Greetings, travelers! It’s always a great time seeing the storytellers of tomorrow as they’re building up their catalog today, and we have an awesome origin story to show you with that in mind. Ozzy the Artist is an up-and-coming renaissance man, working on everything from books, to art, and beyond. Let’s draw back the curtain and discover just what makes him tick, and what kind of stories and creations he has in store for us on the horizon.
Tellest: Greetings Ozzy! I wanted to begin by thanking you for giving up part of your schedule to do this interview. In doing my research on you, I found that you’re still a little bit of a mystery. I know that you’re exploring all sorts of creative mediums, and we’ll most certainly talk about Cider by the Fire and your Eberron collection, Low Stakes Contracts, but I’m also excited to learn more about how you got your start, and where you see this journey going.
Ozzy the Artist: Thank you for having me. Yeah, I only just recently started having a much more involved online presence. As a preteen and well into my teen years, I often daydreamed in school. While I did fairly well in academics and go to college these days, I have always wanted to succeed in something. I got my start when I was in middle school when me and a friend of mine made crudely drawn comics about Steve from Minecraft in all sorts of different scenarios. Drawing has always been an in-and-out sort of thing until this year when I swore that I would make a name for myself. When I was younger, I often fantasized that I would become an actor or create my own TV show. However, when I was 16, I began to find a groove in writing out stories, usually a background. 16 was also when I got into westerns and the Witcher, thus my first D&D character (that I played in a full campaign) Oswald was born.
T: That’s great! I can’t wait to learn more about the kind of things that you’ve got going on, and to share that with our audience!
It’s typical in these interviews for me to ask a question that helps readers understand why you’ve chosen the direction you did to explore your creativity. I’m interested in discovering what set you down that road. Did you have a favorite author growing up, or was there someone in your family that had the gift of gab and telling stories? Or was it something else entirely?
OtA: The biggest reason I decided to go into writing and illustration is because it is something I know how to do. I’ve tried various mediums like sculpting, 3D modeling, and a third thing. I’ve always been a dabbler in many different hobbies, but drawing was the only thing that stuck—that and 3D printing miniatures for Dungeons and Dragons games. I got into TTRPGs from my stepfather, and to me, creating characters and going on adventures is like catnip. As for authors, now I am reading through the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and am now starting one of the Mistborn books by Brandon Sanderson. The Alloy of Law is the title.
T: Are you the kind of person, when playing video games, you end up spending more time in the character creator than playing the game? Do you like to concoct all sorts of backstories beyond what the game might set up for you?
OtA: Sometimes I actually do end up in the character creator segment much longer than anticipated, especially when I want my guy to look similar to someone. My most notable character creations would be Bloodbourne: I made Percy De Rolo from Critical Role. In Elden Ring I made Geralt of Rivia (I called him tarnished Geralt.) And then most recently, during my first playthrough of Baldurs Gate 3, I made Saitama from One Punch Man.
In these types of games, I like to roleplay and make up dialogue to mostly the most random things. One of the oddest would be saying “No Shirt-cy” Percy when going up against a boss without armor. “Geralt the Barbarian” is a similar theme. It makes the game more challenging without armor.
One last one, for an original character I made in Baldur’s Gate 3, I made a blue Dragonborn barbarian that I named Sherry Drow. I envision her with a gravelly voice and a temperamental, yet sweet, personality.
T: For those who might want to use your method to make characters, whether it’s just for the love of whatever game you’re playing, or if it may help in building characters for stories, what games do you recommend for their character creation suite?
OtA: A video game I’d certainly recommend for character creation would be really any of the Souls games. You can adjust just about anything (except for heaviness last I checked).
T: Since you enjoy working on things within and around D&D, have you ever considered contributing to that scene in some ways as well? Any maps to be illustrated, or adventures to be written for hungry players and curious game masters?
OtA: Mapmaking may be a future endeavor for me, since I do have ideas for how to lay out a continent. It’s filling the continent up that’s the hardest part. For D&D, or general RPG contributions, I would love it if I could publish official modules for games. Original campaigns for both fantasy and cosmic horror would be my two biggest choices, especially since I am very familiar with Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu and I once wrote a pulp Cthulhu campaign for my stepfather that was slender man with traces of DOOM.
T: One of the things that it’s clear you like to do is marry elements of different fantasy (or speculative fiction in general) worlds to see how you can make them stick in a fun, cohesive way. What are some extra-off-the-wall combinations you can imagine up, or would you like to see?
OtA: Hmm, I definitely want to see a 1920s prohibition genre with the fantasy elements. That’s actually one system I want to build, is a 1920s with all the fantasy races, and how they are taking the prohibition genre? Of course, Lovecraftian cosmic horror will play a role.
T: It’s no secret that you’re an artist. Heck, it’s in the name. Since you’re currently doing it all, is there a struggle to find the time to work on both sides of your creative outlets? Or is there a healthy overlap in the arts, whether you’re talking about drawing or writing?
OtA: The biggest struggle is finding the time and motivation to keep pursuing art and drawing while going to school for construction management. I am doing construction management because I know it’ll be a secure route if my true passion of making a living writing goes belly up. It wasn’t until last year when I started to take drawing more seriously and trying to improve my style. Before, I would go for months without drawing or only writing for school assignments. As of now, there is a healthy split between drawing and writing.
T: Your primary medium is pen and paper, correct? Do you dabble in anything else, like paints (acrylic or oil), or in digital art? Is there one that you think leads to more success, or is it something that you feel more spiritually drawn to?
OtA: That is correct. In the past I primarily used digital to draw, but these years I gravitate more towards traditional ink and paper. I have a set of illustration pens that I use after I create a pencil sketch of what my subject is. As of recently though I like to scan my artwork into my computer and color it digitally, since digital color tends to be more forgiving.
Maybe it’s because of how I used to draw things in the past (not very good) that I succeed more when I draw in ink. It was only fairly recently I decided to draw more seriously and try to think about things like proportions, perspective, etc. The biggest merit of my previous art though is that people did like the coloring, even if the anatomy left something to be desired.
One last thing when it comes to previous art, there is one drawing I am still proud of and don’t cringe when I look at it. It’s a drawing of our heroes for our “Wild Beyond the Witchlight” campaign that we played three years back. I actually replayed Samantha, but my stepfather (who usually DM’s but was excited to play as a hero) played a harengon ranger named Alfonso who primarily liked to eat cats. My neighbor’s wife played an elven sorcerer who had her heart frozen. And yes, you will read this correct: My neighbor’s friend played a goliath barbarian whose main character trait was to be wearing nothing but a coating of butter. Yes, butter. Buttery Goliath was named Charles Bronson.
I did draw all four of them as they would be presented, and I’m proud of it still, especially the footprints from the butter on the ground.
T: Do you have any medium of art, whether it’s painting or drawing, or anything along those lines that you haven’t tried that you’d like to? Has anything been scratching at the ol’ noggin’ and wants to find a creative release?
OtA: I have not tried to draw maps by hand. I have experimented with Inkarnate to get an idea of how to lay out worlds, but lost interest fairly quickly. I am, however, willing to go back to mapmaking if necessary, and it will be. I also haven’t tried watercolors or acrylic paint, mostly because I’ve never got the chance.
Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has landscape art that is water colors that I would love to be able to do. Bill was one of my many inspirations for getting into art, though I tend to leave a majority of my works monochrome.
T: When we first started talking, it was clear that you wanted to get your story out in the world not because you were hoping to make money off of anything, but that you felt that the characters needed to live and breathe and be seen. What can you tell us about the characters in Low Stakes Contracts, and how have they changed since their inception?
OtA: Yes, if there’s something I love to talk about, it’s about my pride and joy: character writing. The first character I have ever played in a long form campaign is Oswald. His main inspiration was…well, The Witcher’s Geralt, and this was also around the time I got into westerns. From Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Hateful 8 to the classic A Fist Full of Dollars and iconic The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I thought “Hmm… What if we mixed Geralt of Rivia with Clint Eastwood.”
Next had to come the bard companion because “Every witcher needs a bard.” Samantha H. Collot’s main inspiration came from, of all places, Bojack Horseman’s Mr. Peanut-Butter (of course Dandelion/Jaskier played a role, like her more snide and sometimes morbid thoughts). She is otherwise the very jovial and optimistic side of the coin she shares with Oswald’s more reserved and jaded demeanor. She believes there can be good just about anywhere in the many shades of grey. I also play with a Friday group that is known for being a rather crude bunch and I came up with her to offset Oswald’s seriousness with comic relief revolving around being the horndog bard (with Ozzy’s style of comedy being drier and more sarcastic, and hers a stealth pun).
Colt came very last, and he was created when I attempted to write my first long form novel with all three, with him being a middle ground between two sides of the same coin. That makes him the coin flipper. His main character inspiration comes from my best friend, someone who has stuck around since high school and we continue to hang out to this day. When we do get together, we just crack each other up with many lame puns or otherwise hilarious inside jokes. Colt is an immortalization of a friend who helped me through rough times and was the one who inspired me to start writing again after I gave up on my previous novel.
As for how they changed from their inception, it was mostly moving away from being inspirations of preexisting characters to me reshaping their thoughts, flaws, and mannerisms into something deeper. It’s no secret that all three have flaws, like Ozzy’s icy demeanor, Sam’s naivety (and airheadedness) and Colt’s stubbornness, but most importantly, the way the character have changed for the better is that they never left my mind, and thus I was able to dedicate brain power to make them more human (or in Sam’s case, humanoid).
T: Now these are obviously the main characters from your Low Stakes Contracts stories, but one of the things that really draws people into stories—especially ones like these—are the villains, and the side characters. When it comes to spinning tales that you like to write, and that you think people will want to read, how do you come up with good secondary and ancillary characters?
OtA: Coming up with the antagonists or even just a side character is always a fun endeavor, I have many ideas for them. Whenever they are good or not tends to fall on reader perception. I also want to take the time to make sure that they serve their role in a story while still letting them be known to have goals or outside influence. We’re all the hero in our story, as they say. Coming up with new characters does come fairly naturally, though the hardest part will always be names.
One side character I want to introduce and am currently playing with is gonna be a sheriff of a small village that enlists the trio’s help. All I’m working on is the name: I want something that invokes an imagery of laziness from a kobold but also hints that there is great fighting potential behind the obvious potbelly and taped-on paper mustache.
T: When you’re writing your characters, do you feel as though you’re creating them, or do you get a sense that they’ve always existed, and you’re just discovering them?
OtA: I honestly feel like I discover my characters as I think about them in my mind. I see many different characters of different archetypes and it gets the creative juices flowing for how to make an archetype into an original character. I think about what makes a character work, what flaws would set them apart. If all characters were just an archetype that could never fail, then things would grow boring very quickly.
T: If readers spend just a few minutes flipping through your pages, they’ll find someone who is incredibly passionate about not just their own work, but in fandoms that many people find appealing. What can you tell us about the worlds that you’ve blended in your writing, and how did you decide to stitch it all together?
OtA: Well, the main reason I chose Eberron is because I really like the steampunk style, but I do lean more on the Wild West with magi-tech vibe. I really do love it when magic and technology advance in a way that bolsters the best parts of them. While I tend to leave some room for some anachronisms that I think would fit well, I do try and adhere to the names and lore to the best of my ability. Still, the glorious thing about D&D is that the world is the groundwork, and the DM makes it run.
T: We mentioned it before, that there’s some obvious connective tissue between your works and D&D. Do your stories coexist in your D&D sessions, or are they sort of like a spinoff in some ways?
OtA: Definitely much more akin to their own stories with D&D elements (mostly in terms of setting.) While I’m not sure if spin-off is the right word, I do my best work when I can create a character sheet for my person and flesh them out with numbers and stats as a guideline. That’s what I do love about writing character sheets is it really helps me understand who my character is, where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and what role they serve.
Ozzy, Sam, and Colt have all been played as characters before (like I mentioned, I created Colt for my canceled novel, but he has since been a Dungeons and Dragons character played by my best friend and used with his permission and creative input.) However, LSC is definitely its own original set of stories rather than anything featured in a campaign, sans the characters.
T: On the Wattpad page for your stories, you mention that Low Stakes Contracts is a mature story. It still has bits of whimsy, but it has darker elements as well. How dire do you feel your consequences could possibly be. Do these big three have plot armor, or is anything on the table?
OtA: For this story in particular, I gave it a mature rating because I do like to include more elements of mature storytelling. I give merits to those with the limitations of PG, but I feel like these characters work better for R-rated, though nothing that steps out of line. I’m trying to get people to read it, not be put off by it.
I like to blend the lighthearted slice-of-life action comedy with the more mature themes of a pulpy noir world. There will be stories with much darker themes to come, but I will be sure to temper the grin with the raunchy.
I want the villains to do unspeakable acts that make the reader want to hate them. Swords will slice people to ribbons, magic can reduce someone to assorted giblets. Sam was written with the horn-dog bard element in mind, though I do downplay it so she’s not just one-note and focus more on her big heart and sometimes surprisingly dark insights—said with a smile, of course. It’s deeper than the standard, “I seduce the BBEG haha,” joke.
While all characters have some level of plot armor, these three will face losses with some dire consequences, either to the world around them, or be left with trauma that will follow them throughout the stories. Let’s just say, “Poor Ozzy,” for what’s to come.
T: Low Stakes Contracts has started off with a single story that introduces readers to the core group you’re writing about, but there’s no doubt more to come. What teasers can you give about your upcoming slate?
OtA: Well, for more Low Stakes Contracts without too many spoilers for what’s to come, this February I want to release a short interlude that shows a snippet of our witcher’s sabbatical, with a gingerbread-building contest between the three, a new contract that Colt is gonna despise, and drunken buffoonery after one too many drinks. A witcher require a lot of alcohol to get drunk, but we’ll see how much Ozzy drinks.
Another project that isn’t writing or drawing is an audiobook production of LSC read by me that I’m hoping to record this year, preferably sooner. I used to be a theater student, and I know that I can realistically make an audiobook, and also my foray into voice acting.
Someday I want to have an animated adaptation with this trio, but the fact that I am bringing them into the public eye through a story has been more than I thought I could achieve.
As for other projects, one me and my stepfather are beginning to build our own world. We’ve started with the capital and are gonna work outwards.
Another thing me and a buddy want to write is a remake novelization of Joker: Folie a Deux, because we were so disappointed with what Todd Phillips gave us. Plus, a Bonnie and Clyde thriller would make for a better novel than a movie.
More art is on the way too. Never stop drawing.
Last, more novels set in our new world (working name Eloria, namely the continent of Tessaria.)
T: I have to say, I love that you tend to explore things that may not be at tip of every fantasy adventure or story. Yes, we’ve seen dives into taverns before, but when your characters arrive there, I get a sense of whimsy that makes the characters feel a bit more real and grounded, instead of just gruff for the sake of being gruff. And a gingerbread-building contest sounds absolutely delightful.
Voice acting is a pretty interesting job. Are you going to begin working on your own story as practice first, or have you narrated for other authors as well?
Since your LSC characters are in Eberron, are you thinking of any way to help them make the leap to Eloria, or is that going to be an “all new characters” sort of situation?
OtA: I am definitely gonna start my attempt at voice acting by reading my books and publishing the audio on YouTube so people can listen to the stories on the go. Audio books are how I read books for the most part, since I commute to college and it can take upwards to an hour (not because it’s long, because some people suck at driving), and listening to The Dresden Files has made drives much more tolerable.
I have never voice acted outside of school projects, but I know that I have a decent voice that can project very well, and I’ve dreamed about being a voice actor ever since I could pay attention to cartoons and learned that people can play multiple roles (I was a bit of a dumb kid, I thought only 1 role per actor).
When we get to Elora, I have not decided if I want to continue the chronicles of the Cringe Crew (Oswald hates that name a lot), or if we shall start with a new saga. Depending on their popularity, I would certainly love to write a long-form novel with these three before I retire them from stories outside of short stories and move on to new characters.
I love these characters a lot. They have gotten me through hard times. However, I have many more characters in my head that deserve the spotlight too. And I know a character I’m working on, Vivian Oaks, would be popular.
T: When it comes time to prepare for things like the voice acting gig, what are you going to end up doing to see that brought to life? Are you going to try and book time in a recording studio, build your own, or try and engineer your current space to allow for a good sound?
OtA: I was thinking about setting up a sound booth in my closet, and my uncle was gonna help me with that, since he is a musician and knows a thing or two about getting the sound just right.
Then I’d switch to a professional studio if this takes off, and I really believe it can. Lackadaisy being an example of something that started taking off online, and it makes me feel capable that I can create many great stories. And of course, have my voice in the world too!
T: While Oswald, Samantha, and Colt no doubt have a very special place in your heart, I’m wondering if there aren’t other characters out there that you’ll also be bringing to life. Do you have any other stories brewing that take place outside of Eberron and this trio of heroes?
OtA: Oh, I have plenty of characters that I have played in campaigns that I want to bring to life on the page. Recently in Friday groups, we finished a seafaring campaign where I played a harengon druid named Vivian Oaks. She was a powerhouse circle of the stars druid but her main drawback was that she had few hit points. Appearance-wise, she is a pirate bunny that channels her energy through a spear and has a sassy demeanor. She also owned a tailor shop in Waterdeep: The Stars and Stones Tailor.
Another person who deserved at least a short story is a flying tiefling ranger that I named Sir Leopold DragonWing.
T: With all these characters that you’re creating, and all these stories you’re exploring, I’d love for you to get an opportunity to tell readers what sets you aside from other storytellers. Give them the Ozzy the Artist elevator pitch!
OtA: Alright! We have had a western fantasy adventure involving three people who are nice, mean, and in between. But they lack something that would make for amazing story potential: The sea! We need a nautical seafaring adventure with krakens, evil warlocks, and the curse of Davy Jones affecting a small fishing town. Join Vivian Oaks the druid and her crew of sharks and gnomes to undo the curse that the undead sorcerer has cast. Will they succeed?
T: As you begin your storytelling journey in earnest, there’s no doubt going to be people who are excited to learn more about you. Where would you direct them if they wanted to get additional news about you or your stories?
OtA: My Bluesky is where I am most active, though it doesn’t have an algorithm system so news (or cool artwork) may be missed.
What else would be some good sites to register my gallery and news of my writings?
Joker Folie a Deux: The Novel Remake coming soon. (Maybe?)
https://bsky.app/profile/ozzytheartist.bsky.social
T: Ozzy, thank you so much for sharing some of your time with me. You’ve been a great guest, and I appreciate that you’ve been sneaking in time before or after classes, and in between writing your new stories and setting ink to page for your art. I’m super excited to introduce readers to your tales, your world, and your characters!
OtA: Thank you for having me! Before I head out, I will share one interesting thing about each of the characters, which may or may not show up in some capacity.
Oswald: Has engineering and painting skills that he does in his free time. He built his own revolver and experiments with different gun constructions.
Samantha: If the story hasn’t made it clear, she can consume and enjoy chocolate. In fact, it’s held in high regards to her people and is seen as a covenant luxury among them.
Colt: Colt was originally written as an ordinary merchant in the original story, then after that stalled out my buddy suggested we make him a barbarian who can play the flute, and this change stuck more. Colt is now a proficient berserker barbarian with a fiery motif, and he has a vendetta against the devils of Eberron.
I want to thank my family, and all my friends for persuading me to keep pursuing art and writing. Some people I don’t know personally I do want to thank is Bo Burnham—your music is gleefully dark and hilarious. Bill Watterson, thank you for being an inspiration since childhood to write and paint beautifully, as well as your philosophy told through a 6 year old and his tiger companion. Mark Stanley, the creator of Freefall! Your comic helped me stay motivated to keep on posting my works. I mean, 25 years of outstanding service is motivating.
And finally, I want to thank Michael at Tellest for helping me realize I do have potential and can succeed. You have been wonderful Michael, and I hope to work more with you for years to come.
Cheers! OzzyTheArtist
T: Thank you for the kind words, Ozzy!
Folks, if you are looking to get in on the ground floor of what promises to be an extraordinary journey in fantasy adventure, you’re going to want to keep an eye on Ozzy the Artist—and the writer and the voiceover actor. A great place to get going, though, is with Low Stakes Contracts, the ongoing adventures of the trio of characters we discussed in this interview. Check it out on Wattpad today!
Michael DeAngelo
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