Encounters

One of the legendary LucasFilms poster artists, Mark Raats! I found him on Instagram not that long ago when I commented on one of his posts, to which he replied and called me "boet" (brother in Afrikaans). This was totally unexpected. I had no idea he was also South African! Turns out (to my surprise) that he has been following my art for awhile. Mark has been living in Australia for some time as a result of being involved with George Lucas (creator of Star Wars) as one of the 3 lead poster artists. We got chatting in private messages, sharing admiration for...

I had no idea the legend himself, Kim Jung Gi would be at San Diego Comic Con in 2018! I could not believe my eyes when I turned the corner at the artist alley and found myself just a few meters away from him. My time had finally arrived to meet the Grand Master. He only speaks Korean so his manager was doing the translating between us, but the one thing that was really prominent was his happy and uplifting nature. I shared my deep appreciation and admiration for his mastery and before the end of the show I gifted him...

Henry Creel/Vecna of Stranger Things! This was a surprise meeting backstage before my live demonstration on the main stage at Comic Con Africa 2023. This was a very brief meeting as he had just finished his big interview and I was getting set to go up next, but what a cool dude he is! A super friendly and down to Earth guy.

Familiar with Big Bang Theory? It’s Stuart! I was invited to be a guest artist for the grand opening of Speedy Comics at City Walk 2 in Dubai. Part of this store opening, there were also other guest celebs such as Brandon Routh and Bob Layton attending. This was an honor to be part of! During the night, I got chatting with Kevin about life stuff and dealing with the industry. He had a lot to share! It was a deep chat and one I really enjoyed having with him.

For those unfamiliar, Bob Layton is responsible for the evolution and development of who Tony Stark and Iron-Man is today along with many other great feats! Bob is quite the character. He’s full of life, easy to vibe with and awesome to chat with about life and the industry. I've really enjoyed his company. We've met on numerous occasions via comic conventions and specifically via Speedy Comics as special guests in Dubai.  I remember doing a few of the signings and shows in Dubai with him and at the time this also included the debut screening of the Movie, Bloodshot, which he...