Cubebrush's newest seller, Lane, has worked in the game industry as a freelance illustrator for 10 years. He currently teaches a digital painting class online, and is working on a variety of creative projects. A lot of his spare time is spent drawing with charcoal.  

When did your career in art start?

I enjoyed art all throughout my youth, but it was only during my college years that I started to get serious about it as a career. I made a personal goal to post one finished image every week, no matter how simple or complex. That’s helped me to develop my skills more than any formal art classes, and it opened the door to a steady amount of commissioned work. I still enjoy doing book cover and tabletop game illustrations whenever I have time. 

Do any artists inspire you? Why? 

Many artists inspire me, but I’ll just name a few of my favorites from history. Walter Everett was a prodigious, though often troubled, Golden Age illustrator who created some of the most romantic paintings I’ve ever seen. I love the flat simplicity of his shape design, and the intricate beauty of his compositions.

John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn are two that I often group together because they both appeal to me for the bravura and mastery of their brushwork.

I frequently do master studies of J.C. Leyendecker because the incredible design of his work has no equal. He put so much thought and consideration into every square inch of his illustrations, so compared to many other artists, there is a lot of knowledge to be gained from each study. 

I must mention Andrew Loomis who’s books provided a firm foundation for my training as an artist. Glen Orbik passed away only a few years ago. He is one of my biggest inspirations in regards to charcoal drawing.  He knew how to create images with both subtle beauty and bold impact. 

What would you say is your style of art? 

I’m not very conscious of my personal style, at least not while I’m working. However, my aim is to create work that has a timeless appeal, like so many of the artists from history that I admire.

Why? 

I’m fascinated by the beautiful, often subtle, aspects of life that transcend the ages. Perhaps that’s why I rarely draw subjects in modern settings. Most of my work is either set in fantasy or historically-inspired worlds. 

While I do often draw portraits and figures from life, I tend to avoid overt time and place context.  Beyond that, I wish for my work to look like it was fun to create. I want to avoid tedious and laborious-looking detail. Sometimes I’m successful in that pursuit, sometimes not.

What made you decide to create brush packs? 

I love the feeling of drawing with a charcoal pencil on smooth newsprint paper.  For me, it’s one of the most satisfying mediums because it allows for both expressive bold strokes and fine precision lines. 

So when I started using Procreate on the iPad, I wanted to see if I could replicate that feeling as much as possible with digital brushes. 

My goal was to create a set of brushes that would allow me to use the same techniques that I use on paper.  

While of course you can’t capture the exact same feel when drawing on a slick glowing screen, I am actually very impressed with the results.  In many cases it’s truly difficult to tell which drawings were done with real charcoal and which were made with Procreate.

http://cbr.sh/ld9qgt http://cbr.sh/j9atym

How are they different from other brush packs?

I designed these brush packs to match my personal way of working with charcoal and other dry media.  There may be many great brush packs out there, but no others are fine-tuned for these specific traditional techniques.  It’s been great to see that so many other artists happen to love them too!

Can you tell us what the future holds? 

I intend to do more and more teaching in the future. I have plans to create video lessons on a variety of subjects, but especially on my approach to drawing portraits and figures. 

Follow Lane on social here.