It’s time for our next Featured Student! For March we are featuring:
Chris Akins
Instagram: @chrisakinsart
Artwork by Chris Akins
I’ve been enjoying Chris’ illustrations for quite some time now. He’s had a couple Critique Arena wins and is always a strong contender. Of course, it’s great to meet another teacher and especially cool to see Chris working as a full-time art teacher and still turning out great artwork on the side. Hope you’ll be as inspired as I am by Chris’ creative journey!
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To start out, tell us a little bit about yourself - where you are from and currently live, family details (including pets of course) and how you spend most of your time (work and/or family related).
I am from the northern suburbs of Atlanta between Canton and Milton, also known as the best place in the world to live. My wife and I live in a little cottage her uncle built on a two-acre plot in the middle of the country. We are surrounded by rolling hills and lots of horses. We enjoy looking at all the mini-mansions and farms around us that we don’t have to upkeep! My mother lives with us as well as two dogs. I tried to talk my wife into chickens and goats but she still resists.
All of our four children are grown and have moved out. My oldest and only son is married to a lovely woman and they have two kids who are the best granddaughters a man could ask for. They live in Virginia where he attends medical school. My oldest two daughters are also married and live nearby. Their husbands are pretty great, too. My youngest daughter is away at school in Virginia.
I am an art teacher at a local high school and also a graduate student at Kennesaw State University. I am working on my dissertation which is about how art teachers experience digital art. I spend most of my time working on these three things, but I do freelance art on the side. Currently, I am working on a large mural for a church children’s wing.
What foods do you love the most? What about drinks? I love Mexican food and pizza. I am not much of a drinker and pretty much stick to diet sodas.
What are some of your other hobbies besides making art? I enjoy the outdoors and nature as much as I can. I love to hike the foothills around here. I also love kayaking (not rivers but lakes). When we get a chance, we love to camp. We have a travel trailer and plan to take it to see the world.
Who are some of your favorite artists? How have they inspired you? I grew up with comic books and fantasy art. I initially loved Frank Frazetta even though I think his stuff is pretty dark now. I also loved Bill Sienkiewicz when I was a teenager. I still love his stuff. I also am a big fan of old school illustrators like N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. As far as children’s illustrators I love Jan Brett, Tomie DiPaola, Steven Kellogg, and Mercer Mayer, Janell Cannon, and Graeme Base. I know all of these are old school but most of my favorite children’s books are from my kid’s childhood.
I love how most of these artists use realism in their work but also add their own flair to it. I am a sucker for dramatic lighting and also for a good dose of humor and wit.
In terms of being a professional illustrator, what recommendations can you give with regard to young artists attempting to forge their path in this field? I’m still new to this field but as an art teacher, I can say that the biggest thing is the need to learn composition and story-telling. You can be a great artist with mad skills but if you can’t create a good composition then your work always looks off. My students are always making these cool characters but they don’t know how to create an illustration or tell a story. They pose their cool characters but can’t draw hands or side views or even couches for that matter. I try to teach them to be an observer of the real world and draw things they wouldn’t normally draw. I am always amazed at how my students don’t recognize how light behaves and how things connect with each other. As a former science teacher, I think having a good grasp of how nature works is so helpful in drawing nature. Be a science student! Know how light behaves, know why things are the color they are. Observe how plants grow and the shapes they take and why. Also, this was and is a struggle for me: learn anatomy! Even if you plan on drawing stylized people, a good understanding of how the body positions itself is so helpful. I have begun to learn that if I take my own reference shots my work looks so much better.
What’s your own practice as an artist look like? Do you have set times of the day you work? Are you more productive in a certain space? And what about inspiration? Due to my day job as a full time art teacher, I usually do my freelance work on nights and weekends. When I retire, I know that I will do my best work in the mornings. I have a desk area set up with all my millions of screens. I personally love working on the iPad with Procreate and do the majority of my work on it. I have been hired recently for graphic illustrations for a sports league and for that I used Illustrator on my Huion Tablet. Occasionally I work at the dining room table or on the couch when my family feels like I am ignoring them.
My biggest inspiration is nature and my faith. I am always taking pictures of my outdoor adventures. I love seeing God’s good creation and it always inspires me to go be a little creator myself.
We’d love to see some of your work. Can you share 5 or 6 pieces with us?
This was a piece I was hired to do for the Paramount+ show, For Heaven’s Sake. The show is about two friends who investigate the cold case of his missing family member who disappeared during the 1930s.
Artwork by Chris Akins
These are two little wildcats I designed for a STEM poster for a local elementary school. These are were done in procreate then converted to vector art in illustrator.
Artwork by Chris Akins
This was a true departure from my illustration work but it was so much fun to do. This is the logo for one of the NEPA teams, a virtual reality sports league.
Artwork by Chris Akins
This was created for the All-stars competition and is one of my personal favorites. It adds a bit of creative humor and that is what I love best.
Artwork by Chris Akins
This last one is one of my Inktober sketches. I love working with ink! This one really resonated with a lot of my students. They laughed at it and told me that this was a very true picture of their teenage life.
Artwork by Chris Akins
Chris, Great Work!! Pretty amazing how varied your style and subject matter is. Thanks for sharing these with us!
Last question: What are you dreaming up for 2022? Travel, new experiences, new art-making?
I dream of finishing my doctorate this year so I can devote more time to grow my freelance business. I would love to send out postcards by the end of the year and get representation and do some bona fide books. So far, all my work has been by word of mouth or through social media.
Chris, thank you for sharing your story with us. It’s wonderful to hear about your journey as an artist and we wish you the best as you continue on this path!
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