When did you decide to become an illustrator, and why did you make this choice?

I don’t think there’s actually a specific moment in my life I decided to become an illustrator. I tend to think it was simply inevitable. I’ve been drawing since I was 4 years old and carried on doing so through university and when making it my career afterward. That said, it wasn’t until a couple of friends introduced me to the Magic CCG in early high school that I realized people could actually do it for a living. The amazing card art opened a whole new world for me at the time, and I think eventually it led me to become a professional illustrator focusing largely on the fantasy genre.

Please tell us a little about your work style and technique.

The work process I used for the pieces I created for Deep Magic is fairly straightforward really. I tend to do early sketches with pencil and paper since I’m most comfortable with that medium, then scan the sketches and proceed to create a slightly more defined sketch digitally. I roughly block in some colors and values and then flatten all the layers in Photoshop and just start painting on top. I tend to pick one area to start on (usually the face) and render this out until I’m happy with it, and then try to match the other areas in terms of finish until the whole image is basically done. Then I go over it again to fix the weak areas and balance the picture as a whole—working digitally means I have the freedom to make drastic changes even in the very late stages if necessary, which is something I really like about the medium.

What is your favorite piece you did for Deep Magic . . . and why?

My favorite piece I did for Deep Magic? Hah, I think I’m most happy with the Shrive Oracle I did in terms of execution, but my favorite character is the Wasteland Summoner—probably because he is a character I would play myself.