The Community Corner is back with a new guest to talk about all things Halo!

In the Community Corner, we spotlight and interview individual members of the Halo community about the cool stuff they do (whether that's art, cosplay, Forge, animation, streaming, and so on) and their personal history with the series.

Last time, we were joined by Moto Streams to talk about her journey with Halo over the years in streaming and podcasting, and how she cultivated one of the most wholesome communities out there.

Today, we're joined by artist Will Clements to discuss fan art, art advice, custom game nights, and more.

Welcome, Will! Thank you very much for joining us for this month’s Community Corner. Introduce yourself—who are you, what do you do as part of the Halo community, and where can we find you?

Hi there! I'm a digital character artist and fan artist, and within the Halo community I have the pleasure of drawing other peoples’ Spartans!

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and over on my website.

What’s your Halo origin story? How did you get started on the path of the Great Journey?

I started playing Halo when I was around ten or eleven with the original trilogy. Whilst Halo 2 was my first Halo that I played, I'd say my Great Journey properly started with after-school Halo 3.

I can vividly remember visiting my friends and playing couch co-op, hopping on the Xbox in the evenings to play Garbage Man, Duck Hunt, and all the other customs that so many of us lost countless hours to.

I've loved Halo multiplayer ever since I first played it, but once the social side of this series grabbed me it has never let me go. Even now, I will always say yes to a custom games evening.

(Special mention goes to the Halo: CE lunchtime sessions on Boarding Action!)

What areas of the series do you find yourself gravitating towards—or would you describe yourself as something of an all-rounder when it comes to things like campaign and story, multiplayer, Forge, etc?

I'm for sure an all-rounder when it comes to Halo. I love a bit of everything.

Replaying a campaign, hopping into multiplayer with friends, or trying to recreate Alien: Isolation in Forge—it all depends on my mood for the day.

What are some of your favorite pieces of Halo media and why?

The Forerunner Saga written by Greg Bear.

I don't know what I can say about this trilogy that hasn't been said already, but I was so excited knowing we'd learn more about the Forerunners and these books did not disappoint.

Anything involving the Didact is a win for me, so I'm also very excited for Halo: Epitaph.

I wish I could pick a favorite soundtrack from this series to include here as well, but I don't think I can...

What’s your origin story as an artist? How did you discover your love for it, and what are some of your major inspirations—be it from Halo or other sources?

I was drawing dinosaurs, sharks, and pirate ships from as early as five years old! A year later I watched Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man for the first time and I became obsessed with the character—my mum still keeps a binder of my earliest drawings and most of them are related to the wall-crawler.

From there I progressed into reading comics, and they quickly became my biggest inspiration (and still are, even now). I've never stopped appreciating the artistry that goes into making them.

Where do you start from when you begin working on a new piece of artwork and how does your process go from there?

My process always starts with collecting as much reference as I can before I put pen to tablet. As soon as I'm comfortable with my reference library I start to sketch, slowly learning the individual shapes and working on the details.

Once I've finished sketching it all becomes a bit of a blur, and suddenly a finished piece of art emerges, with color and a background.

I'm joking about that last bit... sort of.

Do you listen to music when you go into artist mode? What Halo tracks get you in the zone for maximum inspiration and productivity?

Absolutely! I'm usually listening to a curated playlist, but sometimes I'm happy to let shuffle do its thing.

Halo tracks I'm always happy to hear when working are Impend/Impart from Halo 2, Covenant Dance from Halo: CE (because OF COURSE!), and more recently Riven’s Gate and Through the Trees from Infinite.

How do you think your art has evolved over time?

Oh, this question is always so hard to answer, but recently I've noticed my color rendering more than anything else.

Over the last few years, I've made a conscious effort to improve my approach to color, light, and shadow, and I'm really pleased with my progress.

Sometimes you have to go looking for the changes to finally see them!

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with other artists out there looking to get started?

Know when to walk away. It sounds counter-productive but trust me it's incredibly helpful for noticing problems with your sketch.

Get up, stretch, do anything else but draw for an hour or two, and when you return to the tablet/page you'll likely notice what's been bugging you.

Oh, and digital artists, don't forget to flip your canvas!

What’s your favorite piece of Halo artwork?

The twentieth anniversary artwork. It's perfect. 'Nuff said.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

I can do a fairly decent Escharum impression. I doubt you'll ever hear it!

(AW NOTE: It is, of course, only natural for Halo fans to spend time in the shower reciting lines from the series in characters' voices.)

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

Halo 2's story is the GOAT, and thanks for having me!

You can follow Will Clements on Twitter, Instagram, and check out his website!