I have a wonderful group of illustrator friends from working at Citizen. Mark Brewer’s style fits our magazine very well, and he’s great fun. I like his loose style and the alternate world he creates. Here’s his story:
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My first piece was printed in our local weekly newspaper when I was fifteen years old. It was an editorial cartoon. I drew an editorial cartoon at least once every week, sometimes as many as four, for the next ten years of my life. Drawing editorial cartoons taught me how to compose and write concise ideas in a single panel. Of course having friends who were professionals in the field helped a wee bit I’m sure. Prior to that I was selling a small line of my own hand made greeting cards to a local card shop in town. I always knew I would make art for a living, although I wasn’t sure exactly where I would fit in. That was no secret around my family and friends. No matter how many times I heard, “you need a back up plan in case the art thing doesn’t work”, I never considered a back up plan. Not sure whether that was recklessness or stubbornness since I display both of those traits. In the early part of my professional career I worked for Disney, Archie Comics, Warner Brothers and other publications that kept my mind open to an entirely different direction than editorial cartoons. Looking back now I was waiting for a particular “something” to grab me by the shirt collar and say, “this is what you’re going to do!” I knew I was just working for these companies to pay the bills and was lucky to have been able to do that when so many talented artists would kill for any opportunity. I still know how fortunate I am and not a day goes by that I don’t think of that. My last “real” job was at Pepperidge Farm food stores stocking the shelves in their walk in freezer. I was eighteen. It was cold in there but since I was by myself it gave me the chance to come up with ideas for pictures I could draw once I got home. It’s always been important for me to say something in my art. It’s not enough just to draw a “pretty picture” although there are some assignments that call for nothing more than that. I’ll compensate by noodle-ing in TONS of detail but the drawing never seems to work as well as an illustration that has an insightful thought behind it.
I’m not really sure where I am in my career. Or maybe a better answer is that I try real hard not to know where I’m at in fear of becoming complacent. There are many artists with more talent and even more to offer that I’m never certain my phone will ring tomorrow with another assignment. I need to try to keep going to wherever it is that I think I’m going to even though I haven’t figured that out yet.
I love Spontaneity. My work, mind and life are happening spontaneously and the color and line in my illustrations often reflect my mood at the time I’m working on the assignment. Artists have the opportunity to let down their guard in their art. People who know me can sometimes see right through my work. It’s a feeling one might have if they are ever made to run down the street naked. “Exposed” would be a good word to use. It’s that very feeling an artist can put out there in an illustration or a song that can make a connection with another human being that’s so special. For me personally, there are few things that stimulate, motivate and move me more than when I find an illustration that resonates with one of my own experiences.
For the last two years I’ve been drawing portraits of people I find interesting. Some I draw with an editorial twist and more are just “Brewerized” versions of how I see them. Obviously illustrators have been doing portraits for years, but this is a new and exciting chapter for me. We all bring something unique to the table so looking at it from that perspective, it’s something that has never been done before.
For life, I say be happy and follow your dreams. None of us are any more than the sums of our influences. Mix many influences together into your own illustrative concoction. If you do it long enough (years), your own creative agenda will show itself and you’ll be making art that you can truly put your own stamp on.
Something we all wish we would do yet few of us make the choice to do, is to follow our dreams. On the surface these words are full of magic, promise and are more colorful than the brightest flower. There’s a pot of gold waiting for us on the other side should we capture the dream. The road after is a red carpet paved with rose pedals we can walk on with our bare feet. Even the friendly conversations we have of the challenging tasks that lay ahead in pursuing these dreams seem to have a sweetness to them. I’ve been following my dream since that first cartoon was printed and I can tell you the road is dirt and it has no promises. It’s been sweet countless times but far more tart than one might imagine. The “pot of gold” has come but in forms I had not imagined. I believe the red carpet we roll out is man made (in China) and self-indulgent. The real magic happens when you find yourself naturally laying down a few rose pedals on that dirt path for a pair of young feet to follow their own dreams in pursuit of a life’s worth of rich experiences.
Remember that none of us are any more than the sums of our influences yet we all bring something unique to the table. I’m still amazed when I hear a professional artist say to me or another illustrator that our work looks like someone else’s. Most people mean well, however, the comment can seem insensitive coming from another professional. Perhaps they haven’t spent as much time on their own craft to realize what many of us have come to learn. You don’t spend seven to fifteen hours in your studio each day, six to seven days a week, trying to be anyone other than yourself. It’s almost impossible. Woody Guthrie heavily influenced the legendary Bob Dylan as much as Michael Bartolos’ was influenced by Jim Flora’s work. Illustration, music, photography etc. has been a communal and collective growth for thousands of years. That’s why artists are often asked the question,” who have been your greatest influences?” It’s an interesting question because everyone has their own unique set of mixed influences that make up their very own creative concoction. Artistically speaking, if you do anything long enough your own creative agenda will show itself and you’ll be making art that you can truly put your own stamp on.
–Mark Brewer, Illustrator
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That was fantastic, Mark. Thank you for your thoughts. You know, this is why I like having my friends on the blog. Encouraging each other, telling the truth, sharing what we know, this creates a community that I consider valuable. To me, hearing how artists especially overcome the urge to just “get a job, make a living, get a retirement. . . ” is inspiring. It helps me to think about the things I could do, and the things I might be overlooking that I could really love. So thank you, Mark. I appreciate you sharing with us.
