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Film |
Although
most of my work
centers on fantasy,
science-fiction,
or comic book
based supers,
there are a great
many moives that
have influenced
my vision of those
things as well.
Here are a few
that I keep on
hand as I work. |
- Star
Wars (Episodes
1-6)
- Matrix
trilogy
- Lord
of the Rings
trilogy
- Dune
series (Sci-fi and Film both)
- Tombstone
- Spiderman
- Iron Man (both)
- League
of Extraordinary
Gentlemen
- Pirates
of the Caribean
Series
- Transformers
the Movie
(Both)
- X-men
Trilogy
- The
Musketeer
- Watchmen
- Equilibrium
- Conan
Movies
- Brotherhood of the Wolf
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- Gladiator
- The 13th Warrior
- Zorro and Mask of Zorro
- Desperado
- Starship Troopers
- Titan A.E.
- The Hulk
- The Fifth Element
- Three Muskateers
- Lodoss War Series
- Underworld Trilogy
- Firefly/Serenity
- Thor
- Green Lantern
- Star Trek (2010)
- Sucker Punch
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| Comic
Books |
Not
unlike movies,
I am very influenced
by the comics
that I grew up
reading and came to love. The worlds
of the X-men,
Spiderman, Captain America, The Avengers, The
Flash, and many
other favorite
characters became
my own mental
play-ground as
I began to create
and draw out my
own ideas. Here
are a few that
I consider
classics/must
reads for all
literature and
comic book fans
alike. |
- Exiles series
- Uncanny
X-men
- Watchmen
- Wild C.A.T.s
- Stormwatch
- Negation
- Crux
- Young
Justice
- Avengers Forever
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- Kingdom
Come
- Squadron
Supreme
- JLA:
The Nail
- Hulk:
The End
- Wolverine:
The End
- Wildguard
- JSA
- Captain America
- The Avengers
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| Games |
I
used to play a
large number of
games, but find
the more active
I am on the professional
level, the less
time I have to
enjoy them. I
still play a few
here and there,
but moreso as
a very casual
hobby these days.
Back in college
I would have to
say that video
games and RPGs
were instrumental
to the developement
of a very active
creative mind
that rarely, if
ever rested at
that time. |
- Dungeons
& Dragons
RPG--most
all realms
available
held some
interest to
me at one
point in time.
- Darksun,
however, get's
a special
mention. To
me it is as
important
a setting as Star Wars.
- Star Wars probably has a special place in nearly every child of the 80s, but for me it was a doorway to a whole new way of thinking that ultimately helped shape me into who I am today. Anything StarWars deserves a try.
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- Shadowrun
- Warhammer
- Heroclix
- Risk
- Settlers
of Catan
- Blood
Bowl
- 007
GoldenEye
N64
- Perfect
Dark
- Mario
Kart
- Baldurs
Gate series
- Icewind
Dale series
- Magic:
The Gathering
- Champions Online
- Ultimate Alliance I & II
- a variety of smallpress RPGs
- a variety of Wii games
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| Artists |
I
have had a few
artistic heroes over
the years, but
above all others
stand out Jim
Lee of comic
book fame, and Gerald Brom of fantasy art.
I have had the
good fortune
to meet them
both. But I was too
shy at the time to say much
of anything to Jim,
I simply shook
his hand, smiled and
moved on. Brom
is a different
story, however,
since I met
him later in my career after I had gained a bit of confidence. In the summer
of 2003 at Gencon
Indy I stood
and talked to
him for a full
15 minutes as
he perused my
portfolio with
mild interest.
He shared some
words of wisdom
and encouragement
with me, and
shook my hand.
He was a very cool guy, and I consider this
event a blessing of sorts and
kind of an induction
into
the world of
professional
illustration.
Only
a year after
that, I met
Jeff Easley
and Larry Elmore
both in the
same day at
Gencon Indy
'04. They both
showed much
interest in
that year's portfolio
and encouraged
me a great deal.
Easley said
that my sketches
reminded him
of himself at
a similar age.
They were both
gentlemen and
great teachers
in the short
time I got to
meet with them.
Not
long after that,
at the same
convention,
encouraged by
the words of
wisdom imparted
to me, I began
to meet several
other artists
and creative
directors. I
also managed
to make a couple
new friends
that weekend,
both of which
are now a couple of
my best friends
and cohorts in
designing our
own games. |
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| Biblical
Influence |
I would like to
use my work to
say something
about the world
we live in and
how we can choose
to react to it.
I am a Christian
man, trying to
do my best to
live a Christ-like
life (not easily
done I assure
you), and would
like to help express
to the public
how rewarding
it can be not
only now, but
eternally if you
seek out the truth
now. Within this
concept I try
to use Biblical
knowledge that
I am slowly gaining
and incorporate
into stories,
characters, and
concepts in order
to 'illustrate'
in an alternative
way (perhaps more
contemporary story
telling?) what
the Bible has
been trying to
tell us for over
2000 years now.
I feel the stories
found in the Bible,
and the lessons
that Christ laid
out all that while
ago are still
very applicable
today. It's simply
a matter of seeing
what He is trying
to say to us,
allowing ourselves
to hear the message,
respond to it,
and make it a
part of our daily
lives. |
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