FAQ, or Frequently Asked Questions..
1)   WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS?

You'll be reading this for a long, loooong time if I wrote them all down, so here's a short list of people who've had a major impact on my work..
Major fantasy artists such as the Frouds, the Brothers Hildebrandt, Alan Lee and Michael Whelan; Comic book artists such Jim Lee, John Byrne, and Arthur Adams;  Traditional Illustrators such as Drew Struzan & Thomas Blackshear II;  Early American Illustrators such as Dean Cornwell, Lyendecker, NC Wyeth and Norman Rockwell; Early victorian children's illustrators (Beatrix Potter, Dulac & Arthur Rackham), the Rennaisance Masters, Rembrandt, Frogonard & Bouche from the Rococo period, and the list goes on...

2) WHAT MEDIUMS DO YOU USE?

I primarily stick with water based paints since my skin is sensitive to chemicals. My favorite medium to work with is watercolor, but I also do a little gouache work when I'm feeling -brave.-  Sometimes I'll do a little bit of mixed media, which encompasses a meld of a variety of mediums such as watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and some pen & ink.  For sketches and studies I use your basic pencil on paper. As far as paint brands go, I use Winsor & Newton for both watercolor and gouache. For brushes I use Winsor & Newton Sceptre II Gold synthetic sable rounds 1-10, an Isabey 1" pure squirrel mop and Isabey pure sable #0 round.

3) WHAT SURFACES DO YOU USE?

Any water soluble surface that has relatively good absorbancy. I love to experiment with different types of papers, so I usually bounce between d'Arches and Fabriano. I use a variety of different thicknesses which could range between a 140lb to a 300lb.  I've found that gouache works best on a hot pressed 300lb sheet because of it's absorbancy and for smoother gradations of color that you'd have a hard time getting with a cold pressed surface.

4) DO YOU DO DIGITAL ART?

I do, but I'm currently working primarily in just traditional since I don't have a Wacom pad. Yet. ;) You can find some of my older digital works here.

5) CAN I USE YOUR IMAGES ON MY SITE?

Sure, just as long as you A) properly credit the artwork and indicate it on your site;  B) inform me which artworks you are using;  C) use it for strictly NON PROFIT purposes. And no, you may not use my artwork for Role Playing Games. Thank you for asking, though, ;)

6) ARE YOU OPEN TO COMMISSIONS?

Yep, feel free to contact me regarding basic commission info such as content, price, size and deadline and other legal negotiations. Please don't bother me with character requests. :) There's a reason why artists get paid, and that's to pay the bills.

7) DO YOU RECOMMEND ART SCHOOL?

After getting many emails regarding this question, I've decided to slap it here where it belongs. Just bear in mind that my perspective is different as compared to someone else who's attended art school, so keep an open mind, and hopefully this will provide you with some realisitic insight...

Basically my take on art school is this...Do you want to go to work in the commercial art industry OR enroll for purely academic reasons?
Many students who attend art school inevitably drop out because of either disillusionment or financial strains. Art school is an expensive investment, and should be treated as such. But, the rewards that follow are well worth it if you know what you want and what you want to do.  Remember, colleges are out there to help you to build a career, and art schools merely encompass a specialized area.  Some people have found an art degree uneccessary in the industry--and it's true, you really don't need it. Having a degree of any type, however, is highly reccomended. I enrolled for building my art skills. Prior to that I was self taught, but you can only teach yourself so much until you hit an impasse.

Concerning portfolio reviews... always follow the submission guidelines. Always. Some schools won't ask for a portfolio, but it's good to have one in case you need it for another school to look over.  Oh yes, and DON'T include any images relating or depicting comic book or anime material. Why? Because they want to see how well your traditional skills are, meaning lots of observational drawings such as life drawing, still life, color theory,  that sort of thing. This applies for those interested in fine arts, illustration, animation, etc.  Requirements for those interested in other fields of commercial art are different, so don't forget to inquire about those.

To High Schoolers & Continuing Education Students...DO THE RESEARCH!! Shop around for the best deal, meaning which schools offer the most conducive program that will beneficial to your needs.  Also, research what kind of financial aid they have. Everything else is secondary. I'd  also advise taking your associates' degree in liberal arts/humanities.  If you find an art school that you like, look at their LA program and see if your local JC/CC has the equivalent of those classes.  Also inquire if these classes are transferable. Trust me, it'll be easier on your pocketbook.

A helpful site to locate art programs and art colleges both nationally and internationally is http://www.artschools.com. Good luck!