Hello, renovators!
With Hozy launching in a few hours (!), we thought we’d share a little more about some of the exciting things that have been going on behind the scenes; that’s why, today, we’re having a little sit down with our portrait artist, Rina!
Rina created all of the portraits you’ll see throughout the various rooms you’ll be renovating in Hozy (including some you haven’t seen yet!), so we hope you’ll enjoy learning a little more about her process.
Hi Rina! You provided some beautiful portraits for Hozy - did you have any inspirations when it came to creating them?
Thank you! I was actually really inspired by the artwork from Disco Elysium; the way they held a lot of character and had that slightly messy, artistic style. I wanted to create something similarly distinctive but with a much cozier and cuter style!
They’re definitely much cozier! Did you find yourself having to adapt your portrait style for Hozy, at all?
Luckily, the developers were very trusting of my process; they’d seen my art already and loved it, so they gave me a lot of freedom in what I wanted to create which made it so much easier to feel inspired! My artistic identity is always torn between grimdark/gothic/horror and cute/cozy themes, so it was a great pleasure to work on a cozy-themed game.
How did the rooms belonging to each of the characters inspire their portraits?
It’s really interesting that you asked this, because I wanted each portrait to feel like it gave an insight into the character by not just depicting them individually, but also by highlighting what they do, who they love, and what they care about. I feel like the furniture and style of the rooms created by the developers do the same thing; they allow you to work out a bit more about each of the occupants so you can work out who they are for themselves.
Which of the portraits you created is your favourite?
Oh, it has to be the musician from the Dark Music Hall. I felt like I could really express his wild personality alongside all his instruments, and the end result felt almost like the kind of pictures you’d have of a family member - full of character!
I also liked being able to work on some of the portraits of the main character when they were younger…but I won’t say too much about that!
If you’d like to see more of her incredible work, Rina can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and ArtStation.
Don’t forget to follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, and Instagram, share your screenshots with #MakeItHozy, or join our Discord to chat all things Hozy and show off your wholesome interiors!