I was born in Alexandria VA on Feb. 16, 1988. I grew up in the Washington DC area until I was five. Even then I remember liking to draw things I saw in the capital. The Washington monument, the government helicopters, the fighter jets that flew over my house each day. (That was pretty freaking cool for a five year old boy.)

        I watched cartoons a lot. Among my favorites were The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Captain Planet, Transformers, Tailspin, Darkwing Duck, and Reboot. This was the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons. Unrestricted violence!

        In 1992 I moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland which is sort of half rich people, and half working class people. In my early elementary school years, I won several local art contests with cash prizes, which got me hooked on art at an early age.

        In middle school I drew things from imagination, mostly science fiction inspired by things like Star Wars, Star Trek, and the writings of Isaac Asimov. Yes, I was a dork. Cartoons were still a big part of my life. I moved on to watching more mature shows like Batman, Superman, Animaniacs. Also classics like the Jetsons, the Flintstones, Tom and Jerry, and the Looney Tunes.

        Comics were also an interest. Among my favorites were Calvin and Hobbes, Fox trot, and The Far Side. All of these inspired me to draw. I didn’t know about web comics yet.

        In high school I pursued both graphic art and fine art. Junior year I wrote three 20-page comic book short stories. I also began to take figure-drawing classes. Which helped me get accepted to a Pre-college program at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the summer. There I earned a college credit in Graphic Design, 3D Animation, and Art History. Senior year, I got more serious and expanded my horizons further. I continued figure drawing, as well as Graphics 3 and Advanced Portfolio in school. I was able to have work was published on the cover of the school arts and literary magazine. The School paper gave me the opportunity to publish a monthly cartoon, as well as several illustrations. My fine art won me a Gold Key an honorable mention, and a Portfolio Gold Key in the Regional Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards. In graphics I became proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere.

        I graduated with honors from Shaker Heights High School and received a sizable scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design, where I am now a sophomore. I am majoring in animation, with a minor in sequential art (comics). My college does not know I run this site.

        I like to travel. I’ve gone with my supportive family to see the work of the old art masters. I’ve traveled to The National Gallery, the Hershorn Museum, and the many galleries of New York City. My more exotic trips were to St. Petersburg Russia to see the largest art museum in the World, the Hermitage. Recently I also toured most of the museums and ruins in The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

        This year, I continue work as a cartoonist when I’m not occupied with schooling writing the New Napkinz series. With the help of my web designer, we are constantly trying to make this site the best it can be. Thank you for reading Napkinz!