James Pavelec was born in Illinois,[1] where comic books, horror movies such as The Exorcist — which he watched at age 2[2] — and the artwork of Frank Frazetta had a major influence on his career.

[2] For pencil sketches, Pavelec uses toned paper, transferring organic textures from rocks and fossils using powdered graphite before finishing with gray pastels to bring up highlights.

In order to give other freelance illustrators as much information about the industry as possible he co-founded the website "Professional Artist Client Toolkit" ("PACT") in January 2014.

The resultant drop in income forced Pavelec to take part-time jobs, working in a gym for minimum wage, and becoming a Lyft driver.

Taking inspiration from the Ars Goetia, a 17th century grimoire listing more than 70 different demons, Pavelec focused on the horror art genre.