#nano interview

Once I, and the client, choose which direction to take the piece, it’s a process of constantly refining the sketch. I’ll draw a tighter sketch in a much bigger format and then go over that with clean line work, making sure that things like perspective or the dimensions of elements within the piece work visually. Depending on whether I decide to take a more painterly approach I might skip the tight line phase and use color to carve out the shapes and forms within the art, but the final phase either way is usually using color to bring everything together.

Image: Work-in-progress versions of the 2021 Camp NaNoWriMo “Choose Your Line” poster, showing a colorful subway map with destinations like “Dramatic Reveal Plaza” and “Theme Harbor”

2. Do you have any daily drawing/creative habits that help you with your work?

A: I’m always constantly drawing/ painting and creating art when I can. It's fun for me to have this form of a creative outlet and to play with ideas that live mostly in my head. I also have found it to be a great way to experiment with different methods of making art and to practice techniques that I’m not as skilled in without the fear of “messing up.” 

As a digital artist I have also found working in other more traditional mediums has helped me push my digital work in new creative directions. For instance, when I first started digital art I was very dependent on line work to create an illustration, and now after playing more with watercolors and gouache paints I’m much more comfortable working without lines in my digital work. While the personal drawing time is incredibly useful and fulfilling for me in becoming a better artist, I also find taking time away from visual arts to be just as helpful. Taking time to pursue other interests allows me to recharge and also fills me with numerous new ideas for when it comes time to create once again.

Image: Work-in-progress and finalized versions of the 2021 Camp NaNoWriMo sponsor banner without text. The image shows a woman looking at many framed paintings on a wall in a museum.

3. Has there ever been a point (either with this project or another) when you’ve felt like you’ve run out of ideas for a design concept? If so, how did you get past that point?

A: This is definitely a thing I have experienced while working on this project and on numerous others. I find the thing that has proven the most helpful for me is to stop trying to push through the artist block and instead turn to sources of  inspiration. Those sources for me can span from other art that I enjoy to watching a film or show or even just going to a different environment.

Sometimes feeling inspired and then returning back to the research phase of the process helps trigger an idea that turns into a full blown illustration. With this project I found myself stuck with the ideas for the illustrated social media banners. Living in NYC I decided to just take a train somewhere for the day to see if inspiration would hit. By doing that and using Google Maps I started thinking about street views of locations, and low and behold the social media banners were born. A lot of times breaking through the art block is about giving yourself some distance from the work to recharge. It may seem counter productive, when under deadline but I’ve found it to be the fastest way to have a break through.

The next step is to choose a specific illustration style (for NaNoWriMo, we settled on a combination of a hand-painted watercolor background with vector ink brushes for the line art). When the style is chosen, I scan the finished sketch and start tracing it out in Illustrator. Many painstaking hours later, the final illustration comes to life.

Q: Do you have any daily drawing/creative habits that help you with your work?

A: Honestly, my most helpful habits when it comes to work are rarely more work. I love to paint; painting time is incredibly important to my personal creative time, but it is rarely a daily habit (I work in oils, so I have to carve out a significant chunk of time during the week to feel like I’m getting anywhere and not just wasting paint). I have also learned over the years how important it is for me not to overwork my hands or my brain. I end up feeling more burned out and far less creative if I try to draw every day. 

I also recently had my first experience of work-related tendonitis, so that also has had an effect on my daily creativity and my awareness of how heavily I’m working. I have found that the best daily habits are hand & wrist exercises, cooking a decent meal, a little gym time, reading, and hot baths. Working as hard as I do when I have a project going, it is just as creatively important to de-stress, rest and take care of myself as it is to practice my skills.

Q: Has there ever been a point (either with this project or another) when you've felt like you've run out of ideas for a design concept? If so, how did you get past that point?

A: This definitely does happen from time to time! “Artist’s Block” can be so incredibly frustrating, especially if you’re under a deadline. In my experience, the best way to get past it is to walk away for a little bit. Take yourself out to lunch, call a friend, take a walk; just get out of your own head for an hour and let the pressure go. I am also 100% pro-siesta; if you can manage it in your work day it works beautifully! 

For me, if I’ve already tried these things and still feel stuck, the best thing to do is just start researching other people’s work. Sometimes my best ideas come from looking at other people’s ideas. All it takes is just one tiny detail in someone else’s drawing that suddenly shakes the cobwebs out of my brain, and then the ideas flow easily again. Sometimes the work is a struggle and you have to really fight for ideas, but other times it just comes completely naturally. When that happens, you feel like a kid; your imagination is limitless.

2. How did the idea for Artists for Education come about, then get turned into a reality?

My wife and I have always been interested in children's education, especially now that our son has just recently started kindergarten. We had done a lot of research into the type of education we want our children to experience. In the end we wanted to them to attend public school but we discovered how underfunded the school and teachers were, and we wanted to help. Focusing on our community and talents we decided that we could best help teachers by providing them with visuals in their classrooms. We started with posters and are soon moving into other things as well, but the idea is that we get talented, professional artists and have them create educational artwork to be used in classrooms all around the U.S. Not only are our visuals beautiful, but they are accurate too, as all of our artwork is approved by experts in the given subject. None of this would have been possible if talented, charitable artists didn't take the time to make all this incredible content for teachers. 

3. What's next for Artists for Education?

Since launching AFE we have been adjusting and tweaking our model to make sure we are able to maximize the help we can offer to teachers. In that spirit, we are going back to having all our posters being free to download for teachers, regardless of how many have been sold. Without spilling too much, we are hoping to be bringing new products to sell on AFE in hopes to allow us to start physically donating our educational posters to teachers! And we are dabbling in educational animated videos for teachers to use as well! Big plans ahead! 

4. What's your favorite poster or character that you've ever drawn?

My favorite poster had to be the one I did for y'all for Camp NaNoWriMo! It combined my love for outdoors and a program that promotes creativity. While being able to insert happy forest animals like my bear:

Check out Artists for Education Instagram: @artistsforeducation Twitter: @ArtistsForEd Website: www.artistsforeducation.com

Usually, I’ll share sketches with my client for feedback, and in a typical project, I’ll go back and forth a few times, until we get it right. I find that projects are always more successful when there’s a good bit of transparency and openness, not to mention trust between the client and creative. 

Once we have the overall direction figured out, I usually hop on the computer and make it happen! More feedback, more back and forth and that’s about that, until we get it right, of course. Projects always turn out better when the process is a collaboration between client and creative.

2. Have you gone on any road trips that informed the designs that you came up with for our road trip theme?

Last summer my wife and I drove from our home in Nanaimo, BC, down to southern Oregon, camping along the way. Just the variety of scenery from the sand dunes, to the dense forests, oceans and mountain landscapes were an inspiration for the different backgrounds. I’m excited to get back out on the road this summer! 

3. Do you have any daily drawing/creative habits that help you with your work?

I make a ton of stuff… Usually at least 3-4 times a week, I’ll make something. It might be a vector doodle or a drawing with Crayola markers. No matter how great my work is, I love making stuff for me and sharing it on the internet. There’s just something fun and rewarding about creating art and putting it out there! It’s also fun to look back and try to remember how I was feeling or what was going on in my life when I made a specific piece.

4. Has there ever been a point (either with this project or another) when you've felt like you've run out of ideas for a design concept? If so, how did you get past that point?

Oh for sure, it happens all the time. I feel like every creative person feels deflated or burnt out or uninspired at some point. It helps me to change the scenery, to work somewhere different, or just take a break and go for a walk or explore somewhere new. Do ANYTHING that doesn’t involve a screen. Lately, when I start a new project, I’ll find a random podcast that relates to the subject matter. Cue it up, and go for a walk, taking notes on my phone. You never know how or where your next great idea will come from!

Those groups showed me how immensely I enjoyed editing. I began studying editing, honing my skill, and, after moving to Houston several years later, I began freelancing as a fiction editor specializing in African-American literature. I quickly realized that my new clients hadn’t studied the craft or business of writing at all, so I formed a local group and invited subject experts to help aspiring authors gain the know-how they’d need to succeed. 

I taught myself web design and created a group website. This was 1997–years before the Internet was popular–but the site attracted attention from writers around the world, all interested in joining my little local group! I didn’t see much benefit for them in that, but the advantages of expanding online were obvious. I then decided to create what became the first Internet-based 501(c)(3) literary arts organization for Black writers. Membership grew from 39 to over 7,000 within the first two years. In 1999, that was quite a feat!

What has changed is that we no longer have the time to interact via the technology we used back then. On a day-to-day basis we now connect mostly via social media, but the emphasis has shifted to sharing information through physical and virtual events. In 2000 we launched Black Writers Reunion & Conference to great acclaim, and we offer writing retreat and getaways in tropical and other desirable locales.

2. What keeps you involved with the Black Writers community? What's your favorite part about it?

It’s that the need still exists for an organization providing the kind and quality of the programs we offer our community. It’s seeing the impact we make, the support to keep it up, the results of our efforts, and the accomplishments of those who’ve been integral to our story. My favorite part is the successes of original members like:

Brian Egeston, who was an aspiring novelist with a wicked sense of humor back then. Now he’s a multi-published author and television writer with credits such as The Quad, House of Payne, and The Rickey Smiley Show.

Professor Tonya M. Evans, who was promoting two poetry books in those days. She followed those with her first publishing law book, Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain Language. She’s since published several more in that series and offers publishing consulting, business entity, trademark and copyright registration services to help writers, creators, and innovators protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property and brand. Remarkably, she is one of only five speakers, out of over 100, who have presented at all seven of our Black Writers conferences.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley, who rejected numerous publishing offers and self-published her first book, My Brother’s Keeper, in 2001. She’s since authored more than 40 books, with two movie adaptations and numerous movie options.

They’re inspiration for me.

3. How is the organization planning to evolve its community in the future?

That involves another author and leader who inspires me, Rekesha Pittman of Get Write Publishing. Rekesha is a publishing strategist who not only coaches writers to publication but has also been organizing writers’ events of her own across the country. We’ve recently partnered to form Writeful Places LLC, which is dedicated to educating, nurturing, and supporting all authors worldwide. Black Writers Events will continue to offer conferences and retreats as a subsidiary of Writeful Places.

4. How can people get involved in the Black Writers community, or find out more about it?

Subscribe at http://blackwritersevents.com for announcements on upcoming Black Writers events. Those interested in Writeful Places may sign up at http://writefulplaces.com. You can also connect with us on social networks.