David Michael Friend

My name is David Michael Friend. Yup.. one of those pretentious three named artists. But you try standing out in a world where you have the same name as the editor of creative development for Vanity Fair AND that guy that plays with his genitalia professionally. It didn't help that I was a puppeteer myself for a good chunk of my adult life.

I've been a professional artists since shortly after my birth. My first (and some would argue my best) works were commissioned by my mother; she would force pureed carrots and peas down my throat and in return I would poop out daily masterpieces. After about 18 years of this barter system, it became apparent that the market for this art was limited.

So I moved to the big molding fruit that is New York City. Coming from the suburban lifestyle of Chicago's (waaaay) north side, it was a little bit of a culture shock. But I quickly came to realize that there was no shame in dumpster diving for sculpture class materials if it meant eating dinner instead. After a few key summer internships at animation houses in the city, I began my lucrative career as a freelance illustrator and animator. I worked on jobs for Marvel Comics, Sesame Street, MTV, Disney, The Henson Company and countless others.

But now I just want to do my own thing. That's where you come in!