1) It is great to meet you again and thanks a lot for helping to get a full signed collection of your cards: they look amazing when you see all of them together. I know you have been working on Disney Lorcana for more than 3 years now and I was wondering how the overall journey has been so far? What do you think your latest cards would say to the first ones you illustrated?
It's been amazing to have this experience and I've been blessed to work with so many incredible people across the project. I was thinking about this the other day, I have all my cards displayed in my office, I love them. Seeing how much my artwork has developed over this short period of time, I’d like to think my latest cards would say “Look how far you've already come, and how far you will go in the future”.
It’s super motivating as I’m always on an artistic journey to learn more and keep growing in my field. It’s fantastic being in an environment full of so many wonderful artists and being inspired by them along the way.
2) And what can you tell us about your most recent cards from Disney Pixar Toy Story we have seen in Set 12?
I am so, so, excited about the Toy Story cards. Toy Story is one of my very favourite films, my sister and I had all the toys growing up. We even had a cute Toy Story blanket and would set them all up, watch the film and play together all the time. I really loved drawing those cards and reliving the memories, they were just a dream!
3) As you know, I had the pleasure to reveal one of your cards for set 11. I noticed both cards you illustrated for that set are from The Black Cauldron. How was the experience of drawing Taran in both cards?
A very fun challenge! I adore the film and its strong fantasy roots, I remember being enamoured as a child as it was the first time I’d seen imagery like that. For these two cards I aimed to create the feeling they are happening consecutively. With Taran you can see him running quickly through an Amethyst cave as if being followed. Next, in Swordplay you can see the cave is now teeny tiny in the background as the Gwythaint has caught up with him and they’re ready to face each other!
It was so fun capturing the feeling of motion across 2 cards, when you look at them side by side, you can really feel the momentum of the story beat in the original film where Taran and the Gwythaint come face to face for the first time.
4) I noticed that Lorcana has a very defined visual identity. The artwork on some cards has to match the one on the original Disney movies, while some others cards have completely original designs to link to the game story. How it was working on such different card styles?
It’s really fun, It's a privilege to be able to draw Storyborn characters in their most authentic form, making sure all the details are perfect and true to how we all love and adore them. Equally it’s very special to work on cards with costumes that are bespoke to Lorcana. Dreamborn and Floodborn characters, as they're a totally new and exciting way to see the characters! While still presented in a way that aligns with their nature and personality.
5) We know storytelling in Disney Lorcana is a very important part of the game. Have you ever added tiny storytelling details into your cards or hidden some Mickey Mouse symbols thinking no-one will notice?
I really love drawing action cards! There’s so much opportunity to delve into all the tiny details and depict more complex scenes. Especially with songs, you can really make a scene feel alive, like a shot from animation! In “Don't Be Nervous” for example; the dwarves are shocked the vine has crashed into the bridge; and you can see all their different personalities shining through as they emote to the scene. If you look even closer, you might notice all of the tiny animals as well. A worried little bunny hiding by Snow White, and the birds flying over, trying to understand what's going on.
I love the idea that people can have fun discovering and more and more the longer they look at my cards. And I hope it creates the experience of seeing something new you hadn’t noticed before, when they pop up while playing games of Disney Lorcana!
6) Speaking of details, you illustrated one of the first cards that were turned into the new Epic Rarity ("Be King Undisputed"). How you felt when you heard about it?
It was such a fun surprise. I think I’ve mentioned before, “Be King Undisputed” was one of my favourite cards, and still is! So having it also be one of the first Epic cards was super, super special to me. The first time I ever saw it in person was at a show when someone brought it over for me to sign. Them being able to see how excited I was looking at the new treatment for the very first time was such a great moment, we loved it.
7) I remember when we first met at the release of set three you said Be King Undisputed was your favourite card among those featured in the set. After working on so many cards, may I ask which one would you say you love the most and why now?
I have a place in my heart for all of the cards I’ve illustrated, each one was its own special journey, so I adore all of them. But I would have to say some of my favourites at the moment are the ones I made for set 12, Wilds Unknown. I had so much fun among them all and pushed myself to learn a lot of new skills to realise my vision. I'm really proud of how they all came out.
8) I know I am not the only player that loves to meet the artists and get their cards signed and you will definitely see tonnes of them today at UKGE. How do you find interacting with all the Disney Lorcana fans during the events?
It's been fantastic, I absolutely love meeting all the fans. One of the things I love the most is chatting with people and hearing their stories about Lorcana, how they interact with the game and what it’s brought to them. I absolutely love hearing people talk about their wins, losses, who they wanna beat, what kind of decks they're building and their favourite cards at the moment, especially when they are my cards, haha!
I also adore hearing how much both Disney and Disney Lorcana means to people, especially for children. I’ve had a lot of children visit me to say how they aspire to be artists in the future, too. Being part of that journey and inspiring them is something that's always incredibly dear to my heart.
