Arting Around—Know Your Enemy

Seconds after the deciding game of each match I played on Saturday at the Philadelphia Dragon’s Maze Pro Tour Qualifier concluded, I said the following to my opponent: “I’m an artist and I’m asking each opponent of mine if they’ll allow me to take their photo so that I can draw them and probably post it to the blog I write for. Can I take your photo and use it to make a drawing of you?” Then I slide the Hipsters’ business card to them. A couple players had more interesting and/or perverse answers in addition to “yes” but all complied and most seemed pleased at the prospect of being drawn.

The Magic community beyond our Twenty Sided Store and larger New York City community is simultaneously vast and perhaps less diverse than what we’re used to in Brooklyn. I’m a chatty player and ride pretty high on my emotions and abilities to interact with my opponent. Post-game conversations usually occur and both players walk away feeling okay, win, lose, or draw. The act of drawing serves as an intense memory aid for trying to remember matches. Through the act of marking on paper, the mannerisms of the player are conjured up—their attitude, the jokes, the laughs, the heartbreak, everything. This is what working with the figure is about. Focusing creative attention on the individuals playing this game is a great way to explore the Multiverse of Magic: The Gathering and the communities built around it.

I couldn’t have finished these drawings in such a short time span without the help of my assistant, collaborator, brilliant artist, and friend Eric Wiley, who will often give me a hand for the low cost of Pizza. Thanks to the equally awesome Tali Autovino and Emily Means for your help and companionship, too. One wonders what they think while working on drawings of Magic players as I’m their only example of a Magic player. I asked Eric what he thought and he said, “At least I don’t have to draw space, that shit takes forever and I hate it.”