Meet Bradley Thomas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Thomas.

Bradley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been an artist. I started drawing when I was five, I was a huge fan of DBZ and would draw characters from the show all day. I wasn’t good at first but I was determined to get better and I did. I took a break from art through college but got back into it in 2016 when I shared my artwork publicly for the first time. It was well received and I eventually gained a following and began doing commissions and expanding my variety and using different mediums which led me to do several showcases in Dallas and some in Colorado. I was honored to be the illustrator on a graphic novel Fiasco written by Ben Ajayi. I wanted to separate myself from the rest of the pack so I taught myself animation and began doing small projects to improve and now, I’m working on large animation projects from music videos with local musicians like Jahn Dough as well as working on a few animated concept short films. I owe my growth and inspiration to so many things in life. I love the variety and I’m willing to explore any muse, medium, theme, and emotion I possibly can because I want my art to have limitless range.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not in the least bit! I’ve been a parent since I was 18 so no matter what I’m pursuing I always have to keep my son best interest in mind as well as be a role model to him. I balance that and my growth as an artist with my 9-5 day job which is exhausting but is most certainly paying off in the end. There are so many struggles with being an artist alone though weather it’s been the comic or animation they come with a lot of setbacks, changes, and sometimes hours of work won’t see the light of day because the vision isn’t there. But that’s the beauty of an artist, the journey to share your unique vision and struggle, and truly express yourself because when I’m able to accomplish that it really is a feeling unlike anything else in life.

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from the competition?
I am an independent Artist and Animator. My work ranges from drawings and paintings to animated short films and music videos. I’m most proud of the leap I made into animation because it’s a completely different animal from still art and is very difficult to master. But the willingness to do it and grow my skill in animation has truly set me apart because I’m capable of drawing and animating and not everyone is willing to put in time it takes to learn animation let alone teach themselves because the process can be very daunting, frustrating, and overwhelming when starting out and even after you’ve learned the ropes.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s a tie between my first showcase with RAW artist and releasing the Fiasco issues.

The showcase because I was just starting out as an artist publicly and I was so worried my art wasn’t gonna be viewed as “good enough” to be apart of the show but I was selected and my work was admired and appreciated by hundreds which was a first for me.

Fiasco because it took so long and there were so many setbacks that finally releasing and getting so much positive reception for it was worth it. And as a comic book fanatic, the idea of having a comic series released with me as the illustrator is still unbelievable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cantstopfiasco.com
• Email: bradleyshane13@gmail.com
• Instagram: Long_Live_Shane
• Facebook: Bradley Thomas
• Twitter: Long_Live_Shane

Image Credit:
Marcus Romes

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