Like many graphic designers, I stumbled into my career because I dabbled in the fine arts as a youngster.

Growing up, I would finger-paint masterpieces, sculpt one-of-a-kind works out of Play-Doh®, and sketch scenes with my No.2 school pencil that would put Rockwell to shame.

Having parents who appreciated and encouraged my artistic exploration was a tremendous advantage. As a pre-teen I was allowed to attend a saturday morning cartoon drawing class at the Joe Kubert School. I didn’t learn much about drawing cartoons, but I learned about shading techniques, how to show mass, and how to draw in perspective. That was a HUGE advantage at my young age. To understand horizons and vanishing points improved every visual endeavor I took on.
As one of those kids who could not only draw well, but had little interest in other career paths, I packed my bags and headed off to Pratt Institute to become an illustrator. Well, this led to that and I hopped over to graphic design and never looked back.

But, I still love to draw.

It’s so hard to find time in the busy life of a full-time career and growing family to sit and sketch. It’s become therapeutic for me to sit quietly with a sketchbook in my lap and a good pen in my hand. My wife knows this and often encourages me to sketch when I can.

But, I rarely do anymore.