FAQ | halleyevelandartblog

Q: When did you start concentrating on art? What made you want to pursue it?

A: I started getting serious about it during my senior year of high-school. I was very interested in making genre films, and I began to realize the thing that I really enjoyed and appreciated about genre film, was all the designs and concept art that went into them, and I started pursing that aspect, specifically.

I always relied on drawings to help me realize certain complex characters and narratives, and I wanted to be stronger in it as a discipline as well. I also had a healthy interest in comics, illustration, and animation.

It all came together and it made sense to me, to pursue art in this way.

Q: Are you a student? Professional?

A: I've graduated from California State University Northridge. I am currently a freelancer, looking for more opportunities. I just wrapped up work on my first published game for Purple Car Studios. In my spare time, I am developing and pursuing personal projects.

Q: What would you consider your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

A: I believe my greatest strength is that I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the finished results. I like working and reworking, really refining a concept until it's exactly what I, or the client, wants.

I have a boundless amount of energy and imagination, I love the "blue-sky" period of designing, but I also like to go back and revisit things from a different perspective. I do everything in my power to offer something different, enjoyable, and unusual. I'm willing to try everything until something sticks. My strengths come from the fact that I love doing what I do.

I think the only real weakness I have is needing a lot of feedback. I'd prefer my process to be as apparent as possible, so I can immediately correct what doesn't work with the client, I like to send a lot of work-in-progress screenshots. I like having a working conversation with the client and asking a lot of questions, in as professional a manner as I possibly can.

Q: What programs do you use?

A: For 2D art: Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, SketchBook Pro, Clip Studio Paint. TVPaint, for storyboards or animatics.

For 3D: Maya and ZBrush.

For pixel art I use Piskel.

I am proficient in ToonBoom's StoryboardPro and I am familiar with Flash, and animating in TVPaint

Q: What is your process like?

A: If I’m concentrating on one design, and the design is complicated with an involved silhouette, I usually start with smaller sketches (I call these thumbnails or thumbs). Simple little scratchy things that help me decide on an overall shape and general idea of whatever I’m designing.

I'll keep sketching until I hit the mark and then refine one that I consider to have the qualities that I, or the client are looking for. Sometimes I will try to design a couple different characters or elements at once, filing up a sketch page until I get something that I feel works for what I want. This is the fun exploratory stuff and this is a part of every process on all mediums.

If I've done the sketches traditionally, I'll scan it and go over them, drawing the line-art in Clip Studio Paint. Still in Clip Studio, I'll block everything I want to color out in black, and add the colors in separate clipping layers, organizing and naming the layers as I go.

Paintings I start in a similar fashion: thumbnails to explore the perspective and concept, pick the best one, and refine it. That becomes the underlying drawing and I start painting over/on top of that.

Q: Why are there notes on your drawings?

A: They're either titles/names for characters or objects. I'm working out a design and I want to remember certain details to keep or change. Sometimes certain mechanical details are so complex, I might need to use arrows or comic panels to explain how they work.

I want my thumbnails and early attempts to be as clear and self-explanatory as possible.

Q: Do you take commissions? Requests? Art-Trades?

A: I'm more than happy to take commissions, and I can send you my PayPal link via email. I base prices on how long it takes me, by the hour. $15 an hour.

Requests are okay, but if it turns into something more involved, like a commission, than I'd prefer it to stay a commission (sorry). If you message me and say something like "Hey, you should draw more ____!" that's more of a request to me, and I can use that as constructive criticism.

I love art-trades and I am more than happy to do them! The fact that another artist has taken the time to make something for me (and vice-versa) means a lot to me.

Q: Are there any rules for commissions? Are there things you won't draw?

A: Not really, consider it anything goes. If you ask me to draw something that really bothers me to the point that I refuse to draw it, I will tell you right away that it's not going to work out, and we can discuss it and figure out a solution together.

I might ask for reference or detailed descriptions, etc. I expect to research whatever reference I might need on my own, but if you have any you can provide, I would appreciate it.

I'd like you, the client, to feel as relaxed with me as you possibly can be, just please don't be disrespectful.

Q: What artists inspire you?

A: There’s a lot, but these come to mind:

Yasushi Nirasawa, John Blanche, Clive Barker, Ralph McQuarrie, Collin Cantwell, Nilo-Rodis Jamero, Eyvind Earle, Bruce Timm, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Mike Mignola, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Gerald Brom, Syd Mead, H.R. Giger, Philippe Druillet, William Stout, Guillermo Del Toro, Q. Hayashida, and Gustave Moreau come to mind.