This is my favorite work to do. Developing a character and making them come to life is my professional happy place. I work fast and loose at this stage, looking for the expressions and gestures that really define the character and bring them to the surface. I've been trained to do classic turnarounds and model sheets for 2D animation as well as blueprint turnarounds for 3D modeling. 

This is a comic strip me and my copywriting partner, Tanner, came up with about a kid in high school who always feels out of place... It doesn't help that he's the only human in a school of fish.

Spectrum is a personal project my buddy Laz and I dreamed up... it serves as sort of a playground to practice my sequential storytelling. Every once in awhile when my schedule dies down I'll do another page just for fun.

The story is about a group of friends who get super powers from aliens.

This was another practice project my buddy Luke and I pick up every once in awhile. For this project, we didn't actually figure out a story, we just started drawing without knowing what the next page would be.

As a comic book nerd, sequential storytelling is really fun for me and something I've spent a lot of personal time studying and perfecting. I love opportunities to visualize a story and look for ways to add layers and meaning to the scenes and actions I am depicting.

I am most familiar with developing shooting boards for animated content -- These are typically looser drawings that are meant to communicate stage direction and even help to plan out asset creation when moving into production. I have also done pitch boards at various degrees of fidelity with more of an intent to sell in an idea or script.

There is a special kind of OCD that motivates logo designers. I only have a small amount of this and enjoy the occasional logo or word-mark challenge. 

I have a specialty in "comic book" style illustration, but I consider myself a jack of all styles. I'm pretty sure I can crack or mimic any look my client is going for and I am familiar in a variety of different mediums and techniques, both traditional and digital. Trained as an animator, I also naturally work really fast.

I think of my own illustration style as fluid and loose, a little grungy and textured, with a lot of movement and energy to the line work and overall gestures of my characters.

Here are just some doodles and brain farts, most drawn while in boring meetings.

While my heart belongs to drawing, creating, and animating, graphic design is sorta like my mistress -- It's fun to fool around with, but I don't ever want to be committed to doing it for the rest of my life.

That metaphor may have gotten away from me...

I really like puzzles and brain games -- from simple crosswords to spending an entire weekend at a Microsoft Puzzle Hunt event. I've brought this interest through to my clients who are looking to create engaging and memorable experiences for their most loyal fanbase through a variety of projects that include ARGs, Scavenger Hunts or just a clever Easter Egg for those paying attention.

One of my favorite projects like this was for Acer America's Predator line of computers where I helped create 21 unique puzzles, released over 21 days, for the chance to win one of their new 21X gaming computers.

See if you can solve some of my favorites with the clues below.

Puzzle Designer/Graphic Designer - Devon Harris
Puzzle Designer - Matt Kuphaldt

21X HUNT

#3 - When hunting for animals, the first thing you should pay attention to is its size

#4 - Rules for survival if you are the prey: stick together and avoid crossing paths with any predators

#9 - Sink your jaws around this puzzle to find a predator

#10 - Take IT one step at a time and I'll tell you where to go

#11 - This map will help you find the path to eliminating the horrors that prey on your fears. When all the evil is gone, what are you left with?

#13 - Follow the food chain to the answer

#14 - In order to hunt these un-earthly predators, periodically try adding the element of surprise

#18 - Look for abominations made by genetic splicing -- Ultimately, leading to the answer for how humans will go extinct.

#19 - Can't you see that fierce look in his eyes? You'd have to be blind to try and touch this predator

WORLDS HUNT

#2 - As the Barbarian enters the dungeon, he must step precisely to find the right spell that will help him escape. Maybe this inscription will help:
D-D-AW-S-S-SD-WD-WD-S-WA-SA-W-SD-S-A-W-S-WD-W-W-WD-S-SD-A-WD-W-SA-D-WA-A-A-S

#4 - To find the entrance to the coliseum, answer these 12 riddles:
1) A famous gladiator who turned down freedom 4 times
2) Hook-like bone in the hand
3) IV in Spanish
4) Roman hero Horatious who lost his eye in battle
5) A dojo’s master
6) Politician who built the Roman Empire
7) When an army breaks through your walls
8) Fantastic
9) Iconic food of Columbia
10) Bonus material
11) Scottish warrior clan pattern
12) Skinny latte

#8 - An Assassin, a Ninja, and a Warrior walk into a tavern. They can not speak openly about where they hid the treasure, so they decided to play a game of darts instead.

#11 - The winner faces a lass -- the good kind every pirate needs.

#12 - Only one sword can penetrate the king's magic shield... They say (Influencer) has such a sword, but it's useless unless you have a spell. Maybe the runes on the edge of the shield count for something?