Early Years
Now and Then
As a teenager, I enjoyed portraits and realism. All of my work was pencil sketches. But, after high-school, I probably only drew a half-dozen more times for the next 25 years. These are a few of the sketches that I still have from that time.
2019
Starting Over
I returned to art in 2019. In the first months, I relearned the basics: how to see, how to overcome the resistance of setting the first mark on the paper, and I was remembering the joy and peace that comes with artistic flow state. Having only ever done pencil sketches in my life, I was also learning Photoshop. It wasn't long before I wanted to take things past simple line art. I applied the skills I learned with my pencil art, and then spent latter half of the year experimenting with color... which was entirely new to me. In 2019, my art was entirely posed portraits, with very simple backgrounds.
2020
Telling Stories
In addition to portraits, I started painting more moments: characters exploring, getting into trouble, and looking for adventure. My prior illustrations were focused on showing what characters looked like. In 2020, I started to tell stories about those characters via dynamic poses and lighting.
2021-2022
Creating Atmosphere
I continued painting familiar characters while trying different compositions. It was a period of exploring what else I could do with the things I'd been learning, and challenging myself to tackle skill gaps. I explored how light and color could shape the feeling of an illustration, and reflect the mood of the characters in the moment. I thought about where to place the viewer: close enough to catch an expression, come at the scene from a dramatic angle, or behind the characters as they faced the unknown.
2023
Illustrating Worlds
In 2023, I focused more heavily on the environments. I wanted these places to feel like they had stories of their own. An empty road could invite an adventure, while an abandoned building could make you wondered what happened there. The landscapes became characters in their own right. Sometimes the character themselves took a back seat.
2024
Further Afield
I spent this year trying different ways to paint the stories I loved: larger groups, open landscapes, and experimental skies. I met new characters through our games and brought them into my art, enjoying the challenge of illustrating not just their appearance, but also their character and personality.
2025
A Bigger Story
With the "Something About You" illustrations, I set out to create a series of related images around a single story. I was going for something larger than a single painting could offer. Working across several paintings gave me room for both big events and quieter moments. I wanted to show what the characters meant to each other and what they stood to lose. In 2025, also began illustrating scenes from my novel, finding faces, places, and moods for a story I'd been previously telling with words.
2026 So Far
The Story Continues
The year started strong with some illustrations that are the imho some of my best in terms of their ability to communicate a narrative. As the year moved on, the prior year's focus on multi-illustration projects like "Something About You" led to a logical conclusion... I began work on a web comic project called "The Long Forever." In this new adventure I am trying to learn how to find the story and deliver impact but with less focus on rendering minute details. Alongside character paintings and quieter moments, I've been creating landscapes and illustrations for the GameswithStories website.
