This week’s artist’s spotlight features Mary Doodles, whose artistic YouTube videos are both whimsical and informative.
The Artist’s Spotlight is a Hypable weekly feature that will focus on someone who has caught our attention for fandom-related art, whether it be drawings, songs, crafts, or more! Every week you can expect a new talented artist we think you should be aware of!
Hypable: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Mary: Well, I’m an artist, YouTuber, comedy actor… I like making stuff and things, especially when it entertains people.
What first interested you in art?
The earliest I can remember thinking of art and drawing as something to strive for was when I was probably six years old? I have a vague memory of watching a PBS documentary about dinosaurs. There was an animation sequence where a stegosaurus was battling some other theropod dinosaur. At some point in this documentary they cut to B roll of the animators working on drawing this. Why? I don’t know. I was six. But I vividly remember seeing the animator flipping through pencil drawings of the stegosaurus. I remember that very vividly, seeing the details on the plates of the stegosaurus. For months afterwards all I was drawing was stegosaurus dinosaurs with veiny back plates.
How would you describe your style?
I have no idea how to describe my style. Cartoonish? Fantastical? Characterish? It always feels awkward looking at it from within. I know what look I’m going for, so I see my style in a different way than someone else would.
What made you get into the medium of YouTube videos?
I always liked drawing, then in high school I fell in love with making stupid videos. YouTube was almost, but not quite, invented, so I didn’t put two and two together until years later when my roommate began making YouTube videos. In 2011 he helped me get the ball rolling. Whatever happened to that guy? I think he’s off somewhere making some series called Epic Rap Battles of History…? Whatever.
A lot of your videos are set to really cool soundtracks. How important is music when you’re creating?
It’s incredibly important to me that the music fits the tone of the video. I learned that very early on when I created some practice videos before actually posting any. Ultimately, the artwork isn’t the final objective. The video is. It can be a great piece of art, but the video needs to do it justice, and the music is an important element of any video.
How did you get into drawing images for the Epic Rap Battles of History videos?
I was hired to do costumes on a web series for my friend, Pete (the nicest of Peters). This was shortly before I started making my own videos, but once I did, most of my viewers came from the ERB fanbase. They began requesting and suggesting ERB fanart. Pete and Lloyd gave me their blessing AND their music, which was amazing of them.
What are some of your favorite characters to draw?
Right now I’m into a demonic cat phase. And monsters. You can never go wrong with monsters.
Which artists have inspired you the most?
Early on Stephanie Pui-Mun Law was my idol. I dig the drama of Mike Mignola, the playfulness of Scottie Young, and the detailed darkness of Edward Gorey.
What advice would you give to other artists?
You can’t draw too much. Be fearless about trying new things.
What’s your ultimate goal as an artist?
World domination. And from there… who knows…?
“Be fearless about trying new things.”
Miss Mary Doodles is all over the interwebs. First and foremost, you can find her on YouTube (channel 1, channel 2), where she creates, entertains, and instructs.
You can also find Mary on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Google+.
And, of course, you can find her and all her wonderful art on her website.
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