BRONZE AWARD Entertainment/Visual Development

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CHAD EWANIC
cewanic.com

Here are a few pictures of my current studio space and me. I have a few musical instruments around, but I don’t play much, at the moment. I mostly work at my desk. The iPad is my digital art tool of choice, and both it and my sketch book allow me to sit on the couch or whatever if I want to take up an alternative drawing position. I may listen to music or maybe political commentary at the computer when working, although silence is usually my preference these days. I wonder if that’s not a “it comes with age” thing, the appreciation of silence.

Photo of current work space during a motion graphics project involving the winning submission. Those stacks of paper are stacks of twenty-four. As in 24 frames per second.

I moved from California, where I had been for the past 6-7 years, to my home-city of Buffalo, NY last Fall. I’ve been on an unofficial hiatus from the business of Illustration and Graphic Arts services during this transition and have come to think of this period as a “rebuilding” and a time to really get square with the direction I’d like to go professionally. Although my business has gone quiet in recent months, I’ve stayed productive by my own standards, and I’ve all but completed my third sketchbook since November. For me, drawing is to the illustrator/artist as breathing is to the body, so I try to keep my pen moving even when my studio is packed away.

I’ve begun to think about how I might utilize other visual mediums and techniques lately. I’m currently exploring with photo and motion graphics and have a few ideas that are based in, or including of them. Here’s one using the submission from Illustration West 62.

This illustration is really a tapestry of illustrations, which is how my sketchbook looks as well. I have had, at different times, a quantitative approach to skill-building. So in my case, drawing a lot, leads to the improvement of my drawing skills. That has been the prevailing philosophy of mine when approaching this craft. What is interesting to me is the way this drawing a lot has conditioned my approach to Illustration itself. Reflecting on this approach which includes consideration of its limitations, is something I am currently engaged with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One tool that I have become cognizant of as especially important to my work is the Crop. You may get some sense of that potential as you scroll through the various screenshots and closeups of the original work. You might imagine how cropping-in on some areas could create something different yet powerful.

Understanding myself as more than a generator of images, but someone who knows how to edit their work for the sake of the final result feels like a revelation somehow, although I’m sure I’ve heard that sentiment, in some form, spoken of before.

So nowadays, I’m tying up loose-ends, finishing things I’ve started, and slowing down in order to be intentional about my way forward from here. One of those loose-ends is my Printer-Paper Boy blog, where I document my way through drawing on a ream (500 pages) of printer paper. This is one of those endeavors that was sidelined during the move, that now, having reestablished my studio space, can continue. So look out for new posts there on chadewanic.substack.com. In general, I will be doing new things with my art this year that I haven’t done before, which I am excited for.

Also, feel free to inquire regarding your project or commission if you’re interested in working with me.

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© no artwork displayed can be used without permission of the artist, Chad Ewanic