About:
Michael Penick. Thaaaaat's me. For the moment anyways.
I've been drawing stuff for as long as I can remember. As with most all careers, it has it's ups and downs, but I count myself fortunate to be able to draw stuff for a living.
I grew up in Alabama and Texas, attended college in New York City at the School of Visual Art,s where I graduated with a BFA in Cartooning and Illustration, served in the US ARMY with the 101st Airborne Division and received an honorable discharge after four years of hard work. I got my art skills back up to snuff working at the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago as a storyboard artist for six and a half years before finally becoming a full-time freelance artist late in 2003.
In the past 15+ years I've had the opportunity to work on countless national ad campaigns, several film projects, a comic strip for Sports Illustrated, comic books for a couple of different publishers, design websites and interactive touch screen display interfaces, and even dabble in motion graphics. I love the variety and the challenges they each bring with them. My other love is storytelling, in all its myriad forms. I live and breathe plot, character, the balance between the two and all the more subtle aspect of storytelling structure.
I am, and hope to forever remain, a student of the arts and of life. As long as I'm learning, I'm still growing. I have a beautiful wife and an adorable daughter who keep my grouded and yet help me to soar. I am thankful for them every moment of every day.
Cheers!