Behind the Name 

I chose the name “The Artistic Shepherd” because I wanted to make it clear that this brand combines dog art and religious art. The shepherd motif reflects both my focus on dogs and my faith—conveying loyalty, guidance, and the spiritual foundation that informs much of my creative work.

Creative Process Snapshot

Every piece starts with an idea. I decide what materials and mediums suit it best, gather reference images, create the artwork, share it online, and then repeat the process. This rhythm keeps the work fresh while allowing each concept to evolve organically.

One of my signature approaches to abstract art is a style I call Realistic Cubism. In this style, I combine recognizable, realistic forms—often dogs—with cubist structure and bold, expressive color, resulting in artwork that feels both familiar and unexpected. The shapes remain grounded in reality, while the composition and color push the piece into something more emotional and interpretive. I work across a range of traditional and digital mediums, including digital illustration, watercolor, acrylic, ink, and colored pencil. While I took art classes in both middle school and high school, my current body of work and choice of mediums are largely self-taught, developed through years of personal experimentation, independent study, and hands-on practice. I first explored digital art in November 2017 using GIMP. After transitioning fully to Procreate in December 2021, my digital illustration workflow became centered there, while GIMP is now primarily used for creating collages and presentation layouts of my artwork, rather than for direct illustration. This shift allowed me to focus more deeply on drawing, painting, and worldbuilding while still using GIMP as a supporting design tool. Alongside my visual art, I’m also the creator of Barker’s of Ruin, a TTRPG roguelite card battler set in a canine-centric fantasy world. Barker’s of Ruin connects directly to a larger narrative universe called Woof & Wyrm.exe, where worldbuilding, storytelling, and game mechanics influence the artwork itself. Many of my illustrations function as in-world scenes, characters, or artifacts, blurring the line between game design and fine art. I am also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and faith is an important part of my life and creative process. One of the ways I share my beliefs is through art—sometimes directly, and other times through themes of hope, service, loyalty, perseverance, and light overcoming darkness. Whether explicitly religious or quietly symbolic, these values often shape the stories and imagery I create. I began drawing as a hobby in July 2011, primarily working with traditional media. What started as a personal creative outlet continued to grow, and in March 2025, I officially began selling my artwork. Today, my goal is to create art that feels personal, story-rich, and inviting—whether it’s a single dog portrait, a myth-touched cityscape, or a piece pulled directly from the worlds I’m building.