Interview
Logan McBride
Logan McBride, known online as McHollow, is a digital illustrator recently transplanted to Bucks County from Brooklyn, NY. Specializing in original character design, game development, sticker design, Logan continues to grow his artistic repertoire through additional mediums such as gouache. Explorations of both natural and supernatural themes suffuse his body of work, which draws from inspirations as varied as punk-alternative patterning, Japanese manga illustration, and American webcomics. Logan lives with his wife, Hannah and their orange cat, Pumpkin.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I grew up in Elmira, a small and classically conservative city supported by industrial and factory work in the Southern Tier of New York state. As a kid, making friends was always a challenge for me in part due to my non-conventional interests in animation, manga, and video games. To escape bullying I’d spend a lot of time solo, drawing things I'd found in library books - dinosaurs, historic diagrams, and geographic maps. Eventually some of my peers and teachers began to notice my ‘doodles.’ My peers went from ostracizing me to eagerly asking, ‘can you draw this for me?,’ though many of my teachers merely sent me to detention for being ‘distracted in class.’
In middle school as my social circle expanded, and I gained access to the internet I began practicing my drawing even more. I remember there was fan art of this wolf character from the website Neopets that I would draw over and over again until I could recreate it entirely from memory. As I entered high school, I finally found someone who believed in my creativity - my high school art teacher Debb VanDelinder. Over 3 years and 5 different classes, I gained a solid understanding of the foundations of illustration, colour, and composition, and, honestly, it was with her encouragement that I finally started taking going to college for art more seriously. Of course my friends and family were always encouraging me to pursue art too, but there was something about hearing the same from someone that was not only my teacher, but an artist in their own right that really made the idea stick with me. And I honestly hope to be that voice for some kid, like me, in the future. I eventually earned a degree in Digital Media and Animation from SUNY Alfred State College before moving to Brooklyn for 8 years where I continued to refine my style and fully embrace digital illustration. Here, I met my wife who I also consider a creative collaborator and writing partner on a graphic novel premise still currently in development.”
What inspires you?
“I just like drawing. I take a lot of inspiration from the media I enjoy, especially Japanese manga and animation. I love expressive and larger than life characters who jump off the page, and using bold colors with strong lines. If it makes me smile or laugh I know I’m probably making the right things.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“While my work is not particularly message driven, I do hope to spark conversation and surprise people. I personally value work that isn't afraid to be a little ‘bad,’ like my Awful Little Guy series which celebrates the oddities and absurd characters we find in our lives. I’m also often drawn to the quiet contemplation elicited by some of my more abstract pieces which have no immediate message or meaning. Playing with line, pattern and color can be a meditative process for me.”
How would you describe your work?
“I often struggle with this question. My work is often based around whatever catches my interest in the moment, though some elements remain consistent. I enjoy convergent lines, playing with negative space, and the mixing of the human and non-human. Most of my work aims to tell a single frame story - a snapshot of a character or situation. I like to take the familiar and put some kind of twist on it; sometimes whimsical, other times alien.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I am highly influenced by many of the great mangaka such as Hirohiko Araki, Osamu Tezuka, Eiichiro Oda as well as recent greats like Kei Urana and Yukinobu Tatsu. Each artist has their own unique style within the medium, and I attempt to incorporate my favorite aspects and elements from each of their works into my own practice.”
What is your creative process like?
“Long and tortured. I’ll often find myself redrawing the same sketches over and over again for hours until I get the composition just right, which is why I enjoy working primarily digitally so I can be a perfectionist without worrying about ruining or wasting materials. Once I feel happy with a sketch I begin the process of laying down line work, which is my favorite part for sure. Once I’m happy with my lines, I move on to color which can sometimes go quickly, while at other times can be the most challenging part of the process. Though to be honest, I often end up doing linework and coloring at the same time, bouncing back and forth as the piece demands.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists reflect the times and environments they live in and through their art depict deeply personal renditions of that world. No two people see the world exactly the same. It’s part of why I hate the current invasion of AI into daily and artistic life. I think being authentically creative is more important now than ever to preserve what makes art special: human intention and choice. Every time I pick up my pen, I am making a series of thoughtful choices, instead of a machine regurgitating other people’s thoughts and hard work to create something soulless.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I was recently a featured artist in the Artists of Yardley New Members Show in March of 2026. It was lovely to connect with other local artists and to display my work with my talented peers. I’m working on expanding my gallery showings to other Philadelphia area venues and maybe even popping up at a local convention or two!”
Website: www.mchollow.art/works
Instagram: @loganmchollow
