Artist Interview: Sam McKinnon
On August 30th, 2024, I had the great honor of introducing Sam McKinnon to the world of Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG when Erik's Curiosa afforded me the opportunity to reveal his Sherwood Huntress card for the Arthurian Legends expansion set as part of Content Creator Spoiler Season.
Part of this reveal included Sam himself appearing on Collector Arthouse YouTube to reveal his own card with me, and a fun interview segment where he explained the art direction he received from game creator Erik Oloffson, and how Sam transformed that into his beautiful painting.
Today I have the great pleasure to expand upon that introduction with a follow-up interview with Sam. Sam comes from a family renowned for its great artist talents, and his exceptional skill and talent shines in his Sherwood Huntress piece!
Thank you so much for this opportunity, Sam..
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: For those who don’t know of you, please tell us about your background with regard to how you got into art, and projects you have done thus far in your career.
Sam McKinnon: I am an artist and graphic designer living in Montreal, Canada. Ever since my early childhood, I loved to create illustrations with any materials I could get my
hands on (pencils, markers, paint). I was raised in a very creative family; my mom taught my four brothers and I how to draw pretty early on. As I grew older, I began to infuse my various inspirations into my art such as medieval history, mythology and nature. In my early twenties, I chose to pursue a career as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work on various unique projects ranging from branding and logo design, product illustrations, promotional art for games, and even children’s book illustrations.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: How would you describe your artistic style? What medium do you prefer to work with?
Sam McKinnon: In my artwork I love to use vibrant colours and capture light in a natural way. As an artist, I tend to think more in terms of shapes and colours rather than line work. Even when sketching out my ideas, I tend to use big blocks of colour right away. My goal is for the viewer to feel an emotional connection to the magic and mystery of the natural world.
My preferred medium is acrylic painting. The 4 paintings I created for the Arthurian Legends set have all been done with acrylics. I also enjoy digital painting in Photoshop due to its flexibility as a medium. I usually sketch my ideas digitally before using traditional mediums, because it allows me to test different compositions and colour palettes seamlessly.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: Are there certain pieces from your career that you are particularly fond or proud of and think best represent your style that you would like to share with fans?
Sam McKinnon: The Victory Through Death painting will always be special to me because it was my first illustration commission in my career. The illustration was used as art on a beer label for a microbrewery startup. It depicts a fallen viking warrior with the gates to Valhalla opening up behind the battlefield to greet him.
I also created the promotional art for the computer game Beasts of Maravilla Island.
It was memorable for me to see my art displayed on the main banner for a game on Steam.
The Midnight Seer painting is part of a series of paintings I created for my stationary company, Emerald Grove, that I launched this year actually. I really like how I captured the glow of the lantern and the warm colour palette really contrasts nicely with the dark background.
I am also proud of the Rohan Royal Guard painting. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been a large inspiration in my art journey and I feel like when I finished this painting, it helped me realize just how far I have come as an artist.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: Who are some artists that have influenced and inspired your style?
Sam McKinnon: I find inspiration from various sources such as film, illustration, nature photography and walking in nature. Fantasy movies like the Lord of the Rings and Princess Mononoke had a great impact on me growing up and still greatly influence my style to this day. I love large epic landscape paintings where I can get lost in all the small details. Through Instagram and Pinterest, I find lots of artists that inspire my own work; some names that come to mind are Justin Donaldson, Brent Cotton and Sara Linda Poly.
From left to right: Floating Island by Justin Donaldson, Where Dreams are Made by Sara Linda Poly, and The Quiet of Autumn by Brent Cotton
My older brother Seb McKinnonhttps://www.sebmckinnon.com/, who has done stunning artwork for the TCG Magic the Gathering, is also a great inspiration. I have been lucky to have him as an art mentor.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: When and how were you approached for the opportunity to contribute to Sorcery?
Sam McKinnon: I was originally approached thanks to Seb. He told me Erik was looking for artists for the Arthurian Legends set so I sent my portfolio and Erik saw that my style could complement the set nicely. Working on a fantasy themed project of this magnitude, especially with knights and magical landscapes, was truly a dream come true for me.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: Do you have any background with TCGs either from a playing perspective or doing art illustrations for them? How does doing illustrations intended for a card compare and contrast from other projects?
Sam McKinnon: When I was younger, I used to casually play MTG with my brothers. We liked to collect cards based more on the art than the mechanics, so we weren't very skilled at playing the game. These days I also enjoy playing strategic board games like Root or Catan for example; I am also really into chess. I recently started reading the Sorcery rule book and it has definitely piqued my interest; I want to find an active player group in Montreal haha.
The main challenge for me with illustrating cards is the composition. The bottom of the painting can't have too much detail because a portion will be hidden by the card's description.
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: For the illustration for your card reveal, what was the art direction you received from Erik and how do you come up with your concept for the illustration? Did you have a sense for how the card game mechanic would work in the game, and did this influence your approach for the concept?
Sam McKinnon: Erik gave me a brief description of the illustration concept; a poacher in an open forest clearing. I didn't have much information about the card mechanic, but I knew that Sherwood Huntress was wind aligned. Therefore, I wanted to incorporate various elements to give a sense of movement to the painting, like the flowing cloak, the leaves and blades of grass, and the archer's long hair. I also wanted to convey that the archer is like an element of the landscape herself, that she blends in with her environment. Her cape and tunic resemble the colours of the foggy fir trees in the distance, her skirt matches the earth and even her flowing hair resembles the autumn leaves. Erik gives me a lot of creative freedom to let my own style come through in the pieces I have created for Sorcery.
Process Sketches
Mike @ Collector Arthouse: Is there anything else you would like to share with fans that I haven’t asked?
Sam McKinnon: I would like to simply end by saying how honoured I am to be able to contribute creatively to Sorcery Contested Realms. Being able to showcase my art alongside so many talented artists is truly amazing and I am looking forward to sharing more of my art with the community in the future.
Watch my videos on the Collector Arthouse YouTube Channel.
Join the Collector Arthouse Discord and talk about Sorcery: Contested Realm with passionate fans.
Support me at the Collector Arthouse Patreon and enjoy exclusive perks and access to limited products and special artist collaborations!
Mike Servati @ Collector Arthouse signing off...
Comments