David Witt - The Art Academy

Drawing Manga, Superheroes and Fantasy Figures Instructor

DAVID WITT graduated from Bemidji State University in 1997 with a BFA in Drawing & Painting, and a minor in Art History. He has been a full-time freelance artist for over 15 years. In that time, Dave has illustrated 7 graphic novels and countless comic book projects, nearly 500 gig posters, numerous t-shirts, album covers, bottle labels and can designs.

David Witt, 07-08-2015 Daily Comic Strip, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper. David is a great fan of coffee, which he humorously captures in this strip.

Murals that appear throughout the Twin Cities – from restaurants, pubs, shops and CHS Field in St Paul to therapeutic care facilities in Chaska and Brooklyn Center – also comprise a part of Dave’s output. “They’re a massive undertaking, which require flexibility of thought to accommodate any surface, at any scale, in any medium,” reflects Dave. “And they push me out of my comfort zone as I challenge myself to connect with viewers in a decorative format that conveys emotional depth, too . . . . All in all, mural work definitely drives me to new artistic heights.”

David's delightful Beanbug characters are well-known throughout the Twin Cities. The center print, Beanbugs Trippin', commemorates David's 2009 trip down to Austin, Texas where he displayed his work in the city's convention center.

Technically, Dave is a master of expressive line in pen & brush; and a wizard at inventive color arrangement in silk screen painting. “Way back in high school I started working with a brush because of my love of comics,” says Dave. “It wasn’t easy to learn – understanding its calligraphic potential was a challenge. But, after a few years of constantly drawing it all fell into place.”

David Witt, 2014 Inktober Illustrations, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper. David pushed his inking skills to new heights in 2014 when he did a series of 31 Halloween spoofs on famous cartoon, film, children's book and comic book characters.

A similar growth spurt occurred with screen printing. “Through hand printing I’ve come to appreciate the creative process on a whole different level. Now I instinctively build an image in layers: Step-by-step instead of all at once. It’s really fulfilling work.”

LEFT: David Witt, Grumpy Ape, Screenprint
MIDDLE: Last Words Series: Frida Kahlo, Screenprint. This print of Frida Kahlo id from David's Last Words print series, in which he joins portraiture and notable last words of famous people he admires from art, film and literatures. David began the series in 2009
RIGHT: David Witt, Angry Mummy, Screenprint

Dave feels the same way about teaching:

“I had long resisted the teaching bug, but since both of my parents were teachers, it was inevitable I would start sometime, and comics were the logical medium for me to focus on as it is something I am especially excited and passionate about. It couldn’t be more fun for me, as it constantly reminds me of how much I love drawing and story-telling through pictures. When I pass information on to a future generation of artists I get to stoke the same fire of creativity in them, too.”

LEFT: David Witt and Bill Hauser, Sandwich #4 Zine Cover, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper. Each term David and fellow instructor Bill Hauser put together a fanzine of student work for The Art Academy's visual Storytelling through Comics and Graphic Novels, ages 12-18 Class. They always try to collaborate on the Sandwich cover.
MIDDLE AND RIGHT: David Witt, Beanbug Sandwich, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper. This 2-page comic appeared in one of David and Bill's Sandwich publications.

Dave also loves the continuity of the program: “Seeing students develop over an 8 week period is really exciting – they come into class with an inkling of an idea, and leave with a better understanding of character design and sequential visual communication. Then, when they return for additional terms we can really up the ante, as their skills have developed to express a range of emotion and action in their drawing and added sophistication in their compositional arrangement. By that point, my connection and communication with recurring students deepens, so it enriches my own work . . . . Teaching has become the perfect and very important addition to balance my creative life.”

LEFT: David Witt, Beanbug Guitar Solos, Screenprint
MIDDLE: David Witt, Black Cat, Screenprint
RIGHT: David Witt, Dragon, Screenprint

David is one of the most respected and prolific illustrators in the Twin Cities. His video game art can be found in Guitar Hero II; and his posters and buttons have graced the St Paul Winter Carnival. In addition, David painted the first 31 covers for The Growler magazine, scribes Louie the Loon – a Food Review cartoon, generates artwork for the annual Zombie Pub Crawl and Beer Dabbler events, and is hard at work on several comic book projects.

LEFT: David Witt, Guitar Hero II Main Menu, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper
MIDDLE 1: David Witt, St. Paul Winter Carnival Poster, Screenprint
MIDDLE 2: David Witt, Brain Belt Zombie Beer Can. David's Brain Belt can design for St. Paul and Minneapolis' Zombie Pub Crawl is famous throughout the Twin Cities.
MIDDLE 3: David Witt, The Growler Issue 21 Cover Painting, Ink and Acrylic on Board
RIGHT: David Witt, Guitar Hero II Career Difficulty Menu, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper

See a great Youtube video of David at work at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCNjU-Ztw8e

Follow David at: http://www.dwitt.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/dwitt75/

Purchase David's work at: https://www.com/shop/davidwittart and https://www.nevermindgallery.com/collections/dwitt

Contact and commission David at: http://www.dwitt.com/id4.html

LEFT: David Witt, Batman 2014, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper
RIGHT: David Witt, Joker 2015, Pen & Ink & Brush on Paper. This pairing of two of David's pen drawings demonstrates his mastery of characterization and expression.

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