Arts - Main Story

Mr. Etch A Sketch (11/30/07)

Local artist discusses his unique passion

Story by Lay Kodama, '09

Tim George works as a security officer at Cardinal Health. But that is only part of his identity; the other half of his time he transforms into Mr. Etch A Sketch. Evident from his unique title, George is able to express his passion for nature through a medium in which sketches consist of one continuous line with no selective erasing. Not only does his talent motivate his passion, but also the medium’s ability to reach groups of all ages.

This beloved toy became part of George’s life during the summer of 1988, when his daughter was in the hospital for open-heart surgery. In order to entertain his daughter and the other patients, he resorted to an Etch A Sketch.

“I just found [it] laying on the floor of the hospital,” George said. “Etch A Sketch became a way to end the monotony and the stress.”

To his own surprise, from the beginning George was able to draw cartoons, such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Seeing the smile on his daughter’s face motivated him to perfect his sketches, he said.

“Over time I decided rather than just cartoons I would draw animals because I love nature,” George said. “I started with zebras because they have black and white stripes and [drawings on] Etch A Sketch are all black and white.”

Through practice, he was eventually able to draw his daughter’s favorite animal: the elephant. After his daughter’s successful surgery, George made his first public showing with his Etch A Sketch at his daughter’s elementary school art festival.

Realizing his potential and the interest people had in his passion, George became active through other schools around Ohio and Michigan. In 1995, during one of his presentations, he met publisher Edna Stephens from Edco Publishing. Through her, George was able to publish the first book in the country illustrated through Etch A Sketch: “Looking at Animals with Mr. Etch A Sketch.” The book details illustrations of common animals from Ohio and Michigan interspersed with interesting facts about the animals.

Now, after 19 years, George has made over 300 Etch A Sketch drawings — enough to fill at least four books.

“I’ve [mostly] done animals of Africa and some from Thailand and the Arctic,” George said. “I also did American symbols like the White House and Mount Rushmore.”

Through his passion, George has been featured in multiple articles, at the International Toy Fair in 2006 and on Good Morning America.

In order to preserve George’s artwork during his travels, the Ohio Art Company modeled an Etch A Sketch with a removable back so the excess powder can be poured out and the final art can be stored. However, during the process of making his creations, he can still erase his progress with a shake and start all over.

“The thing that people forget when they look at my drawing is that it’s one continuous line and there’s no selective erasing,” George said. “If I make a big mistake I have to shake it all out. That’s probably one of the biggest challenges with this medium.”

George said complicated drawings usually take between three-to-15 hours. The process includes a basic sketch, imagining the contours, and then intense concentration.

“You constantly have to think about where the line is, where you’re going,” George said. “[Like regular] artists have to do the contour, I do the basic shape and add in the details, constantly knowing where I am and where I’m going.”

George said for the complicated shapes, he had to experiment, but the basic shapes came to him naturally. His art experiences before Etch A Sketch include attending art classes at Columbus College of Art and Design and private classes with an established artist.
Several other artists have also tried to master the complicated art of using Etch A Sketch as a medium.

“I know of about a dozen around the country,” George said. “And they’re all different. You would think there’s only one way to interpret things on Etch A Sketch but there are different styles just like any other medium. I guess that’s the whole idea of art­—to express your own personality.”

Through Etch A Sketch, George was not only able to find a unique passion, but he was also able to appreciate the opportunities and happiness art can bring to people.

“I had a boy at a school last year who interrupted my presentation to tell me how much he loved my drawings,” George said. “After my presentation, the teachers had tears in their eyes and they came up to me and told me the boy was autistic and that he hadn’t been talking in four months.”

In order to spread this passion to others, George also visits the Children’s Hospital every year to show his drawings and distribute Etch A Sketches.

“That is very fulfilling to me, to bring a smile to a kid in a hospital.” George said. “It alwaysputs my life into perspective when I visit there.”

Although art with Etch A Sketch requires enormous amounts of concentration, George said the satisfaction of sharing his art and the ability to bring interest into a broad range of people continually motivates his passion.

“I love sharing it because it crosses all ages,” Geoge said. “I have presented work from preschool to college—even seniors—and they were just as fascinated by my drawing as the younger children. That’s the good thing about Etch A Sketch­—it’s fascinating to all.”

 

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