CSP Featured Artist: Tommy Worthington

Contact Graphixly @ 2023-10-02

How did you become an artist?

I’ve always really enjoyed drawing throughout my life. As a kid I would draw my favorite characters from video games and TV shows. My friends and teachers would tell me my drawings were really great, but I never considered it as a possible career path. Art was just one of my favorite subjects in school and one of my favorite hobbies. When I got to high school I stopped drawing almost completely because other things became a priority. Such as school and sports (and playing too many video games lol) . It wasn’t until my freshman year at college when I was at a crossroad in my life that I decided to start drawing again. I really fell in love with it all over and began to take it seriously. I became obsessed and really tried to learn all I could to improve my skills. I purchased my first drawing tablet around that time after seeing the beautiful works other artists had created online and knew it was something I needed to do. My first tablet was a Wacom Bamboo. I had no idea what I was doing haha, but I knew I was enjoying it. At that time I was an Environmental Science major and played on the football team at the college I was attending. I decided to leave that behind and and pursue art at a different University. I then spent the remainder of my college years as a graphic design major and doing a ton of illustration in my free time. I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and have worked as a graphic designer ever since. Outside of my day job I draw a lot of personal work and have done freelance illustrations for plenty of clients. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but choosing to pursue art is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Where do you get inspiration?

A mix between other artists and my personal life. I love to see what past and present artist have created and always find it very motivating. Whether in the form of paintings, anime, video games, movies, and everything in-between, it’s always very inspirational. With the biggest inspiration for me being The Legend of Zelda series. Also, like most artist, my personal life and experiences play a big roll in my work. I have interests outside of art that inspire me like surfing, hiking, sports and traveling.

What’s your hardware setup?

I use a Wacom 24in Cintiq and a Wacom Intuos drawing tablet that I have set up to my Mac Desktop. I like to switch between both for comfort and to get different perspectives.

What do you like best about Clip Studio Paint?

There’s something about CSP that feels really intuitive. The brushes and pens feel way more natural than any other program I’ve used. Also, being able to create references with the 3D features is really useful.

How long does it take you to make a single illustration?

Depends on the complexity of the Illustration. On the low end 4-5 hours and on the high end 30+ hours.

How has Clip Studio Paint improved your workflow?

The ability to create unique references by posing 3D character models has helped a lot and has simplified my process. Also, the way the pens and brushes feel is really appealing to me. They have almost a traditional and natural feel to them and that’s exactly what I look for in a drawing program.