nailbattery

I'm Tommy Hatfield, an illustrator, designer, and creative writer from South Florida. I'm currently enrolled at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore as a senior Illustration major! As a student of visual art and storytelling, I like focusing particularly on character-driven narrative development throughout various illustrative and written forms.

I have always been captivated by a good story, and all the pieces that might shape one — an intriguing set of characters, an engaging visual technique, a script or style of prose that delights its audience (or destroys them). As a child, writing and drawing was a vital hobby, urged by the countless stories taking shape in my own mind. Today, my interests have grown to encompass the whole of film and television production, from the visual and written work in conceiving a narrative (such as character design, screenwriting, storyboarding) to the tangible components of realizing it (such as costuming, directing, production).

My experience lies mostly in illustrative and written work, wherein I strive to present striking original worlds and characters and to develop compelling narratives in which their dynamics can be explored. I am often inspired by media that blends comedy and absurdity with drama and realism. There is no singular genre I find myself restricted to, both as a consumer and a creative — likely because drama and comedy can be found in a story of almost any genre. However, my work is often connected to themes of identity and relationships, queerness and gender-nonconformity, and other alternative and "outsider" communities and experiences.

I also like 70s-80s music, media, and vibes; old technology and its associated aesthetics; nuclear science; classic monsters; blunt weapons in narrative and character development; and ensemble casts.You'll likely find these scattered throughout my work!