Interview with Rin Hallward, Freelance Valorant Artist

Yoann: Hey, hello everyone! Today I’m with Rin Hallward, how are you and how would you introduce yourself?

Rin: Hey, I’m very well thank you! I’m a freelance digital artist/designer, that’s what I’m doing!

Yoann: Great! When and how did you first start creating art?

Rin: I started at some point in 2018, when I decided to give it a go properly. My boyfriend, Tom (aka Tombizz), inspired me to give it a go, and see if it will work out in half a year or so!

Yoann: That’s awesome! Have you studied art at school?

Rin: Not at all! I’m from a very small city in Ukraine, we didn’t have any art classes there. But it’s funny because I actually have a degree in state treasury!

Yoann: Oh okay! Are you open to commissions, and how can we contact you?

Rin: I’m almost always open for commissions, and people can contact me on Twitter, Instagram, and via email! (Links to her socials at the end of the interview)

Yoann: How would you define your art style?

Rin: That’s a tough question! I tried a few different art styles before, for example high-detail portraits, but I don’t do them nowadays. My main focus right now is a mix of comics, anime, and something close to realistic styles. I also enjoy doing cute chibi drawings!

Yoann: That’s great! Which software and gear are you using?

Rin: I mostly work in Photoshop, all I need is my computer and my graphics tablet! I work on a Wacom Intuos Pro medium size, it’s very comfortable and you can pretty much do anything with it.

Yoann: Amazing! What's the project you are the proudest of?

Rin: In 2020, I did Worlds wallpaper for Rogue. That was such an amazing experience and I’m very happy with how it turned out. I also really like my recent set of drawings that were related to Red Bull Home Ground in Tokyo. It was a collaboration between Valorant players and anime characters from Demon Slayer, and my favorite one is the one I did for Laz, I really like it!

Yoann: That’s awesome! Let’s now move on to the quick questions part, I will ask you 10 quick questions, and you'll have to answer as fast as possible! Ready?

Rin: Yeah! 

Yoann: Phantom or Vandal?

Rin: Vandal!

Yoann: What's your favorite map?

Rin: Split and Lotus!

Yoann: Who’s your favorite agent?

Rin: Neon!

Yoann: What's your favorite skin collection?

Rin: Elderflame, I love dragons!

Yoann: Who's your favorite team?

Rin: I’d say Paper Rex, they are very very nice!

Yoann: Classic art, or digital art?

Rin: I like both, it’s hard to choose! At first, I was only doing digital arts, but I recently got back to more traditional art with more paper sketches, I really enjoy that!

Yoann: What’s your favorite Photoshop tool?

Rin: The brush and the lasso!

Yoann: How often do you play Valorant?

Rin: Never, I don’t play Valorant in my free time!

Yoann: What kind of music do you listen to while working?

Rin: It’s very random, I like to listen to everything!

Yoann: Can you quote a voice line from your favorite agent?

Rin: Haha no, my memory is so bad!

Yoann: Haha okay, let’s now get back to the standard questions! 

What are your passions or hobbies aside from drawing?

Rin: Outside of drawing I like watching anime and going for walks, I try to walk as much as I can every day! I have a lot of interests that could become hobbies in the future!

Yoann: You took part in the #inktober2023, how challenging was it to find inspiration every single day?

Rin: I actually had too many ideas, it was hard for me to choose! I decided this year to go with digital art instead of ink, and I decided to focus on Valorant but I actually didn’t finish it, as I got a few urgent commissions, so I just couldn’t finish the challenge!

I made myself a list, and every day, I’d pick something to draw on that day!

Yoann: Which one was your favorite from this challenge?

Rin: I really enjoyed doing night versions of maps, I don’t think the one I did during the challenge was the best, but based on the time I gave myself, I’m pleased with the result, and I really enjoyed working on it!

Yoann: Oh yeah, that’s great! What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a full-time artist?

Rin: I would say don’t be afraid to start! Don’t think that you need anything expensive like tools, software, and stuff like that to start. All you really need is desire and very basic tools!

Also don’t listen to others telling you to give up! The more effort you put into your art, the better you will become, and if you enjoy it, go for it!

Yoann: That’s awesome! What are your short and long-term ambitions as a freelance artist?

Rin: Short term, I would like to try to come up with a new art style. I like what I’m doing right now, but I think it could be cool to have a few different styles! I want to find something that I enjoy doing!

And for the long term, I would like to learn a few other software! I would love to create 3D art, and animation in the future, but that will take some time! 

Yoann: For sure! In the Valorant scene, there are a lot of very talented 3D and animation artists!

Rin: Yeah! I love the agent reveal videos, it looks so awesome! They do the same style for League of Legends, all of it looks amazing! That’s what I’m aiming for in the future! 

Yoann: Yeah, they look so cool! Thank you so much for your time, and I wish you the best in the future!

Rin: Thank you!

Rin’s socials:

Twitter (X): @Rin_Hallward

Instagram: instagram.com/rin_hallward/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/rin_hallward