stewartillustrations

sketch card of yoda drawn by jim dickson

Getting to Know Fellow Sketch Card Artist, Jim Dickson

Last month I posted a conversation I had with trading card collector Chris Mixer and today I am posting one with fellow trading card artist, Jim Dickson. Both Jim and myself hail from Canada and met on social media channels through our mutual line of work. We’ve both actively shared one another’s work on Twitter and Instagram, but I wanted to take it a step further by doing up a blog post on my website about his fantastic artwork, what he enjoys about the sketch card medium, and how being a Canadian influences his artwork.

A Conversation with a Canadian Trading Card Artist

  1. How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

    I’m an easy going eastern Canadian who says “sorry”, “thank-you” and “please”. For my artwork,  I do my best work (realistic) when I have a reference to work from because I mainly do “fanart”.

  2. How long have you been creating art? As in, constantly creating artwork where every week or month you would draw something? Or, perhaps, are you not that type of artist and instead draw only when asked to do so?

    I have been creating art my whole life but creating consistently, and frequently, since 2016 when I started drawing on McDonalds napkins on my lunch break at work.

  3. What was the first and most recent sketch card set you’ve worked on? Do you notice any differences in the projects and the artwork that you create for these projects?

    First set was either Walking Dead – Road to Alexandria or Star Wars – a New Hope: Black and White, but I started official sets in 2017. Currently I am working on Topps Star Wars – Chrome Galaxy, Topps Baseball 2021 Series 2, Upper-Deck 2020 Marvel Premiere and a couple more on the way. Differences are really just based on cardstock quality and the ease of reference.

  4. What mediums do you prefer to use in your art? Any medium or styles that you are currently experimenting with or want to work on?

    I primarily use alcohol markers and colour pencil. What I’d like to use is my airbrush, which is here at my desk and is never used. lol.

  5. Where do you see your art going in the future? A particular trading card license or set you would like to work on, or is there something different you want to work on like a comic book or perhaps a gallery showing?

    As far as the future is concerned I’d like to develop my skills and find myself doing official work on licensed prints/posters or even comic book covers. I’m enjoying the baseball, Star Wars and Marvel licenses, to be honest.

  6. Is there anything you would like to see changed in trading card art? Perhaps different types of projects or materials provided to artists?

    There isn’t much I would change… maybe use a base pay/card a tad higher than the current average between companies. Plus, maybe a more consistent stock quality. As a collector myself, I’d also like to see cheaper retail prices… hey a guy can dream. 🙂

  7. When you create your artwork, is there something or someone that inspires you?

    I listen to music while creating art or the Sorting Tray podcast, Star Wars Card Collectors FB group plug intended. Artists who inspire me would be my fellow Topps artists and the usual suspects like Drew Struzan, Boris Valejo, Frank Frazetta and the great comic artists like Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Travis Charest and Marc Silvestri.

  8. when I’m drawing I always have something playing in the background. It might be a tv show I’m binging, a movie, music, or a podcast. What do you have going on in the background when your drawing? Any recommendations for background noise?

    I build my own playlists on Spotify. I’m a blues/rock  guy and lately been listening to “super groups” like The Dead Daisies, Black Country Communion and Chickenfoot. Above all, my usual “go to’s” are The Black Keys or Alice in Chains.

  9. Do you feel that there is something in your artwork that makes it uniquely Canadian? Could you describe, even if you don’t see it in your own artwork, something unique about Canadian art?

    I can’t honestly think of anything about my work that would suggest it was done by a Canadian. I mean my art is pulled from pop culture references, but in general I guess we have a large cultural pool to draw from. Indigenous art being a main influence I suppose.

  10. How can people reach you for projects or to follow you to see new artwork you are creating?

    People can follow me on Instagram at /lunchdoodlejames or on Facebook at /lunchdoodlejamesart

  11. Bonus question: What’s a question you want to ask the person reading this?

    Hello reader!! I’d like to know about what YOU like about sketch cards? How many do you have? 🙂

Contact & Follow Jim Dickson for more of his artwork!

To contact Jim and see more of his artwork, follow him on  Twitter and Instagram

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