BY JAKE FOWLER

Staff Writer

During the day, Loran Skinkis is the head security guard at Baldwin, spending his time making sure the hallways are safe. But like the superheroes of comic books he admires, Skinkis has an alter ego. He is also a comic book artist, illustrator and designer.
He has managed to achieve a fair amount of success over a long period of time. In 1992 the Post-Gazette published a big feature story on him and his art, and today his Twitter account, @LoranSkinkisArt, has more than 3,000 followers.
He has several comic book projects running right now, the best known of which is The Adventures of Burgh Man. His web page, skinkis.com, showcases both his work in comics and his advertising art, illustrations and T-shirt designs, among other art projects.
This might seem unusual for a man who gets tardy students to class during the day, but Skinkis began developing his love of art at an early age.
From a young age, Skinkis was surrounded by art. Since his mother was an artist and he always had a great interest in comic books, wanting to become a comic book artist was a natural choice.
“Looking at my mother’s art really set me on my path to do what I do now,” Skinkis said.
Starting out, Skinkis was a self-taught artist. After serving in the Marine Corps during the first Gulf War in 1991, he took classes at Community College of Allegheny County. While there, he created all of the strips on the comics page of the school newspaper, which led to a big feature story in the Post-Gazette written by local comics expert Tony Norman.
“I was still in training,” Skinkis said. “It was a pretty big thrill.”
After that he took classes at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He had two jobs in graphic design, then left for other jobs that eventually brought him to Baldwin four years ago. He has been the head security guard for the past three years.
But he continues to work on comic books and various design projects.
One of his more notable comic books is The Adventures of Burgh Man, which is based on real-life Pittsburgh resident Mark Bedillion, a retired therapist. The comic book, which was mentioned in a 2013 Tribune-Review story about Bedillion, features a hero who uses his powers to spread a positive message.
Print issues of The Adventures of Burgh Man are only for sale through www.skinkis.com.
“In the future I would really like to have a little shop in the city that sold my comics,” Skinkis said.
Skinkis also contributed to the science-fiction graphic novel The Field on the Edge of the Woods, a project that also included two friends.
“We each had our own specific part and before we knew it, it all came together,” Skinkis said.
He also continues to take freelance design work, on such items as business logos and T-shirt designs.
His son, Kevin, is a junior at Baldwin who admires his dad’s artistic talent and successes.
“Looking at my father’s comics makes me proud that my dad is doing what he wants to do,” Kevin Skinkis said.