Eric Maruscak has been wowing fans with his incredible chalk art at conventions for years now. His larger-than-life depictions of the heavy hitters and mega-events from the worlds of comics and film prove that there’s more to chalk blackboards than schoolwork. We caught up with Eric to find out more about his work.
Do you find it easier to do superheroes and cartoon characters or do you prefer doing real people, like Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, etc.?
I find the superhero and cartoon work to be easier. I am, first and foremost, a cartoonist. I was raised on a diet of newspaper classics like Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. My first love was comic strips, and that is what I wanted to do when I grew up. My style began to emulate the line work and exaggeration of that medium. Even with other skills now under my belt, including a better understanding of anatomy and experience with digital painting, I find that my line work always comes through very prominently. That line work, while excellent for comic book illustration, doesn't lend itself well to realism. The shading capabilities of the chalk goes a long way to remedying that, but I still find myself pulled back to that first love of line work and a cartoonist style.
I think comic book illustration is an incredibly difficult and amazing art style with some masterful artists creating mind-blowing works, and I don't mean to make it sound "simple" when compared to realistic illustration. They each have unique challenges, but I find the comic book illustration to naturally fit my style, so I find those more fun to create and are often my better works of art. I also think it is a hugely under-appreciated art form, and by blowing it up to larger-than-life status I think it makes people appreciate the art skills behind the original image even more.
What got you started working in chalk?
An art festival began about five years ago in my hometown. They wanted to start an annual street painting event and asked a number of local artists to take part. We had no experience in creating chalk art on pavement before, but some of us dove in and really learned to love what could be created. I think even more, we enjoyed the idea that these were temporary works, meant to be enjoyed for only a brief time before hours and hours of work would be washed away when rain finally came. I was hooked after the very first piece I made. After that, I decided to focus mainly on images from my favorite comic book illustrators. I was determined to duplicate their style as accurately as I possibly could. In doing so, I really began to uncover the nuts and bolts of how they illustrated. It was a classroom on the street, and I was learning a lot about art. I began the convention circuit in 2006, and my very first show was Wizard World Chicago. That will always be a memorable moment for me. It was the first time that convention fans really got a chance to see what I could do, and the response was amazing! I was worried that convention goers would shred my work, especially if I was recreating one of their favorite artists. But I have to admit that over a number of Wizard World shows and other appearances, almost universally the response has been fantastic!
What separates chalk from other mediums and tools?
Chalk is a very difficult medium to work in. It doesn't always do what you want it to, and the colors constantly want to blend together. The first thing you learn is how NOT to draw things in chalk, because the mistakes you can make far outnumber the things you can do right. Over time, you learn little tricks that work with your style of illustration, and you begin to develop a pattern and approach to taking on such giant images. The nice thing is that you can cover a large amount of ground very quickly with chalk, which makes it ideal for finishing something 14 feet tall by 9 feet wide in only three days.
You’ve done a lot of events and conventions in your career. Have there been any odd experiences, conventions or picture requests that you’ve had to deal with?
I have a great time at the conventions. Most people are great to talk to, appreciate what I am doing and share a huge amount of the same interests that I have. I only wish I had more time to wander the show floor and see all of the cool stuff there, but I am stuck in my little area and rarely get to look around. So people bring the show to me, I get photographs of as many of the costumes as I can, and the gorgeous women are always welcome to stop by and say hi. Which reminds me of a story. The most interesting experience to date was when a woman came up behind me while I was working in Chicago last summer. She leaned over and told me how much she really liked my work. She seemed quite enthusiastic, and as I thanked her she asked, "Can I come back later and pose nude on it so you can take my picture?" I am proud to say that, without missing a beat, my answer was "Yes, sure." She appeared shocked, like she didn't expect that answer. She asked again and I stuck to my guns saying I would totally take her picture nude lying on my art. She left with assurances that she would return, and at the end of the day there she was. She asked me if I was serious and here is where I made my mistake. I stupidly said, "The only problem is security would probably kick us both out." She agreed and that photo opportunity never happened. But I learned my lesson and will be sure to take that picture next time the offer is available!
Get your tickets for Wizard World Philly today so you’ll be able to watch this talented artist create a masterpiece! And please, don’t do anything that’ll get you or Eric kicked out by security!
