.I stood, looking out my loft window. As I did I felt the cold chill of reality, gently blow through the room.

Danial R McClinton.

I was born in 1978 in Munster, Texas. It is a small German town on the border of Texas and Oklahoma. My granddad :was a Jack of all trades my grandmother, a homemaker.” Although I lived with my grandparents, my mom was still in the picture. Therefore, I was adopted. By my grandparents : to keep me with that side of the family. Even through all that: my mom was, still in the picture. She was a truck driver. My younger years were spent with a pencil and pad. I would sit for hours: drawing the cartoons, off the television. In December of 1990, my grandmother died. My only outlet was my ability. My aunt a police officer, Enlisted the help of a grief counselor. Who would come to school twice a week? "To make me draw pictures; of my feelings". It was around that same time I started having dreams. My family, thought it was just me ; still grieving. So I started to keep a dream journal. That: journal would play a pivotal part With my art. I would spend most of my time at the police department, Drawing caricatures of the officers. It amazed me: how the funny looking cartoons, looked just like them. I was so good, that my art caught the eye of our family lawyer. Who then offered to pay for private classes? "During that time". I had enrolled with art instruction schools. That school from television that offered the free art test. I soon grew bored with the approach It did not, excite me. My art teacher in High school only taught one thing, perspective.

After High school, I worked odd jobs here and there. "Mainly as a pizza delivery". I always maintained my art though. But I still did not know what I wanted to do with it. Or how to pay for college, So I joined the Marine Corp in January 1999. I always swore ; I never would join the military. It just was not me. The military recruiters had me when they told me, about combat art. The thought of painting or drawing, battle scenes intrigued me. What they did not say was, I had to be picked for it. So I ended up as an amphibious tank crewman. I then left for San Diego. That was where I went to boot camp. From there I was stationed in North Carolina. But, was not there long. Before shipping off to Greece, for training. "After Greece" I came back to North Carolina. To join :a group going over seas again. I spent four and a half years, in the Corp. Visiting several countries, Like Spain, Split Croatia, Ireland:Greece UAE Turkey:Egypt and Pakistan, in support of operation Enduring freedom. I was awarded ; a good conduct medal, National defense medal, Global war on terror expeditionary medal, and sea service deployment ribbon. I was supposed to stop my enlistment, in January 2003. But because of the Iraqi war, I was held in. I ended my enlistment in May 2003.

So I came home back to Texas. I wanted to get into art school, so I checked into the Dallas art institute. That did not work out. I was never “realy” book smart. They made me take an algebra and English test. "Which was like trying to establish a new language". I had become fascinated with dark and fantasy art. The Iron clad women, of Luis Royo, and the female vampires, of Victoria Francis. They just amazed me. So I taught myself to paint. I drew inspiration, from the “infamous” dream Journal. Which would also, inspire a horror novel, I want to write. My first painting: was, based off a dream I had. I was in bed when I was awoke. I had seen an apparition of a female. With a floating window, behind her. through the window was a cemetery. I now draw inspiration, from this. I soon found Luis Royo on My space, who added me to his top artist. I promptly opened my own website WWW.danial mcclinton.com "as well". I also got my first interview, with the Horrorsociety.com. It was around that time I realized. That the artist, that I looked up to, were illustrators. So I began: to pay attention. On how they did what they did. How they marketed there art. Where there art, was shown:and who were there fans. So I decided: to start joining:as many art sites as I could. All the gothic sites. The sort of people that would be into my art. But:I still was not where I wanted to be. So I decided to enroll, at the Academy of art. To pursue my BFA in Illistration.