Words of Art: Sebastian Colea

6. 4. 2021

I would like to work as a freelance fantasy illustrator, says Sebastian Colea.

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Please, introduce yourself shortly.

Hello, fellow M:tG lovers and art enthusiasts! I'm Sebastian Colea, also known as Kols. I am a recent graduate of the National Univeristy of Arts in Bucharest, creating art in the fantasy field

How long have you been drawing?

I've always been the kid who drew in class, drew at home, on the bus and everywhere in between, so I can safely say I've been at it for as long as I can remember. Talking numbers, considering that I am 22 right now, i would say 15 years, 4 out of which I've been taking it more seriously.

What is your favorite drawing theme?

My favourite painting subject is fantasy. Ever since I decided I should make a career in art, I've only really worked on fantasy. My first introduction to fantastic art must have been World of Warcraft. I love painting everything the eye can't see!

How did you start with Magic: the Gathering?

I started playing Magic not too long ago. It must have been 5 years since I first heard about it, and only 4 years ago I started playing. I was introduced to it through Duel Masters, the game of my childhood, which is a lite-version of M:tG, published by the same company targeting a younger audience.

Which set is your favorite?

Even though I wasn’t involved with Magic: the Gathering at the time it released, the one set I really like is Innistrad. There is something about the whole vibe of the Innistrad block that does it for me. Just thinking about vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other horrors roaming the streets at night makes me shiver with excitement! This gritty, dark fantasy side of Magic is definitely my favourite and would love to see WotC go back to it in the future.

What do you do when you're not drawing? What are your other hobbies?

When I’m not drawing or painting, I’m either playing videogames or writing down ideas of games and books. I also used to write poetry and music, but those are hobbies I like to keep personal and hidden away from the real world. To be honest, making art of any kind has been my main focus ever since I was a little kid. Crafting things out of whatever I could get my hands on, writing stories or drawing my favourite characters, I could say I was always interested in art.

Do you have a goal you would like to achieve?

I do have a goal...multiple goals I should say, but they all have the same thing at their core...Art! One of the things I would love achieving is working as a freelance fantasy illustrator. From card games like Magic, to tabletop RPGs, I would love being able to put my work out there at one point! I admire those who had the courage of placing the stepping stones for the younger generations of artists. I am also working on personal projects, like doing a series of custom M:tG tokens and developing my own casual card game. Both are in the works!

Casual card game sounds interesting, can you tell us something about that?

I sure can! It was one of those ideas you literally get overnight, and wake up desperately trying to find a pen and paper to write everything down as quickly as possible. I think it all started in art school when, for my Bachelor’s degree, I chose to make a card game heavily inspired on Magic: the Gathering and some other card games I played and loved throughout my childhood.

I wanted to make everything myself, from the mechanics to the art and „trailer“ for the game. Sadly, time was an issue and I ended up cutting the number of cards I was making to less than half.

After a little over a year, I came up with another idea for a card game. This time a casual, more relaxed one. Something you would like playing with your family and friends on a Saturday night.

Something I knew I would have loved to play as a kid.

The game is called „Korbia“, and it is going to be a social character building game.
Players will need to buff up their character cards, while also keeping an eye out for their opponents‘ tricks.

It is one of my most ambitious projects yet, and I am going to broadcast most of the process on my Twitch channel, starting a little later this year.

Do you accept commissions?

I do accept commissions. I am looking for work at the moment, actually! I only do fantasy for now, but I'm planning on getting into Sci-fi art somewhere in the future.

Where can people see your arts and reach you?

People can see my art over on my Artstation or catch me live on Twitch. Also, they can contact me on my Twitter or by email.

Thanks for your time, Sebastian, we wish you good luck in your job!

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