Good morning everyone, and welcome back for a brand new Behind the Brush article here on Hipsters of the Coast.
Today my guest is one of Magic’s newest artists, receiving her first wave of commissions for the much heralded Showcase series in Kaldheim! She hails from the United Kingdom and does a fair mix of both personal and commercial artwork. She’s worked previously for some pretty big names, now including our own Wizards of the Coast, but I’ll let her tell you more about that once we get started.
So let’s not waste any time, and open the Mirror Gallery to Michelle Harvey, aka WolfSkullJack!
Hi Michelle, and welcome to the Mirror Gallery here on Hipsters of the Coast. To start I have to ask—the name WolfSkullJack, where did it come from?
The name is from a character I created for an end of year project at uni about a wolf skulled man living in a world where everything has stopped dying! The comic was never finished but the character stuck around!
You also mention on your social media you volunteer at a wolf rescue?!
Yes I’m a volunteer and team member for Wolf Watch UK, a wolf rescue that is incredibly special to me. They take in wolves from captive situations like zoos who can’t keep them and the illegal pet trade, things like that. They’re a very small non-profit and I mostly handle some of the online admin rather than be on site, but I’m happy to be involved.
Now onto the art—you’ve previously worked for some pretty big clients that I think folks will recognize. Can you tell us about some past projects?
S&M2 Posters by WolfSkullJack
I have been a regular artist for Metallica since 2019 and started making posters and merch for them. The biggest poster to date was for the S&M2 anniversary tour with the San Francisco orchestra and it was immense! The original S&M album was a favourite growing up so it was a real honour and I still love Metallica. They’re also wonderful to work with too, their team is the absolute sweetest.
A selection of WolfSkullJack created Metallica work
You’ve also published a fair amount of personal work too, right?
I would say that the majority of my work is personal projects, and it’s rare that I take on commercial work unless I feel it’s a good fit and I’m genuinely excited about it. I like to make my own books, tees and prints and hope to create more of that in future. You can follow along on my Patreon!
A selection of personal work by WolfSkullJack
Do you have any particular artistic inspirations or influences? Or maybe a favorite Magic artist?
There are so many GOOD Magic artists who I already follow and it’s been a pleasure to watch a lot of them also do work for Kaldheim! The artist community is wonderful and I particularly love the work of Caraid (Ilse Gort), Erica Williams, and Andrew Mar.
Wings of the Cosmos by Ilse Gort. Digital. Arahbo, Roar of the World by Erica Williams. Digital. Fire Giant’s Fury by Andrew Mar. Digital.
Kaldheim Showcase
Let’s take a look at your cards! You’ve got four cards in Kaldheim, and they’re your very first for Magic. How did these commissions come about?
Wizards of the Coast contacted me! I believe they found me through Instagram and because of my work with Metallica they thought I would be a good fit.
The first card we saw was Esika’s Chariot. The main set art has cats, but I think yours has wolves instead?
Esika’s Chariot by WolfSkullJack. Digital.
They aren’t wolves! They are monstrous cats! I wanted cats with a bit of mane to reflect the traditional Norwegian forest cats and the brief was to make them threatening and as if they were guarding the chariot. Very different to the other artwork!
Of course! That’s what I get for writing interview questions before looking closer! They almost look like lions- very cool.
Sketch Detail, Esika’s Chariot by WolfSkullJack. Digital.
Shortly after came one of the Modal DFCs, or flip cards: Jorn, God of Winter and Kaldring, the Rimestaff. These are some pretty important subjects, plus more wolves! What was it like getting these legendary cards?
Jorn, God of Winter & Kaldring, the Rimestaff by WolfSkullJack. Digital.
Jorn and the Rimestaff was the first card I got and at the time, the only card I was given and I think my favourite out of the set that I’ve done.
Sketch and Details, Jorn, God of Winter & Kaldring, the Rimestaff by WolfSkullJack. Digital.
The art director seemed so happy with them they gave me more cards to do!
And finally, my personal favorite (and new computer background) is Aegar, the Freezing Flame! This has a fantastic narrative; can you tell us the story and take us through what’s going on?
Aegar, the Freezing Flame by WolfSkullJack. Digital
This card was the most challenging as there’s a ton of stuff going on here! We have one side where poor little Vikings are getting roasted and on the other side they’re drowning!! Lots of action, lots of carnage all in one card!
Wrapping Up
So what’s it feel like joining the roster of Magic: the Gathering artists?
It’s pretty wild, there’s so much extraordinary talent being showcased all the time. It’s an honour to be part of the project
And what’s next? Is there more Magic in the future?
I would love to do more work for them! You never know!
Where can folks find you online to follow along?
My website is https://wolfskulljack.com, And I’m @wolfskulljack_art over on Instagram and @wolfskulljack on Twitter and everywhere else!
And where can people purchase your art or merch? I know you mentioned MTG prints and APs are forthcoming…
Signed and numbered A4 prints of Jorn and the Rimestaff are currently on the main store and APs are expected around March. There will be a small number of doodled APs available!
Michelle, thank you so very much for telling your story and taking us through your brand new Kaldheim cards. These are some of the most metal of all the Showcase, and will be favorites of the game for a very long time. Welcome to Magic, and I can’t wait to hopefully see more of your art in an upcoming set!
I want to extend another big thank you to Michelle for joining me today, and giving us this wonderful walkthrough of her very first Magic cards. Make sure to follow her social media links above and become a patron on Patreon if you can. I think her work was an incredible addition to this set, and am looking forward to watching her career continue to take off. First Metallica, then Magic: the Gathering; I wonder what will be next?
Harvey is one of more than a dozen brand new artists from Kaldheim working with the expanded team of Art Directors at Wizards of the Coast to bring new and exciting artwork to the game of Magic. She specifically worked with Tom Jenkot, whose responsibility is primarily Operation Booster Fun and Secret Lair. His work alongside all the other ADs has greatly diversified Magic’s style, especially over the last twelve months, and it’s something I can’t say enough good things about. The Showcase tradition that began in Throne of Eldraine has hit another high note, and it’s from tapping folks like WolfSkullJack. Her inclusion in Magic is a home run selection, and I hope this isn’t the last of her work we’ll see on cards.
Looking ahead, I’m going back to back with Behind the Brush interviews, and my guest is another brand new artist to Magic. She joins the roster with her work on the upcoming Black is Magic Secret Lair, and I’m really excited to get to hear about her journey.
Remember, to see original #mtgart and other #vorthos related things, follow me on Twitter. Feel free to ask questions or retweet to continue the conversation. Thanks and see you next time!
Donny Caltrider has been playing Magic since 2002 and collecting original Magic art since 2017. He has an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and enjoys telling stories about art, objects, and the intersection of fantasy with real-life. You can find him on Twitter talking about #mtgart, museums, and other #vorthos related goodness. Follow along and continue the conversation!