Calm and Comfort: An Interview With Hawai’i Artist Brady Evans

A few years ago in a little bookstore tucked away in a small neighborhood on O'ahu, I attended an art session led by Brady Evans, an artist whose light-woven and colorful art never fails to charm. Since then, I've seen his art in various local shops, at conventions, and beyond that – in a collaboration with Bungie to a recent personal project where the sky's the limit. Recently, on behalf of SUPERJUMP, I had the opportunity to sit down with him and chat about his journey and how our histories can help us grow, as artists and people.

SUPERJUMP

Thanks for the chance to chat with you, Brady! How did you start your journey as an artist? Is it something you always wanted to pursue full-time?

Brady Evans

Thanks for having me! I’ve been working as a freelance artist for over 15 years now, but I’ve loved drawing since I was in elementary school. My first gig was doing illustrations for a local magazine right after I graduated high school, and as I started attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as an art major. It was a good introduction to learning how an illustration can contribute to and enhance the contents of an article. They also gave me a lot of creative freedom, so I got to experiment with different styles and techniques over the 2 ½ years I worked for them.

After I graduated with my BFA, for over a decade, I had a career working in museums and galleries, as an independent curator and later as a collections manager (a position responsible for the care and maintenance of art in a museum’s collection) where I worked with art from a variety of cultures. I learned so much from handling and being in such close contact with these objects; it helped fill my mental library with all sorts of ideas, which fed into my personal artwork and projects. I was always drawing, showing my work in exhibitions, selling my art at events and conventions, and taking on freelance work during the weekends, and while I loved working in the museum world, I wanted to try giving my art my full attention.

SUPERJUMP

Could you tell me a little about how Hawaii has influenced your art? Your creations are featured frequently in shops around Oahu, and I myself have been a fan for some time now. What is your process, and how have you noticed your evolution over the years in terms of what inspires you and what you find yourself drawn to creating? 

Brady Evans

Thank you for your support! Hawaiʻi is my home, where I was born and raised and where generations of my family have called home. It is a very special place to me. I think the influence Hawaiʻi has had on my work is something I’m only now beginning to understand. I’ve always loved studying my surroundings, like the way the light falls on different surfaces or the varying colors of different plants. I’m also multiracial and grew up with family members and friends of various cultures and backgrounds. All of these things contributed not only to my visual style but to my creative process as well.

For my personal work, a painting often starts with a small image that pops into my head. At this stage, it’s more about the feeling and mood rather than anything specific, like colors or costume. From there I do thumbnail sketches on paper to lay out the composition, scan it in, and refine it digitally. I have a general idea of color during the early stages, but I tend to decide on colors as I work out the specific parts and keep an open mind to changing things throughout the rendering process. I find I’m generally more focused on how the piece moves, and the flow of the elements, rather than realistic depictions of things. It’s hard to put into words but I like to think a through-line in my personal style over the years is that it brings a sense of calm and comfort to people with a pinch of melancholic reflection, at least that’s the feedback I often hear.

SUPERJUMP

I see you've worked with Bungie in the past. What games have you worked on for them? How was the experience?

Brady Evans

While I haven’t worked on any of their games, last August I was asked to create the t-shirt design for their Guardians for Maui campaign, a fundraiser to support the people affected by the Maui wildfires earlier that month. I drew a Ghost from Destiny 2 floating above the West Maui mountains with the island of Maui surrounded by a protective ti leaf lei. I was so excited when they announced they sold over 18,000 shirts in a little over a month.

The town of Lahaina, which was devastated by the fires, is a special place for my family as my grandmother was born and raised there. I was glad to be able to contribute to a project that helped those suffering in the disaster's aftermath.

"Games have been a big influence on my work over the years: the worlds that immerse you, the character designs, all of it has been a huge part of my creative life."

Brady Evans

SUPERJUMP

Was doing concept art always something you imagined being involved in? Did your connections in the art world lead to the opportunities?

Brady Evans

I have admired the work of concept artists since I was in high school. At the time (mid-2000s) when digital painting was just beginning to become more popular, I thought concept artists were at the top tier in terms of painting technique and visual storytelling. It was around then that I got my first Wacom tablet (a tiny one!) and started playing around in Photoshop, and I haven’t stopped since! My personal style was and still is on the stylized end of the illustration spectrum, heavily influenced by the anime and manga I consumed growing up, but what I feel binds all concept art together is the craft of storytelling, and how you convey these things through visual design.

In 2021, when I went fully freelance, I was at a crossroads in what career path to focus on. I thought back to my love of concept art going back to my teenage years and wanted to throw my all into that line of work. Games have been a big influence on my work over the years: the worlds that immerse you, the character designs, all of it has been a huge part of my creative life.

I’m fortunate that many opportunities I’ve had have come from friends and colleagues who referred me. I also make sure to pass on opportunities to colleagues that I may not be the best fit for. It’s important to be kind and respectful. We’re all in the same boat.

SUPERJUMP

Your art always has lovely flow. What's inspired its direction and style?

Brady Evans

It may seem odd to say as someone who draws characters but gestural abstract art has had a huge impact on my work. I look to many modern artists for inspiration in color and composition, like American artists Nathan Oliveira and Richard Diebenkorn. There’s a lot of experimentation and improvisation in abstract art in terms of technique and process, and I want to bring that spirit into my illustration work.

Growing up with a healthy diet of anime and manga has also been an overt influence on my style. I love their variety of stories and characters, from incredibly ridiculous and silly like Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi, to the grittier series like Cowboy Bebop, which was basically a love letter to 20th-century cinema. The works of Studio Ghibli are always going to have a special place in my heart. The attention to detail in the character's acting is so distinctive it really helps you empathize and connect with the plight and emotions of the protagonists.

SUPERJUMP

How is the process of creating art for a game? Do you get a description from developers and follow a vision? How closely do you work with the dev team, or do you get a fair amount of creative freedom?

Brady Evans

I’ve been lucky that in my experience, I’ve had art directors that have given me a lot of freedom in how I go about designing. I like to work from simple to complex. I’m a loose, sketchy artist at heart, so I start with drawing gestures, getting the big shapes and flow of the design down first. At this stage, I’m just scribbling rough designs over and over in my sketchbook trying to hit on something that seems like it will fit the feeling the art director is asking for.

From there I get into visual research to work out the details, for example: clothing, armor, hair for humans, animal anatomy, movement, nature videos for monsters and creatures. I love using Pinterest but I also have a collection of reference books I buy from used book and rummage sales. Exhibition or auction catalogues are the best because it’s just hundreds of objects with great details. For example, an old book I found on medieval Irish art has been a gold mine of inspiration for creating intricate patterns on armor and weapons. I believe that it’s important to always be studying the world around you, taking photos when you’re out and about, and constantly refilling your head with ideas and imagery from various sources, it’ll help make your designs more rich, meaningful, and unique.

"I’m interested in how things like environment design, sound, and cinematic camera angles contribute to the overall atmosphere of the game and its story."

Brady Evans

SUPERJUMP

What are some of your favorite games? Have any of them impacted your art or served as inspiration?

Brady Evans

I’ve been a steady fan of The Legend of Zelda series since the SNES days. I loved the direction they took with Breath of the Wild, reinventing the series while still maintaining the somewhat dark and melancholic “Zelda” feel. I also admire and study how the series as a whole blends Western and Eastern aesthetics in the game’s architecture and character costume designs. For example, their take on ancient Japanese Jomon pottery in BotW gave them an ancient-techy-vibe that I would never have associated with Jomon-era artifacts prior to playing the game.

I’m also a huge fan of PS2 horror games from back in the day series like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. I’m interested in how things like environment design, sound, and cinematic camera angles contribute to the overall atmosphere of the game and its story. These games, in particular, don’t have complicated storylines or a large cast of characters, but the simplicity in their design allows you as the player to fill in the gaps, which can make for an even more unsettling experience.

SUPERJUMP

You helped design a card for the Critical Role TTRPG, For the Queen. That must have been awesome! How did this collaboration come about? Are you a fan of the series?

Brady Evans

I was approached by Alex Uboldi, the Game Production Manager at Darrington Press (the publishing arm of Critical Role), at my artist alley booth at Lightbox Expo in Pasadena, CA last October. It was such an amazing opportunity to draw a card for their new game and contribute to this awesome series. I received my copy a few months ago and I’m looking forward to playing it with a group of art friends I hang out with often.

SUPERJUMP

Are there any game projects that you're currently working on?

Brady Evans

Not quite a game project, but I just launched a personal world-building project called “Soar.” The story follows the lives of bird-like humans and the conflict between two rival species: the “white feathers” and the “black feathers.” The characters are based on birds found in Hawaiʻi, the white fairy tern and the mynah. I’ve always loved watching these particular birds around Honolulu and have been slowly building up a story about them for the past few years. I release concept art and illustrations related to this project on my Patreon and even have a monthly trading card featuring a new character, place, or object patrons can collect. I would love to translate this world into some kind of game one day, perhaps a story-driven platformer or RPG.

SUPERJUMP

I saw that you did some pieces for an indie game called Starlight Revolver. Is that something you can discuss at all? How did that collaboration come about?

Brady Evans

The Founder & CEO of Pahdo Labs, Daniel Zou stopped by my table at Lightbox Expo and we exchanged contact info, and earlier this year he got in touch about doing some art for their game currently in development, Starlight ReVolver. The game has a vibrant color palette and the anime-influenced character designs are super fun and lively. It was a blast to draw my take on their characters and I'm looking forward to seeing the game's release!

Big thanks to Brady for taking the time to sit and chat with us!

You find Brady on his website, his Artstation, and follow him on Instagram and other socials.