Greetings NERDs, did you miss me? I apologize for being away for the past week, but my workload was tripled so I needed to rest in between gigs. Anyway, don’t think I was thinking about my fellow Nerds while I was away. I have been cranking some serious interviews and trying to make new contacts for new surprises for you guys and gals.
Today, I have a real treat for you. I have an interview with a very talented individual. You may have seen him at a convention or at least you have seen his art when you have played your Lord of the Rings or Star Wars card games. The artist interview that I am about to share is with Pink Havok aka Blake Henriksen and he is very talented. I have posted his artwork before, and I am sure I will do so again in the near future. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my interview with the one and only Blake Henriksen.
1. For our readers who may not know, who are you and where are you from?
Well my name is Blake Henriksen and I’m a freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist living in Denver, CO.
2. What inspired you to become an artist?
I always enjoyed drawing since I was a young child when my Grandmother introduced me to it. So in that sense I suppose she inspired me to become an artist in general. However, as far as doing art as a career I think that goes back to the early 90’s and my love of comic books. Comic legends like Jim Lee, Rob Liefield and Todd McFarlane were probably my greatest influences in pushing me towards the worlds of comic and fantasy art.
3. I love your artwork! My favorite piece of yours so far is Deadpool. Do you have a favorite?
Thanks! I’m glad you like Deadpool; he’s always a fan favorite! As far as my favorite piece, that’s hard to say. I don’t know if I really have one. I usually like my newest piece for a little bit but then that goes out the door when I start seeing areas I could’ve done better in. By that time I’m usually on to the next piece anyways so the process just starts all over again lol!
4. I also know that you have worked on the Lord of the Rings trading card game from the company Fantasy Flight. How did that opportunity present itself?
There really wasn’t anything special about how I started doing work for Fantasy Flight Games. I just sent in my portfolio through their website, they liked my work and I was contacted by their awesome Art Director Zoe Robinson and the rest is history!
5. Do you have a favorite card that you have drawn for a game?
I’d say my favorite card that I’ve done was for Star Wars The Card Game was this one of an Ewok riding a speeder bike through Endor.
6. Do you have anything you would like to promote right now?
The biggest things I’d like to promote right now are my Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/pinkhavok
I’d also like to promote my Etsy page, where you can buy prints of my work at: www.etsy.com/shop/PinkHavok
7. What is your favorite project that you have done?
My favorite project that I’ve done would have to be working on Star Wars The Card Game. Mostly because it was just so much fun to do licensed work on such a big property which was a huge part of my childhood.
8. When you are not illustrating, what do you do in your down time?
When I’m not illustrating I’m usually spending time with my wife and our dog Bravo, going for walks or hikes, practicing Karate, or even doing some yoga.
9. What advice do you have for those trying to get in the business of illustrating?
Probably the biggest advice I can give for someone who wants to get into the business of illustrating is that making it in art is something that takes time. You have to be committed to the long haul. It mostly likely won’t happen quickly (though you might get lucky) but will take time and lots of practice and effort. Art is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
10. Where can my readers see your art?
The best way to see my art is to visit my Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/pinkhavok or my deviantart page at www.pinkhavok.deviantart.com
Do yourself a favor and check out Blake’s other pages, his artwork is amazing!
