Blog Posts

6 Flags, summer '09

Ian Burrows

Jul 03, 2009 4:35 AM EDT (updated: Jul 24, 2009 11:37 PM)

Its been a slow start because of weather (Agawam, Massachusetts apparently decided to give late spring/early fall a miss and go directly into monsoon season) but Summer 2009 is finally in full swing at 6 Flags New England. Ed Steckley told me at the end of my rookie season that the third season is when things start coming together, and it seems to be coming true. The first season is spent flailing to get a bearing on the materials, the style and being under the gun, with an overly credulous and candid audience behind you at all times, learning that crying is best saved as an after work activity, trying to take rejection in stride during a rush, and just over all staving off psychotic breakdown. Second season is dusting off the cobwebs and focusing on perfecting the art, but about mid-season you get cocky and start to overstep your bounds, giving in to the temptations of stylization and exaggeration at the expense of likeness. The third season is one of more maturity and a refining of quality, quantity, and guest relations. Tom Richmond often talks about his "sixth sense" for being able to tell how a customer will react to a drawing, and I think I'm starting to develop it, but I still have a long ways to go.

Welcome to IanSketches.com

Ian Burrows

May 26, 2009 10:48 PM EDT (updated: Jul 11, 2009 12:22 AM)

I am Ian Burrows, and this is my humble abode. Click on any of the chicken-scratched titles above to thumb through my portfolio. If you want to talk to me about caricature gigs, illustration commissions, or just to say hi, click on the business card in the upper right to see my Contact page.

      I'll be updating this page from time to time, so come back often, or, if you're feeling especially adventurous, you can visit me at Six Flags New England, where I'll be making fun of tourists working as a caricature artist.

Cheers!