Traveller - Kidnapped

This is probably the most embarrassing drawing I'll ever post here... but I do it in case anybody is curious where I started as an artist. It's one of several illustrations I did for Traveller's Digest Magazine (I don't remember which issue), back in 1990. My characters were incredibly stiff, my tech design was weak, and my shading was god-awful.

A few things changed for me shortly after this though. I discovered Masamune Shirow's manga "Appleseed", which blew my mind with the Japanese approach to tech design. I also discovered the work of Geoff Darrow (via his work in "Hard Boiled"), and realized that it was okay to draw with NO SHADING AT ALL. So I ditched the awful scribbly cross-hatching and started on my 'ultraclean' style for the next couple of years. It was only when I discovered Brian Bolland's work that I saw how it was possible to have clean lines AND shading... which led to the style most of my old-time fans will be familiar with.