Destiny Creator Showcase: Ian Pesty

Writer’s Note: Hey everyone, so this is something new I’m wanting to start. Seeing as I’ve already completed two previous interviews with some outstanding personalities in the community. The intentions of these are to showcase the brilliant people in the community who strive to bring joy to others; whether it’s through art, memes, videos, builds, or even Guardian fashion. This community strives when they work together and I’d love to hear who you all want to see get interviewed next. ~ McChizzy

Across the Destiny community there are countless artists who strive to bring beautiful artwork to our hands. Some artists have even caught the eyes of Bungie staff. Ian Pesty is one such artist. Ian got into Destiny around the release of The Dark Below when he purchased his PS3. Ian told me he was immediately drawn to the Hunter class since it fits his play style and also fulfills his ideal character fantasy. Throughout Destiny 1 & Destiny 2 he has almost exclusively played as a hunter, with his preferred subclass being Nightstalker (Way of the Trapper), but since Beyond Light released he’s been doing heavy experimentation with the Revenant Stasis subclass to determine if it could possibly replace is fixation with wielding the void. With the background out of the way, let’s jump straight into what he had to share with the Destiny News Hub.

What drew you to Destiny?

I’ve always admired Bungie’s innovative gameplay and really enjoyed their earlier titles such as Myth, Oni and Halo obviously, so Destiny 1 was always going to be on my radar during its early development. One of my favourite aspects of Destiny is the creativity and holistic nature of its visual, narrative and sound design; it makes the world in which we play a believable whole rather than a collection of parts. I find the experience results in Destiny staying with me even when I am not playing it, I feel this is one of the reasons I am inspired to translate it to artwork.

When you started doing your art did you expect to get this big in the community?

It wasn’t until the lead up to the release of Rise of Iron that I began creating Destiny 1 themed artwork. I was experimenting with a new piece of art software (Clip Paint Studio) in which I sketched and painted an Iron Banner Titan with Flaming Axe as a test of its tools. The enjoyment of painting and developing my creative skills and subsequent reaction to my work (it was a Destiny T-shirt Contest winner) inspired me to do more and I have been painting Destiny themed art ever since. I often have to divide my time between painting or playing Destiny, and painting often wins out…

My favourite aspect of Destiny is how welcoming and supportive the Destiny community and Bungie are. Travelling from the UK to GuardianCon/GCX and having a table in artist alley was truly an unforgettable experience, the ability to meet and talk with likeminded individuals who are passionate about the game and art is one I look forward to repeating every year now. 

Being chosen to be in the first wave of artists featured by Bungie in the Community Artists Series and recently featured in their Community Focus are definite highlights, one I could not have imagined being a reality when I first put virtual pen to paper.

What’s your opinion on sunsetting in regards to future content?

Personally I most look forward to new content over replaying the old, I very much enjoy the unknown and exploration of a new expansion and all that entails. New content also provides a wealth of inspiration for new artworks which I’m always looking out for.

What’s your favourite piece of art you’ve created?

Choosing a favourite project is a tough one as every piece marks a particular passion at that moment in time, but if you were twisting my arm my favourite is the ‘Vengeance’ One Eyed ‘skull’ Mask. I had been developing my now recognisable style for some time and I had a ‘eureka’ moment when working on it, where style and subject all came together in that piece.

As an artist, is theft a huge issue when it comes to the pieces you create?

For me personally no, I’m in the fortunate position where I create my art for pleasure and not for profit, there have been instances where my art has been used without my permission but they have been few and far between. 

What are your expectations for the future of the Destiny universe?

Foremost I’m very much supportive of the current game being a continuation (of Destiny 2) rather than a series of sequels. I would very much like to see the world of Destiny and the way in which we play ‘evolve’. I’m hopeful that what we are seeing within the developing narrative over the past two years is indicative of those potential changes. The light and dark sub-classes are a particularly interesting area that could fracture the Vanguard and set Guardians against each other. The collaboration with the Fallen is another; I would very much like to see races such as the Fallen as a playable race or as mercenaries for hire that could accompany you on your adventures. Finally, I am very much looking forward to interacting and fighting differing enemy races, the forces of the Darkness have not yet revealed themselves to us and I’m hopeful of something very different from what we have experienced previously.

Any pieces in progress?

I recently was sidetracked by the set of three vintage horror themed posters I created for Festival of the Lost, but now I’m back to working on the third and final (Titan) piece in the series of Sarcophagus of the Exile artworks I’ve been creating. I also have another piece which I have been researching and sketching ideas for which should follow in the New Year.

For more information on Ian Pesty or even to follow this artists journey and to get some pretty sick wallpapers links to his Instagram and Twitter will be left below.

Tweets by IanPesty

Check Ian out: https://www.instagram.com/ianpesty/

Image Source: Pintrest