Legend holds that every generation one will rise. A designer whose vision and inspiration will be unmatched by mere mortals. An artist of such skill and renown talent that all will hail him as the GifMaker! (we presume that title lost something in the translation) As far anyone can tell, that legend yet waits to be fulfilled. But until you find that guy, you've got me. I'm just your friendly neighborhood Graphics Geek! Happy to help any graphic in need as long as I can crack a lame joke while I'm at it.

General Background:

For the past 13 years I have worked as an all purpose graphics geek or “Visual Information Specialist” in the Washington DC Metro area. My career has bumped into almost every corner of the design industry. From 3d animation, to web design, to logo design, to photo retouching. Along the way I have built up a considerable amount of skills with software such as Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, and Flash. Recently I discovered that sharing these skills is something that I enjoy!

Things to know:

Publications – I have had 80+ articles published in the international trade magazines Photoshop Creative and Advanced Photoshop. These articles range from feature spots, to product reviews, to helpdesk answers, to general tutorials. I am the cover and layout artist for the US Marine Corps Systems Command quarterly publication, Marines On Point.

Teaching – I currently teach two online courses, Introduction to Digital Painting in Photoshop, and Introduction to Photoshop’s Pen Tool at the Digital Art Academy www.digitalartacademy.com

Adobe Beta Tester – I was invited by Adobe Systems to be a beta tester for Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS5. My involvement with these prerelease programs allows me the opportunity to test and then share the new features in my courses, workshops, lectures, and writings.

Guest Speaker – I have been a guest speaker in classes at George Mason University and Strayer College. I am currently looking to expand this portion of my experience area even further.

Workshops – My newest endeavor. I have begun holding workshops on general Photoshop skills in the local area. I am working on expanding this into several workshops covering a variety of topics dealing with Photoshop. I am available for custom workshops or private tutoring.

Now you know. And "knowing" is....

Notes about my lectures.

I view my speaking opportunities as more of demonstration than of presentation. I do NOT use PowerPoint to present my material. I prefer to engage the audience with practical demonstrations of the tools or techniques that will interest them. My demonstrations are casual, friendly, and fun filled, yet informative. I strive to cover a wide enough area of knowledge that everybody from beginners to advanced users will still learn something new. One of the unique aspects of my presentations is that I encourage audience members to bring personal images or projects they are struggling with to see how they can improve them with Photoshop. This tends to work best if I can arrange to work with the image ahead of time, but it isn’t a necessity.