Well first of all, thank you for letting me choose more than one, as asking me to pick my favourite from the 150 cards I’ve worked on, that would be bordering on cruel. I can’t really respond to that off the cuff anymore, as there just are so many of them. The focus on design instead of end result is particularly relevant, as that’s what ultimately stays with me. Once the piece is finished, it’s finished. But I have some incredible memories with Magic. They’ve given me some of the best moments in my career.
I still remember when I was assigned Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Getting Chandra was like being given a present, and I don’t think they even realised it, as it made me think back to the time before I became a professional artist. I already knew Bricolot’s Chandra and the diverse ways she’s been represented by other artists. I already loved her. She’s super, she’s badass, and she made me dream of being an artist. So, when I was given Chandra, I thought to myself “There’s no way!” It was like being a kid again. I’ve worked for Magic since 2012, but the feeling is still the same for me, I still feel like a kid. When I work for them, which I constantly do, I never take it for granted. I always feel the same enthusiasm and passion.
I still remember the day when I was given that card. I remember the morning when I opened my phone to check my mail and I saw it in my inbox. It was a massive surprise, as you can never predict what you’re going to be given. It was a lovely moment. However, by no means was it an easy card, I put a lot of work into it. I was very invested in it, in the background, in the special effects; I put a lot of work into her clothing. I wanted to thank them for giving me Chandra, I wanted to put of care into it! It’s a piece that must have taken me around 45 hours to colour, it was a colossal job. It was great, and what’s more, it was for the Kaladesh expansion set. For me, and I still think this to this day, Kaladesh is my favourite plane; it’s the plane that made me stand out, and the one my art was most suited to. I almost felt like the plane had been made just to my liking. That Chandra was the perfect gift.
I also remember the convention when they revealed the card. I remember that it was Jimmy Wong who led Chandra’s presentation. There was a cosplayer who on stage and everything.
I knew that she was going to be unveiled that day. When I posted the art on my social media, it was like the floodgates opened. It’s truly the card that changed how popular I was in Magic; It had already begun with Narset, but with Chandra it was like an explosion. Even to this day, people still talk to me about that card all the time; I sign it constantly at GPs. It’s really a major piece in my Magic career.
Then, there were the two Vraskas. They are very dear to me since they coincided with my first concept push, that is to say the moment when Wizards contacted me to ask me if I wanted to do concept art for them. That was a fabulous moment in my career, as doing concept art was part of my long-term goals. But being self-taught, I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to do it since I didn’t have the years in school, nor the degrees to show that I could do concept art. Yet, Magic gave me the chance to do it and it’s worked out brilliantly as I’ve continued to do it since.
On Ravnica, I they rightly saw that I was suited to the Golgari Swarm (Green & Black) and that was absolutely fantastic. Those memories are indescribable to me. In addition, I was given two Vraskas to do — two planeswalker cards — which is always a massive thing for Magic artists. Being trusted to do a planeswalker is never insignificant. It was another huge gift for me.
Then, for the cards that are, let’s say, less glamorous, there are two pieces that I really like. Not a lot of people know them as they got a bit lost in the crowd. They were in the Amonkhet expansion. It’s a card that contains two paintings called Start and Finish. I love doing these sorts of pieces as they convey a narrative. The card depicts the beginning and end of a friendship. Things seem comfortable at first glance, but it ends with one assassinating the other. I think that I the reason it appeals to me stems from my background as a cover illustrator, which came through while I was working on that card.
These aren’t very flashy paintings, but I really like transmitting emotions through my work and it really offered a chance to say something. Narration truly lets you get something across.
I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of iconic cards. I’ve had a lot of characters and mythical creatures, and I’m very thankful for that. But that specific case was a bit more unique, as they were more intimate and narrative pieces. After all, when I talk about Start // Finish, players will normally have to look them up in Google since it’s not a card that immediately comes to mind.
And finally, I’m going to group a trio of cards together, Serra, Calix, and Klothys, who are three characters that I designed and I love them because of it, if nothing else. They’re my babies.
Yes. I should re-contextualise Serra because she only had quite a dated version available. It was all about giving her an up-to-date appearance. It was a complete redesign of her character, all whilst keeping some of the key elements that have been there from the start, like her long hair and her winged angel motif. But apart from that, I really had to recreate her and give her a new face, which was something I found marvellous. Khlotys and Calix are both characters that I created during the Theros concept push as they were a legendary creature and a planeswalker that hadn’t existed before. They had to be created completely from scratch. That was a great moment to experience as well.
For me, that isn’t a problem. I think that you can see it in my work; as soon as there’s hair and fabric, then you know it’s mine. I find it’s almost a Pavlovian response; I can’t stop myself from doing it. But the main thing was being able to create a new Theros god, which was the best, especially since the original gods of Theros were magnificent and I could make one of my own. Some people go on to win the World Cup, I created a god in Magic: The Gathering!
Yes, I often hear that when I talk to players. They tell me that there’s this movement in my work, that it’s graceful, and that my characters are elegant. You could say that it’s my trademark.
