An 'Illustrator of the Future' Lives in La Crescenta

While many of the winners of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future contest traveled to Hollywood from all around the globe to spend a week work-shopping with world famous illustrators and receive awards, La Crescenta’s very own Nico Photos had a short commute to this momentous event. The 22-year-old was honored as one of 12 winners in this year’s competition, which seeks to discover new talent and launch their professional careers.

Photos began his art career studying with Ken Hellenbolt, an illustrator for “The Smurfs.” Hellonbolt taught Photos the importance of moving forward and continuing to create, recognizing that “each piece of art is not so super-important,” but what is important is to keep creating. I asked Photos if he had ever thrown any of his pieces away, and he was quick to reply, “I’ve thrown away thousands of drawings,” adding that this allowed him to get the creative juices flowing and to keep creating and moving forward.  

And forward is exactly where Photos is going.  As a science fiction and fantasy illustrator, Photos is fulfilling a dream of creating art that reflects a world different than our own. 

His interest in science fiction began in childhood, and he says that he was drawn to it “because it is different than life,” and you can create whatever you want. Photos points to illustration legend Frank Frazetta as one of his major influences. While he loves Frazetta’s style, Photos is particularly inspired by the confidence and energy that comes through in Frazetta’s artwork. 

As a professional artist who has a studio in La Crescenta, and who can sometimes be found painting in the streets in Montrose, Photos says that he is “passionate about becoming the best painter [he] can become.” While he is sure that art will continue to be a focus in his life, he has diverse interests for the future. Photos dreams of writing a book, traveling, having a family and someday mastering chess. Photos is even venturing out in the art world by spending more time pursuing fine art. He says that above all he loves painting people, and this passion has allowed him to grow as both an illustrator and a fine artist. 

When asked what the Illustrators of the Future award meant to him, Photos explained that it was great to know that some of the best-known professionals in his field thought that he was “good enough to make it in the industry.”  He is appreciative of this validation, and he is hopeful about the doors that this honor will open for him as an artist. 

His advice to other artists is to “draw a lot.”  He also highlights how important it is to focus on what you want to do and to be persistent when pursuing that goal.  With a family that supports him and a girlfriend who has never doubted his abilities, Photos continues to paint with persistence, a characteristic he says has been vital to his success.  With artwork that can only be described as stunning, this most recent award will most certainly not be his last.

Photos’ work can be found in The Barn Art Gallery in Glendale and on his website www.nicoillustration.com. He is also planning to start a Kickstarter Campaign in order to begin printing his artwork.