Welcome to The Nonstndrd Process 16! This installment is all about my new, limited run zine, “Character Arc” and the evolution of my drawings over the years. Putting it together got me reflecting about my personal journey as an artist. My style goes back to the days of skateboards, black books, and the L.A. graffiti scene of the 90's. It's quite a story and this zine is a great representation of that evolution. But first, here are the details:

Character Arc is a limited run zine featuring 30 drawings created from 2012 to 2023. It is 8.5" x 5.5", saddle stitched and 34 pages in total (including covers). Each zine in this run of 10 is signed, numbered, and comes with a 4" X 6" vinyl sticker. Available now at the Nonstndrd Creative Store.

I've been drawing characters for a long, long time. I remember being inspired by skateboard graphics, local murals, and some of the older kids that I hung out with at the time. This was during the period when many of the older skaters in the neighborhood got into graffiti and started tagging crews. A few of them were really great artists and I gravitated towards them. Afternoon drawing sessions passing around piece books, reading Subway Art by Henry Chalfant & Martha Cooper, and watching Style Wars (on VHS) quickly became the norm. I can trace a straight line from the work that I do now back to those idyllic Los Angeles afternoons.

Those days were truly the origin of my drawing style. I love the simple presentation and clean aesthetic of ink drawings. Over the years this style became what I was known for and I began experimenting with different mediums as the style evolved. Acrylic paint, markers, watercolors, and much more were added to my toolbox. I drew small pieces and painted large ones, eliminating extraneous elements until faces and portraits were all that remained. And from there, I began drawing people that I saw on my daily commute. This body of work is a reflection of the L.A. I know and the people make it special.

I've been itching to put together a simple zine with my line drawings for a while. Ironically, I've been making this type of work for so long that I sort of took it for granted. It wasn't until I started designing the zine that I saw the way my work has changed over the years. The progression became clear once the drawings were presented together.

The illustrations in Character Arc are my favorites from one of my most productive periods, beginning in 2012 before I started a family and running through 2023. Although my art started moving in a new direction in 2020 at the start of the pandemic (who's didn't?), these drawings are still the foundation.