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- View Animated Process here -
Inspirations: Gustav Dore, Odd Nerdrum, Peter Chung, Les Edwards, Geoff Darrow, to name a few
Favorite Games: Mostly first-person shooters like Quake or Half-Life
but I’ve been finding myself hooked on the MegaMan series lately
Favorite movies: Way too many to list. The last five favorites that I watched were; The Fountain, 300 (of course), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Children of Men and Kurosawa’s Dreams
Favorite music: Here’s a strange combo for ya; Muse, Squarepusher, Infected Mushroom, VNV Nation, GWAR, Tears for Fears and just about anything by Mike Patton.
Bad habbits: Selective hearing
Future Goals: Gainful employment + my own studio space
How do you bounce back from a bad day? Tickle fight with my 3 year old son, I always win!
What's a good day? Any day I feel truly alive. |
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 Let's start at the beginning, how did you become an artist? |
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It really just started as a cure for boredom in grade school, but as I got better I discovered there was a deep satisfaction in artistic creation. In middle school I met my best friend who found similar joy in art, and through many years of passive-aggressive competition we honed our skills. Unfortunately, my experience in a flaky charter school for the arts left me disenchanted about the art world and I actually lost my drive for a few years. I eventually got my act together and found myself starting over in community college taking intro art and life drawing from a phenomenal instructor whose abrupt teaching style and vast knowledge of master techniques refueled my passion to create. I took every class he offered, absorbing more information than my brain could process, and in almost three years, I had grown more as an artist than in the 22 years of life prior. That was the point in my life when I truly felt I could call myself an artist.
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How in the world do you come up with your ideas? Background? TV? Games? Visions
from the spirit world? Where? |
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The short answer would be, all of the above. I keep a sort of mental scrapbook of images and ideas that I dip into subconsciously when I work. When I first start my sketch, it's often really loose and abstract and I use that "discover" the form. If there are specific guidelines for the piece, I will always keep them in mind as I'm finding the form to insure a relevant design. Otherwise I'll just use free association to find a provocative form or juxtaposition of forms. Once the idea is on paper, I'll gauge how corny it is with my patented "cheese-meter" and if it's too cliché then it gets dumped, but if it has potential, then I'll move on to a full render.
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Is the competition subject and specs important to you, or did you simply enter to
express yourself? |
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I guess you could say I was lured into the competition by the subject and specs. The specs were specific enough to challenge my abilities, while the subject was entertaining enough to keep me inspired. I really saw this as an opportunity to test myself and hopefully produce some quality portfolio material in the process. The looseness of the subject did allow me to express my love of sci-fi/horror, but in the end that’s really just icing on the cake.
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What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough or
when you are feeling down? |
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I always feel the most inspired when I’m introduced to a fresh idea or unusual situation. I love going outside at dawn or dusk to watch how light interacts with the environment. I’m quite convinced that just about anything could be made interesting with the right lighting. Inspiration really is everywhere; you just have to be open to it. I do sometimes find myself falling into boring routines that don’t allow me to be receptive to the wonders of the universe. On such occasions that I find it necessary to reset my perspective, I’ll boil up a pot of my favorite green tea, put on my headphones and blast some fast tunes. I’ll then sit down in front of the tablet or sketchbook and force myself to doodle until I remember how much I actually enjoy it… then I’ll doodle some more.
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What is the most exciting and rewarding part about being a concept artist? |
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For me, it’s all about the thrill of the challenge. I love discovering my own solutions to creative problems. With enough time, anyone can make a stunning piece of art. The real challenge comes when you have to develop shorthand techniques to describe complex information within a limited timeframe. Putting the finishing touches on a killer piece just minutes before submitting it can provide an overwhelming rush of accomplishment.
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If you have any warning on what not to do in art, or what to be careful for, what would they be? |
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Don’t take yourself too seriously. If you get to self absorbed it becomes easy to consider your flaws your special “style”. Yes, the creative process requires that you make mistakes, and that’s why we have erasers and trash bins. You need to know what works and what doesn’t. To learn that you need to be fearless and take chances or you’ll never grow as an artist. The worst that can happen is you might get some harsh critiques and maybe you’ll learn something in the process. As my favorite teacher used to say "Oh, just get over yourself!"
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What would be your advice for aspiring concept artists out there and what type of
training do you think would be helpful in becoming a successful concept artist? |
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Well, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a successful concept artist just yet, but I have been given some pro advice. Learn your anatomy, lighting, composition and control of the medium. Whether you’re teaching yourself or incurring massive student loan debts to have someone else teach it to you, you need to be proactively learning these elements and sharing feedback with fellow artists. This is a never ending process. …and remember to have fun! If you don’t enjoy making your art, then who’s going to enjoy looking at it?
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Was there someone, or some thing that helped make you who you are today and is
there someone you would like to thank, or at least give a shout to? |
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My wife, Meg, has been the strongest pillar in my life, I could never thank her enough for her patience and support as I stumble towards my goals. I would also like to thank my son, Massimo, for unintentionally redefining who I am. Of course my parents for nurturing my creativity since I was a pup. The man who basically taught me all I know about art, Jim Garrison. …and although they may not realize it, my friends Tim, Austin, Jeff and Mike all deserve my thanks for years of encouragement, inspiration and not letting me get into too much trouble. I also want to give a shout out to Ray-Ray.
…and thanks to you, Fred, for organizing this whole thing. I know you’re busting your ass to make sure everything is running smoothly, and I appreciate it.
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Your work in this competition was an inspiration to all! Thank you for your time, and I hope to see more of your work on GameArtisans.org in the future!
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