Q: Are you available for commissions?
A: Yes! Sometimes there's a list, and sometimes there is no wait. Please inquire. I am aware of many artists who will take your money and make you wait for many months, or even years, for a completed commission. Not me. I require payment only when I can guarantee a 30-day turnaround on your commission; only then will I ask for a 50% deposit, with the remainder due upon completion.
Q: What are the tools of your trade?
A: It varies by the type of work, of course. For some pen and ink projects, I use a Winsor & Newton Series 7 round #2 brush on Bienfang or Strathmore Bristol Plate. If it's too much hassle to get out the actual india ink (based on location, size, or time), I will use Pigma Micron pens and brush pens. For ink washes, I use Higgins non-waterproof ink and dilute it with water. For sketch card work, I typically ink with Pigma Microns, lay down grayscale with Copic Markers (neutral grays), and then add color over the grays, mainly with Copic Markers, but sometimes with acrylic paint. For Acrylics, I use Liquitex Professional Artists Color and Matte Medium; for watercolor, I use Winsor & Newton Artists' Water Colour. For digital work, I use a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet on a Mac Pro desktop, running Adobe's CS5 software. For pencil work, I swear by my trusty 20 year old Pentel .5mm mechanical pencil -- I just love the way it feels in my hand.
Q: What is your favorite medium to work in?
A: Pen and ink. I'm fascinated by the simplicity of what it is: pure black and white. Yet with that simplicity, works of such exquisite complexity can be created through different styles such as hatching and stippling. I'm also drawn to the precision and care required in working with India ink -- it's about as unforgiving a medium as there is (okay, so maybe chiseling into stone is even less forgiving).
Q: Who are your favorite artists?
A: Joseph Clement Coll, Franklin Booth, Alan Davis, Steve Rude, Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Dave Stevens, David Mazzucchelli, Steve Hanks, Thomas Blackshear, Bill Watterson.
Q: How did you get your name as a domain?
A: There are two ways to do this: 1) buy your domain name in 1996, or 2) have a ridiculous name like Chachi Hernandez. I went with option 2.
Q: You're an idiot.
A: That's not a question.
Q: Fine. You're an idiot?
A: Quite possibly.
Q: Have you always been a good artist?
A: I don't think so. My early work in Crayola is quite rudimentary. So I'd definitely say that I'm not some sort of artistic savant or anything. There's a spectrum from no artistic talent to amazing artistic talent, and I'd certainly fall in the top half of natural ability, but not that close to the very top end. That said, I believe art is as much a skill as a natural talent, and I have worked hard for many years to refine my craft and hone the natural talent that I do have.
