Welcome to Owl With Antlers
Who Am I?
And What is Owl With Antlers?
My name is Brian Randolph, and I'm an artist and writer from North Carolina. My work investigates the relationship between the inner and outer selves through energetic, empathetic drawing, digital art, creative nonfiction essays, and somewhat-supernatural fiction.
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Professionally, I've been trained in literary writing and fine/graphic art from my time at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, obtaining a B.F.A. in Creative Writing, a Certificate in Publishing, and a minor in English in 2016, followed by a B.A. in Studio Art in 2018. My graphic design work has been used while interning for Art in Bloom Gallery and N2 Publishing, and by UNCW in my time in graphic design classes.
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Owl With Antlers started as a personal inside joke--I love owls, I love the creepy deer antler motifs from NBC's Hannibal series, and I mashed them together as a title. That said, the resulting imagery felt beautifully evocative of my aesthetic, so I've kept it for years.
Let's break it down...
What Do I Do?
I focus on drawing and graphic design on the artistic side of things, while I write primarily fiction and creative non-fiction. I have mixed the two passions in the form of comics and a graphic novella.
Portraiture and Life Drawing
Charcoal, Graphite, Pastels, Colored Pencils, I've got it all!
I've been drawing ever since I could pick up a pencil, and this part of the portfolio is the result of what's happened since I've gotten formal training in life drawing.
Graphic Design
Maps, Advertisements, and Characters, Oh My!
Everything here has been created with the Adobe Creative Suite! Between using Photoshop to create a creative map of Wilmington, NC, Illustrator to make ads for neighborhood magazines, and InDesign to make books, I've done a little bit of everything!
Painting
In the footsteps of Bacon, Munch, and Schjerfbeck
My main interest in painting is creating movement through color, or at least using color to create a flow or mood. I've studied such artists as Francis Bacon, Edvard Munch, Helene Schjerfbeck, and Elizabeth Peyton--from them, I've gained a love for expressionism, a style I most often try to emulate.
The Scars that Haunt Us
Digging Deep
For my final major project during my time as an art student, I decided to do a large series about my childhood growing up with chronic illness. It featured two large drawings and a 3-book graphic novella.
Digital Art
Feat. Elliot Haywood
My digital art is a bit more of a playground for me to try out different things and to just have fun with my own original characters. Elliot Haywood--the girl on the left with the white hair--is the protagonist of a comic in the works!
