This isn't my first introductory post, but since I have gained a good number of followers since I joined a month ago I thought it would be good to let people know a little about me. I'll keep it simple and casual.

The Historical Facts

My name is James Arthur Ville Henry. I shorten my middle name to "Art" and go by James Art Ville as my artist name. I can't believe I didn't use this pen name sooner. While in high school I went by the nickname Jums, but that's another story. I live in the United States. Southern Oregon to be more precise.

I work from home as a graphic designer and digital illustrator. My current client is a company called GunSkins. If you like hunting or shooting guns, you should really check them out. Otherwise, I illustrate freelance on the side. I have a few books published, as an illustrator. The most notable is the Raising Dragons Graphic Novel, which was adapted from Bryan Davis' book of the same name.

What Inspires Me

When it comes to art, I admire and follow all kinds of styles and artists. I appreciate the fine arts, but my love for technology and geek culture draws my attention to the fantasy, cartoon, comic book, and anime art. My own style is still a work of progress, but it pulls inspiration from both Western/American comics and cartoons and Eastern/Japanese manga and anime. I like to keep my lines clean and smooth, but I do draw noses and round out my chins.

My favorite series include Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Young Justice, Teen Titans, and Dragon Ball Z. I also spend my free time playing Nintendo, with a preference for the big titles like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, and Star Fox. I think Super Smash Bros. Melee is the greatest game of all time.

How I Create Art

Like most kids, I started drawing young. I mean, what four year old isn't an artist? Give them a crayon and a piece of paper and watch the magic happen. Luckily for me, my fascination for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series of the 1980's inspired me to keep creating art and to draw my favorite characters. In high school I started scanning my drawings into Adobe Photoshop and I began making digital art for the first time. It was crude and I relied too heavily on filters to make my art look better than it was. Because I am primarily self-taught, I had to live and learn.

Nowadays, I use a Wacom Mobilestudio Pro 16 and Clip Studio Paint EX to create my artwork. Throughout the years I have experimented using so many different techniques to draw, color, shade, and style my drawings. I still like to change things up occasionally, but cel-style shading is my preferred technique. It's very fitting for both graphic novels and web comics.

I take on commissions and the occasional request throughout the year. I consider myself a storyteller in my heart and it would be a dream come true if I had the time and funding available to tell my stories in the form of graphic novels. With the help of my wife, who is a writer, I know they could be something great! In the meantime, I continue working for big companies to pay the bills and I draw something on the side if I find the time.