This interview was first published on The Great Whale Road site.
Sunburned Skald: Hi Paloma, thanks for taking time out from drawing gory battle scenes. Please, have an imaginary cookie.
Paloma: Ñam ñam, thanks. (= Spanish for yummy)
Sunburned Skald: You're welcome, we see you draw and paint all day, but what do you actually do at Sunburned Games?
Paloma: We do the morning Scrum and then I just draw, but at the moment I am working on the user interface.
Sunburned Skald: Is the UI work not drawing?
Paloma: No, it's not illustration but graphic design. That's why larger studios have UI designer, concept artists, 2D artists, 3D artists, animators etc.
Sunburned Skald: We can't afford that. :) That is why we have you. When did you realize you could draw?
Paloma: As a child, I really loved the Biology school book and I wanted to become a veterinarian. I loved to draw the animals in the Biology book, I still have the notebook full of horses, fishes etc. And I used them as cheap birthday presents for my family.
Sunburned Skald: Impressive, economically astute. What was the first video game you ever played?
Paloma: I darkly remember a Donald Duck game, but really it was Sonic and the game of the Lion King on the SEGA Megadrive. My first console was the first Gameboy.
Sunburned Skald: And we know that since then Pokemon is your all-time favourite game! Did you play anything else since then?
Paloma: Yeah, many Japanese games (Rhythm Paradise, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem). And Naughty Dog games, really all of them.
Sunburned Skald: When did you decide to become a video game artist?
Paloma: When I did my final project for my graphic design degree. I had realized I preferred drawing to graphic design. I started to look for a career which was more related to illustration. But for example jobs in Comics are impossible to come by.
Sunburned Skald: But video game jobs aren't plentiful either. Were you aware that the odds are stacked against you?
Paloma: I just went for it. The chances are still better than in illustration. When I chose to do a video game as my final project in graphic design I was only one of two, and that was a bit scary. But it paid off.
Sunburned Skald: What about your Manga dependency? Isn't that unusual?
Paloma: I actually started late, when we were kids in Spain various Anime shows boomed big time. Like Dragonball, but I didn't like them too much. At this time I watched Dexter Laboratory.
Sunburned Skald: So public Spanish TV showed Anime in the 90s?
Paloma: It was on the local Catalan TV series, where they showed Anime from the 80s. But I started late, maybe at 17 and I started to read fantasy novels like Eragon. And I met other folks online, and somehow I ended up watching different Anime series too.
Sunburned Skald: You also design t-shirts, how did that start?
Paloma: At university we started a small studio for merchandise, we designed plushies, notebooks and t-shirts and sold them at cons. After two years I decided to go solo, but I haven't dedicated much time to it as it is more like a hobby. I have always designed things I like, t-shirts I would like to wear.
Sunburned Skald: And you designed our The Great Whale Road t-shirt! Apart from Anime and games - what else is important in your life?
Paloma: My 2 dogs, and animal welfare in general. I always loved animals. My parents think I am a bit crazy because I have two big dogs, they have a Yorkshire terrier. ;) I am a dog person.
Sunburned Skald: We have noticed that. You forgot your boyfriend!
Paloma: Oops - no, he is very important!
Sunburned Skald: We still have to meet him. One day you have to bring him and the dogs to the office. Thanks for leaving Photoshop alone for half an hour!
Paloma: OK!
She said and rolled back to her desk on her chair.
