I'm a graphic artist who fluently speaks Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and QuarkXpress. My Junior year in high school, I started my first job in the composition department of The Southwest Daily News, my local newspaper. After three years I moved on to become the Advertising Director for Stine, a Louisiana-based, Ace-affiliated chain of hardware stores. I built a monthly 48-page catalog, and a monthly 12-24 page tabloid, as well as any other brochures, signage, or printwork required. I stayed with this job for seven years.

Four of these years I went to college as well, with a major in Advertising/Graphic design and a minor in Fine Arts. (I got burnt out before I actually earned my degree, though.) I also spent a summer attempting to break into the comic book biz, trying to make it as a cover artist with my skills as both a digital artist and an oil painter. I travelled across Texas, pimping my wares in Austin, Houston, and Dallas/Plano. Some of you Texas guys might remember me and my co-horts, travelling under the banner Oblivion Studios. I signed over 20 contracts that summer, and every one of them went south from no fault of my own. I had even hired an agent to represent me, and she had folded faster than the small-press publishers did, confessing to me that she was already on unemployment and begging me not to take her to court. It was disheartening to say the least, and I hung up the dream of working in comics, though I've never actually let go of that dream completely.

When I left Stine, I made the huge mistake of taking my dad's offer of joining the family business, metal building component sales, possibly the most miserable three years of my life. When I finally left, I tried to get back to my roots, responding to an ad for a graphic design position at the Southwest Daily News. I was instead offered the position of Wire Editor, but managed to get my hands on the design position as well. I had just finished revamping the paper when... the hurricane hit. (Not Katrina; Hurricane Rita. The much bigger and far more destructive one that no one ever talks about because she didn't hit New Orleans.) My wife and I evacuated to Florida the day before the storm, and by the time we could return to Louisiana, we had already found new jobs and a house over here.

If you're interested in seeing if my skills as a graphic artist suits a project you're working on, feel free to view my portfolio at www.burnrourk.com.

I am an Administrator at GalacticHunter.com, one of the best Star Wars collector sites you'll find on the web. I'm also a proud member of the Dooshbag Board of Dumbness. To be a Doosh, ask a Doosh. Or just go register. You'll know me as apokolips on these forums, as well as on the official DC Comics forum.

If you want to get to know me better, here is a link to my MySpace page.