Getting my first card assignment for Magic the Gathering was surreal. A potent mixture of elation, fear, creativity, with myriad other emotional sparks. Getting my second card was exactly the same. Working on the fairytale version of a gentle giant was a unique challenge but a deeply rewarding process. Usually when I go to make an image I'll drawing everything out by hand and then trace it into digital so I can have that perfect vector edge to all my work. But this piece really wanted to be a little soft and painterly around the edges, so I was able to leave a lot of my origianl linework in the final. My deepest thanks go to Cynthia Sheppard for being a wonderful AD and friend through all of this. Additional thanks to Jessica Lanzillo for her expert support and inspired work behind the scenes of Eldraine and beyond.
In the summer of 2017 I had the amazing priviledge of working to develop the look and feel of cards for the Transformers Card Game. I got to iterate on game systems as they were in development to help the game designers see how their rule sets would work, all while refining the look of the cards respective to the Transformers IP. Once the design was greenlit for full production, I handed the assets off to the wonderfully talented Jeff Carpenter (jeffcarpenter.net) to take it across the finish line. All in all, an amazing experience!
Images ©Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast
I had a chance to design the shirt for GP Rivals of Ixalan, winning a contest within the company for the chance to have your work put into print and distributed at tournaments around the world. Not only did I manage to claim the prize, but I was invited back several times to continue contributing designs for future GP shirts. It’s hard to describe the chill I get when I see someone wearing a shirt I designed; truly rewarding.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
One of the coolest parts of my job at Wizards is creating expansion symbols for Magic: the Gathering. I’ve been a fanatic of this design space for many years, and being able to contribute to it directly is beyond an honor. My most sincere hope is that each and every one of the symbols I helped create will resonate with my fellow Magic players as strongly as the originals did for me back in the days of Mirage and Tempest.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
One of the true highlights of my career at Wizards and as an artist was the opportunity to work on a piece of original MtG art. My most sincere thanks goes out to Kelly Digges and Mark Winters for the opportunity to be part of this amazing piece of Magic's history.
This piece is meant to represent the work of a magical scholar, attempting to reverse engineer the effects of a massive event many centuries ago.
This piece is mixed media, containing both photographs of real chalk drawings as well as digital touch-ups and texturing. All elements were created separately, then organized and layered in photoshop to give the appearance of many attempts, mistakes, and eventual triumphs. Much like the process of creating it, this illustration speaks the power of patience and persistence. Never give up; no matter what, you’re always one step closer to success.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
I’ve always had a deep appreciation and love for the natural world, especially the beauty of the environment around me. Growing up in a small suburb in New York State, I spent a lot of time playing in the forest and farmlands, filling the landscape with heroes and monsters of my imagination. As I got older I was able to experience other spaces and places, drawing inspiration from lands near and far. Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I find myself with a radically new world to explore and fall in love with.
One of my first big projects working on Magic: the Gathering was cleaning up and, in some cases, recreating the expansion symbols that cover the entire history of the game. This work was featured in a special anniversary set entitled 'Masters 25' where every card sports a special watermark pertaining to the original set each card was released in. This gallery represents a small amount of the work that I did. I’ve included the original icons above the reworks for contrast.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
I love making posters, full stop. No matter the medium nor the message, I’ve never had an easier time investing myself in my work than when I know it’s going to printed out of a huge sheet of paper and put up on a wall for everyone to see. There’s an energy to it all, a spontaneous gallery feel where you get to bring the exhibit to the viewer rather than close it all off behind doors and wait for them to come to you. It’s art for the people, and I love the thought that I might make something that a complete stranger could be surprised and delighted by.
Every now and then I get a chance to work on something especially unique. I’ve had the privilege of being called on to do work for playmats, book graphics, and much more.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
Frames are concepted out by hand then refined in digital. I find this space is well suited to arrive at a successful execution for the Magic IP. There’s a certain blend of organic linework and mechanical precision that reads well at card size both as a functional guide to aid gameplay and as an art object. Magic has a visual style that is easy to recognize but sometimes hard to pin down. It’s my job to drill down for a deeper understanding of what we’re building here, an ongoing process of discovery and refinement. As new challenges present themselves, I have more opportunities to learn about the various aspects of what goes into one of the foundational elements of the game.
My goals for frames are the same as they’ve been since day 1 at the company; leave things better than you found them. I want Magic to continue doing amazing things for many years to come and I’m beyond honored to be one of the people to help make that dream a reality.
Images ©Wizards of the Coast
There are some clients who I'm happy to hear from no matter how busy I am. Ant Tessitore is one of those people who seems to constantly be the harbinger of amazing things. With his wedding on the horizon and several groomsmen to buy a gift for, Ant wanted something special that each man could share, but retain their individuality. He decided that, rather than order a simple name engraving on a keepsake, we would team up to go all-out and create an original coat of arms for each, which would then be laser engraved into a steel flask.
I served at Washington College as Director of Visual Arts for Admissions from 2013 to 2016.
During my time at the College, I was involved in a number of large initiatives to improve communications with the various audiences that interacted with the College. Current and prospective students, faculty, alumni, and donors all were taken into consideration as I worked on defining the College brand and helping it find a voice in the new higher education marketplace. I will always be grateful for the time I spent living and working on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with some very special people. My thanks to everyone who helped make this time possible.
