Neopets

My first childhood exposure to the world of art, comics and stories where they were not just books in a store, and my first community outside of school. It was foundational to come of age with ordinary peers in my generation who were being creative for fun, just like I was.

Shaun Tan

The model of how I want my career to be. Considered, thoughtful, personal art-making; warm and personable; mostly private and studio-driven yet critically and commercially successful.

Emily Carroll

Carroll's ambitious, artistic and form-breaking gothic comics influenced the core of how I approach comics as a visual storytelling form, especially in webcomics. My belief in webcomics as a freeing, experimental medium and in the loveliness of flat, stylised art, came from Carroll.

Hanna is Not a Boy's Name

Tess Stone's page design, stylised art, use of typography and bending of the form are the strongest and clearest influences of the way I draw and approach comics as a visual art.

James Jean

Bold, impactful compositions. Something about the way he planned his illustrations satisfied my brain.

Chris Riddell

Gorgeous, appealing linework and a quirky, whimsical style. Always a joy to look at his art. His writing is equally delightful.

Neil Gaiman

Gaiman's The Graveyard Book showed me that I too could tell stories that are entirely based on what I love (gothic, literary, gentle). His writing, especially his short stories and children novellas, were influential during my adolescence. I have moved on now, but am still grateful for the internal affirmation his works provided.

Josh Groban

The longest and most constant artistic presence. Not a direct influence, but all of his music has been present in the background while I draw and write, in all of the phases of my life. I really love sitting in the audioscape that he carves for himself (the melancholic, sweet, hopeful longing of adult love, mature and sweet) and want to evoke a similar type of space in my work.

Artist Statement
Early Influence
Midcareer Influence
Craft Philosophies
Process & Tools
RETROSPECTIVE
Portrait of an Artist