The Origin Story

Since he was three years old, Dane Ault loved to draw.  It wasn’t until college, however, that he realized he could make a career of it.  Dane worked full time as a graphic designer until his recent decision to work for himself.

Ideas often come in the form of “brainworms” (a term coined by Dane himself).  He explains, “concepts or ideas just pop into my head.  Sometimes they need to be put on paper immediately and sometimes they just stew in the back of my head for a while until I stumble upon the right time to get them out.”  Other times inspiration needs to be sought out, though, in places like Modern Masters magazines and books of movie art.  Everything starts in a sketchbook, and then often gets redrawn in Adobe Illustrator and then transferred into Photoshop for special effects and brushwork.

The Artwork

If you spend any time on sites geared toward quickly sharing media, such as Tumblr or Reddit, you have probably seen some of Dane’s art already.  I had seen a few of his propaganda posters in various places long before I connected them all together and explored the rest of his work.  There is hardly an aspect of nerd culture that is not represented in his many pieces; the gang’s all there.  See for yourself:

(“Resist the Empire” 12×18 Print – Buy it Here)

(“Explore the Galaxy” 12×18 Print – Buy it Here)

(“Muppet Busters” 11×14 Print – Buy it Here)

(“Everywhen You Want To Be” 12×18 Print – But it Here)

(“Batman on the Town” 8×10 Print – Buy it Here)

All the favorites are here, and the list just keeps going.  Besides what’s above, there are pieces with Harry Potter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, zombies, robots, Marvel heroes, and more.  As Dane says, “I make stuff for me and then I make a few extra to sell to other geeks.”

You can find Dane Ault in a bunch of places online.  Follow him on Twitter, @MonkeyMinion, like his Facebook page, and check out his website.  You can browse Dane’s artwork over on his DeviantArt page and you can purchase pieces on Etsy and StoreEnvy.  Some designs are printed on shirts and can be found at RedBubble and MyStoi.

Are you, or someone you know, an artist who wants to be featured on Almost Nerdy?  Send me a message at Sierra.Houk@gmail.com or tweet me, @SierraHouk.