Scribble Town (ST): Just like this picture of an alien astronomer, Marianne Murphy is an artist who is a seeker of all sorts and finds a way to communicate with you…even with creatures from outer space.  Creative to the bone, Marianne let’s us know what she’s done and where she wants to go.  3 2 1 blast off!

Marianne Murphy (MM): My name is Marianne Murphy, I’m 21 years old, I was born in Maryland and attend the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where I’m studying animation. I also have a lot of experience with filmmaking, puppetry, and graphic design. I hope to work in children’s media when I graduate and to someday design and write children’s books, television shows, and games to promote education, literacy, creativity, and self esteem.

ST: You are off to an amazing start!  Your goals and your vision are so clear.  I’m excited to see what paths will unfold before you, but for now where are you and what are you up to these days?  That is, besides you making these great folded paper animations such as your “Penguin Journey” 2013.

MM: I’m currently in Philadelphia, sequestering myself in my apartment to finish a film I’m working on for a puppetry festival in my hometown, Bethesda MD (Puppets Take Strathmore). It’s about the ideas of nostalgia and memory, and it combines a lot of cool puppetry and digital animation techniques. I’m also working on putting together some curriculums for Creative Writing and Cartooning camps for children ages 8-12, and will be leading them as a counselor in early August, which should be really fun. I love inspiring children to be creative and I can’t wait to see what they come up with during those weeks!

ST: Puppets Take Strathmore looks like such a fun event!  I can’t wait to see your film.  When did this creative bug start buzzing around in your body?

MM: I’ve been drawing for my entire life and my parents and teachers have always encouraged me. I started making films when I was in elementary school with my mom’s video camera, and I taught myself how to use editing software. At that point I was just making short videos with my friends, but in middle school I started making puppet films and having my puppets lip sync to popular songs. This interest in puppetry went on all the way up to high school, and I briefly attended the University of Connecticut to study puppetry. I realized there, however, that my interests had expanded to include illustration, writing, drawing and graphic design and I transferred to my current school to combine all of these interests into a new major: animation!

ST: New interests always come about in interested people and I think you definitely fit the bill .  I wonder, where do you find yourself feeling inspired to create?

MM: I’m very inspired to create by children’s books and television. I love seeing how shows and books are creatively using new technologies and art forms to inspire children. I also notice a lot of shows these days are focusing less on education/creativity and more on marketing products, and these kinds of shows inspire me to create art that can help children learn real, important lessons about life. Artists who believe in teaching children these lessons, such as Jim Henson, Fred Rogers, Judy Blume, and Lemony Snicket, are very inspiring for me.

ST: You mention artists from a range of mediums and genres.  I take it that you are a fan of everything art.  What other forms of art do you practice and what are your favorite tools you use to create?

MM: I practice a lot of filmmaking, editing, puppetry, and figure drawing. I also play piano and drums and love to create soundtracks for film projects. I love working digitally with a Wacom tablet and pen, and I love working in my sketchbook with mechanical pencils.

ST: Get ready for a hard question- who is your favorite artist?  Sometimes this gravitation towards a piece of art comes out of nowhere, but why do you think you connect with their artwork?

MM: My favorite artist is children’s book illustrator Lane Smith. He worked on books such as “The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales” and “Math Curse” with Jon Scieszka, which were my favorites growing up, and he most recently wrote and illustrated “Abe Lincoln’s Dream”. I love his drawing style and his use of collage and different mediums to create wonderful, haunting works of art. Each of his books feel like an awesome, magical world to me. I also love the work of children’s book illustrator Jon Klassen (This Is Not My Hat) and children’s book writers Mac Barnett (Chloe and the Lion) and Joanna Cole (Magic School Bus) for their extremely innovative designs and ideas.

ST: From an artist who has already explored and created so much and is on a mission to encourage young artists, do you have any tips, advice, or ways of encouraging our scribblers?

MM: In my experience, all children are creative, and drawing is an amazing activity. I recently taught a camp with 6-8 year olds, and whenever a child had a problem or a troubling anxiety, I asked them to draw their feelings or what they wish would happen. The creativity helped them express themselves and deal with their emotions! Also, I’ve noticed that children are really interested in a lot of popular television shows and characters and love to talk about them. The excitement for these shows can easily be transferred into creativity. Inviting children to create their own stories, comics, drawings, props, costumes, or games about their interests is always a good idea!

ST: Marianne has shared a great Quick Scribble Activity with us on the Scribble Shop.  Try it out for yourself! http://www.scribbleshop.com/content/quick-scribbling-marianne-murphy  Thanks Marianne for sharing so much with us!

We will say, “see you later!” with Marianne’s winning Best Sophomore Object Animation at UARTS 2013 titled “Numbers”.

Scribble Town (ST): Drum roll, bird tweets, and a big round of applause for Rabbit Days and Dumplings, Elena Moon Park’s new music album! It’s an “all-ages folk and children’s music from East Asia”. I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Elena Moon Park (EMP): Hi all! I’m Elena Moon Park, and I’m a musician living and working in Brooklyn, NY.  I grew up in the hills of East Tennessee, then lived and went to school near Chicago for a few years before moving to Brooklyn.  Upon moving to NYC, I began freelancing as a musician around the city, and since 2007 I’ve been playing music for families.

ST: Every life has its own special beat and story! How is the tune now- where are you and what are you up to these days?

EMP: These days I live in Brooklyn, NY, where I work with an organization called Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation and play music on a variety of instruments.  For the last eight years, I have been playing fiddle and trumpet with the Brooklyn-based family music band Dan Zanes and Friends (DZAF).  I traveled across America and around the world playing music for families with DZAF, meeting many parents and children of all ages, and I quickly realized that there is a lack of music from Asia in the US-based family music world.  Two years ago, I decided to make my own album for families, featuring folk and children’s music from East Asia, and this resulted in Rabbit Days and Dumplings, released in September 2012.

ST: That’s great!  We can already mark are calendars for your next show at the Lincoln Center in NYC for Saturday, July 27 at 12pm.  I’m still curious as to how it all began with you.  When did you start creating music and was there somebody that encouraged you?

EMP: I started learning how to play the violin when I was around 5 years old.  When I was young, my parents strongly encouraged me to play music, and I am eternally grateful for that!  Sometimes it was hard to practice when I was growing up – there were many other things I wanted to do! – but my parents convinced me to stick with it, at least until I went to college.  After college, I continued to be inspired by many, many fun and adventurous musicians, especially when I moved to NYC and decided to learn more instruments.

ST:  Like what – which instruments do you play?  I have a feeling the list will go on and amaze us all

EMP: Besides the violin, I play mandolin, trumpet, ukulele, jarana (Mexican guitar), spoons, and I just started learning how to play the musical saw.  I liked the mandolin immediately because it is tuned just like a violin, and I think the sound is lively and beautiful.  I played French horn in high school band, and I always enjoyed playing a brass instrument, so I picked up a trumpet.  The ukulele, jarana, spoons, and musical saw are all discoveries through playing family music.

ST:  From horns to strings you are creating a melodic soundtrack to your foot steps. And for us too!  Is there a particular place or environment you find yourself feeling really inspired to create?

EMP: I am most inspired by meeting people and hearing their stories.  This is one of the reasons that I enjoy playing folk music so much — because folk and traditional music, and any music that has been passed on through generations, constantly being reshaped and re-imagined, embodies such a depth of history and culture that one can learn from.  Music is such a fantastic way to communicate across borders and languages, and a beautiful way to build relationships and communities.  In that same vein, playing music for families, and watching the intergenerational bond that music can create, has been the most enriching musical experience of my life.

ST: Oh, that gives a window as to what propelled you to create Rabbit Days and Dumplings.  The album really brings together so many different people, cultures and languages.  On the record there are many wonderful musicians singing and playing with you.  How did these collaborations come about?

EMP: As I was discovering what a joy it was to play music for families, Dan Zanes (my bandleader) began to encourage me to teach him some folk songs from East Asia.  I grew up in East Tennessee, but both of my parents immigrated to the US from South Korea.  I realized that I didn’t know any folk songs from East Asia, and decided that I should definitely learn a few.  It started with one Korean New Year’s song called Sol Nal that we played on a DZAF Holiday Show, and thus started Rabbit Days and Dumplings!

I have been very fortunate to play a lot of different kinds of music with many different musicians in this rich musical land of New York City.  While putting together my album, I enlisted the help of friends and friends of friends, and many were gracious enough to join me on the album.  All of my song arrangements are inspired by these incredibly talented musicians, and so the album is truly a reflection of the New York City musical world that I know and love.

ST: Wow!  Elena, for somebody so musically creative are there other forms of art you practice?

EMP: I really love to take photographs.  I have a nice but simple point-and-shoot digital camera, and I try to take it with me whenever I travel.  For me, photographs are expressions of appreciation for the beautiful things you encounter every day.  They make me stop and recognize these moments of beauty, both small and large.

ST: Every picture captures a moment and every song has its place.  When you were growing up what was your favorite song?

EMP: I had a lot of favorite songs when I was growing up.  One Korean song, San Toki, which is featured on Rabbit Days and Dumplings, was a favorite of mine when I was really young.  When I was older, I really liked the song “Rainbow Connection” from the Muppets.

ST: My sister and I used to sing Rainbow Connection too!  Another song which brings me back to my childhood from Rabbit Days and Dumplings is Ti Oh Oh.  My mom would always sing that to us especially when we were taking a walk in the forest.  Thank you for capturing all these wonderful sounds, stories, and songs!  Scribblers, have a listen to some songs on http://rabbitdays.com/music.

EMP: I’ve always tried my best to explore as much as possible, and to be open to any and all new people, places, foods, art, music, and ideas.  This openness has always led me somewhere fulfilling and fun.  At the same time, I learned to keep in touch with my roots, and to get to know my roots better as I grew older.  The most important thing for me, though, is to keep having a good time on the way, wherever you are heading.

ST: Thanks Elena for your advice!  We will all have happy feet our adventures thanks to Rabbit Days and Dumplings!

Scribble Town (ST): Pictures as big as streets that depict the wows and wonders of the imagination.  In that sense, Eric Maruscak, makes the impossible possible…and all with chalk!

Eric Maruscak (EM): My name is Eric Maruscak, I am a life-long artist. My styles range through illustration, both traditional and digital, to cartooning, comic strips and the like. However, I am mostly known for my giant chalk art murals that I create at conventions across the United States, often of various pop culture themes including comic books, video games, and anime characters.

ST: Eric, where are you and what are you up to these days?

EM: I am located in Upstate New York, but I travel all across the United States for appearances. I’ve done chalk murals everywhere from Chicago, Dallas, and Seattle, to LA, Philadelphia, New York City, San Diego and more. I create art for various companies that want to highlight a property – a new book, video game, movie, TV show… etc – as live performance art mostly at pop culture conventions, often taking up to 30 hours to complete.

I also work as an illustrator for all sorts of freelance jobs. I specialize in cartoon style work, but do everything from concept art to sequential story telling.

ST: Your ability to draw realistically is unbelievable!  How long have you been working at this talent?  Who are your mentors, personal cheerleaders and biggest fans?

EM: When I was young, both of my older brothers AND my dad all drew. I was impressed by what they could do, so I set out to be like them. I started by copying everything I could, newspaper comics, Norman Rockwell drawings, and the like. Over time, I got very good at copying, so I took the next step and started working from my imagination. All of my family encouraged me greatly in my pursuit to be a better artist. I also specifically remember Mrs. Hall, the art teacher in my elementary school who encouraged me greatly along the way.

ST: How do you get the vision for your characters?  I can sense that Robot Smith, your Iron Worker, has quite a big personality.  Where did this guy come from in your imagination?

EM: Images come from several different sources. Sometimes it is from seeing something that already exists, then my mind naturally begins to play with it, wondering how it would look if I took it in a different direction. Sometimes it comes from shape building. I love to sketch freely, just letting forms and contours happen naturally, then looking into those forms to find things. It is amazing what will emerge. Other times, especially when I am tired or near sleep, full, complete images will pop into my minds eye like a flash bulb going off. From that point on it is all work to get as close to that complete image I saw so instantaneously.

The Iron Worker was one of those that popped into my head rather quickly. I had an image of an old fashioned, turn-of-the-centry type steel working, but then my brain played one of it’s usual tricks and I saw him working on some sort of high-tech, futuristic machinery. From there, it was all about capturing that old-time feel.

I’ve always had a love for science fiction and fantasy stories, movies, novels…. etc. All of those bring something to the table when I create new artwork. But reading is one of the best things to train your mind. Read an authors description, then try to bring that to life as a drawing while being as true as possible to the details the author provided.

ST: As for your recent work- I’m guessing you are a huge Star Wars fan!  What are some other movies, games, or characters you really like that end up being a theme for you?

EM: I am a child of the 70′s and 80′s, so a lot of classics still play at the drive-in theater in my mind. Star Wars is clearly the biggest influence on me, as it was with many people. But movies like “The Black Hole” from Disney, or “Flash Gordon” were very influential on me when I was growing up. I am a fan of the weird and cult films, things like all of the Godzilla movies, or “Big Trouble in Little China”, horror films with EXCELLENT design like “Alien” to the original movie version of “Dune” which, to me, is still incredibly under-rated for the world it created and the place it took you. I find I can watch that movie endlessly for some reason, dated special effects and all.

I loved looking through the Dungeons and Dragons manuals when I was young. I never played the game much, but poured over the pages looking at the fantastic artwork. Dragon magazine was another that high-lighted some of the best fantasy artists working at the time.

I’ve also ALWAYS played video games, and naturally been drawn to the graphics even more than gameplay experiences. I owned everything from a Commodore 64 (where I played “Maniac Mansion” from Lucasfilm over and over” to game systems from Atari, Colecovision, Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox and on. The games that have influenced me over all of these years are too numerous to mention, but I still game to this day playing Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, and more.

ST: Do you separate between your children’s artwork from your adult artwork?  I can see a difference in style and content.  Perhaps you can tell a bit about your different types of pictures and artworks.

EM: It is hard sometimes. I feel like I tend to skew old in everything I do, and maybe… sometimes…. go a little too far when the art is intended for a younger audience. But I think back on what it was like being one of those kids (and pride myself on having not forgotten the feeling), and one thing that always caught my attention, and kept it, was not being “talked down too.” I think the best artwork (and movies, stories, you name it) for kids are the ones that work for adults as well, and don’t play down to their audience. And that is the trick, that is the balancing act that has to be maintained when drawing for youth and adult audiences. I’ll readily admit I miss that line some times, but I try to keep my children’s work something that an adult would enjoy looking at as well. Obviously certain techniques in the level of detail, the “cuteness”, if you will, of the characters, the simplicity of the story or concept I am conveying, all come into play when thinking about a younger audience. Then I step past that and push more adult techniques into the mix, and I find that is when the work really comes to life.

A lof of my younger work involves my cartoons. They naturally lend themselves to younger audiences. And, of course, when I teach my chalk art classes I definitely simplify the techniques and make it much more about having fun with the artwork as it will keep their very short attention spans engaged longer that way. And as the age range goes up, I can increase the level of technique involved, layer on more detail and complex concepts…. but like I said before, I am as guilty as any artist of missing that line and maybe aiming to “old” sometimes.

ST: What is your process for getting your work out of your head- do you sketch with pencil, paint, computer graphics, etc. ?  I suppose for the chalk art- nature will take over and wash it away with the rain.

EM: I almost always sketch very small first. Thumbnail work is key in my process to creating images. Often it is on scraps of paper as well, I guess it is a way of tricking myself into feeling like the drawing isn’t as important if the paper is scrap, that way I have a lot less pressure and my style is looser. Once the thumbnail (or many is drawn) I will go to a more involved drawing based on the original sketch, changing things (hopefully for the better) as I go. If it is a detailed piece of art, I will work from photo references in certain parts to keep it as accurate as I can, but my natural style leans toward exaggeration, so I try not to sweat the small details too much. It is more about keep the energy up in the drawing, making it feel fresh, and not getting so bogged down in my lines or details that the drawing feels like it becomes static and loses all sense of movement.

Often, I’ll scan the drawing into my computer at some point in the process and continue working digitally from there, either in Photoshop or Corel Painter. I love the freedom a computer allows to experiment, and rework, but those can be downsides too if you don’t keep your focus on what you are trying to achieve. Too many possibilities lead you to get off track way too easily, so maintaining focus on your ultimate goal with the art is key. I’ll often ink the work digitally, then do digital color work as well to get to the final piece.

If chalk art is involved, finishing the drawing is only the beginning. At that point I will create a small grid on the art, then draw out a large grid on the big paper (or directly on pavement if it is an outdoor piece) and get to work re-drawing the artwork in it’s enlarged form. That is right, if I am creating chalk art I end up drawing the entire thing TWICE…. it is the only way. Once the outline on the paper (or pavement) is done, the rest of the rendering and coloring happens live at the event while people watch. Sometimes I am working with 40, 50, 60 thousand people or more moving past the artwork while I draw. I do my best to ignore the pressure that comes with that, and simply do my best and recreating the piece as accurately as possible, right down to the smallest detail.

ST: When you are creating these days what kind of music are you listening to? Or what is your studio environment like?

EM: I listen to all sorts of things, and often play on shuffle as I like the musical styles to vary as time passes. I have always described my musical tastes as HIGHLY eclectic, meaning that I simply enjoy songs much more than follow artists. There are a few I will buy everything they release, They Might Be Giants being one of them. But then I can range from Metallica, to show tunes, to Weird Al Yankovic, to Ben Folds, to orchestral movie soundtracks, to the Beatles, to Gorillaz, to Hall and Oats, to Iron Maiden, to Muse, to….. well, you get the idea.

My studio is still a work in progress as I bought a house a little while ago, and there is still much work to get it in order. My art studio is currently my computer and drawing table space, but none of the full size chalk artwork is done here. I will draw and the drafting table, and work digitally in the computer space, but if large chalk art is required, I literally have to rearrange the furniture in my living room to make space to work on it, and I can still only unroll about half of the art at any one time. This means that I actually never see the full sketch of a chalk art mural all at once until I actually get to a show.

ST: Your chalk art is absolutely amazing!  I’m sure you have many great stories because you, at times, draw out in the open.  People probably stare in awe.  Is there a story that sticks out in your head?  What’s the biggest chalk art piece you’ve ever done and how long did it take?

EM: The largest piece I have ever done was around 16 feet wide by 14 feet tall at it’s largest dimensions. They average around 9 feet wide by 13 feet tall most of the time, and will often take over 30 hours to complete (the largest one I mentioned clocked in near 40 hours over 4 days). I’ve had all sorts of things happen while working in public, with people often not paying attention and walking over the artwork (even if it is blocked off), I’ve had coffee spilled on one, kids run out onto others, even intentional vandalism at one of my outdoor pieces. I have to be very zen about all of it, breathe deep, fix what damaged parts I can and move on to finish the piece on time. The outdoor ones you especially have to disconnect yourself from as you know it will be gone once it rains.

Once I was at a show, and this guys started moving around my mural, filming the art on a video camera. He was running around it like a wild man, filming from different angles and acting generally weird. Then he got down really close to me to film and slapped his hand down on the art. This was an indoor piece on paper, and the paper can actually be very fragile and rip easily so I quickly said “Be careful…” I think that was all I got out before the guy dramatically whipped his hand away, looked at it like he had touched something poisonous, then stood up, kept filming and quickly moved away in the same odd manner he had been acting the whole time.

I continued working, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that one of the convention goers came up to me and said… do you know who that was? I thought they meant did I know him personally so I said no I didn’t and then they told me that was Thomas Jane, the actor. I had no idea at the time, and to this day I still have no idea why he was acting like that. But I smile at the thought that I told The Punisher not to touch my art.

ST: Great story!  Keep smiling   Any tips on that?

EM: I mentioned above about drawing shapes and looking into them… that is actually something I teach in my art classes called “The Scribble Technique”.

ST: To read more about it have a look at The Scribble Shop Blog.  Thanks Eric and we’ll look out for your next masterpiece!

Have you heard the phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?” Well, sometimes your own trash is your own treasure! Crafts that utilize recycled materials are not only good for the environment, but they can look surprisingly chic and unique. For unexpectedly elegant and super cool flower vases, try painting some old soda cans. These mini vases are so striking that several companies manufacture porcelain versions to buy; however, you can make your very own in hardly any time for hardly any money!

 

For this project, all you’ll need are empty soda cans and white spray paint. Really… that’s it!

 

Wash the cans out thoroughly and dry them off (you don’t want any soda residue left inside). If you’d like some of them crushed a bit to add dimension, simply do so with your hands. Next, take the cans outside and spray paint them. White paint gives the project a very clean, modern look—a great contrast with the recycled can—but feel free to use whatever color appeals to you. Cover them in two or three coats of paint and let dry.

 

Finally, fill them with water, put a flower in each, and display!

 

 

Image via Indulgy

Image via Two’s Company

 

Even without flowers, these cans make an eye-catching, unique sculpture set.

 

This simple craft is a great example of turning the ordinary into something extraordinary and a wonderful way to enhance your recycling.

Scribble Town (ST): Stories come alive in your imagination when you look at the paintings of Xavi Carbonell, an artist from Spain.  Let’s meet Xavi and learn how he creates these beautiful story builders!

Xavi Carbonell (XC): Hi my name is Xavi Carbonell, I am 42 years old, live in Alcoi, Spain with my wife and two daughters.  I am a full time artist. have exhibited in various countries in Europe, Africa and the United States and my work is in many international collections.   I am often described as an Abstract Expressionist, and infantile painter.  Infantile is a genre not well known in the US, but it means my work reminds the viewer of a child’s work, but remember making something look simple is usually the most complicated task!

ST: Where are you and what are you up to these days?

XC: I am currently in New York City, painting and preparing for an art fair with my gallerist later this summer.

ST: That’s exciting!  Your days are spent with filling canvases with color.  Sounds like a wonderful summer, but I’m sure it’s quite a lot of work too.  When did you start painting?

XC: I started painting when I was 20 and was inspired after seeing works by the Spanish Artist, Antonio Saura in a museum exhibition.  At that moment I realized I wanted to paint and create my own path.

ST: It’s pretty remarkable how those unforeseen moments in life realize the paths we take.  Similar to you stumbling upon Antonio Saura, is there a way that you run into inspiration?  Where do you find your spirit to create?

XC: I am most inspired to create in NYC, the city has such a powerful energy.  The process of creativity is difficult to describe, but I find it’s often a result of new experiences, travel, meeting new people, but at the same time when I am in front of a blank canvas it just guides me.

ST: Since your paintings are so narrative for me- I start to hear a soundtrack that goes along with the picture.  Do you ever listen to music when you paint?

XC: There was a period when I exclusively listened to classical music, then it was Jazz, and lately I don’t listen to much music while painting.

ST: Your paintings are so vibrant and strong from your choice of shapes and colors that I make up my own story when I see them.  My imagination just takes off!  Is there a story you are building in your head as you paint?  Is that why you title your pieces Untitled- as to keep the mystery and openness available for all viewers?

XC: Yes, there’s a story in my head and that’s exactly why all my pieces are untitled.  If I use a title, the viewer is pre-conditioned to see something.  I prefer the viewer to create their own story, as I think that’s more fun and I want each person to see what they want to see in my work.

ST: It’d be interesting if you had a book next to your paintings and you could have the viewer write down the story that comes to mind when they see your paintings.  You’ll get loads of different responses!  That leads me to other mediums- what are some other forms of art you practice? Do you ever mix other mediums with your oil pastels?

XC: I have worked in the performance genre, and I love to cook which is a creative outlet.  My concept of mixed media is based on oils but I also include, magic markers, chalk, colored pencils, oil sticks and charcoal.

ST: Painter Joel Garten mentioned to me that you had once said your work is influenced by childrens art.  I am interested to know more about his comment.

XC: I am very inspired by the imagination of children and how they execute the concept on paper.  I am always fascinated by how you can have a conversation with a child on paper with out actually using words.  The innocence of children is the most exciting as adults unfortunately rarely preserve that quality.  It’s something most of us sadly just lose along the way.

Kids, never lose your innocence.  Adults, if you feel like you have lost it, try hard to find it in yourself as it’s the best part of each of us.

ST: With that said let’s try Xavi’s drawing exercise.

XC: One exercise is to draw with your eyes closed.  For instance draw a landscape from memory, but remember to keep your eyes closed!  You’ll be amazed with what you can create.

ST: Scribblers, send in your drawings to and we can post them on the Scribble Blog.  Thanks Xavi for sharing so much with us!  To see more of Xavi’s work you can go to http://www.artangler.com/Carbonell.html.

Time for a new dose of inspiration to get your hands scribbling!

Do you have a sweet tooth? What are your favorite sweets and candies to splurge on? We all have our usual preferences, but did you ever stop and think how wildly diverse candy is? Chocolates, gummies, sour candies, bubblegum, licorice, taffy, lollipops… the list goes on and on!

Image: Wallpy

Image: Dylan’s Candy Bar

That makes it the perfect inspiration for some scribble action. Grab your pencils, crayons, markers, or paints and get ready to explore the sweet world of candy.

The fun thing about sweets is that they’re just as yummy to look at as they are to eat. With bright colors, nifty patterns, and differing shapes and sizes, this sugary snack group is a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue. So it’s no surprise that artists like Wayne Thiebaud and Margaret Morrison find it such a fascinating subject. They focus on extreme detail and texture when creating their incredible still life works.

You can follow these painters’ leads and try your hand at still life sketches of sweet treats or take the inspiration a bit more conceptually.

Three Machines (1963) by Wayne Thiebaud, Image: Wikipedia

Gummi Bears (2008) by Margaret Morrison, Image: Art Fumes

Let the rainbow of vivid colors, bevy of interesting textures, and myriad of shapes and sizes inspire and inform your scribbling! Pay attention to the labels and packaging… or just focus on what’s inside the wrappers. Perhaps you’ll want to try an extreme close-up of a sour gummy worm’s texture, or a collage of your favorite treats, or even something totally abstract yet inspired by the elements of candy. Draw what you think a certain candy tastes like. Or use the color scheme of certain brand or flavor to create a picture.

Image: Sparknotes

 Enjoy your extra-sweet scribbling treat! What’s your favorite kind of candy?

Scribble Town (ST): Somewhere in between Disneyland’s heart racing Space Mountain and the soft butterfly tummy flutters of Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage adventure rides we have the beautiful artwork of Jerrod Maruyama.  His work is currently on view at Disneyland’s WonderGround Gallery.  Jerrod went to San Jose State University where he earned a degree in Illustration. He loves drawing, watching cartoons and visiting Disneyland whenever he can.

Jerrod, where are you and what are you up to these days?

Jerrod Maruyama (JM): I live in Sacramento, Ca where I work from home as a freelance illustrator. I do all kinds of different projects for many different clients. I specialize in character concepts and designs. Sometimes I’m working with existing characters – putting them in different poses or costumes. And sometimes I get to create brand new characters from scratch. It’s a fun job and I’m always doing something different. But it’s also a lot of work.

ST: It sounds like a fun job and perfect for you!  When did you start drawing?  Was there somebody that encouraged you or was it the cartoons themselves that called for your creativity?

JM: I’ve loved to draw since I was a little kid. I would get obsessed with certain characters or movies and draw them over and over again.  My friends and family would certainly enjoy my drawings. I loved drawing for other people whether it was birthday cards or posters, I would always draw with an audience in mind.

I think that’s why I became an illustrator as opposed to a fine artist. I would get a lot of positive feedback on my drawings from lots of people – but there was never really any one person who encouraged me to go to art school or pursue art as a career. Drawing was just something I did.

ST: I love your new take on cartoons such as Modern Mouse and Alice in Wonderland.  Hipster Mickey is so great!  It’s amazing how you managed to keep Mickey’s personality going even with the new threads.  How did you get the vision for these characters?

JM: I’ve been a life-long fan of Disney animation. So, I was thrilled when Disney contacted me and asked me to create some art for their WonderGround Gallery. It was a new concept for the company and they wanted artists to bring their own interpretation of classic Disney characters – including Mickey Mouse. I have several pieces currently in the gallery with more to come. The gallery changes shows roughly every six months or so. New artists and characters are featured with each new them. The gallery is located in the Downtown Disney district at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. The next time you go to Disneyland, stop by and see all the fun artwork.

ST: Scribblers, when you get a chance go visit WonderGround Gallery!

Are you a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s animations too?!  How did you come up with those pieces for the The Supah Mash-Up Art Party?  Everything there is supah dupah cute!

JM: I love the films of Studio Ghibli. They’re such fun stories told in a way that’s completely different than what we’re used to in American feature animation. For the Mash-Up show, I got to work with Jared Andrew Schorr-  a super-talented artists that works with cut paper. Since we both love Miyazaki’s work we thought it would be a fun concept to collaborate on. We both chose films we love and did individual pieces as well as working together on one large tribute to My Neighbor Totoro. It was a really fun project and my first time collaboration with another artist. I was so pleased with the results and hope to work with Jared again soon.

ST: What is your process for getting your work out of your head- do you sketch with pencil, paint, computer graphics, etc. ?

JM: I always start with a paper and pencil sketch. I am always drawing. When I’m sitting in front of the tv, I always have my sketch pad near by. You never know when inspiration will strike and you have to be ready. Once I have an idea down on paper, I scan the image into the computed are re-draw everything in Adobe Illustrator. It’s a powerful tool for artists but takes a little time getting used to it.

ST: That’s right- strike while the iron is hot! Now I’m wondering, what your studio environment is like. That’s where the magic happens!

JM: I am at my computer almost the entire day. Whether it’s drawing, updating my website or promoting my work through social media outlets, I spend long hours standing in front of my computer. I have a really high desk that allows me to stand or sit when I feel like it. I like listening to music when I work but usually it’s music without words. I find myself easily distracted by songs so I usually listen to classical music or contemporary movie soundtracks. If I’m doing Disney work, I find listening to Disney music puts me in the right mood!

ST: From being a fan of Disneyland to now creating art for them- I’d say you are living your dream!  Any tips for us Scribblers?

JM: If you like drawing, do it all the time. Give yourself a made up assignment and do it to the best of your ability. Draw what you love and push yourself to get better. Everyone will tell you your drawings are great and that’s nice to hear. But you have to continue to improve your skills and learn more about the art you love. Don’t be shy about your work. Show it to as many people as you can. Get their feedback. It can be difficult to hear negative things about your work but try to listen to what other people have to say. Some of it will be helpful and constructive and some of it won’t. But you will always learn something from it. Take classes when you can and draw as much as possible. Keep your drawings. Keep them in a sketchbook or even a box for all your doodles. It’s important to see your progress and fun to revisit old drawings. It’s not an easy job being an artist, but it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding.

ST: Thanks Jerrod!  For more inspiration please have a look at Jerrod’s website http://www.jmaruyama.com.