Evan is an avid comic book collector and a fan of Batman and other comic book and movie heroes. He adorns his “artist studio” — a corner of the basement family room — with a myriad of sketches and artwork he’s created and Batman and other hero figurines he’s collected.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 Last year, the illustration Evan created for September of his dog, Doodle, was one of the first dogs he’d ever drawn. “I just don’t do animals that much. It’s fun to branch out, though.” Evan’s illustration of the soft, greeneyed kitten poking its head out of a jack-
Halloween theme, he said black cats
to go, the Silver Creek High School
o’-lantern not only won for the month of
have been done so often, and the choice
16-year-old may not yet be done.
October in the upcoming 2019 calendar,
of black may have diluted the detail he
but contest judges selected the work as
wanted to render.
“Best of Show.” “Evan’s work quickly caught the eyes
“I thought it would be more visually
Despite the success he’s had in the cooperative art contest and others he’s entered through school, Evan remains
appealing and vibrant to go with the
both competitive yet modest. He entered
of everyone in the room with its skillful
colors I ended up using,” he said. “The
two works in the calendar contest this
execution,” said one of the judges, Justin
textures and details may have not shown
year out of self doubt. Along with the
Vining, a professional, Indianapolis-
up as well either if I drew a black cat
“cat-o’-lantern,” as he called it, he also
based artist and former elementary
because using too many layers of dark
drew an old rusting Volkswagen Beetle
school art teacher who was profiled in
colored pencils sometimes results in
amid fall foliage. The judges ended up
the February 2018 Electric Consumer.
smudging and makes the details look
debating which of his two illustrations to
fuzzy.”
choose for first.
“His drawing exhibits an understanding of medium, composition, and
This is Evan’s second “Artist of the
Evan said he was uncertain how
color beyond Evan’s age, which made him
Year” designation. His first was as a
the Volkswagen, his first try, would be
the clear front runner,” Vining added.
seventh grader for the month of July in
received. So he started the cat illustration.
Evan said he wrestled with some
the 2016 calendar. Only one other artist
“Honestly, I just wanted to try to get five
early decisions about the cat illustration.
in the contest’s 21 years earned the “Artist
years in a row,” he said. “I was just trying
“I thought about making it a black cat,”
of the Year” title twice, and Evan is the
to make the chances a little higher.”
he noted.
only artist to have won his grade division
While that may have enhanced the
22
MAY 2018
five times. And, with two more calendars
RICHARD G. BIEVER is senior editor of Electric Consumer.