It was summer time, the sun was sitting high on it's imperial throne and kids gathered the streets like mobs sucking up the sweet nectar of life. Of course I was glad school was out and I traditionally slept till 10:00 and went outside and hung out with friends. I had just finished fifth grade and was looking forward to an exciting summer full of adventures. I was ready for days full of bike riding climbing trees and being outside constantly.

About two weeks into the summer I found how exciting it could actually be, sarcastically speaking of course. I found myself lying on the couch hours at a time rummaging through bags of chips, watching cartoons, sitcoms, what ever could keep my interest for at least half an hour. I was flipping through the channels when it happened. I landed on PBS, a channel which I watched very infrequently. What I saw was a close up of a piece of white paper on it a cartoon pencil was being draw being a chubby hand. It caught my attention the drawing was good, I found myself drawn to the way it all came together, how simple shapes became essential parts of the piece. The camera zoomed out revealing the artist, a plump man with a thick mustache, who seemed way to excited about drawing. At first I felt like changing the channel, and in think I might have but I came back to it and watched as he went over shading, foreshortening, the key words to 3-D drawing our as he called them renaissance words there are twelve total. I found out the show was called Imagination Station and was hosted by Mark Kistler.

Something happened to me. It was as if the hidden talent with in me had found its way out through this Imagination Station; it was a way for this talent not just to be a part of me but a strong part of me my niche in life. The next day I grabbed some paper from my Dad's printer and dug through a drawer for some pencils. I threw myself down in front of the T.V and for thirty minutes I was submerged in an entirely new world. In this world Mark was my guide he taught me the basics. I followed his every word and slowly mastered the 12 Renaissance words. And every morning that summer for half an hour I was in this world creating creatures and places, transforming them from circles and squares into what I considered masterpieces. I was the master of a whole new world.

His methods were awkward and at times corny. His songs about shading, the ninja action lines were new to me and strange. I was poked fun at a few times, but that show changed my life. It gave me an early understanding of art techniques vital to creating beautiful pieces of art. As I sit drawing in sketchbooks and listening as people gather around and complement my work, I have to remember I would have never gotten this good if it wasn't Mark Kistler's Imagination Station.