Welcome to my website. I am an artist and illustrator working out of the Palm Springs area in Southern California. I was born and raised in California and absolutely love living here.
My work encompasses a variety of subjects from Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings to Major League Baseball and The Ultimate Fighting Championship. I have been very fortunate to work on these licenses and pursue a career creating artwork depicting some of our culture’s most iconic characters.
I attended the Art Institute of California – San Diego where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Animation. At the time I was determined to become a traditional 2D animator. Once I graduated I came to the harsh realization that CG animation was king, and the days of hand drawn pencil and paper feature animation no longer had a place in film. It is my hope that one day it will make a comeback.
I found that 3D and Flash animation, while incredible and extremely difficult, didn’t ignite the same passion that I got from the hand drawn stuff. This caused me to re-evaluate my options and eventually I started down the long and exciting road of commercial illustration.
Starting small (literally) I found work fast and often with sketch cards. Small 2.5″ x 3.5″ original pieces that companies like Topps and Upperdeck would commission from artists. Eventually I had enough of those sets under my belt to feel comfortable moving on the larger pieces and expanding the dimensions of my work and the possibilities of what could be done with it. In the Fall of 2014 I was accepted to participate as an official Lucasfilm artist in the upcoming Star Wars Celebration show held in Anaheim. Once I got word that I was accepted I decided to dedicate all my time to creating larger pieces, to break away from the small work and to continuously strive to improve my skills and continue to push the limits of my comfort zones.
I find myself writing this just a few days after Celebration has ended and I am more excited than ever for the future. Upcoming projects I have in mind include more licensed work, a personal Kickstarter campaign, and several conventions next year. I would love it if you were to come back and see what’s new and if your an artist, or just a fan, please feel free to contact me and share your story – I LOVE meeting new people and hearing about their passions and seeing their work. Art is a labor of love and when I meet like minded people I get inspired.
I hope you find something that inspires you here and thank you for stopping by.
-Brandon Kenney
