March 2017

This month we had fellow NHS teacher and artist, Doug Arthur share his art, influences, process, and love for illustrations with our students during our Artist Lecture Series. The questions below were provided by the Advanced 3D Design students.

North High Art Dept: Do you make any of your art specifically to sell it?

Doug Arthur: At the moment I don’t primarily produce art to sell unless commissioned.

NHAD: Would you consider teaching for an illustration job?

DA: It is definitely a consideration of mine. I’ve always enjoyed teaching and art

NHAD: Where is your favorite place to draw?

DA: I usually like to find some place that is relaxing yet has a lot of interesting things going on. This means you’ll find me frequenting places like the Weather Center in Sheboygan fairly often.

NHAD: What college did you go to?

DA: I went to UW-Stevens Point and graduated with a teaching degree in Broad Field Social Studies and History.

NHAD: What got you into illustration?

DA: That’s a potentially very long story. I always enjoyed art from a young age. Somewhat of a start was when I got involved in making comic strips for my high school paper. It wasn’t until after college that I got more involved in illustration. I had a roommate that got me into comic books and asked me to do some illustrations for him. From there, I got more interested and continued to learn more about the craft and spend more time doing it for my enjoyment as well.

NHAD: Why didn’t you become an art teacher?

DA: Well, to be honest, when I was in college, I came in completely undecided. My path lead me more toward history. At the time I didn’t really have an understanding of career options in art and wasn’t necessarily planning on being a teacher yet. Would I be an art teacher if possible? Definitely. But I enjoy teaching in general, so I have no regrets in that area.

NHAD: What is your favorite drawing?

DA: I’m not sure I ever have one favorite. There is a sketchbook illustration I did recently where I tried to work on using negative space effectively, and I really enjoyed the outcome of it.

NHAD: When did you start drawing?

DA: I started drawing when I was fairly young, but I don’t think it matters as much when you start as what you put into it. People who put time and effort into their work are more likely to create something they’ll be proud of.