Vertex 2024 speaker: learn new art skills from creature designer Brynn Metheney

"I grew up in the Mojave desert of Southern California and I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so I've always been a desert rat. Growing up in the desert, you appreciate just how adaptive lifeforms can be. The animals and plants are their most rugged versions. 

"I think being a child, playing around in the cactus and rocks gave me a huge appreciation for wildlife and nature. A lot of that fascination plays into my work today. I love incorporating evolution and history into my work."

I was given a How to Draw Big Cats book as a child and I was obsessed with the drawings and paintings in that book. I spent hours tracing the images inside until I was able to reproduce them from memory. The learned muscle memory of that gave way to drawing from observation. 

"Even as a kid, I liked the challenge in art. I think a lot of my motivation comes from accomplishing technique. I find a lot of joy in learning about anatomy, understanding poses and movement and learning color and light. It's never-ending and I like that I will never master it. It keeps it interesting!" 

I really like the Railroad Ghost that I illustrated for my book, Barren Lands. I wanted to capture something that felt frightening and powerful. I also wanted it to have abstract qualities to it while having hints of familiarity. I don't often illustrate abstract ideas; I am pretty literal, even when I'm expressing an idea. However, I think I was able to accomplish my goals in that piece.

Your dreams will shift and evolve. I think I had a lot of pressure as a young person to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. A lot of us do. I think it's important to embrace change and evolution in ourselves and our work. Sometimes you reach your goal and realize that it's not all there is. You could want to pivot or grow into something related or not related and I think that should be celebrated.