Can you share a little bit about the piece and how you conceived of it:
I began this piece while I was working at an internship this summer up in Northern Virginia. One beautiful day I was in my cubicle staring longingly outside at the sunshine and then it hit me… I wanted some watermelon. But wouldn’t you know it, I had already taken my break so instead I made my buddy that you see here. This little guy is the one piece of watermelon that escaped the clutches of a hungry person like me.
If you were to describe your work to someone who’s never seen it, what would you say?
Dynamic. I don’t have one style per se, which is a good and a bad thing. I like to dabble in everything, which keeps things fresh, but eventually I need to find a medium and a method that works the best for me. I guess the one thing that transcends all though is detail, I love small minute details that most people may overlook.
What’s your creative process when producing a piece of art?
With a digital piece I usually will start with a sketch and scan it in. It then goes through various revisions until I get it where I like it. I taught myself Photoshop and Illustrator, so I’m still learning new techniques and getting better with each piece, which is exciting. With a traditional piece it’s a cluster f***. The process is always different and never planned out but always fun.
Could you share an image of one of your latest sketches?
Wait, show you a real image or describe one? How about this, I will paint a picture with my words (we’re getting real, I like this). OK, so picture a goldfish, except it’s a machine and its face is a glass bubble. Behind the glass is a silhouetted face and below the ventral fin (that’s the bottom one I think) is this man’s naked body, just chillin’ in the ocean. So I guess the goldfish is his scuba suit/mode of transportation.
Would you share some unique things in your workspace that inspire you?
Above my drafting table is a collage I made from clippings from a few Juxtapoz mags ranging from pieces by James Jean, to Audrey Kawasaki, to Sylvia Ji, Jeff Soto, and Shepard Fairey. It’s very inspirational indeed. There is a postcard my girlfriend sent me from Lebanon. It just reminds me of all the beautiful places and things I have yet to see. Then there’s all my old anime books, its nice too look at where I started and where I am now.
What art is hanging on your walls at the moment?
I just moved into a new house so my walls are still in the process of being decorated. But I do have two giant EBOY posters that my brother and I made frames for. I also have a sick digital illustration of a bear growling that I got from Yellowstone.
What are you really into right now?
Riding my bike and learning new tricks, cooking tasty dishes, broadening my musical horizons, Snow Leopard, HBO, and jorts?
What would be on your quintessential mixtape?
Iron and Wine, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Shins, Matt and Kim, Explosions in the Sky, P.O.S., Underoath, Cake, M83, and the Mars Volta that’s a hard question though.
If your art was music, what would it sound like?
It would probably start off happy, with some pan flutes and someone rockin’ the triangle, then transition into ominous violins and horns, then back to happy. Just a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
What do you have as your desktop wallpaper?
I have two pieces that I got from Kitsune Noir’s Desktop Wallpaper project. One is by mcbess, and the other is by Ben Cain.
What websites do you check out regularly?
Prolly is not Probably, Behance, Youtube, Boston.com’s The Big Picture, anything on the envato network, and for everything else I click the Stumble button.
What are your vices/guilty pleasures?
I have a really bad sweet tooth and a bottomless pit for a stomach when it comes to snacks. I sleep for way too long on the weekends, and I rub my nose when I beat someone in a videogame, its weird, I can’t help it.
What’s the first picture you can remember drawing as a child?
I think it was probably something from a Miyazaki film like Totoro.
If you were a dinosaur, what kind would you be and why?
I’d probably be a stegosaurus cause I can feel my spine and I like to crawl on all fours and hit people with my imaginary spiky tail.
What was your last memorable dream?
I had a dream where I woke up from being unconscious and I was underwater with a rope tied around me. I followed the rope out of the water and it lead to the top of a rickety wooden structure in the middle of the ocean at night with only the light of the moon guiding me. I climbed the structure and found I was attached to a wench that was controlled by an old toothless man who was using me for bait to catch a monstrous fish. I think I’m going to paint that.
If you had to change careers, what would be next?
If I don’t become a graphic designer, I want to be a coconut farmer, or a veterinarian in space, or a cave explorer.
What’s your motto?
Ride free or die hard.
