Let's start with a classic question. Do you remember when and how you started drawing?

I've always liked drawing. As a young kid I would make up stories and draw the characters. I have binders full of the lousy and cliche character drawings. I thought I was great then, and if I had realized how bad my drawings were, I probably would have become discouraged and stopped, so ignorance can be bliss!

When did you buy your first graphic tablet? In what ways do you use it?

I didn't buy my first one tablet. I had one of the larger Wacom tablets given to me for work when I began working as a web designer for a golf time scheduling company in the late 90s. Even then I didn't use it for drawing much. I started seriously using and learning with a tablet a couple years ago. I saw all these great illustrators online and wanted to learn how to color like them so I forced myself to learn with a smaller tablet I bought myself around the same time I bought a G5 Mac computer. I also use it like a mouse, not just for Photoshop work.

Can you tell us about your working process? Which software do you mostly use?

I use Adobe Photoshop for almost everything, From web design to illustration. When illustrating I often start out with a drawing in my sketchbook, scan it and then finish it in Photoshop. Sometimes I come up with an idea, have a hard time putting it down on paper, so I then set up the scene or pose I want to draw and then take photographs of a model, then use it as a reference. I also use Macromedia Dreamweaver to put my websites together, along with some Flash for animation. I've also started teaching myself Adobe After Effects.

Which artists are inspiring you most?

Hard one! Um, there's so many great ones out there! I do like Katsuya Terada a lot. I also think Audrey Kawasaki is an amazing painter. I have a huge folder of artist's websites that I go to when I'm feeling uninspired.

Adobe has acquired Macromedia and this caused different reactions. Free-hand users are a little bit nervous and Adobe users seem to be happy. What do you think? Can you compare the interface designs of two companies?

I don't have much of an opinion about it, and I'm not sure how to really compare the interfaces. Put it this way, I hope Adobe doesn't muck Macromedia up, and I hope Macromedia doesn't muck Adobe up. It would be nice if they purely benefited from each other. The cliche 'If it's not broken, don't fix it' applies.

Which one do you prefer; working for a very big advertising agency, or a freelance job?

They both have their benefits. I believe I need a boss to keep me focused sometimes. Plus working for a big company comes with weekends off and health insurance! Hooray for health insurance! Don't forget savings plans and such.

Working as a freelancer is great too. You get to be more creative, yet none of your time really belongs to yourself. If someone is paying you to do something it can feel like any of your freetime is stealing time from a client. Plus freelance isn't always reliable. I do both, freelance and have a regular 9 to 5 job. I think it's important to mix both together and a sure bet you'll always have work.

If you have one chance to change a brand's visual materials (its logo, illustrations, etc.). Which one would you choose?

If you mean materials I'd change illustrations because that's what I enjoy doing the most. If you mean what brand, I really don't know offhand. I see so many ugly logos all day. There's many a boat or recreational vehicle company that could do with some rebranding. I used to design and install signs when I was much younger and that taught me people are great at making ugly logos!

If you have a time machine, who would you like to meet most in the art history?

Uh, I don't know. I don't think I'd have anything to say to anyone! Infact I'd rather go back and time and just be able watch artists work rather than talk to them, like a fly on the wall, less pressure on me to sound smart and charming and not get in the way!

Theme of our first issue is "Wrong". Could you please tell us “what is wrong in life" or "what wrong is" with a little sketch?

Hehe, I can give you something 'wrong' in a funny way. I try not to dwell on sad things and instead live my life in a way that is good for those around me.