many more amazing artists such as Craig Mullins, Kim Jung Gi, Vitaly (3D), Anthony Jones, Jama, Ruan Jia, Maciej and many more, the list is practically endless.

Was it difficult to convince those around you about your dreams?

Convincing others around me wasn’t very difficult, but growing up with this fear set in you about art and not being able to support yourself, thats where the real difficulty comes. I believe it was more of a struggle to convince myself, to believe in myself that I will be able to pursuit my dreams and my fear shouldn’t be failing, my fear should be not living how I wanted to.

How did you overcome the fear barrier? 

To over come such fears I couldn’t do it alone, there were many factors that took part in it. During my final year in high school it was time for everyone to make a huge decision for their lives; what they want to pursuit and how they were going to do it. For many students it was clear; get their prerequisites, apply to good universities or colleges for a program they liked and apply for financial support if they needed one.

One of the iconic NPCs he’s created for FAITH

For me and my best friend it was a little more uncertain than that, our options locally were very limited and we though “if we are going to spend money, why not at a school we really wanted to attend” and so seeing how he was willing to take the risk, it was inspiring for me to take such risk as well. Both of us decided to not apply to any universities and work until we have enough money to attend FZD in Singapore (which we couldn’t get financial help for). During those final months there was this international scholarship by Adobe’s program called “Adobe Youth Voices” which our teacher told us to apply for.

Looking into this scholarship I found out only 25 students from around the world would be selected, immediately i was discouraged thinking I had no chance. Then I realized I wouldn’t lose anything trying, so with the help of my good friends and teachers I got the application ready and sent it along with my bestfriend. Thats when I truly overcame my fear of not succeeding, when the results returned, and to my surprise we were selected as one of the 25 students! not only my best friend and I, but also one of our close friends. Thanks to that all three of us now have a full ride through post-secondary. And if you are curious, no we didn’t end up in FZD, we still couldn’t afford it, but! both of us are attending a pretty good private college in Toronto called Max the Mutt.

With all that, you realize you truly don’t know unless you try, and the moment you say “i can’t do it” then you really can’t, its all in your hands and how far you are willing to go to achieve what you want to. Of course we can’t be too optimistic, there are many different barriers for different people, but its more about knowing you did give your all.

How did you focus your career to the point you are in now?

My focus has been more on getting my technical skills on par, later on I do plan on focusing more on incorporating something special in my works, I don’t know that that special thing is yet. I haven’t been actively searching for jobs because I want to largely focus on studies, but I have been taking the opportunities I have been given. These opportunities that aren’t full time have given me the chance to learn and gain experience. Its a different way to learn and the criteria/deadlines create that much more problem solving situations.

What is your source of inspiration for your work in FAITH?

I have different inspirations when it comes to making work for FAITH. For example, in terms of workflow and quality I am inspired by Anthony Jones and I do practice the methods he has taught me. In terms of the language for the game I look at Milan Nikolic‘s works that he has made for FAITH. Last but not least my fella artists currently working at FAITH, such as; Marco Brunelleschi and Vukasin Bagic, are inspirations for me.

Zabi’s favourite

Which is your favourite illustration that you’ve done for our game and why?

I would have to say my favourite illustration is the first one I have done for FAITH, the female corvo character. All the works I do for  FAITH have interesting design briefs and are fun to do, but the first one was definitely my favourite to work on… not exactly sure why though.

What are your next career goals? 

I haven’t though about specific goals yet, I do know that ultimately my biggest goal will be to constantly get better. Higher quality, faster workflow and more interesting designs. I have thought about trying to get in-studio experience when I graduate from school and eventually start a studio with Dhenzel Obeng.

What would you advise to aspiring illustrators? 

The advice I would give aspiring illustrators would probably be the one every other artist gives; don’t give up! Nothing truly satisfying in this world is easy to get, no career is easy, they all have their own difficulties. While working towards a career as an illustrator you might face a lot of more emotional problems, not exactly sure why but it is quite daunting for us artists. During moments like that, try thinking a little “larger” every problem looks huge when you focus on it, try seeing more/past that. Identify your problems so you can find solutions/workarounds for them. My final advice, do your best to enjoy it 🙂

Check out Zabi’s portfolio.

FAITH: A Garden in Hell is currently funding on Kickstarter.