I used to be able to draw. Seriously. From as early as preschool, you gave me a pencil and something to scratch on, and I'd doodle you up a Berenstain Bear or Incredible Hulk just as soon as look at you. But that skill rusted and fell into a ditch many years back. Now I scribble stickmen, at best.
It's like forgetting how to speak Portuguese - it would be nice to have, but the need doesn't typically come up enough in my day-to-day to put the work in maintaining it. Then I discovered Sketch Theatre (www.sketchtheatre.com), and it reminded me of why I picked up the pencil to begin with, and made me want to do it again.
The brainchild of Gnomon School of Visual Effects founder Alex Alvarez, Sketch Theatre aspires to connect with those creative art pros who literally put their pencils down long ago, as well as those in their infancy who are just about to pick them up, by exposing all to contemporary artists who began their careers through sketch.
Supplemented by interviews and artist profiles, at the site's core you'll find video footage of time-lapsed sketching -- hence the 'theatre' portion of the equation.
It's not your typical spectator sport, and the lack of conditioning makes watching this sort of thing quite mesmerizing (even if the music isn't your cup of tea). It's a close parallel to watching someone's unfiltered thoughts come to life, and there aren't many venues offering that.
"It was a bit of an experiment in tapping inspiration from the root to see what would transpire," says Sketch Theatre's Executive Producer Lily Feliciano. "The idea was so basic that it actually comes off a bit abstract when you try to explain the basis of the site. So it has been awesome to have the artists involved and viewers all jump in and get so into it."
"The roster of artists have been so supportive and really promote the site to their fans and peers as well. Word of mouth has had a huge positive effect on this project. It inspires me to promote the contributing artists even more, so it's a really cool little cross promotional network."
The goal of the site appears two-fold. Certainly, there's the cross-promotional aspect for Alvarez's effects school (that's gnomonschool.com if you're keeping track), and then there's the altruistic push inherent in this sort of creative share. Feliciano explains: "The obvious driving force for me is that as long as there are great artists willing to sit and chat with me for an hour about music, life and art while they sketch, that will continue to be my focus and the reward that viewers get when they visit the site and check out the latest installments."
"ComiCon 2009 was a big success! I was able to shoot with so many artists there that had been on my wish list for a while. So I can disclose that there are some awesome profiles and new videos coming up for Fred Harper, Jon Schnepp, Ron English and Tara McPherson. There are more but I’m currently working on those profiles in particular, so they’ll all be featured very soon."
(Note: The samples we've embedded here are lowe-res youtubers ... for high quality versions, visit www.SketchTheatre.com)
