Chalk Art, Illustrations, Digital Painting, and Cartoons by Artist Eric Maruscak

I am constantly being confused with artist Julian Beever. If you’ve received one of those very popular forwarded e-mails full of amazing 3D chalk drawings, he is the one mostly responsible for the images. Kurt Wenner is the second most famous 3D artist and some of his work often gets mixed in there and credited to Mr. Beever, but rest assured these are two different and exceptionally skilled artists. Being confused with these incredible masters is certainly flattering, but over time it can border on the precipice of becoming slightly annoying when people constantly think you are someone else.

The George F. Johnson Library has asked me to do a number of chalk art sidewalk drawing classes over the years, and recently wanted me to come to a Summer Reading event called the Splish Splash Reading Bash to create some artwork for the kids. I decided to use this as another chance to practice a 3D anamorphic chalk drawing as immediately an image of a cartoon fish came to mind, so I sketched up a quick concept of a hole in the sidewalk filled with water, and a lounging fish with his favorite book on the ground beside him.

So just last week I completed my most recent session in a series of summer sidewalk chalk art classes at the George F. Johnson Library. Once again, as always seems to happen, we had a number of beautiful sunny days followed by rain and thunderstorms predicted on the day of my class. Fortunately we decided to ignore the forecast and go for it anyway, and wouldn’t you know it the rain held off all day (besides for two specific drops that hit my arm) and the class was a success!

My last post was on my 2007 library chalk art summer class, so here are some images from the 2008 session. For this year the class was moved to a shadier spot behind the library where the sidewalk was divided into nice even squares along the back drive. Once again I used comic book art as the subject matter for my demonstration mural, this time it was an Ed McGuinness illustration of The Incredible Hulk. I completed about 90% of the image before the students arrived, then worked with them on their chalk drawing technique over the next three hours.

For several years I have been teaching the art of street painting to children and young teens at summer classes for the George F. Johnson Library in Upstate New York. If they are working from an existing photograph or drawing, I show them how to grid their reference image and match it to a larger grid on the pavement in order to keep proportions consistent. I demonstrate the proper use of color, from applying the lightest chalk tones first to the darkest colors as they complete the piece, always putting black down last. We work on blending the chalk, the use of lighting to create form and shadows, and special techniques to deal with the rough sidewalk surface.

Here is my second "Almost Daily Sketch" of an obvious riff on Frankenstein’s monster. Sometimes I like to see how far I can stretch, pull or exaggerate parts of an illustration while keeping it just within the bounds of visual acceptability. I had the idea to take Frankenstein’s head and blow it up as HUGE as I could… then blow it up a little bit more.

In order to increase my work flow, generate a bunch of new drawings and illustrations, plus get a lot more practice, I am going to try to maintain a daily online sketch blog that I call A.D.S or "Almost Daily Sketches". The "Almost" being a nice loophole in case I miss a day or two (or five).

So as many of you, most of you, or perhaps even all of you already know, I appeared at C2E2 a few weeks back. I had been asked by the show to make one of my chalk art mural reproductions of the official C2E2 poster artwork. This was a fantastic painting made by none other than super-artist Alex Ross. It featured Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and a very small Ant Man and The Wasp practically hidden in Hulk’s hair.

As most of you know I was at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this past weekend, otherwise known as C2E2. I can’t say enough good things about the show or the people at Reed Exhibitions who run it.

My second time lapse video blog. The sketch for the C2E2 chalk mural. A recreation of the official convention poster by Alex Ross. I also provide an answer to one of my more frequently asked questions at conventions. Enjoy, and as always let me know what you think.