You can’t have stunning visuals and illustrations without an incredible artist. That’s why we’re excited to have James on our team, the illustrator and visual artist for Wrasslers. Learn more about James and his background with this feature of Meet the Team!

Introduce yourself to us!

Hello, I’m James - I’m an Aries, born in 1982. I grew up drawing, and started my career as an illustrator, which led me to animation. I’ve directed music videos, a couple of commercials, contributed animation to documentaries, and co-directed a film of my own, called “Midnight in Paris”. My most recognizable work is probably the animated short “Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No”. I love my family, and I appreciate my health. Nice to meet you.

How did you end up getting involved in this project?

Sammy reached out to me. He was familiar with work I had done years ago, some t-shirt designs. He told me about his vision for Wrasslers, and we aligned. It was a lot of fun for me to take a break from animation and get back to illustration. The timing was good.

What is your favorite part about working on this project, and what excites you the most?

The most fun for me, besides all of the drawing, has been working with the team to figure out how we would build the NFTs. All the problem-solving involved, and all the laughs we’ve had while finding the answers.

What is your favorite part about working in the Crypto/Web3 space?

It’s been cool for me to get a better look at the space itself - I really wasn’t familiar with it before getting involved with wrasslers, besides a general understanding of what NFTs could be. I am excited to be involved and see where it goes, I like the wild potential.

Who is your favorite wrestler?

Jeff Hardy ... maybe Mick Foley.

Do you have any socials, and what is the best way to reach you?

My website is www.jamesblagden.com (I was recently told by the team “.com” is for boomers) and my instagram is @jimmyblags - neither are great places to see my work, but you can find me there & get ahold of me pretty easy.