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The Graphic Artwork of Mark Poe - Site Summary • Cartoons • Comic Book Art • T-Shirt Design • Web Design • Illustration • Logo Design • More than 20 years Commercial Experience! A long time ago in an art department far, far away... I have been involved in Commercial Art for over 20 years. Starting at a fairly large T-Shirt Screen Printer in 1985, Mountain Graphics, Inc., I learned the ropes and contributed my knowledge of cartooning to the field of screen printed t-shirts and caps. Over the years I gathered knowledge doing projects for many companies. I have done layout and design of logos, flyers, letterheads, catalogs, banner ads, web sites, billboards, t-shirt designs, posters, comic books, and cartoons. Over the past 8 + years I have been Freelancing I have serviced over 100 accounts. I currently maintain less than 20 and 5 or so on a weekly or biweekly basis. I work mostly in my studio/office but do make remote calls too. Please enjoy the samples of my work! SPECIAL NOTE: I'm in the midst of revamping my web sites and some others. Due to the work load and some transitioning in business policies, I won't be taking on any new clients UNTIL THE WORK IS DONE. Thanks! Mark's Art I've prepared several samples for you to see what I can do. Thanks for your interest and enjoy! Just click on the thumbnail designs to see the enlarged picture. Click your browsers "Back" button to return here. My most recent art has been mostly on shirts! This doesn't even scratch the surface! - It starts with a sketch, then I ink it and these days scan it into the computer and usually convert it to a vector graphic. Add color, text, if needed, and you have the design you need. There's a lot of t-shirt designs here which can be done usually within a couple hours. Quality, commercial appeal, and speed to meet deadlines are keys to success in the Graphic Arts. Those are the attributes I've held throughout my career. Want to see more T-Shirt art? Most of the work I've done in the past few years have been for the Screen Printing industry. Some are full designs like most of these on this page. Take a look at T-Shirts page 2. I do the full design or just the main subject. Some clients do their own layout with my art - I'm all too happy to do just the main subject of the design, a character or an object, convert it into a vector for the client to add color, backgrounds and text to it themselves. It saves me a little time and it saves the client some money too. Today, a lot of times the customer of a screen printer wants to change the design, so to have the vector art on their computer in their own drawing program gives them much more freedom to meet their customers needs and desires. Of course sometimes they want to change something on the art as well that's why we send a sketch proof of that art first before it is completed. Changes at the sketch stage is much easier and less expensive. T-shirts Page 3. In 20 years a guy can do a lot of drawings! A few more t-shirt designs. - The art style I utilize was influenced by my exposure to comics from my childhood. I studied cartoonist's work to learn how to draw. I studied not only the comics themselves but fan magazines with interviews of the artists and sketches of their art before it was inked for final production, I learned everything I could about their methods. By the time I got to college, my art professor told me there really was nothing else he could teach me. He recommended I go to an Art College. Unfortunately the nearest one was out of state and out of my budget. It Doesn't Stop Here! - I have done a lot more than t-shirt designs over the years. Click on the tabs to the right to see my other work. Comics are a lot of work but it's a lot of fun too! Comics are more about telling a story than just doing good art - In the top row, the Humants #2 Cover was penciled and inked by me. The back cover I inked another artists pencils. The next 5 are also from Humants #2 penciled by Freazie White, Jr. with my inks. In row 2 I penciled, inked and toned these pages originally published in Humants #1. Row 3 starts with the cover penciled by Mr. White and inked by myself. The remaining 6 pages on row 3 are from a story proposal by Mr. White which I penciled. Another artist was originally going to ink these but before that occurred the project was shelved due to budget shortfalls. Want to see more comics? Go to comics page 2. Here's another page of comic book art! I've worked at just about every post in comics from plots to colors. - 1st up: 6 pages of my pencil breakdowns to Humants #4. Next is the cover sketch for Humants #5 followed by the final cover in the next row. The double size Humants cover was for a special Humants Free Preview. The color version is for an upcoming web site project. My tribute to Jack Kirby, based on the cover for Capt. America 193, I did for the A-O APAzine. I penciled, inked and colored The Revelation. Penciled and inked next character. A different version Mr. White penciled from my breakdowns. 1st on the last row: My inks over Chris Torres. The next to are all mine. Last is my inks over Mr. White on Humants #1. Want to see more comics? Go to comics page 3. Even more comics for your enjoyment! Some comics are more fun than others! - The top row starts with another project I was an inker/embellisher on. The 2nd page shows pencils by the artist. The next example is the same page with my inks. Next is a the cover to the parody comic book Elftrek which I penciled, inked and color separated. Elftrek as well as most of the others on these 2 comics pages were done before I had computer access. Next is the inside cover to Elftrek # 1, and then pages 1 - 3, 10, and 11. The back cover for Elftrek #1 was for the Ass-Men (think mules) which was the second story in Elftrek. Elftrek #2 concluded the parodies. On both Elftrek books I plotted, penciled, inked, toned and colored with lots of assistance. This was a fun project! Doing the layout for a magazine or flyer is an art in itself! But it's more design than artwork- Layout requires an eye for design and an understanding not only of what needs to be included in a brochure, business card, ad, or newsletter but what should not be. The goal is to sell whatever it is you have to offer. The first rule of sales is to appeal to a desire or need then to give more information, convince the client and close the sale. The layout and design of the printed product is as important as the appearance of a salesperson and his/her ability to communicate effectively. I've produced many brochures, cards, letterheads, catalogs, newsletters, flyers and ads to meet my clients and their customers needs. Want to see more? Just click the thumbnails images to the right. Graphic Art Vs. Graphic Design- Folks confuse the two all the time, and for good reason, they do overlap each other. Generally logos are more design than art, but it depends on the clients needs for their particular business. Usually no two people are alike, neither are two businesses, so each logo design has to be approached and executed differently as well. Your logo reflects what you do and your level of service. If you have a plain, ordinary logo, using maybe just a standard font available on anyone's computer you tell your customer a lot about yourself and how you value them. If you have a design that stands out in the crowd, it's like a magnet that draws in business! Large corporations know this and once they have a good logo almost never change it. Web sites are fun but not as simple as they look! The information age is here!- I got interested in web sites back in 1996. They intrigued me so I had to learn how to build them. I studied html code and built a few primitive pages. Now days I don't do as much with html code but concentrate more on the look of the web page and use more modern layout programs to accomplish things code really can't do. Web building purists frown on that but I don't drive a Model T either just because it was one of the first automobiles! So along with all the artwork I've done please look at these web sites. In addition to this site, on www.megaartworks.com www.actionissues.com www.teessports.com www.espremotes.com I did all the work. On the Jam'n Art pages I have a lot of custom artwork you can see but I did not design or build any of their site. Right now, I have another site in the works to be available soon. A blank wall is a canvas to create upon. No, I never drew on walls when I was little, I grew up first!- I like to draw big pictures but I never dreamed I'd draw this big! Really it was not my idea, and I don't recall who first suggested it now. Most of these were done in one large church. Some were only sketched out and never made it to any wall, but I still have the art and who knows they may yet! As best memory serves me now, the biggest of these murals measured about 30 feet wide and 15 feet high. The smallest was about 3 feet wide by 2 feet high. The others range all in between. The biggest obstacle in doing a large mural is keeping perspective. I often got my exercise by going back 30 feet or so to see how it was all coming together. Sorry for the flash glare on some of these.
(256) 226-0164 OBJECTIVE To serve my clients the utmost degree by utilizing my exceptional skills, talents, and knowledge of management, problem solving, sales, service, art and modern technology to the fullest in the area of need. WORK HISTORY CREATIVE PRINTERS - Albertville, Alabama • Graphic Artist/Designer, Typesetter, IT Support • 8/2006 - Present Responsible for the layout and design of logos, flyers, letterheads, catalogs, magazines, business cards, brochures, and books for offset printing. Technical support and maintenance for company computers both Mac & PC's running operating systems from Windows 95 through XP and Mac OS 9 & X . Administrator for company Local Area Network linking the computers with several printers, copiers and a RIP processor. Main programs used: Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop, & Quark Xpress. Continued to run Mega Graphics as a part time business.
MEGA GRAPHICS, LLC - Albertville, Alabama • Graphic Artist/Designer, Web Designer, Cartoonist & Illustrator, Manager • 6/1996 - Present Responsible for the layout and design of logos, flyers, letterheads, catalogs, banner ads, web sites, billboards, t-shirt designs, illustrations, comic books, and cartoons for several offset and screen printing companies. Built and maintain web sites @ www.megagraphicart.com, www.espremotes.com, www.teessports.com and my personal site www.artmarkings.com . Knowledge of graphics software, graphics production, and web site building technology. Experience with Freeway Pro & Coda, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS, ImageReady, Typestyler, CorelDRAW, Freehand, Quark, PageMaker, Appleworks, Microsoft Word, & Publisher. Developed sites using Mambo, Joomla, WordPress, C-Panel 11, Fantastico, FTP, HTML, some php, css, MySQL. Utilized email, Instant Messenger, FTP, Project Management software as well as phones, and fax to create Virtual Office enviroment for clients and freelance artist peers. Responsible for several freelance artists reporting exclusively to me. Over the past 10 + years I have serviced over 100 accounts. Usually maintain 2-5 clients on a weekly basis. Started part-time while working last full-time job. WORD OF LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER - Birmingham, Alabama • Graphic Artist/Designer, Desktop Publisher • 2/1994 - 12/1996Key responsibilities included creation and layouts on numerous publications within a large church (1,000 plus membership) for in-house and public distribution. Utilized conception and layout skills with hands-on design and creation of art using desktop publishing and graphic programs (including CorelDRAW). One-to-one contact with Ministers and Department Heads as well as congregation, assuring satisfaction with regards to close deadlines servicing several varied departments. Responsible for the creation and layouts of illustrations and cartoons for calendars, schedules, newsletters, flyers, and tracts. Designed logos, letterheads, business cards, and numerous forms. Designed and painted 12 large wall murals for youth, and children's departments. Utilized a staff of volunteer freelance artists. I started working freelance with this company and worked into a full time staff position. Prior to 1994 Screen Printing Experience – Action Sports Apparel • Phoenix Sportswear • Cheerz Sportswear • Mountain Graphics – Positions included Assistant Art Director, Production Manager, Graphic Artist, and Production Artist. Responsibilities: artwork, layout & design, sales, and customer service also darkroom work, printing, screen prep, burning and reclaiming. EDUCATION 1980 graduate of Albertville High School. Attended Gadsden State Community College for one year. Major: Art. 20 years on job training and experience in Commercial Art. PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: A strong work ethic to give my best for my employer/clients and a desire to provide for my family are my primary goals. I am quick to learn and quick to resolve problems. I look at problems not as insurmountable obstacles or excuses to halt work , but as challenges which can and will be met and overcome quickly. I work well with others enlisting aid in the problem solving process either as leader or following designated leadership. I believe working as a team is the most effective way to get results. I have obtained many skills on both Macintosh & PC based systems and hardware and have a good knowledge of how the platforms operate which helps greatly in problem solving. I often supply Tech Support for clients with their computers. I utilize my skills daily on such programs as Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator , CorelDRAW, Freeway Express (a web layout program) PageMaker and Quark Xpress . I always finish assignments and know how to meet deadlines. I was a member of Alpha-Omega Amateur Press Association for 8 years, (served as Central Mailer 2 years). I have self-published work and had my work published by others. References: Furnished upon request. Welcome To The Future! Do you know what time it is? We're talking History Time here, folks. Yep, that's right, it's the 21st Century. We made it to the future! WOW! Can you believe all the technology we have now? Computers, cell phones, and cameras are everywhere. We can get almost anything faster than ever before. Along the way some of the older tech has fallen to disuse. People who use to drive or ride Public Transport to commute to work now telecommute. Conferences are held from points all over the world via the Internet rather than the ol' board room. Email and instant messenger programs have taken the place of phones for convenience and efficiency. We've made it to the future... let's embrace it! Email me your questions or comments. Got a question? The best way is by email. Sometimes things get miscommunicated or forgotten in phone conversations. So having a written communication is far more efficient. My email is automatically checked every 15 minutes so usually you will get a reply within minutes or hours rather than days and it beats the heck out of playing Phone Tag! So jump on into the Information Age and email me today.
Mark Poe • (256) 226-0164 My Undisclosed Location. Security is a big issue these days. So is privacy. Both are often in short supply on the World Wide Web, Therefore, I have withheld my address on these pages. However, those who become my clients are let in on the whereabouts of my secret headquarters! ;-)
To know where we're going, we've got to know where we've been! 3 years old? Yep, that's where it really started. Someone, probably my Mom, trying to get me to be still or be quite or stop tearing up the house, put a pencil in my hand with paper in front of me and the rest, like they say, is history! I drew Flipper, the dolphin from TV, an elephant and something else, which my Mom could remember but I can't recall right now. I drew every chance I got. I got into as many art classes as was offered but it was not much in our rural area. Still I had a passion and a dream to work as a commercial artist. Not all art! Meanwhile, life outside art went on. I finished high school and went to work. But don't get the wrong idea, I did not go right into an art job. I worked a lot of non-art related jobs and did art in my spare time before getting to do art full time. Soon after I began working, I married my high school sweetheart and some 5 years later we had our first child, a boy, to be followed by another son years after that. Before our first child came along I got my big break! Finally! An art job! I learned that if you stick with something, you can gain enough skill to to get a job doing it full time. When I got my first job doing art it was a mind blower! The honeymoon did not last long when I found out there is actually work involved in this! Long hours, skill, occasional rejection, and the artist's nightmare of DEADLINES! Even with reality settling in my passion for art did not wane and it did not stop when I punched out at the clock. I still drew at home. Which lead to the second part of my dream: Becoming a cartoonist! Working as a Commercial Artist was only the first part of my dream, the other part was being a cartoonist. Not long after I got my first art job, through an odd chain of events, I got to draw cartoons for independent comic book companies! At this time Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles came out and started an Independent Comic Book Boom! The Boom was short lived but lasted long enough for me to get my feet wet drawing comics. No, not the Turtles, even though I would have loved to have helped on that! These were other Independent Comics Companies. I was not that good then and when the boom went bust I found myself back doing art for t-shirts. Actually when I was working on the comics most of it was in my spare time while working full time as a commercial artist. Then I went into business. Neither the screen printing nor the comic industry have ever been rock solid, stable, working career choices. I often had to commute and hour or more to the work location. Finally with the coming of the Information Age, specifically the Internet, I was ready to go out on my own. So a few years ago I went Freelance! Along the way I helped build several businesses. Mega Graphics LLC was one I actually helped found. Never let anyone tell you dreams can't come true, mine have been being fulfilled daily for years! Better yet, now I get to help others fulfill theirs! The Vision. Now we get down to where we live! With all my experience as a Commercial Graphic Artist I have a lot to offer! I started out with raw God-given talent and I'm constantly acquiring new knowledge, not only of drawing techniques, but now days of graphics software, graphics production, and web site building technology. I have done layout and design of logos, flyers, letterheads, catalogs, banner ads, web sites, billboards, t-shirt designs, posters, comic books, and cartoons. Over the past 8 + years I have been Freelancing I have serviced over 100 accounts. I currently maintain less than 20, and 5 or so are on a weekly or biweekly basis. I have personal contact with my clients making sure they are satisfied with meeting deadlines and overseeing art production all the way to final output. I've also had the privilege of working with several freelance artists over the years so I don't have to do it all. Full-time doesn't stop at 40 hours for me but whatever it takes to get the job done. I've helped many businesses build into large operations. May I help you? Just let me know. Thanks!
Content Licensed and/or © 1996-2008 Mega Graphics,LLC and/or associates. All rights reserved world wide. |
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