Well lets see, I was born in 1976 and lived in Canoga Park, CA until `89 at which point our family relocated to Boulder Creek, CA (just in time for the earthquake! YAY!) My artwork evolved from tribal tattoo style art, which I made easy by drawing it symmetrically. In Dec. of `94 one of my teachers at the high school I attended (Dick Harrah, White Oak High School/Charter 25) urged me to move away from symmetry, as it was too safe, and it wasn't challenging me. The result is the style I've evolved. I moved away from Boulder Creek to live in Moscow, Idaho for a couple years, but moved back in `97. I now live in Boulder Creek.
Tools
Originally, I used generic black ballpoint pens which were hard to make a solid black, instead, making the strokes quite obvious. A few friends recommended I switch to these expensive, drafting pens. These were great for fineline detail, however it was difficult to get a consistent black when switching through sizes of pens, due to inkflow. The larger pens would pour the ink freely, allowing for a deep, saturated black, while the finer, precision pens would frequently end up scratching the paper, making lining just as obvious. not to mention if I took them anywhere, ink frequently got all over the place. I then moved to Sakura's Micron line of pens. I was amazed. the ink flowed consistently, with the entire range of sizes. And I could take the pens with me, wherever I wanted to go without worrying about getting ink everywhere. I even took them out to the Black Rock desert this September for the Burning Man festival, where they performed just as wonderfully as they did back in the redwoods. I decided recently to try out Sakura's line of GellyRolls, and was equally thrilled with the smooth ink, and the incredibly cool colors. Now I'm playing with the same style, on black paper with striking results. Thanks Sakura. Your products have helped me advance my style. Check back here soon for some black-paper work!
Technique
My style has evolved loosely from tattoo style tribal designs. I started drawing in the summer of `94 during summer vacation; I tended to spend most of my free time with a pen and a pad of paper sitting in a coffee shop drawing. I met a few other local artists who helped influence my style, but the move from symmetrical abstract art to reptilian tribal occurred due to pressure from Dick Harrah, one of the teachers at White Oak High school. He urged me to move from symmetry, as it hindered creativity. Fine, smooth lines are essential to my style. I vary my technique depending on the level of intricacy I'm doing. Generally, I'll start with the outline. I'll pencil in the centerline and rough body of whatever I'm working on, add legs/wings/tail as stick figures to get the perspective and pose right. Then I start in with pencil, and draw loose patterns, to give myself an idea of how the ink's gonna flow. once that's done, I generally put the drawing up for awhile, so that I can look at it again fresh. If I still like the flow of it, I start inking.
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Disclaimer :
All artwork images/photos are the property of their respective copyright holders. No image may be copied, reproduced, transmitted or stored in any form and or by any method or manner including but not limited to print, computer image, flash component, video, streaming and / or animation, for any or all commercial purposes without express written consent of the artists.
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