THE ARTIST
Working with Wendy
I first worked with Wendy back in 2004 producing some concept art and promotional imagery for the graphic novel “Shadow Walker”, and though at the time it was only a short story, even then it showed a tremendous amount of promise and talent. Fast foreword almost 7 years later and I was presented once again with the opportunity to work with Wendy not only on “Shadow Walker” which was now a full fledged graphic novel, but also a young adult novel titled “Freaks” which takes place 3 years prior to “Shadow Walker.”
Wendy is one of those clients you rarely come across and aside from her obvious dedication to pursue her dreams and her passion, she’s also a very open minded and overwhelmingly kind and generous person. She is the type of person most artists would consider a privilege to work for and a “dream job” since she puts a lot of trust and faith in allowing the artist to explore ideas and push the limits of their abilities. She provided me with as much creative freedom as any artist could ask for when working on a personal project since in most cases it’s the client’s “baby” and they are overly tedious and anal about every little detail. I wouldn’t even hesitate a second at the chance to work with her again and I expect to see her name in the spotlight soon enough seeing as she deserves every bit of praise and attention I’m sure she will soon be receiving.
Favorite Design
Working on the character Lieutenant Julia Morgan was probably the most interesting, creatively eye opening and challenging concepts to work on – but if was also the most fun. It’s also the design I’m most pleased with because I feel that the final product with Wendy’s art direction and decision making will meet the expectations of anyone who reads “Shadow Walker”. I had just as much fun designing her helmet mask as I did the full body outfit.
Lt. Julia Morgan was brutally scarred leaving nothing but a small portion of her mouth and chin visible beneath a high tech helmet and mask which even then were covered with scars across the side of her lip and all down her neck. Her costume design was meant to reflect a character of authority and under all the layers of leather, armor and a hideous and disturbing mechanical mask, she was meant to come off as sexy and appealing which was the greatest challenge of all.