Here’s another sketch tribute to one of my earliest art heroes: Mark Kistler, television drawing teacher! He’s got a site over at Draw3D.com. I still have never seen Mark on TV, but as a young boy I was given the Imagination Station book and tore through its pages, learning important concepts such as foreshortening, perspective, and shading. Just as important, Mark has a way with making everything bigger, better, more more more! He loves to add fantastic details that make his cartoons more cartoony than just about any I have ever seen. He taught me that “Drool is cool!”, that if a three-story castle is good, a thirty-story castle must be even better, and when in doubt, cram as many windows, doors, ladders, waterfalls, banners, propeller hats, people and pencils as possible into your drawing. And shade everything! The clutter may not always be tasteful, but it was the best drawing practice a kid could possibly get. Mark was such a good teacher through his book that in sixth grade I used it to teach a drawing lesson to my class. If you know an aspiring young cartoonist, I can’t recommend any book more than Mark’s.
Mark, you’re one of my art heroes! Thank you!