Featured Artist: Sam Engelken

Sam Engelken Featured Artist

Q: What kind of art do you make?

A: “I’ve done all the art classes so far. I’ve done digital, ceramics, painting, drawing 1 and drawing 2. So far, painting and drawing have been my favorites. I’m 2D mostly, I hate working in 3D for the most part because 3D seems to fall apart on me a lot, like having something fall apart in ceramics. 2D has always been how I think, I’m generally pretty good at making things in the second dimension so painting has always been fun. Drawing has always appealed to me because value always stands out; I’m really good at lights and darks. Color, not so much. Which is why painting is a little more difficult because mixing colors is a lot harder than doing everything in black and white. And then the other reason I like drawing so much more is because you can draw on anything, you don’t need to bring anything but a pencil.”

Q: What are your inspirations?

A: “My entire family — I wouldn’t say they have an art background because none of them went into art, but my dad and brother, my aunt, and all my cousins are all really, really good at art. So from when I was little I always wanted to be like my older brother so I started doing art. That’s what got me interested in drawing when I was younger and it just kind of carried through.”

 

Q: What’s your creative process like?

A: “I would like to say, and I know what Filbeck wants to hear is that I put a lot of thought into it. But generally, my first idea is the one I’m most fond of. I don’t know what it is but there’s some psychologist out there that says that your gut impulse is the only you should follow even if you think it through and you think of something else. My thinking process is generally all of five seconds and then I know what I want to do.”

 

Q: How long does it take you to finish a drawing?

“As far as days go, since we don’t have class every day, it’s usually three days of drawing or something like that. It would just be like five hours or so.”

 

Q: Do you do anything while you draw?

A: “I always listen to music, unless I forget my headphones which seems to happen a lot. Mostly stuff you find on like 96.5, that’s my new stuff. That, or a classical composer.”

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