2D Design and Illustration
This page showcases a selection of my hand-drawn and 2D designs, spanning work from high school, through community college, and into my time at Appalachian State University. Across these projects, I have explored a variety of mediums, techniques, and creative prompts, experimenting with composition and storytelling to develop both my technical skills and visual voice. Each piece reflects a stage in my growth as a designer and illustrates my ongoing interest in pushing ideas from concept to fully realized design.
Synthetic Noise
For this project, I challenged myself to create a convincing two-point perspective interior that feels grounded in a realistic, inhabitable space. I drew from my interest in guitars and music culture, and designed a detailed guitar shop filled with references to my favorite bands and musicians. Moving beyond a purely observational scene, I introduced a narrative element by incorporating a portal with a computer emerging through it, which is the only source of color in the composition. This contrast hints at my message for the piece, which is the evolving and, at times, disruptive influence of technology on music.
Ashen Keys
For this project, I challenged myself by working exclusively with charcoal, marking my first experience with the medium. Drawing from personal interest, I chose to replicate a piano located on Appalachian State’s campus, using the subject to explore form, value, and texture while developing a deeper understanding of charcoal as a tool for capturing depth and atmosphere.
App South
This piece was created spontaneously as a personal challenge to capture a complete scene in under one hour on an 18×22 format. The subject depicts the apartment complex where I lived during my time at Appalachian State, observed and drawn during a heavy snowfall. This exercise pushed me to work quickly and decisively, focusing on capturing atmosphere, composition, and essential details within a limited timeframe.
weird-mageddon
This project presents a fictional narrative grounded in a real-world perspective. The exterior scene depicts my hometown of Lincolnton overtaken by a surreal, apocalyptic landscape, incorporating recognizable elements such as local farmland and the historic courthouse. In contrast, the interior viewpoint is drawn directly from my bedroom window, anchoring the composition in a lived-in space. The entire piece was refined using fine-tip Sharpies, resulting in a clean, high-contrast aesthetic reminiscent of a coloring book, while maintaining intricate detail and visual clarity.
Color Wheel
For the final project in one of my courses at Gaston College, I designed and constructed a color wheel that merges color theory with a strong visual concept. Each section of the wheel is shaped as a sword, all converging toward the center in a composition inspired by the Knights of the Round Table. Within each segment, there is a primary hue, two tones, two shades, and its complementary color. As one of my most extensive painting projects, this piece strengthened my understanding of color interaction amongst acrylic paint.