Another month, another Community Corner—welcome back!

Last time, we spoke with Soul Ant to chat about his visually striking and unique fan art of the Halo universe.

This month, as the theme of Halo Infinite's Operation is all about Anvil Station, we are sitting down with Skykillerr to talk about his incredible fan art of the Sangheili.

Welcome, Skykillerr! Thank you for joining us for this issue of the Community Corner. Tell us a bit about who you are, what you do in the Halo community, and where we can find you online.

Hello everyone, thank you for having me in this Community Corner—it's an honor to be here!

My name is Skykillerr, and I've been an amateur artist for almost five years. I create drawings and 2D animations of the Halo universe, done in an anime style. I think I'm mostly known for my Sangheili art.

I post my drawings on Twitter, Instagram, DeviantArt, and YouTube, where I also share my animations.

How did your great journey with Halo begin?

My great journey began at the end of 2008 with Halo 3. I discovered this franchise by chance when I got my first Xbox 360 for Christmas. It was my very first FPS, and it was a real surprise for me—at that time, I don’t think I ever spent as much time on any other game as I did on this one.

Even though, at the age of seven, I didn't understand anything about the storyline—especially when you start with Halo 3, which really doesn't help—I still spent entire days playing co-op with my brother. We didn't have Xbox Live back then, so we would replay the campaign dozens of times on Legendary, searching for skulls and Easter eggs.

What are some of the areas of Halo that you enjoy most and why? Are you a campaign and story person, multiplayer, Forge and customs, expanded universe, etc?

I've always been a fan of the lore in sci-fi video games. So naturally, I'm primarily a campaign player and I especially enjoy the games’ story. I always enjoyed the challenge of finishing Halo games on Legendary, but playing Halo 2 for the first time... the Jackal snipers really traumatized me. After that, I spent hours in multiplayer once I finished the campaign. I had my prime multiplayer era with Halo: Reach, which was my first game with Xbox Live.

One more thing I love about the Halo universe is how it can be adapted into other video games thanks to the modding community. This allows me to take down the Flood in L4D2, engage in space battles between the UNSC and the Covenant in the “Sins of the Prophets” mod pack, and even play Halo in a strategy game with XCOM2. Halo is such a rich universe that it works in many types of games!

What are some of your favorite pieces of Halo media (games, books, and so on), and why?

My favorite Halo game, mostly for nostalgic reasons, will always be Halo: Reach, and then Halo 3. I really love the atmosphere of Reach. It had a much darker and more dramatic tone than the others, which I particularly liked—and perhaps also because I prefer the Elites and they finally won.

As for the Halo media that impacted me the most, it's the excellent animated series Halo: Evolutions, especially “The Mona Lisa,” which remains my favorite to this day. Being a big fan of this type of horror cinema, which I find works particularly well in the Halo universe, it reminded me a lot of the atmosphere of the Alien movies. That's where I saw the difference in perception with the Flood, who seemed weak when you play as a Spartan, but are much more threatening from the perspective of simple Marines.

Who are some of your favorite Halo characters and why?

First and foremost, I think it will always be Rtas 'Vadum for me. Mainly because of his story in “Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor” from the Halo Graphic Novel. He faces the parasite head-on and remains an indispensable ally if you want to survive a Flood invasion. Fighting both the parasite and the San'Shyuum, what more could you ask for?

After him, it's mainly characters whose personalities left a strong impression on me at the time, like Thel 'Vadam, Avery Johnson, Buck, or Chips Dubbo. The French dubbing really did justice to their characters.

Tell us a bit about your journey as an artist—how did you discover your love for it and what are some of your major inspirations?

I've always loved drawing since I was young. It didn't take long after discovering Halo for me to start sketching my first drawings based on this series. Then, about eight years ago, I began creating my first digital paintings of Halo. I won't show them to spare your eyes. I remember having a breakthrough into digital painting after seeing Halo drawings and funny animations at that time, like "There's Something About Halo" for those who know it. I started posting my first drawings on DeviantArt in December 2019—that's when I felt I had created something of sufficient quality to share, which was a big first for me.

What does your process for starting a new piece look like?

Currently, I've been spending a lot of time brainstorming new concepts. I try my best to avoid repeating myself in a drawing by not simply changing the armor model and keeping the same pose. To achieve this, I rely on a substantial image bank I've accumulated over the past five years. It helps me find inspiration for scenes or create parodies of famous scenes from anime like DBZ, Berserk, and recently Jujutsu Kaisen.

Once I settle on an idea, my drawing process is quite specific. I employ a technique called Rotoscoping, where I create line art based on 3D renders produced in Source Filmmaker. This process demands considerable time; I recently surpassed 1,000 hours using this software. I want to express my gratitude to the Halo community for exporting the game's 3D models, which has been instrumental in my work.

Do you listen to music when you go into “artist mode”? What Halo tracks are on the drawing playlist?

Yeah, I often listen to music while I'm drawing. Halo music, of course (I make custom playlists), but generally I listen to anime or video game soundtracks.

I stick to calm or epic music genres, especially with Halo and Warhammer 40k. Sometimes, I even listen to Brazilian phonk—strangely enough, it doesn't distract me from focusing. Generally, I like to listen to soundtracks that match the mood of my drawing.

One great thing about Halo music is the variety of musical styles it offers. I particularly love Halo 3: ODST and Halo 2: Anniversary. My favorite track is "Genesong" from Halo 2: Anniversary, mainly because of the context in which I first heard it.

How do you think your art has evolved over time and do you have any further goals for things you’d like to explore artistically?

My drawing style has changed quite a bit, and was once quite different. Some things I never posted because I wasn't satisfied with the result. But after considerable experimentation, I tried the anime drawing style, which I still use today. I've always aimed to improve, and I'm quite pleased to see how my drawings have evolved over the past five years. To this day I continue to strive for more—adding more details, focusing on shading, and creating custom armor and weapons.

As for things I'd like to explore in the future, I'm interested in creating stories in the style of “Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor” that I mentioned earlier. I'm starting to accumulate several custom characters and armors, and I'd like to develop them further and add more lore behind the characters in my drawings. I also have other projects that may never see the light of day (mainly due to time constraints), but one ambitious idea would be to create a Halo fan game in an anime-style turn-based RPG format.

What is it about the Sangheili that you find compelling—both as a species and artistically—and drives you to create art of them?

Honestly, it's difficult to answer, but I’ve liked them since I was nine years old. I discovered this species in the level "The Covenant" which is when I became interested in more than just shooting Grunts and Brutes. I didn't quite know why I was such a fan of this species, but I think it's because I've always been fascinated by aliens and reptiles, and to finally see a species that combines both, I couldn't help but become a fan.

Yes, you could say I was already an "Elite preferred species."

As for the rest, it's mainly for two reasons. Firstly, they are a warrior people of space. Honor and pride above all else, capable of standing up to any threat in the universe: Prophets, Flood, Spartans... sometimes.

And secondly, it's their design—both their physical appearance and their armor. I can't quite explain it, but I'm in awe of all the Elite armor designs. Congratulations to the designers because it’s stunning. The Ultra armor from Halo: Reach remains my favorite.

What are some of the things that make art so exciting for you?

I enjoy two particular things. Firstly, I strive to tell a story through my drawings. Through the posture of my heroes, their opponents, and the background, I focus on conveying narratives. I constantly challenge myself to innovate in my art, although it's becoming increasingly challenging because I have already done a lot of different things.

Secondly, I value the freedom to create whatever comes to mind and knowing I can bring it to life through drawing. As a child, I had a wild imagination but lacked drawing skills, so I never saw my ideas come to life. Now that I have these skills, seeing the finished piece is something I absolutely adore.

Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve made?

It's hard to choose, but I think the one that stands out the most is the ‘Sangheili War Council.’ It’s one of my creations that allowed me to explore a lot of new drawing techniques, especially for the 3D animation of the hologram. I was determined to animate this drawing. I even had fun incorporating real translated text into Sangheili. As for the story, it depicts a commando operation against the Banished.

What I love most about it is the ambiance and the story it conveys. The dialogue between an officer, an ex-Councilor, and a Sangheili Black Templar (a rank I invented, don't try to find it in the game). I can imagine one of them repeating Rtas 'Vadum's famous line from Halo 3: "Then it is an even fight."

What advice do you have to share with other artists out there who might be getting started?

One of the key pieces of advice is, of course, to draw out of passion, at least for me. Honestly, I wouldn't have lasted five years drawing without it.

Also, I made some mistakes in my youth when I started digital painting. One of them was aiming to create artwork as beautiful as other artists, only to end up disappointed with the results because, obviously, it wasn't as good. In the end, improving in drawing takes time. I've noticed it happens in stages. I've had about five or six major breakthroughs in my drawing journey that have brought me to where I am today. So, take it step by step.

What are some of your biggest artistic inspirations?

It might not be immediately apparent, but I draw a lot of inspiration from the Dragon Ball universe. About a third of my drawings are influenced by it, which might seem odd at first, though I have no intention of having them perform Kamehameha blasts… at least not yet.

Instead, I focus mainly on combat poses. The reference is more or less subtle in some cases, especially in animations, which are almost all inspired by Dragon Ball. I can't quite explain it, but I enjoy blending that universe with Halo, allowing me a lot of artistic freedom, especially in animating battles like the one between an Ultra Sangheili and SpecOps facing off against a Flood, for those who have seen it.

The second influence, though less prominent, is the Warhammer 40k universe, particularly around the custom armors I've created. I find the mix of Halo's Elite armors with WH40k's ornate aesthetics remarkably compelling.

What does being an artist—and being an artist in the Halo community—mean to you personally?

Being recognized as an artist means a great deal to me. Back when I saw what others were creating, I always dreamed of being in their position someday—and today, in a way, I've managed to achieve that. I never imagined having such an audience, especially in such a niche subject.

My only regret is that I'm not very active in the Halo community. I create my art independently, without taking the time to interact with the community. It's something I should probably work on in the future, even if it means dedicating less time to my drawings.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

I got into sports thanks to Halo, aiming to become as strong as an Elite. Honestly, it will never happen, but I believe in it, one day... like the great journey.

Thank you again for joining us, Skykillerr! Do you have any parting words to share?

Thank you once again for this invitation. I wanted to express my gratitude to you and the community for continuing to support this game that has changed many aspects of my life. And to conclude, as the French Halo community would say: "Vive Halo!"

Be sure to check out Skykillerr's incredible artwork and give him a follow on Twitter, Instagram, DeviantArt, and YouTube!