Meet Leighton Buxman | Concept artist, dark fantasy illustrator and cover artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leighton Buxman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leighton, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?

Hi! Thanks so much for chatting with me.
Artistically speaking, I draw inspiration from a wide range of artists, such as Brian Froud and Claire Wendling for their whimsical world building and organic style; Yoshitaka Amano, Moebius, and Frank Frazetta for their shape language and compositions; Ruan Jia and Bouguereau for their mastery of edges and values; and many more.

Depending on the artist, I’ll most heavily analyze a specific aspect of their work, such as style/rendering, shape language/design skills, or visual storytelling.

Emotionally, some of my inspirations are mental health, childhood, death, and growth. I enjoy emotional subtlety and vague surrealism in art and try to create hints of darkness, unease, or innocence depending on my goal with the image.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is a reflection of my love for dark fantasy and the act of creating. With dark art specifically I enjoy creating illustrations that evoke mystery and a subtle sense of unease. I work on projects ranging from personal commissions, to comic/book covers, color work for comics, concept art, and most recently have begun diving into children’s book illustrations.
I love dark fantasy but there’s also a wide variety of styles and work flows that I’m comfortable in and enjoy as well.

As I’ve grown professionally I’ve realized how important connections with other creatives have been. I definitely wouldn’t have made it this far without those connections and encourage anyone who wants to pursue art to do the same. Attend conventions, meet people, make friends. Even if it’s only online, finding the right groups of artists can help push you to the next level.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s a tough one! I don’t get out nearly as much as I should but The Lyric in Fort Collins, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, and Meow Wolf are all worth seeing!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would like to give a shoutout to some of the local Colorado art conventions.

Wicked West Comic Expo was my very first convention in 2022 and was where I was hired for my first serious freelance project by Source Point Press.
It was a thrilling and challenging experience that boosted my confidence and skills as an artist.

The Colorado Festival of Horror (COFOH) is where I’ve made the most friends and essentially found an art family. The founders themselves are incredible people and I’ve had the privilege to meet so many skilled and supportive artists who share my passion for art and dark fantasy.

Having the opportunity to meet so many other artists and creators through conventions has been life changing.

Website: mozdeys.art

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mozdeys/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leightonbuxman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighton.buxman/