Hi, I'm Russ.
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I’m a Canadian-based realist painter, illustrator, and multi-disciplinary designer. I blend my background in fine art and architectural design with my lifelong passion for cinema to create alternative movie posters and pop-culture-themed illustrations with a painterly approach.
My art is traditionally hand-drawn and painted with real materials. I do this because I love the physicality of making art. I also hope that this physical-world creativity and showing my artistic hand provides a bit of intrigue for viewers in this increasingly digital world.
My primary creative goal is to design and create officially licensed artwork for entertainment brands, pop-culture galleries, and publications, including movie, television, and sports-related content.
If you like what you see in my portfolio and have a project
you think would be a good fit - I'd love to hear from you!
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You can also follow me on Instagram and Letterboxd at links below:
Poster Making Process
My traditional hand-painted illustration work is done on white or black illustration boards using Liquitex Acrylic Gouache. A finish layer of coloured pencils (Caran d’Ache Luminance) is applied to render the final image.
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The completed artwork is then photographed and imported into Photoshop. Depending on the poster, I may add a few digital layers or enhancements at the end to bring it to life. This could involve color-grading or texturing layers in Photoshop over the original painting to achieve a specific graphic effect. Titles and billing blocks are added as digital layers at the end.
Video: Making the 13 Assassins Poster (2024)