Before his illustrating career began, Mitchell admits he has always been a Star Wars fan. "I have been interested in Star Wars from day one when I was around 14 years old," says Mitchell. "My twin brother Charlie and I heard from another friend that there was a real cool movie out called Star Wars, so we both went out and worked for a weekend planting seeds and cleaning out weeds in little old ladies' yards to earn a couple of bucks to get into the little downtown theater. It was worth the dirt and grime -- we did it about eight more times after that, and I couldn't get enough of Star Wars. I have been hooked ever since."
Mitchell remembers illustration becoming an early means to keep himself occupied when he was young, drawing inspiration from his father.
"I started illustrating early in life because we realistically had nothing else to do on the cold nights to occupy the time," says Mitchell. "My father was a great artist and sign painter, and we would go into the garage during the freezing cold Nebraska nights and sit by the space heater to watch him create magic on the sides of trucks and race cars. He was such a big influence in both of our lives."
Catching the artistic bug, Mitchell slowly started illustrating, earning small commissions by age 15. "My mother and Aunt Ruth kind of acted as sales people letting all of the neighbors and people they worked with know that we could draw and paint," says Mitchell. "I painted and drew portraits, animals, homes, landscapes -- whatever the customer wanted for small commissions -- and learned how to work with clients early on. I knew then that it was what I really wanted to do with my life."
