Posted on by John Fleskes

Flesk Pictures of Mark Schultz Creating “Lunar Pulpette” with Brush and Ink

I visited Mark Schultz in early November while on a research trip for a trio of books. (More on these in the coming months.) On his drawing board was a pencil underdrawing of “Lunar Pulpette” ready for ink. I asked Mark if he would mind my filming him while he worked in which he graciously agreed to.

Mark’s usual practice is to move the paper to align best with his brush strokes. For the sake of filming, we taped the art board down and filmed two close up sequences over the course of an hour apiece for future time-lapse demonstrations. This followed with his working in his usual method of moving the paper around and my taking grab shots for another hour with the HD camera from different angles. I asked Mark if he has ever been filmed before. He answered that he has been filmed doing quick sketches, but this is the first time when working on a full finished piece. Without his realizing it (I mentioned it to Mark after) he talked constantly about his methods, and what he was doing and why.

The video will be shared in due time. I have books I need to finish first, and then can concentrate more fully on editing the footage. I promise it will be available before the next Xenozoic story Mark has promised comes out!

I had my still camera with me and took some pictures during the filming of the time-lapse.

Looking over the shoulder of Mark Schulz while he applies ink with brush.
Mark starts by applying ink heavy and wet, and then refines the details later using dry brush.
Areas of unwanted ink were later removed using the electric eraser.
Mark often states how slow he is, but as an observer his brush strokes appear confident and deliberate, as his hand follows a specific path mapped out in his head.
The tools of Mark Schultz.
Mark’s body and hand remained relaxed while he created.
He continues to work on the darkest areas first. In this case, the woman’s decorative wrist band.
This napkin received almost as much attention as the art. Mark continually refined the amount of ink on his brush by wiping it back and forth on the rough absorbent surface of the napkin.
Don’t interrupt the man while he is working. Actually, I did a “Hey, Mark” to get him to look up at me and “click.”
Mark works on the moon surface, again, by applying heavy blacks first. It almost looks like he is over-inking the drawing, but then as he refines the area it gels into an organic substance serving as a solid, and believable, base for the hero to stand on.
A few more touches before calling it quits for the night.

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
Art copyright © 2012 Mark Schultz. Used with permission. Text and photographs copyright © 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Link:
Mark Schultz books from Flesk Publications

4 Replies to “Flesk Pictures of Mark Schultz Creating “Lunar Pulpette” with Brush and Ink”

  1. Thanks for sharing this! Those are some nice pictures and I’m really excited for the video in the future. I wish I could have been there in person to see his inking.

  2. Nice.
    Hope the “drawing/inking in process” DVD will ship alone with deluxe edition of new Xenozoic story.

    What do you think?

    1. Hi Nicholas,

      I have a few ideas to get the video into your hands. It’s a little early for me to talk about since I want to get my concept nailed down and implemented before I make an announcement. Hopefully I’ll have something solid to share by spring.

      Thanks for sharing your idea!

      Best,

      John

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