Tips and Insights

It just so happens that all of our illustrators are males, though we do have a couple female artists who choose to focus on other talents while at work. As a former teacher, I've interacted with lots of creative students, but I've never worked closely with visual artists for any length of time.

Our guys have a funny habit of decorating a whiteboard each week as a way, I think, to vent their artistic creativity. (Occasionally, drawing machines and parts can be less than mind-bending.) The 4' x 5' whiteboard balances on a chair against the wall in the north wing. They only use black dry erase pens, and Gunther has written a disclaimer at the top: "All materials drawn/illustrated or imposed upon this 'Community Creativity Board' (CCB) are hereby property of the 'Artistic Bishop Community' (ABC)." He wrote that because he wanted everyone to know their art could be altered without permission.

Typically, someone will draw a simple figure, and then others will make additions and revisions until they've covered the board. This week we have a Sponge Bob (who later got "cut" in half), a turtle with weepy eyes, a dinosaur with a unibrow, and a Pac-Man chomping after Inky up a volcano on top of which astronauts have landed. At the end of the week, Gunther takes a photo of the drawing, erases the board, and lets it stand, naked and ready for the following week.

When I write it out, it doesn't sound nearly as creative as it looks. I've convinced Phil to add a link to this week's board so you can be the judge.


» Click here for larger image

(By the way, once the illustrators read this piece, they started to "dress" the board on Friday nights because they didn't want it to be "naked." You can imagine the results.)

Labels: creativity, illustrations, illustrators