As with most artists & illustrators, I always like to draw and paint. I was even one of those kids painting along with Bob Ross on the weekends! It didn't connect with me that drawing pictures was feasible occupation until taking my first design and illustration courses, as part of the VCD curriculum at Kent State University. I really connected with the way images were composed and how illustrators were able to employ problem solving skills in their work.

I would say that the personal voice in my work has become surreal in nature, favouring visual juxtapositions and clear narrative over any flashy style or trend.

It always starts with thumbnails and idea generation from lists and symbols. Usually lighting and value shapes are a big part of the early sketches, as I'm always reminded how colour is revealed and affected by even the most subtle changes of light.

Once there's a strong direction in the work, I move some of the contour studies and developmental sketches into Photoshop to explore composition. The computer allows for quicker changes to scale and layering of the images similar to tracing paper. Often, the a half-size value drawing will be completed over a printout of the assembled digital file, focusing the design of the composition with patterns of light and dark.

From there I'll move back to the computer to digitally colour the value study. It's a lot of traditional and digital work at the outset. For my main body of work, the paintings are done in acrylic without any adjustment from the computer. What you see is there on the actual board. In fact, what you see in person is usually a bit more than you'll see in a printed piece. Small relief elements of collage are included in the painting for emphasis of shape, and to further my interest in both conceptual and physical visual layers.

It's a mixed bag of traditional and digital tools. However, I do spend the most time working with acrylics on board.

I operate under the assumption that you can never know too much about your subject. If a solution hasn't presented itself to me yet, I keep researching and studying the subject until I can make a personal connection. Including something that you have always wanted to draw/paint into the work is often a good way to develop new ideas. Creative solutions are often born from restrictions or compromise such as satisfying your desire to draw "_____."

To have my best work ahead of me.

It changes from project to project, but I have actually found myself listening to books on CD more in the last year or so. In which case, nothing beats a good Kurt Vonnegut book.

I would classify myself as still aspiring, so I have to borrow my advice from illustrator Nora Krug, who said in a recent interview, "Because of the change in the field, authorship is becoming more and more important. Illustrators today don’t simply respond to someone else’s content any more, but are responsible for their own. This is a shift that’s very beneficial to illustrators, because it creates a larger platform for self-generated and personal work."