Around 2001 I saw an amazing piece of work done in oil paint on the cover of a magazine in the dentist office. It looked like just a bunch of blobs of paint on the canvas, but they all seemed to coalesce into an exquisite masterpiece. I became transfixed by this idea of how colors could blend so seamlessly and yet still be broken up and detached from one another. I quickly went home and tried my hand at it, on what would become my favorite medium. All of my work is done in Photoshop with the airbrush tool. The hard segregated lines, which would normally be blended add a depth to the work that I don’t think could be achieved through blending alone.
I like to start with the eyes, because they are the window to the soul and will be the guiding principle behind the work. This is the process work for John. One of the three main heroes of the story. I love the interplay of light as it falls on his jacket.
This one for the character Rensa was especially fun, because I had a chance to give her a steampunk appeal with the goggles. She’s a tough chick who carries a crowbar, but will use any weapon available to her. I love strong female characters!
The Mogglogian aliens were quite a challenge. In the story they genetically modified from several different types of existing animals. I wanted them to be tough and fearsome, and modeled them on the idea of the Minotaur in Greek mythology
Their broad shoulders and overwhelming chest presented a wonderfully powerful character, and an enemy to be worth the challenge of my heroes.
Their lifeless black eyes reminded me of a shark, so I wanted the teeth to be in rows, like the ultimate predator of the ocean.
The latest feature image I am working on is a contemplative image of Sarah, the main character and hero of Metalstar. She emerges from the cloning chambers with both her memories of her previous life, and a separate personality of her new identity. The clones were supposed to come from the birthing chambers with only their memories of their old lives, but Sarah struggles as both personalities battle for dominance.
