We are delighted to be joined by painter and Eisner Award-nominated artist Aron Wiesenfeld. With the Kickstarter campaign live for Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings, we got to chat with Aron about it.
Hi Aron, it’s so lovely to have you here with us.
Thanks for having me.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
To make a long story short, I started out drawing comic books in the 90’s. I did that for a few years, mostly on mainstream titles like the X books, and Image books. When I discovered oil painting in my mid 20’s I went fully into that. 30 or so years later, I’m drawing comics again, and still painting, and I have a new book coming out of 100 collected drawings on post-it notes.
Can you tell us about the origins of Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings?
An artist friend who collects them asked me to do a drawing on a post-it note for him. I loved drawing on that scale, and continued to do more of them on my own. I make a lot of sketches of ideas for paintings, most of which are never used, since oil painting is so time intensive. One reason I liked the post-it notes was they allowed me to bring many of those ideas to a somewhat finished form without the time commitment of painting.
What has it been like curating your art for this book?
It’s been interesting to organize the drawings into the book, the way they are paired across the pages, or viewed sequentially, tells a larger story that I wasn’t aware of. It’s always a delight when your own work surprises you.
Artistically, has creating art on a Post-it Note been freeing for you?
Very much so. I made the drawings for my own enjoyment, and didn’t expect too much of them. Drawing on such a disposable medium took away the burden of making anything good. No idea was too silly to try, the worst that could happen was a Post-it Note would be ruined.
As an artist, what do you think you have learned from creating art on a Post-it Note?
That it’s very easy to do too much with a large painting. If a picture can be boiled down to a 3 inch composition, and reduced to it’s most important elements, it’s going to be better.
What can you tell us about Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings?
I found that recollections of my adolescence found their way into the images, in particular memories of the seaside town I grew up in. Riding my bike through empty lots, seeing the house lights come on at dusk, dressing up for Halloween, playing vinyl records. Those are some of the recurring motifs in the drawings.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
I am working on a new original graphic novel that will be published in France at the end of 2025, and in the US the following year. The French title is “La Fuite”.
We would like to say a big thank you to Aron for chatting with us and would like to wish him the best of luck with Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings.
Feel free to check out Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings on Kickstarter.
