Every year thousands of graduates from art and design colleges nationwide emerge seeking jobs in an ever-changing industry. I know because I’ve done portfolio reviews at one time or another, speaking with some of these eager, talented young adults. At some point in their education, more than likely they were given a storyboard or layout assignment. Chances are they sketched their ideas with a traditional writing implement like a marker, a tool which has become nearly obsolete in the commercial art world. Back in the golden, Mad Men age of advertising, layouts, comps and storyboards were being created with the newly introduced magic marker, the artists of the time having transitioned from an old standby, the pastel. And by old, I mean like Cleopatra old. Think about that a minute. Pastels; a drawing material that’s been used by artists since the Renaissance has to this day remained relatively unchanged in its usable form of a chalk stick. I remember fifteen years ago talking to a veteran illustrator about this very topic. He told me that after he and his colleagues got their hands on the first set of markers the studio bought (circa 1955), he never picked up a pastel again. This from a guy who’d been using them forever! And aside from Flo-master’s brief run at mainstreaming their “refillable marker” (you’ve never heard of Flo-master?), disposable magic markers became the go-to medium for producing rich and colorful pre-finish renderings. Whether done in a loose or tight style, the juicy pens could be utilized to create a fresh approach to long established formats.
For a little historical perspective, the now defunct Magic Marker website claimed:
“…In 1952, inventor Sidney Rosenthal developed and began marketing the first felt tip marking device. A chubby, squat glass bottle to hold ink with a wool felt wick and writing tip [this describes the unusual appearance of the first magic markers], Rosenthal named his new marking device Magic Marker because of its ability to mark on almost every surface….”
Although pens in varying forms had made their way into the industry as early as the 40s, from the mid-50s there was a span of nearly half a century that magic markers were held in the highest regard by commercial artists. The Design brand marker became as common to a studios’ supply cache as illustration board and tubes of gouache (what, you’ve never heard of gouache, either?!) The markers were closely guarded by those who relied on them to make their living and were coveted by lower-on-the-totem-pole artists whose own pens had run dry. And god help the poor intern or matt room kid who didn’t cap a crusty old artist’s markers after a long project! Nothing was more anathema to the speed and freshness markers could convey than a dried out pen. They weren’t cheap, either. A set of 60 could set you back nearly as much as a car payment, but the resulting images were glorious. Vivid color, fluid styles that in the right hands produced work reminiscent of watercolors. Markers seemed like they were here to stay.
Until the digital world crushed them.
As artists and designers became more comfortable working with a tablet and stylus, discovering the possibilities of the computer, markers soon could be had easily, plucked off the common work areas of the matt room like discarded tees at your local golf course. Not only were the colorizations and effects limitless(try creating depth of field with a marker. On a computer it’s as easy as a Gaussian blur), digital markers never go dry. Any fear of making a mistake was replaced with Command + Z. Eventually markers were creating nothing but crude maps for deliveries and dust bunnies on matt room shelves.
At Indigo Studios, the foremost imaging shop for 3d graphics in Atlanta, layouts and storyboards are created entirely on the computer. Our artists, all experienced illustrators, work in programs like Painter or Photoshop, where they can quickly toggle between their sketch and finish layers. In programs like these, artists are able to simulate the line weights of pencils and pens, and the look of traditional markers or gouache. Textures can be added as well as myriad effects that enhance the attempt to tell the clients’ story. Approval is made easy through e-mail. Clients provide reference photography of their products and if frames are populated with people, digital photo shoots are designed and quickly imported. The influx of technology has made it easier for deadlines to be met and the final image to be quickly converted to any number of digital formats for rapid delivery to the client. I’ve tried to encourage students to learn to draw at the most rudimentary level, starting with traditional tools like charcoal, pencils. Or for instance, markers. But in a commercial art studio, go try and find one. They’re out there, somewhere, though I often wonder if one day they’ll be as obsolete as a stat camera. Please tell me you’ve heard of a stat camera. Never mind.
The gap between new innovations shrinks each day. It took centuries for technology to finally replace the pastel yet in the blink of an eye, markers became dinosaurs in the commercial art industry. What lies ahead for the storyboard and layout artists in our business? I couldn’t tell you. But I know this; you better not blink or you just may miss it.
