Of Dragons and Demons: The Art and Legacy of Kevin Kanai Griffith

A framed Malthael Sketch by the late Kevin Kanai Griffith (2013) next to his Frostmourne sword

We never know how long we have, or what our lasting legacy might be. I'd like to think that, generally speaking, a life long-lived is a good one, and so it's all-the-more painful when friends or family pass away "too soon."

In 2013, I shared a memorial blog about fellow artist, and nature and bird enthusiast named Caroline Muchmore, who passed away from Cystic Fibrosis (she was 26 years young).

  

And today, and for the last few years, really, I've wanted so desperately to share the legacy of a fellow artist and dear friend Kevin Kanai Griffith with the world, but attempting to do so feels like an incredibly impossible prospect. I simply can't hope to encapsulate someone in a few paragraphs and scattered images, but I'll try my best.

Memories of Kevin
 

Kevin Kanai Grifftith's birthday is March 24th, and he would have been 34 this year. Unfortunately, sometimes the lights that burn the brightest are sometimes snuffed out far too soon, and Kevin passed away on October 17th, 2014 from Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) cancer (he was 32 years young).

The Late Kevin Kanain Griffith's Blizzard ID Photo

Kevin was a Senior Artist at Blizzard Entertainment, and if you played World of Warcraft or Diablo III, you were undoubtedly touched by his artistry, and if you were lucky enough to know him, you were awestruck by how authentic and giving a person Kevin Kanai Griffith was.

I first met Kevin in 2009 at a Sketch Group he’d helped get up and running at Blizzard.  At the time, I was working in the Community Development department, and was eager to stretch my creative muscles and connect with like-minded individuals. I’d been directed to the sketch group by a fellow artist, Jessica Johnson, and in short order I connected with Kevin and he was off and getting me set up on creative mailing lists about sketch groups, live drawing sessions, art challenges, and more. This might not seem like a big deal to many since Kevin was an artist, but it takes a certain kind of person to see the best in others and be willing to spend time and energy helping people and, well, Kevin was just that kind of guy.

 

Kevin wasn’t one for cliques. When folks from other departments or specialties showed interest in joining Sketch Group, Kevin did any and everything in his power to make them feel welcome, regardless if they were already employed at Blizzard as an artist, or were someone interested in learning and spreading their wings. He took time to get to know people and introduce people to one another. He was as inclusive and open as any artist I’ve ever known, and genuine to the core. Whether he was spending time helping other creative souls flourish, or working on his own assortment of projects, he was always striving to bring out the very best in himself and those around him.

• Kevin kept a blog with much of his artwork here: http://cowandcheese.blogspot.com/
• Kevin's Health blog is located here: http://cowandcheesehealth.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-haz-cancer.html
• You can check out the Bonus Camel blog (for Blizzard Sketch Group) here: http://www.bonuscamel.com/

Kevin was a close friend and mentor to me, and I will miss our talks so very much. I am thankful also to everyone at Blizzard, especially those that welcomed me to sit in the Environmental Artist pit in the Diablo III area for a few years. Whether I ever said it aloud or not, it meant the world to me to be able to sit by Kevin on a daily basis, and I know that it meant a lot to him as well. The people at Blizzard are seriously the best.

I'm also thankful for knowing Kevin for how much he inspired me on my art and encouraged me to believe in myself and my abilities. I'm thankful for his awesome choice in partners in crime, too, because he chose wonderfully in his wife/widow, Connie Griffith, and I am thankful that through Kevin, I've had the opportunity to grow closer to her, and discover an incredible, lifelong friend in the process. 

 

Kevin and Art
 

Kevin loved Diablo something fierce, and he was always eager to stretch his skills as an illustrator and contribute to all sorts of Community and development initiatives, and inject his special humor along the way. He created a number of holiday pieces for Diablo III during his tenure, and the top one holds a special place in my heart because I remember so many hilarious discussions we had while he was creating it. During one particular evening of OT, I remarked the lower right boggit (then hairless) wasn't reading as female to me. Boggits didn't have hair, though, so we couldn't come up with a solution... until I mentioned perhaps she was wearing the scalped hair of a Hero or adventurer. Maybe the Enchantress?

We laughed about it, and the idea stuck, and Kevin added it to the illustration. If you look carefully, you can even see blood trickling out from under it... ;)

A piece of holiday art that Kevin created for Diablo III.

 

Kevin was also instrumental in encouraging me and offering critiques on one of my first Blizzard-sanctioned illustrations I ever did a few years ago for a Community blog for the holidays.

"Season's Wishes" final illustration by K. LeCrone - Completed on December 23, 2013

Gestures like offering to critique my work meant the world to me as a growing artist.

Here’s a small selection of some of his art which spans some of his contributions to Blizzard as well as his personal work. You can find his galleries on DeviantART and Blogspot. If you want to learn more about these pieces and many others, please check out his personal galleries. I've also uploaded over eighty pieces of his art and some photos to this Google+ Gallery to make sure they have yet another location to reside for posterity, and aren't lost to the sometimes fickle winds of the internet.

 

  

  

     

In addition to being a welcome ear for oh-so-many conversations, Kevin also offered me heartfelt and much-needed advice during some stressful and complex times as I navigated balancing my work-life balance at Blizzard. He chose to stay upbeat even during his own health trials, and kept his humor and caring about everyone else around him right till the end. 

"Planet Eater" - by Kevin Kanai Griffith

While Kevin and I never played World of Warcraft together on the same server or guild, we definitely played Diablo III together, as well as a bit of Heroes of the Storm and a hefty dose of Minecraft on his custom server. It was always a hoot to group with him, and it was fun to watch him play with fellow artist Neal Wojahn, as well as Brandy Camel (one of our Diablo III Community Managers) and a member of the Diablo III community. He truly loved the games he worked on, and interacting with players and coworkers alike.

I am so incredibly thankful for the time we had as friends, even if it didn't feel like nearly long enough. While it brings me sadness to think that I won't get to chat with him any longer this life, or see his latest art updates or new tools or books he's discovered, but I am also so, so happy that he can finally be at peace away from that awful, awful cancer. After immersing myself in so many movies and games where in the nick of time, a cure miraculously arrives to save someone, I think many of us were met with the harsh reality that sometimes there is simply nothing we can do but hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I've said it many times, but seriously: fuck cancer.

Honoring Kevin
 

Kevin's lasting legacy was honored in a number of ways. In addition to a memorial service that was a celebration of his life, the Diablo III team also introduced a number of updates in Patch 2.3.0 that were a nod to him, including Kanai's Cube and the Barbarian area where Immortal King Kanai resides, the Ruins of Sescheron. You can learn a bit more about them in the Diablo III videos below (both of which I helped capture after becoming a full-time artist at Blizzard in 2015. Fitting, isn't it?).

There's even a secret mini-event called Udder Cowlamity that only takes place during the month of his Birthday (March).

Kevin was also honored with a World of Warcraft NPC, Kanai Griffith. Kanai Griffith is a Forsaken art teacher located on the mountain ridge on the southeastern side of Coldarra in the Borean Tundra, and his dialogue is very Kevin-inspired, right down to the doge memes it references. :)

Additionally, Kevin was honored in Gamer for Life: A Fan Art Tribute for KKG. It was an ambitious project organized by Gamers for Good, and in it, 283 game artists came together and donated 476 gorgeous art pieces to be used in the campaign to raise funds for the fight against cancer.

 

Unfortunately, the project was not completed until after his passing, but the funds that were raised were split between two charity organizations in KKG's memory: Game Changer and CureASPS.

Many, many people created art for this project, as well as included relevant art. Kevin and I contributed the following pieces:

"Final Fantasy 6 Level - Lethe River Battle with Ultros" - by Kevin Kanai Griffith

  

"Primal Fury - Altered Beast Fan Art - Project KKG" - by K. LeCrone, Completed on March 3, 2014

You can read more about this piece and the process I used for it in this blog update: Altered Beast Fan Art for a Great Cause - Project KKG.

Our Living Legacy

 

But like anyone else, living or dead: Kevin’s legacy doesn't really end there.

His passing actually made me rethink and reevaluate quite a lot in my own life, and in a way I'm not afraid to admit, some of the discussions we had helped prompt me to take the risk of changing careers and moving into more creative and rewarding roles, which you can read about in these blogs: Onward to New Opportunities within Blizzard and BlizzCon 2015, and My 2015 Year in Review. 

Even more recently, in October of 2020, I joined the Diablo team as a Lead Artist, and am *thrilled* to take up an artistic role in a franchise that means so much to me. 

Kevin believed in me and encouraged me, and I wish he would have been alive to hear that I am now a full-time artist at Blizzard, but then: I think he knew I had it in me all along, and that it was only a matter of time until I figured it out for myself.

 

While it makes me very sad that I will never again be treated to see new art or a silly quip from him, in a way, Kevin’s legacy lives on in all the lives he touched along the way. And by proxy, everything we create and the people we inspire, well, in a way we live on through them too.

So, what will your legacy be?

Here's to you, Kevin, and all the lives you touched along your incredible journey! And thank you, for everything, and most of all: for being uniquely you.



If you feel so inclined, please share this blog to help perpetuate Kevin's memory and consider donating to Game Changer and CureASPS to help the many other "Kevins" out there.

My 2015 Year in Review

2015 year has been something, alright!

I'm not ashamed to admit that the first half was pretty heavy and depressing for me, as I was still reeling over the loss of one of my dear friends, Kevin Kanai Griffith. :(

I felt like in early 2015 it had to really force myself to do personal writing (and I did), but the art side of things wasn't coming nearly as easily for me, and somewhere in late 2014 and early 2015 I felt like someone had shaken me awake to get me to really sit down and think if I was happy with the trajectory of my career as a Community Manager at Blizzard. In truth, I was content and I certainly enjoyed a lot of the work I was doing, but I kept finding myself wondering if I was selling myself short by not even letting myself consider the possibility of a more creative career in the arts.

The thought was terrifying, and then after a time, it was inspiring. What could my life be like in another five or ten years if I let myself pursue the arts? Would I even be capable, qualified, or skilled enough to change careers and find success in something so different? Would I have to leave Blizzard to progress?

In the early half of 2015, I didn't talk about it, but behind the scenes, I gave it my all.

I applied to a job at Blizzard as a Media Artist within Story and Franchise Development (formerly known as Cinematics) and Video and Post Production with every ounce of passion I had. I spent countless hours on my cover letter, resume, portfolio, and then threw myself into the art test and preparing for the eventual interview.

And I got it.

And I haven't looked back.

I talked about my new opportunities within Blizzard in this blog post, but even in the time since, I've got to tell you: I am so much happier. I have so much more creative energy both during and after work, and feel like I am just buzzing with ideas. I feel like myself again, in the best possible way. I love being surrounded by so many creative individuals, I am digging my new work/life balance, and I am so excited for where the future will take me. I'm glad I dared to make the change, and that I had the opportunity to join such an immensely talented, passionate, and wonderful team.

So when I look back at the first half of this year, part of me cringes that there isn't a lot to show for it publicly, but man, if you could see all the hours and hours that went into my portfolio/art test, you would probably understand that that's completely fine by me. :)

I remember about a year ago at this time I was really struggling with whether or not to make a career change, and I'm immensely glad I did. If I had any piece of advice in all of this, it's to be willing to believe in yourself and pursue your own happiness with as much gusto as you can muster! It's never too late to follow your heart!

12 Glimpses of My 2015 Year in Review
 

This year was extremely busy, but I put together 12 of my "top" projects throughout the year, which you can see above and learn more about below:

1. World’s First Butterfly Cosplay – Part 3: Bringing Monarch Brightwing to Life: While I technically completed this official project in the middle of 2014, it wasn't actually posted publicly until May of 2015. It was definitely a fun project to try to realize Monarch Brightwing in a butterfly-cosplay-sized sculpture, but I really enjoyed the challenge! It was one of the first full-body sculptures I'd done in years, too!
    
2. This year I did a fair bit of personal writing, organizing, blogging, and a boatload of social media. I made 16 blogs in 2015, including numerous blogs detailing walkthroughs of my various projects. I'm hoping to increase that number in 2016, as well as to really kick my writing into gear!
    
3. This is one of the many composite images I created for my portfolio for my media artist job application. I spent so much time working on the contents of it, and I'm so very glad it all paid off. :)
    
4. Matt Murdock (Daredevil): Avocado at Law: I got really into Netflix's Daredevil this year, and allowed myself a bit of a breather to do some loose fan art of him in the middle of the year.
    
5. 30 Day Story-Sketch Challenge: Day 2: Protection: In July I decided to challenge myself to partake in a 30-day challenge to sketch characters and environments from a story I wrote, and would like to get back to editing in order prompt me to get back in the headspace of those characters. This is the second day's image of two of the main characters. Unfortunately I only made it about five days in before I got really sick and put the challenge on ice for awhile, but I definitely plan to give it another go next year.
    
6. 'Butterscotch' - World of Warcraft Fan Art Yak: Gah, this project was a beast! Started on November 3rd, 2012 and completed on July 26, 2015, this project spanned many years, and was subject to so much scope creep and technical hurdles that it was sometimes incredibly frustrating to keep moving forward with it, but finally, finally it is done. During the last two years, I've been trying to finish off a number of long outstanding projects and this was one of them. It was also a more than subtle reminder that money and time are hardly limitless, so it's important to make sure you're spending your time on projects you find worthwhile, and well, that you actually finish them.
    
7. “Dragon Mage” – ZBrush Sculpture: This is yet another project that had been put on ice for awhile that I finished up in 2015. I had a lot of fun with the patterning on this fella. :)
    
8. Sculpture: "Friendship": Amidst a lot of really time-intensive projects (like the job application, Monarch Brightwing Sculpture, and Yak project), when Cindy visited me this year I was somewhat emphatic that I wanted to to a project we could actually complete during a few days, and this ended up being just that. :) I'd long wanted to experiment with a particular type of air dry clay, and had a wonderful time sculpting with my seester! <3
    
9. Demon Pig from 2015 BlizzCon Sketch Group: I enjoyed working at the BlizzCon Art Gallery this year as well as at the BlizzCon Sketch Group. The theme for the sketch group was "demon + pig" so I had fun with it. :)
    
10. Crafty Secret Santa and "Sailor Usagi": This year I hosted a special Secret Santa-type exchange for crafty people that you can read about here, and by and large I feel it's been a great success! My own giftee enjoyed (among other things) Sailor Moon and rabbits, so I forged her interests together into a fun little sculpture gift. It was a lot of fun to be able to allow my creativity to go wild on another short-form sculpture!
     
11. Jeweled Lion Sculpture (Work in Progress): While it's not done yet, in late December I discovered yet another abandoned project from many years ago (2011), and I decided to take a break from my other projects to try to and make it into something with a bit better form. I'm looking forward to finishing it off!
     
12. “Sashah's Song” – Mixed Media Sculpture (Work in Progress - Current as of December 17, 2015 - Photographed by Dana Bishop): I started this sculpture way back in late 2014, and it sat around for the bulk of the year before I got moving again on it in the later half of 2015. It's a sculpture of one of the lead protagonists of my stories, who happens to be a werewolf enchantress. Much like the Yak, this project has encountered numerous technical battles along the way, including not fitting properly in a home oven, which meant I had to build an oven to bake it, so... suffice to say, she has continued to be a labor of love, and I'm really hoping I can finish her off in the near future. :) I figure I'm around 106 hours in at this point, and there are a lot more photos of her over on my Twitter accounts @KLeCrone and @Vaeflare. To date, this is very possibly the project I'm proudest of so far!

On to 2016!

All-in-all it's been quite a year, and I can't wait to see what 2016 holds! Some personal things I'm aiming to accomplish in the new year include:

1. Complete "Sashah's Song" Sculpture
2. (Re)learn how to mold and cast
3. Finish one or more short stories
4. Keep moving forward with one or more novels
5. Learn some new art materials (CX5, I'm looking at you!)
6. Finish at least one outstanding art project and selectively retire others
7. Sell some new personal art
8. Continue to infuse my unique vision into my work
    

Conventions/Festivals I Am Planning to Attend in 2016

1. February - The Southern California Writer's Conference
2. May - Lightning in a Bottle
3. July - San Diego Comic Con
4. August - PAX Prime (Planned)  

Thank you for all your support in 2015, and thanks for joining me on my creative journey!

"Fly Free" Hawk Plate and Gamer for Life Art Book Tribute to KKG

This is the longest I've gone without blogging for quite awhile, but I'm aiming to get back in the saddle again.

A few months ago, one of my close friends, Kevin K. Griffith, passed away, and for awhile I simply didn't have the bandwidth for a lot of things like blogging. Over the past few months I have been creating new art and writing, though, and in the coming months I'm also aiming to create a sort of standing memorial post to his art here on my blog, but, well, first thing's first: I have quite a lot to catch up on.

"Fly Free" - Plate

 

"Fly Free" - Fired Plate - Completed on November 1, 2014

The final few months of 2014 were rough for many, myself included. Weeks after Kevin passed away, some of my family and friends gathered to celebrate my Birthday by painting ceramics. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to paint (and wasn't necessarily in the mood to create art), but I wanted it to be something with meaning to me. So, after some thought, I worked to painted a red tailed hawk flying free.  It seemed appropriate under the circumstances.

Glazing is always guesswork, because you never know how the colors will turn out until they are fired. I've slowly been getting the hang of layering the various glazes, though, and this plate ended up nearly as I'd imagined it. It's around 8 inches in diameter and was painted freehand.

  

 

"Gamer for Life: A Fan Art Tribute for KKG" Art Book

 

Primal Fury - Altered Beast Fan Art - Project KKG - Completed on February 3rd, 2014

Last year I posted a detailed walk through of the above piece of Altered Beast fan art, which I made specifically for Project KKG. During this call to action, 283 artists came together from around the world to create art based on games Kevin loved in order to support he and his wife in their time of trial. Kevin fought an incredibly rare form of cancer, Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) cancer, and unfortunately in Oct. 2014, he passed away prior to the campaign going live.

While the original intent was for all of the proceeds will go directly to paying for treatment, instead the purpose of the book was re-examined after Kevin's passing, and the organizers opted to transform the love that had been poured into the art for the book into a tribute book entitled "Gamer for Life: A Fan Art Tribute for KKG."

The proceeds from the sales will be going to two different charity organizations related to cancer, and the Indiegogo campaign for it is still open for another week if you're interested in finding out more about the campaign or purchasing an art book of your own.

Myself and many other artists have donated hundreds if not thousands of hours to make this project a reality, and I hope others are able to enjoy the spirit of hope and solidarity that went into making it, even if Kevin isn't around to enjoy it with us.

You only have so much time in this life, so make sure to make it count.

I hope all of you are well, and thank you again for taking the time to read my blog.