Paper Pushers (2025)

This particular show was my first of the year for 2025 at Gallery1988 (also entitled ‘Paper Pushers’), which was to feature smaller scaled hand sketches. These days I work almost exclusively in the digital realm primarily for fiscal reasons (art supplies are expensive), but also because I can continue to replicate the work indefinitely (if I so decide) with no loss. It makes the work more accessible, to a wider audience of diverse backgrounds. 

 

'Cabin Fever' inspired by Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" (1981) franchise.

Now that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy making work in the traditional mediums I was taught in, however, it a lot rarer these days.I looked over the proposal for the show, and determined I would approach it in a similar manner as I did for one of  Hero Complex Gallery’s Sketch Card shows, in which I used some larger 5” x 5” cardstock. I ordered some cardstock from Amazon, and then began brainstorming what I was going to draw or sketch onto these cards.

 

'Worry Wort' inspired by Cartoon Network's "Over the Garden Wall" (2014).

 

I started by listing some favorite characters or recognizable objects from pop culture that resonated with me. I thought that given the request for smaller works, I could do a couple of images and provide the gallery with some options for different clientele. Initially I started with objects, as I figured they were easier to depict, and it included a lot of items from video games, which would be recognizable. As the list grew I began to include both cartoon, and video game characters. Much to my surprise I had a harder time narrowing it down to just a few for the project.

'Greg the Guide' inspired by Cartoon Network's "Over the Garden Wall" (2014).

It wasn’t until I had a convention in early October that I found myself with the time to start developing these sketches. Watching many of the attendees, and cosplayers repping their fanbase, inspired me to do some fan service to a few different franchises. I started each one the same, using a 2H (Artist Loft), pencil to lay in my image, and then inking the images using various line weights ranging from .08 to .005 to add some dimension. I would then delicately erase my original pencil linework, and proceed to use a grayscale palette of (Tombow) Dual Brush Pens to give each illustration a bit of depth. 

 

 

 

'Heroine of Hyrule' inspired by 'The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom" (2024).

The pieces are arguably more finished than just sketches, but I hope they fit the criteria as I had a lot of fun with them. I’m not sure how much time I spent on the project as I worked on it intermittently between October 4^th, 2024 and October 24^th, 2024. 

'Little Miss Springfield' inspired by "The Simpsons" (1989).

Each image is hand drawn on 5” x 5” cardstock and individually priced (as some are more detailed than others). All the images were made for Gallery1988’s ‘Paper Pushers’, an online group show which opened on January 14th, 2025 centered around (smaller), 'sketches', created with traditional medium. At this time the images are exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine.

 

'Knight Shift' inspired by "Hollow Knight" (2017).

For more information, or to see a catalog of my other work, please visit my online store here.

You can also find me on various social media platforms below doing a multitude of other artistic things that include hand lettering, and the occasional sculpting, crafting or painting.

 

Website: www.michaelstiles.com

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