Shawn Van Briesen

"I began my professional art career in 1983 designing and illustrating menus. This was before computers, so all of the type setting was done by hand. Tedious at best.

"I wanted to draw comics from the time I was small and Adam West was was playing Batman on TV. I had my first professional comic work published in 1988 in Caliber Presents #9. I worked on and off in comics until 1999.

"In 1990 I took a summer job at Mike Jones Film Corps. I worked my way up from the Ink & Paint Department (fastest cell inker they had ever seen!) to assistant animator and finally to animator on Spider-man for Marvel Productions. I've worked for Warner Bros on Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs. I spent a few in years in the trenches doing commercial animation and story boards for film, television, and animation.

"In 1995 I began working in film. I began with Kevin Smith's Mallrats when a flower delivery for my father's floral shop lead to me becoming the Art Director for that movie. I also worked on Grumpier Old Men,Feeling Minnesota,and Overnight Delivery.

"From there I moved to San Francisco for a few years and then to Los Angeles. I worked in film and television for a few more years until 1997 when I moved back to Minnesota.

"In 2003, while living in Orange County, I began teaching myself to oil paint. I had actually taken oil painting classes in Seattle when I was 11 or 12 but I quit because I was stubborn.

"I tend to work in many different mediums and styles. So far gouache has suited me best and I'm about to start playing around with acrylics.

"I'm currently undergoing a transformation in my art. I've done commercial art for over 20 years and I've been experimenting with new mediums and feelings."

Shawn informs me that he has done many renditions of Vampirella, but not kept a record of them ... "I do have a ton of Vampirella pictures out there. Unfortunately most of them were commissions (so I don't have the originals any more). I had a hard drive die on me a few years ago and (at the time no back ups) so I have no clue who has them or where I could find a copy.

"But I'll more than likely do more before too long. She's always been a favourite of mine and I was supposed to be a penciler on her Harris book when it first started. But something happened. I don't even remember what any more. I probably took a film job or something.

"I'll let you know when I have new stuff."

I hope we don't have to wait too long ...

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