Words of Art: David Lee

13. 4. 2021

Drawing is a hobby for me, says David Lee, author of popular webcomic Durdling Around.

blog image

Please, introduce yourself shortly.

Hi! My name is Dave Lee, and I’m an artist and gamer living in Toronto, Canada. I usually go by Derfington online.

How long have you been drawing?

I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, so about 30(!) years. I am mostly self-taught, though.

That’s long time! Are you a professional artist now or has it just remained your hobby?

Drawing is still a hobby for me and I’m happy with that. If I had to draw for a living, I think I would find it very stressful.

What is your favorite drawing theme?

I grew up reading a lot of comic books, manga, and fantasy novels, so titles like X-Men, Record of Lodoss War, and Lord of the Rings are big inspirations. I’m still a little kid at heart, so I love drawing knights and monsters.

How did you meet Magic: The Gathering?

When I was 10 years old, I saw some classmates playing Magic at lunch time. I begged my dad to buy me a Revised starter deck, and that was how the addiction started. I played all the way through high school (Invasion block), then quit and took a very long break until Zendikar. By then I was working full-time and could buy all the cards I wanted!

Durdling Around is quite popular, what led you to its creation and where do you get your ideas from?

When I went to my first Grand Prix, I met Kar Yung Tom, a Canadian player who started Manadeprived.com and later joined Face to Face Games (the biggest Canadian store for MTG). KYT liked my art and asked me to start a webcomic for his website. We’re good friends to this day.

I usually get my best ideas during spoiler season before a new set is released. I like focusing on planeswalkers and giving them fun personalities.

You also created several tokens in the same drawing style, will we see more?

Yeah! Our country has been in lockdown for the past year and we are still quite a while away from returning to normal. That means I have spare time to draw more tokens. :)

Do you have a goal you would like to achieve?

Before starting my MTG webcomic, Durdling Around, no one really looked at my work. I never imagined people would see and like my art. If my artwork can make someone’s day better, that makes me happy.

However, I would like to get better at drawing landscapes and buildings!

Do you accept commissions?

Yes! I’m available for digital art commissions and card alters.

Where can people see your arts and reach you?

I am all over the Internet! You can find me on my website, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Thanks for your time, David, we look forward to your next tokens and webcomic!

As David is part of our artist group, check out his awesome tokens. By purchasing them, you will support his work!

Are you an artist and you want new people to know about you? We can write a similar article about you and help you find new fans. Write to us!