When I was a boy, I got the best Christmas gift EVER. It was Han Solos blaster from Empire Strikes Back. I distinctly remember the sound of that blaster, and the hours spent with my imagination as I took on hordes of storm troopers.
I lived and breathed Star Wars when I was a young boy. (OK, I still do as a grown man.) We had these apple trees behind our garage, in this space between the garden and garage. It was my spot to escape and make stories with my He-Men, G.I. Joes, and Star Wars action figures. Those apple trees were the home to many adventures and became the home of my Ewok Village playset which sat, perfectly nestled, in the crook of four of the trees branches.
So why do I make fan art? It's partly because I feel that I'm paying homage to those stories that I incorporated into my childhood. For the most part, I'm not straight copying photographs. I use them as reference, but I let myself off the hook of having to be photo-realistic. I'm after the mood and feeling I got playing with those toys, watching those movies, looking at the posters (mostly by Drew Struzan) and reading the comics.
When I create these pieces; I start with the grit of imperfect hand drawn lines, and mix that with the ease of ability in Photoshop to lay in color quickly. Then I use colored pencils over that, bringing back that hand drawn quality. I usually clean it up back in Photoshop, adjusting light levels, etc. It's a process that I really like... the back and forth from hand drawn to digital. I'm sure it has something to do with my generation. We grew up in a world that straddled the analog and digital and I suppose it's only natural that my art resonates with that aspect.
I'm also creating fan art because, simply, I'm a fan of those things I loved when I was younger and I like to share my art with other fans.
So, if you like what you see, feel free to head over to my store and pick up an original piece or print of my fan art. I also am happy to take commissions! Feel free to subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Drop me an email or contact me on IG, Facebook! (look below for links!) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Lovely story about why you do fan art, back before the days of iPads and too many video games, hehe. Back when we were forced outside by our parents to use our imagination to have fun.
Is there a movie or series you love to do art for the most?
I'm on a Star Wars kick right now... I will probably get into a He-Man stage... oh and totally Indiana Jones
Lol, so awesome. He-Man, that brings back memories. Excited to see what your next project is :)
I'll be posting shortly!If you send me your contact info, I'll add you to my monthly mailing list as well! :)
Fan art is the best! We all have our love of past nostalgia - I tend to do fan based art as well because like you say - it resonates with me so much - that passion produces really great outcomes. I love that you take a piece back and forth from digital to physical to digital. I have taken Phsyical into digital but never back and forth! Very cool! I think it's important to still embrace traditional physical art even though the new world of digital is so popular today! Great backstory & love your work!
Thanks so much for the awesome comments!