Carefree Artist

3/10/19

Upcoming Book...

Children's book artwork by Mark A. Hicks, illustrator -- www.whimsicalillustrator.com

UPDATE:

Coyote Claus: A Southwestern Desert Tale is now available. It is an original manuscript which brings the cultural heritage of the Sonoran Desert to life through the familiar genre of Clement C. Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas.

For more info or to purchase Coyote Claus click here.

3/4/19

Talking (about) Trash

Artwork by Mark A. Hicks for ASK magazine for kids

Ever wonder what happens to all that refuse you generate?

Art of mine from the March 2019 issue of ASK magazine for kids. ASK is an award-winning science and art publication for 6- to 9-year-olds.

ASK subscription information is available at: https://shop.cricketmedia.com/magazines/ASK-Magazine-for-Kids.html

2/25/19

social (media) commentary

2/17/19

The Art of Invention

Above is some of my artwork from a recent edition of CLICK Magazine for Kids. This assignment was rather fitting since I had just obtained a patent for one of my own inventions about the same time I was assigned this project for CLICK. (And no, my invention was for kayaks, not nose warmers -- although the ones I invented and illustrated for this assignment are kind of cool, um, warm.)

More about my invention, the kaYAKtail(tm), here.

12/31/18

Welcome 2019! Time and Pigs March On.

12/24/18

A Little Treat for the Night Before Christmas

https://markix.net/fun/night_before_christmas_mouse_stirring.html

A whimsical Christmas Eve coloring page for the young (and the young at heart) ones. Click here to go to the download page on my website. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

12/20/18

Small Wonders

No matter how you celebrate it, best of the season to you and yours, big and small!

(Drawing hummingbirds from life is a challenge -- even when they hover right in front of your face complaining about the near-empty feeder.)

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Know nature. Learn to be still.
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Little Things of Nature Portfolio:

About this blog/art journal...

The Carefree Artist is about my artistic endeavors and adventures as a professional freelance creative. Posts might feature a cartoon, or a recently published illustration from a book or magazine assignment, or an original piece of art that I might be selling to try and raise funds for my art supply donation project. All with an emphasis on originality.

Why did I name this journal the Carefree Artist*? Actually, it’s really just a wishful sentiment. A professional life in the arts, mine included, is usually anything but carefree. But oh, how wonderful it would be to really be a carefree artist! Living the simple life in a quiet and inspiring location and creating a ton of art just for art's sake!

The name was also inspired by the Carefree Highway. A road that played an important role in my life... More about this journal's name at the bottom of this page.

Please see my website, MARKiX.net, for more info and more samples of my work.

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A Note from the Artist...

As you look around this blog you can’t help but notice a distinct change in the artwork and the tone of the content over the past few years. There’s a good reason for this -- being a cancer caregiver and then the death of my wife due to hereditary cancer. A cancer that was preventable.

I never wanted this blog to be a place where I unloaded anger and sadness because of cancer and grief. I had other plans, more lighthearted and whimsical. But when you have the love of your life take their last breath in your arms because vital genetic info was not shared, it changes everything.

So, I have chosen to use my humble little corner of the world to speak up about hereditary cancer awareness and the unbearable heartache of the untimely loss of a loved one.


	Art, Desert Beginnings, and Someday


	Delicate Sounds of Nature


	First (and Last) Contact


	Drawing Science


	Award-winning Junior Ranger Book


	La Fiesta, NOT Tijuana


	Depressed Post-Impressionist Not Impressed


	A Bad Head Day


	Meet Dusty Pack