We were lucky to catch up with Frankie Novick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Frankie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Like many other artists I’ve been doodling my whole life. It starts with crayon drawings with stick figures and a sun in the corner, then youtube tutorials of how to draw your favorite cartoon, comics of your friends as superheroes, so on and so forth. Around age 10 or 11, I discovered a little app called Framecast. It was a digital art program with one brush, one eraser, and a tiny, tiny PPI count. I used my finger to draw fanart of my favorite games and shows, create original characters, and aspired to match the artistic ability of slightly older tweens in Framecast’s bustling online community. People would draw each others’ characters, enter themed contests, share art tips, and it was in that special little world that my passion for drawing was awakened.
I bring this up because creation necessitates interest. Seeing all of these big artists online drawing my favorite things inspired me. So, around age 14 I started taking things a bit more seriously. I had improved quite a bit since I first began digital art, but when I decided to put the pedal to the metal my progress just skyrocketed. I started drawing portraits, I watched more tutorials than ever, and I finally upgraded to a slightly better art program and a stylus. Over quarantine I took art pre-college art courses and with all of that free time I produced so. much. artwork.
Sadly, Framecast eventually shut down and was removed from the app store but I cherish those memories and all it gave to me. It was incredibly simple compared to what I use today, but it was a necessary stepping stone that nurtured my creativity as a kid and launched me into the art world. Similar online art communities, like Deviant Art for example, are ground zero for talented young artists everywhere to cultivate their skills and support each other. There have been times in recent years where I’ve felt completely unmotivated to create, but when that happens I turn back to the joys of my childhood: fanart, DTIYS contests, art trades, etc. I would call upon creatives to appreciate what a well of inspiration these are and in their time of need to indulge themselves in what first gave them a passion for art.
Frankie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m an illustrator and a cat lover, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and currently based in New York. You can find my art on book shelves, accompanying a sci-fi podcast, or on stage in the craziest new musical in NYC, all featuring chunky line-work and bright colors! Currently, I am pursuing a BFA in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts while scurrying around working odd jobs in various creative areas.
I’m an extremely outgoing person and I love to meet new people, see new places, and make new friends. I would describe my art as energetic and playful! If you take a peek at my work, I feel my personality really shines through. There’s actually a series I’ve been adding to over the years I like to call “cats in water” that is probably the most genuine expression of my inner whimsy in my catalog. I just love to draw a bunch of silly things in a silly place in a colorful, lively way!
I grew up doing theater in my home town and it was a toss up whether I would move forward with performing or visual arts. Even though art is my main focus, my theatrical training has helped my artistic career immensely! This year I had the great pleasure of working on “Balls: The Monster Catchin’ Musical Comédy” where I illustrated 151 “collectabuddies”, as well as additional illustrations, with the wonderful artistic direction of the show’s creators, Harrison Bryan and Brandon Zelman. Its next performance, and final show of the year, will be on October 17th at the Caveat theater in the LES! Go check it out! In my free time I go see shows whenever I can, play Dungeons & Dragons, explore the city, and of course draw!
If you’d like to see more of my illustrations, keep an eye out for the book I am currently illustrating on shelves this holiday season. You can also listen to the sci-fi podcast “Deep Space Radio”, created and hosted by Colin Gossel, featuring my character illustrations of several passengers aboard the Cloudbreather!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
It took years for me to realize that taking risks are worth it, especially in creative fields. My parents always encouraged me to pursue what I loved, and taught me that, if I worked hard, I could make it—no matter how competitive my career choice. Making it in art requires a determination to succeed and a love for the craft that I knew I had, but there was always this voice in my head telling me that I wasn’t good enough, that I would be laughed at, that I was setting myself up for failure. For a long time I would repeat these phrases to myself and pass on valuable opportunities.
There are a slew of sayings like, “If you don’t ask the answer is always no,” and, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission,” that I heard growing up, that built just the right amount of audacity into me and turned me into a go-getter. “Fortune favors the bold!” they say. Without risk there is no reward, and I learned how to challenge my fear of failure; that sometimes “the worst that can happen” isn’t so bad. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took me trusting myself enough to take one risk, then another, and another, and another, and it was always difficult. After gambling for success over and over I started to see the fruits of my labor. When I met the creators of “Balls: the Monster Catchin’ Musical Comédy” I had heard they were looking for an animator, and I sheepishly offered myself even though I had barely any animation experience and thought that there would be zero chance they’d take me on. Well, when the time came they contacted me, and they decided I was a perfect fit for another part of their project. I couldn’t have mustered up the courage to take that risk of rejection without challenging my own underestimation of my abilities.
Putting yourself out there builds confidence and tenacity. It definitely helps that I’m an extrovert but even then, I can be just as self-doubting as anyone else. These lessons are priceless and have really been the thing that set me apart and opened me up to so many wonderful experiences, not just artistically, but in life! If I could pass this on to others I would say: be audacious, be bold! Don’t be afraid to take up too much space. You will be rewarded for your vulnerability and you will stand out.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I do a lot of work with other creatives looking to visualize an idea that they are passionate about, and there is always this long discussion where we’re bouncing ideas back and forth and asking questions—it is so fun! These conversations are consistently very engaging and delightfully connected. Setting the scene in this way helps me bake their idea into the final piece. It feels like I’ve been invited into their world, now I have the power to bring it to life, and I want to do it justice! Once I’ve done enough poking and prodding, I find a lot of joy in bringing my own artistic eye to the projects. When two creative minds collide like that magical things can happen! It has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career thus far and I’m constantly looking for new opportunities to help bring others’ visions to life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Frankiefurters.square.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankiefurters_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankie-novick-b408ba243?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Lexy Pedri, Amy Lin