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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1401427
What inspired you to become an artist? Walt Disney inspired me to become an artist. I always felt that his stories were exceptionally told through the medium of art. Walt pushed the boundaries of animation in a way which motivated me to want to understand it. His stories were always about good conquering evil and they appealed to my storytelling nature. Can you tell us about some of the projects you’re working on right now? Aside from producing my own children’s cartoons on my own network called friendliens, I’m featured in a movie called “Hashtag Blessed The Movie”. I play a young Santa Claus. The movie comes out Christmas 2021. Being in this film compelled me to write an origin story for Saint Nicholas that explains why Santa does what he does and I’ve partnered with the Mandalorian stunt team and Turbo Panda Productions, to develop the project entitled The Elf King. Because I’m an artist, I’m able to produce my own concept art using Corel Painter. My paintings will be a part of the show. How does Painter help you in the development and creation of your artwork? Painter is instrumental in the conceptual phase of my paintings and allows me to work out color and lighting ideas long before I ever put paint to canvas. It’s also been an exceptional finishing tool after my originals are scanned allowing me to match what I did with traditional painting techniques digitally. What has been your favorite project to be a part of? My favorite project to date has been creating The Haunted Mansion 50th Anniversary painting for Disneyland Park. I was friends with Xavier Atencio who wrote the story and lyrics to the attraction and I’m still friends with Bob Gurr who designed the famous doom buggy. So creating a painting that impressed them both was truly the highlight of my professional career. What’s your favorite Painter tool/feature? The Thick Paint brushes are incredible and do a very good job of mimicking real world paint. These brushes in combination with the Blender brushes give me exactly what I’ve been looking for with a digital painting tool. It’s the closest thing to real paint I’ve ever seen. What are the challenges involved with being a full time artist, including the impact of COVID? With a large portion of my business involving the Disney company and with Disneyland closed until recently, it has forced me to work around these issues. But luckily, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts was available to me and I simply went to Florida this year instead of Disneyland. It was a success and I managed to sell out on my first trip to Disney World.