Friday Feature Artist: Mark Pinto
Published by Matt Glover August 17th, 2007 in Feature Artist
NAME: Mark Pinto
AGE: 46
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH
SITE URL:
http://www.markpintogroup.com
http://3cofgc.blogspot.com/
http://flickr.com/photos/pintoma/%20
How long have you been drawing cartoons?
Though I use concepts from cartooning, I am not really a cartoonist. I am a Graphic Facilitator (GF). A GF uses graphics as a communication device to turn dialog and conversation that takes place in a group setting, usually to capture some important decision, strategy, or concept. I have been doing this as part of my job since 1996 when I worked in a large consulting firm as part of a service we delivered to clients.
What made you start to think more seriously about making some money out of it?
I actually started doing this independently when the job market fell apart in 2001 and I was out of a job. I am also a consultant and meeting facilitator, but this has differentiated me the most as few people do this, especially in my region.
Have you done any formal training? If so, what and where?
I don’t have any formal training. I originally would watch and steal. What I mean by that is I would watch other GFers who were doing it and would copy glyphs, icons, and other style elements on index cards. I have about 300 or so cards from the beginning of my work. I keep a daily journal/sketchbook/things to do book and carry a clipboard of white printer paper, so I can be a little freer with less important capture. I also keep a clips file, photos of the work I have done for meetings and have scanned and colored hundreds of images I have created. I use all these things to keep me growing and creating.
Where was your first cartoon published?
My work is published in executive summaries and reports and on some corporate websites. The work I do is captured either on large whiteboards or on banner paper. Many times groups will take the work I have created and hang it in the offices.
What materials do you use to create your work?
I use pencil, pen and cheap white paper to work on concepts and take graphic notes from client meetings. For actual events I use banner paper, Mr Sketch markers, and chalk or whiteboards and dry erase markers.
What hardware and software do you use?
Use a digital camera to capture big work and a scanner to capture small work. I am an IBM user, which works better for clients and I clean, alter and color my work in Photoshop. I use Illustrator sometime, but don’t feel proficient with it yet.
From where so you draw your inspiration?
I am one of those people who walk around looking at stuff - I am a browser. So, when I go out I am always looking at people, nature art and ordinary things. I just came back from Italy and where I started doing photo safaris, that is I take pictures of things that I can use. I don’t take the usual shots. I figure if I want those I can find them on the internet. I am drawn to graffiti, statues, buildings. I am also a big clipper. I pull images from magazines, newspapers and the internet and use the elements I find coupled with my style to create something pertinent to the work I am doing. I am also a big reader - mostly business and innovation books.
What are some of the resources you’ve found most helpful?
Internet, working with other GFers.
What is the best piece of advice you have EVER been given? The worst?
(+) When you find out what makes you do the work you have chosen, all the rules fall away.
(-) Don’t do this work if you wanted to be considered a professional in consulting.
Take us through the process you use to create one of your drawings:
I have created cultural icons for companies which takes a bit of research and incubating to create something that appeals to their issue or mission. I generally always Google up some images to get a start. I then create pencil doodles and drawings, and depending on the complexity either create ink drawings and scan or scan rough drawings and trace.
How long does it generally take to create one piece?
A lot of the work I create is real time in response to dialog a group of people are having during a meeting. So to prepare, I am always looking for ways to translate common issues and business terms into images. When I am actually in front of a group, I kind of go into a blank state and wait for the words to conjure up images, which I do my best to duplicate on a board or wall. When I am creating images off site, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to days depending on the objective.
What do you find the hardest to draw?
Caricatures. I am not good at them, everyone asks for the in some manner and people never seem to like them even if you do well.
What do your friends and family think of you being a cartoonist?
I think everyone wishes I would get a real job.
What do you think is the best part about being a cartoonist?
I love turning people’s words into picture. I think people like to see their thoughts and ideas being honored with a picture.. I like to see the effect of using non traditional ways to help clients improve their effectiveness. And I like to see people have the kind of fun being creative and accessing new areas of their brain to replace standard ways of thinking
What has been the standout post on Chewing Pencils for you? Why?
Creating Great Cartoons with Your Pencil and Computer was the one that attracted me to the website. I was weak in the digital area and those posts really helped. I took the week between Christmas and New Years alone on my office and worked on improving that skill.
Thanks Mark for being part of the Chewing Pencils Tea Party!
I was a Director at Capgemini, an international consulting firm. While there, I worked several years directly with Mark Pinto and many other years we’ve worked indirectly. He is excellent with Graphic Facilitation and general facilitation. He also has excellent interpersonal skills.
Thanks for doing this article about him.
I only had the pleasure working with Mark Pinto for a few years before I retired from the Education Office at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. At the time, the VA was attempting to establish learning centers for the training and development of medical and administrative staff throughout the VA system and in particular VA medical facilities within the state of Ohio. Mark’s expert Graphic Facilitation (GF) was a key element in promoting ideas and concepts for enhancing the way information is disseminated within such a diverse community of learners from highly educated professionals to those with a limited education. The sharing and retention of information was found to be greatly enhanced through the use of GF. What once took several meetings and training sessions evolved to only requiring one or two sessions due in part to the enhanced use of GF. They say, a picture is worth a thousand words but with the use of GF, it is far, far more due to the ideas that are developed and shared with GF. Mark is well thought of and considered a leader in the GF field. And, let’s face it, Cave men used GF years ago and all we are doing is going back to our roots. So to speak. Keep up the good work Mark.
Mark Pinto - Thank you for sharing yourself with us and for giving me the opportunity to work with you. You have amazing skills and graphic art abilities which illustrate words and thoughts.
I have known you for over half my life, and every minute you are a true, authentic professional. Continue to leverage your strengths. KT
As Mark’s 7th grade teacher, I never thought he’d amount to much. Doodle, doodle, doodle…that’s all the boy did! I’m glad to see that he’s finally done something with his, ummm, “talent”! (-;
“goodforYOU” Mark,
I’ve been journalling on a personal level for more than 10 years. It all started when somebody bought me the “Journal of Gratitude”. For the most recent 3 years, I’ve broken loose of that structure; have started experimenting with my own versions of creative journal formats and , more importantly, adding visuals to my journallings. The whole thing is a much richer experience and more meaningful to me.
These visuals are something which catches my attention to prompt some line of thinking…; or, the ‘perfect’ visual to capture the essence of a day…..to this time, though, the visuals aren’t of my own making; rather, torn and resued from everywhere…newspapers, mail, magazines, brochures. My eyes are always wide open for the possibilities …… I love your comment about your Italian Safari…know what you mean; I’ll now keep open to taking photos too. And, I’ll think about trying my own ‘hand’ with visuals too.
Your GF’ing for business purposes sounds like the extension of Visual/Art Journals on a personal level. This throws me back and now connects the dots for me…to my many years in corporate life where, regardless of my position, I either stepped up to the task or got elected to record the key point summary of most group meetings.
My question: Mark, are you also doing visual/art journals using your wonderful cartooning techniques of your personal family life? I hope so….indeed, your talent.
bye for now,
Pat
In response to your question of journaling and visual journaling for “personal family life”, I have done two things. First, I keep a daily journal and record family milestones - births, deaths, birthdays… along with a small, simple drawing. I have also done journals from family vacations where I have captured some of the favorite things we did or places we ate or funny things someone did or said (once when my daughter was younger she remarried my wife and I in the airport asking “do you take this person as your awfully leaded life?”). Obviously, a statement you cannot ignore (BTW, we didn’t need to be remarried). I also would paste in artifacts from the trip, clips from brochures, etc. and capture daily activities. The only drawback with being a journaler is not getting overly attached to your journal when you could be involved with the people whom you love and with whom you are sharing vacation time.
It has been a pleasure of mine to have worked with Mark on many different projects over the past few years. The way he captures dialogue from a group of people and turn it into graphics is amazing. And the best part is that you look at the finished product after the meeting and go, “Wow. That sums up our discussion better than any notes ever could.”
I encourage others in the business world to seek Mark out, and I know I’m looking forward to more opportunities to work with him in the future.
Excellent article. It was expecially nice to read of Mark’s dedication to growing in the field. Other readers might enjoy the International Forum of Visual Practioneers (www.IFVP.org) there are other articles on the power of Graphic Facilitation. Mark’s - “(-) Don’t do this work if you wanted to be considered a professional in consulting.” points to a bias of some in the business of collaborative facilitation towart the verbal - alas. We all know that the Visual often trumps the verbal.
Bravo Mark!
I have had the please of working with Mark at the National Conference for Community Justice. NCCJ is an organization created to break down the cultural barriers between the medical community and their ethnically diverse patients. Mark did a fantastic job capturing the keynote section which addressed Inequality of treatment based on race and gender. He illustrated cultural perceptions of caregivers, and tips for creating a more diverse approach to patient care.
A visual is worth a thousand words. Great work Mark!