Thomas 'Beldarr' Bell was raised in the suburbs of Detroit Michigan during the late 60's early 70's. His basically blue collar upbringing instilled in him a sense of hard work and ethics that he still adheres to today. Having realized his artistic talent early on, he still opted to follow his dream of Architectural Design and Drafting. The schooling was long, hard and often paid for with bottle returns, but never was a bit of information wasted on a closed mind. Eventually, higher education was achieved.

        Using his artistic talents, coupled with his amazing sense of vision, he was able to propel himself to premier positions in the firms where he worked. From small town, to big corporate and back again he moved, yearning for newer experiences and challenges. All while drafting his bizarre artwork secretly under their tables.

         After marrying his high school sweetheart, leaving his hometown and settling in the deserts of the west, Tom soon found a restlessness that neither his growing family, nor the demands of his profession could soothe. It was his Art, the one thing he obsessed over the most, was now growing the least. Everything in his life was evolving so beautifully, except for that. So from the deserts of the west to the snows of the north they would travel.

        Settling the family, and his profession once again, Tom started on a 10 year Teaching stint at the College that gave him his start. That not only allowed him to teach his profession, but also to learn and evolve his obsessions. Accumulating credits form the Fine Arts to Computer Graphics Tom never once dropped below a 4.0, absorbing all he could. Somehow he understood that time was linear, and knew the door would begin to close on this chapter as well.

       As chapters close, new ones open. And currently he finds himself in once again, an exciting time. A profession is coming to a close, his kids are off terrorizing the world, and he and his concubine are once again the center of his universe. His now honed talents are no longer hidden beneath the tables of others, and his much sought after style and imagination has an even greater avenue to explore, here on this Web.

       From here he hopes to make public the Art that has made him who he has grown to be, as well as who he will be. He invites you to join him, in a visual account of his quest to evolve.  So please, have a look around, leave a comment or two, and most of all - Enjoy.

Q. Why does your webpage display weird in my browser?
A. My webpage is designed for a min. Screen Resolution of 1280 x 1024, common on the newer LCD monitors. The pop-up script will only display the larger views as tall as your browser window (play with the window size and you'll see what I mean). If they don't seem large enough, increase your screen resolution or view your browser full screen (F11 key).

Q. Can I use your Art for my webpage or Avtar?
A. You can use anything as long as it's 'Not for Profit'. But please give credit where credits due, with either a link back, or a verbal heads-up as to where you got it. And Please don't squish or stretch the image, If you do, don't put my name on it.

Q. Can I print your Art for my wall or have a tat made?
A. Yes you can, as long as it's not for profit. But be forwarned, my images are high dpi for use on the web, that means they print very small. If you scale them up, they'll look like it. Try the Stores, you can get some inexpensive prints that you'll be proud to display.

Q. So what does 'Not for Profit' really mean?
A. You can use anything as long as it's not going to make you any monatery gain. You can freely distribute, post, and print but you cannot sell. Pretty simple. Using my art for Tattoos is fine but the Tattoo Artist can't reuse or offer the design to others.

Q. Can You paint me something?
A. I love to do commissions for people, but I have a tendency to do what I like, in my own way. So if you ask for a Landscape, it might not be of this planet. Please keep in mind that you're not only commissioning a talent, but also a certain style and feel when you ask an Artist to 'paint you something'.

Q. Who is Beldarr, and what's this Impact Ink that copyrights some of your images?
A. Beldarr.Com is the web-presence I developed to display my Fantasy/SciFi Artwork. I am known as Beldarr on the Web, but do not sign any work as such. All my work is either signed by me personally (thomas bell) or by my Graphics Company, Impact Ink. The difference depends on for which purpose the piece will originally be generated. Impact Ink usually handles all the Architectural, Graphics, and misc. commercial work, while I personally handle the Fun Stuff.

Q. Why all the half-naked warrior women?
A. Because it's what I like doing. Depicting the female of a species in a powerful and confident light, while still maintaining their femininity is what I try for. to me, a warrior with less armor only reinforces their superiority over their foes. If you need plate steel to protect you while in battle, you must not be too good at it. And the creatures are cool to do too..

Q. Why do you use Mylar for your pencil work?
A. It's from my days drafting by hand, pretty much a standard in the industry. Mylar has a super-fine, matt tooth that accepts graphite and ink very well. It's Archival, which means it'll last a long time. It can also take repeated erasing by the most aggressive hands and is somewhat waterproof, but it's very expensive.

Q. What's your favorite color medium?
A. Oils, by far. I like to work in glazes or layers. Acrylics/Watercolor are nice but they dry too quickly and don't tend to glaze easily. I haven't mastered the watercolor wash as a medium yet, but my illustrations don't usually call for a "light and airy" feel that I can't get with oil.

Q. Why don't we see more of your commissioned work displayed here?
A. Most of my commissions are for private individuals, and I try to keep that part private. I'm not sure I would like the idea of paying for a one-of-a-kind picture, and then seeing it cropped down as some guy's avatar on a plumbing forum. The owner will usually OK me to upload it for display, then I usually take a crappy photo - sorry.

Q. Why don't we see more of your work in newsstands and books ?
A. Good question *wink*. I like to think it's all about exposure, which I don't have a lot of. I'm gainfully employed in another field, and not hitting the bricks in this genre, so I guess it makes sense that I'm not widely known in the industry. I'll probably always be just a small time guy doing big time stuff for the fortunate few.

Q. So how do I get a hold of you so you can paint me something?
A. My webpage has a contact sheet that will email me directly. Just fill in your email and a request for what you would like, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible to discuss the possibilities (usually 24hrs.). My rates are quite fair and as always, I ask for nothing until you take delivery of the finished product.