Like many artists, I began my first forays into drawing at a very young age using little more than your average #2 pencil and lined notebook paper. At that age I learned to draw lightly in case I made any mistakes, which of course I did. Drawing dark lines and shapes required some commitment, and therefore some risk. Due to youthful lack of skill, many drawings turned out not so great because I’d drawn too dark too soon. Even as a boy I was a perfectionist about my art. The result of this has tended to be a reticence to make anything too dark. But what nearly any art fan can tell you is that dark looks amazing! It is so much more dramatic and evocative. Dark sits heavy as granite on the page. Entire genres of art have been based around the use of deep shadows. Dark is the artist’s friend.
Patience (2007)
The drawing Patience is an early attempt to fill the frame with shadow. I chose a night scene with all the light coming from on direction, casting heavy shadows on everything. The snapshot narrative is of a roadside brigand awaiting his prey, keeping still until the perfect moment.
The Ritual (2005)
An earlier exploration of light and shadow around a story element. This one required a lot of photo references to get the light and shadow on the gothic arches just right.
Totems (2011)
For a long time I’ve had a fascination with distant abandoned places, whether it’s an ancient graveyard or a remote castle. The places seem to hum with history and in that sense could be called haunted. Whatever the reason, spooky places are evocative and memorable. I’ve tried capturing that feeling often. The above drawing Totems is mostly from my imagination. I used some photo references for the trees and the stone texture but the overall feeling is imagined. I tried to capture the ethereal gloom of a place where spirits dwell.
Forest Tomb (2014)
Collaboration can be quite a satisfying endeavor. Artists can’t, nor should they, work in isolation. My author friend Daniel Ionson recently published his novel, titled After Life in which my drawing Forest Tomb appears. The novel describes The Darkland a realm where light shines only dimly, seeming oppressed by the darkness, where shadow and gloom dominate. After reading the manuscript I had a strong sense of how it could look and tried to capture it on the page. You can find info about Daniel’s novel at:
You can also find info about another artist friend of ours, John Madison, who did the cover art for After Life.