Joel Mackenzie

Inspired by old cartoons and video games, Joel Mackenzie says he is evolving a style that is a mix of goofy, exaggerated, cute and ugly, all at the same time.

“I love art and photography, but I can’t really take pictures, so I’ve doubled down on art creation,” says Joel. “I love exciting animation and graphics, as well as retro cartoon designs.”

Joel likes to create custom brushes and he takes full advantage of pressure sensitivity in the pen. Starting with thicker, fatter outlines, Joel moves to thinner, more subtle lines as he fills in a composition.

“I’ve become obsessed with line work, and the Intuos offers me so much freedom to try different mark-making techniques,” he says. “With the Intuos, I’ve noticed a huge increase in my productivity. I find that I am drawing lines once instead of three or four attempts per line, trying to get that perfect curve.”

Joel admits to being addicted to art since childhood. Growing up and finding tools that would allow him to draw on his computer was a natural fit. Joel concludes: “I have been using Wacom tablets for around 10 years. Mice and track pads are fine for surfing the web, but if you want to be creating works without limits, you need to invest in a pen tablet or Cintiq.”