Timothy Banks turns blank paper into animated art

'I don't know how to comprehend not being an artist, or being something else. I think if I pursued another career, I would have been the worst employee ever, assuming someone would have given me a job. There's that truly personal part of being an artist. It's your work, you have the power to change it or make more of it. There's something intensely cool about being able to decide your future with the medium," said local illustrator Timothy Banks.

Banks is new to Charleston from Atlanta, living and working as an adjunct professor at the Art Institute and freelancing for companies such as Nike, Adult Swim and Marvel.

Banks uses only black prismacolors and works best between the hours of 10 p.m.-2 a.m. with music accompanying his creativity through the night. Through his illustrations, Banks can tell an entire story in a single frame.

He is currently experimenting with the digital aspect of drawing and sketching in a stream of consciousness manner. About his inspiration, Banks said, "If I see a good movie or hear a great album, that makes me want to run to the drawing board. Charleston has been a tremendous resource for inspiration. I feel like any time of the day you can catch an amazing sky or scene."

Website: www.timothybanks.com.

Contact Info: mail@timothybanks.com, 608-1559.

Birth date and place: Dec. 11, Asheville, N.C.

Residence: James Island, 6 months.

Family: Wife, Erin (also an artist); Pugs, Fiona and Grace.

Education: Master of Fine Arts in illustration, Savannah College of Art and Design, 2002; Bachelor of Arts in studio art, Bob Jones University, 2000.

Career: Illustrator, designer, art director and adjunct professor at Art Institute.

Goals: Gold Star from the Society of Illustrators, Caldecott Medal for children's book story, drive the character design for an animated film.

What books are you reading?: "Generation X" by Douglas Coupland and "The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe."

Influences: N.C. Wyeth, Arthur Rackham, '50s and '60s Disney Story Design Art, Gustav Dore, Edmund Dulac, Maurice Sendak, Honore Daumier, Thomas Benton, Peter deSeve, my wife.

Price Range: Original sketches start at $100, paintings start at $500.