Professional Experience
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Freelance Illustrator (2007 - Present)
Poster art, Apparel Graphic design, Logos and Live Art for various clients including Yahoo!, Zazzle, Samsung, Gama-Go, Campari America and Education.com.
Working in traditional media and digitally (2D) to create artwork that reflects and enhances brands, conveys abstract ideas.
Freelance Live Art Events Producer (Jan. 2014 - Present)
Coordinating and Promoting live art events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Building community among artists and brand loyalty at Zerofriends SF, Folsom Street Foundry, 111 Minna and more.
Taking advantage of all avenues of promotion from social media to Guerrilla tactics. My ability to quickly design and illustrate engaging flyers, posters, and Instagram images means I can cover all aspects of promotion.
Designer: Goorin Bros. (Feb. 2013 - Jan. 2014)
Designer of hats as part of Goorin Brothers' artist collaborative line, 1333 Minna. Creating illustrated elements, patterns and textile designs, integrating them with appealing materials and shapes.
Heading design work on high-end hats in collaboration with freelance artists. Curating a fresh line-up of Internationally known artists, gathering imagery and integrating artwork into appealing and fashion-forward headwear.
Game Artist: IGT (contract) (June 2012 - August, 2012)
Responsible for localization of game assets for on-line slot games, converting user interfaces (Flash) from English language to fifteen other languages
Requires a designer's eye, incredible organizational skills and attention to detail.
Instructor, Photoshop: Academy of Art University (June 2011–Dec. 2011)
On-campus Instructor of Illustration 133: Photography and Digital Imaging, a foundation course on Adobe Photoshop and the basics of digital photography for illustrators. Responsible for lectures, demonstrations, grading and feedback.
Instructor for on-line version of Photography and Digital Imaging. On-line art courses require overseeing students from all over the world with varying backgrounds ages, and skill levels, and managing their progress remotely.
Being an Instructor is similar to an Art Director roll. Offering students guidance, structure, feedback, stories, and inspiration.
Concept Artist/ 2D Game Artist: LOLapps (Sep. 2010 - Feb. 2011)
Creator of concept art and game-ready assets for Ravenwood Fair, a critically acclaimed and commercially successful Facebook game.
Requires constant, clear communication with the Art Director, Animators and Game Developers to ensure I am creating assets that fit the look and feel of the game, and that they are flowing smoothly with the production pipeline.
Apparel Graphic Designer / Owner: Ben Walker's Snake Oil (Feb. 2007- Aug. 2010)
Designer of high quality T-shirts that are printed in limited editions and sold on-line, at conventions, and boutiques.
A major exhibitor at San Diego Comic-con (and similar conventions), creation of compelling booth designs, displays and marketing. Commanding attention in the midst of major film, television and pop-culture companies.
EDUCATION:
B.F.A. Academy of Art University, San Francisco, Illustration/2D Animation major
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign, Dreamweaver, After Effects). Excel, Mac, Windows, and iOS platforms.
OTHER PROJECTS:
Grown Ass Geek: Creator of GrownAssGeek.com, an illustrated style blog for men who "may own some action figures". The blog features interviews with stylish geek as well as viral-friendly, illustrated fashion tips.
Westify is my Free-mium mobile app for iPhone. Users can add illustrated elements like character heads, paws, six-shooters, and props then share photos via social media. Creation of Westify involved creating over 80 hand-drawn, digitally colored graphic elements as well all UI elements. Available on iTunes. Produced in collaboration with 99CentBrains.
Pompsicle: Creator of Pompsicle, a series of weekly life drawing events featuring live models in costume or street style. Director and Stylist for each session, moderating events, directing models, and advising artists in attendance. Pompsicle drawing sessions have taken place in Sacramento art galleries, The California Auto Museum, and the Crocker Art Museum.
