Life & Work with Daniel Monroe of Paw Paw, Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Monroe

Hi Daniel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When artists are asked this question in interviews we usually begin by saying “I have been an artist for my entire life!” Which can be seen as a cliche- however it is quite true for me. I have always been an artist. I have always seen myself in this way, it is how I have always identified, even as a child. Some of my first memories are of myself as a young child with a crayon in my hand, sitting for hours and drawing. By the time I was nine years old, I was producing pastel portraits of people and selling them- I was actually making my parents mortgage by selling my art!

Over the years since, I have produced art on many different subjects, mediums, and venues- whether it was while I was a soldier in the military, or airbrushing T-shirts at a corner shop in downtown Honolulu Hawaii. I was eventually given the opportunity to teach art at Western Michigan University, and have sold my paintings in art galleries around the United States.

I have also illustrated about forty children’s books (so far), some of which were written by famous celebrities such as NBA All-Star Dennis Rodman, Actress Erica Eleniak (Baywatch, Beverly HIllbilly’s movie, etc), Heavyweight Boxing Champion Deontay WIlder, and several others. I have also produced art products and projects with Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, the Legendary Journeys), Actress Sybil Danning (Amazon Women on the Moon, The Howling, etc), Actor Wesley Eure (Original Land of the Lost, Days of our lives, etc), and several others.

I have also created a nonprofit charity organization which endeavors to promote the arts to children.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No. Nothing has been easy, ever. Just like everyone else, I have had to work jobs outside of the home in order to provide for my family. My motto has always been: “Whatever I have to do, to get my family through!”

I have worked many different jobs in my lifetime while I was further honing my artistic skills, many times even at work I would whip out my sketchbook and draw whenever I could.

Art is not easy. It is not easy to work all day and come home to draw and paint all night for week’s on end in order to hit the deadline for a project. Many times when my children were young I would hear my family a couple of rooms away laughing and having fun while I was working away on an art project to get the illustrations done in time. I don’t have any regrets with this. I’m just trying to give a tiny glimpse of some of the sacrifices made in order to get to the place that I am now, artistically.

Art is work. Even though artists may make it look easy, this is due to the fact that we have devoted much of our lives in the pursuit of artistic excellence! We have sacrificed countless hours in solitude as we honed our skills over our lifetime. The learning never ends, it is an ongoing process, for as long as the artist draws breath. For every piece of art that is shown, there are thousands upon thousands of sketches which will never be seen by anyone other than the artist.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been creating art for my entire life. Over my lifetime I have created everything from ink pen portraits of people on napkins at the dinner table when I was a child, which led to eventually working in pastel chalk and producing pastel portraits for people. I was already selling these at nine years old, people would contact my parents and ask about having me do a portrait of them, or their family members. I’ve also painted many large paintings and have sold them in gallery shows across America, I have learned how to run airbrush while working in an open-air T-shirt shop in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. All of these things have led to something else, the next phase in my artistic career, even to teaching art in several different venues including as a class teacher at Western Michigan University.

I have been illustrating children’s books for the past twenty-plus years, having illustrated about forty or more to this current point in time. Some of these books have been written by famous celebrities such as NBA All-Star Dennis Rodman, Actress Erica Eleniak, and boxing champion Jesse James Leija to name a select few.

I have also produced special artwork for projects with Actress Sybil Danning, Actor Wesley Eure, and Kevin Sorbo.

Currently, in addition to the artwork that I continue to produce, nearly on a daily basis (I am currently working on the illustrations for another children’s book), I have also created and administrate a registered 501(c)3 Nonprofit Charity Organization which is called Captain Wallace Artsy Adventures, Inc. This organization is focused on art education and cultural preservation through creative entertainment. I also visit public spaces such as schools, libraries, etc., in order to share how I illustrate books, and create art, with children and even get to draw with them a bit. I have boxes upon boxes of “Thank you’ letters from children of all ages whom I have interacted with, either while being dressed as the pirate Captain Wallace, or just as myself, the artist, showing them how to do what I do.

We also do stage shows at Comic Conventions, amphitheaters, and in other large scale venues.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When looking for a mentor, it is important to consider who the person is, what have they accomplished? What works can they show? What is their general outlook?

A mentor can come in many forms. Sometimes you may know them personally, or they may be someone you admire from a distance. The key is to watch what they are doing, see what is working for them, and then create plans for your own business which reflects what you are about.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.dragonbrushart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cw_artsy_adventures/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dragonbrush/
• Other: https://www.captainwallace.org/