MOLINE, Ill. — It'll be a day for superheroes, sci-fi, fantasy and celebrating creativity with a comic illustrator demonstration at Black Hawk College.
Illustrator Marcus Williams will present an interactive talk and celebration of Black History Month on Thursday, Feb. 15.
The presentation runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Building 1, Room 308 (theatre) at Black Hawk's Quad-Cities Campus. Lunch will be provided, followed by another segment from noon to 1 p.m. in Building 4, Room 124.
The campus is located at 6600 34th Ave. in Moline. Visitor parking is available between Building 1 and Building 4.
Williams' first official art job was drawing PowerPuff Girls for Cartoon Network. Since then, his journey has led him to media giants such as Marvel, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Amazon and more.
Recently, Williams published his very own comic series, "Tuskegee Heirs - Flames of Destiny." It's a futuristic sci-fi action-adventure series following a squad of gifted young aviators who are "forced to become Earth's strongest line of defense against a menacing race of artificially intelligent villains bent on destroying civilization."
During Thursday's presentation, Williams will dive into the foundational basics of digital art tools including layering, resizing and coloring. Audience members will also be able to help create a brand new original character with Williams. He'll be drawing it live while fielding crowd suggestions and incorporating them into the art.
According to a press release from Black Hawk College, Williams will also encourage students to be confident in a potential creative career path.
"His takeaway message is that all of us can make a living using our creativity. We simply have to fall in love with practice and learn how to make a business out of our passions," the release said.
Williams joined The Current on News 8 to discuss the upcoming event, what he wants audience members to take away from it and the importance of amplifying Black voices both on and off comic book pages. You can watch the full interview in the above video.
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