Merritt Pennick
Artist Bio
In 2020, I attended the Sequential Artists Workshop online art intensive from 2020-2021, learning from Tom Hart, Emma Jensen, and Justine Mara Andersen. During that time, I had two comics published and printed within the program and one other comic self-published. I graduated from the program in May 2021 with excellence.
I took a break in my art career in 2021 and began my career in education. I attended Lanier Technical College Early Childhood Care & Education Associates Degree program, advised by Diane Griffin. I taught three separate classes, ages ranging from 18 months to 6 years old, acting as the art educator and assistant and/or lead teacher. I completed my associates degree in May 2024 with a GPA of 3.62.
In 2024, I returned to art and enrolled in the University of North Georgia's Visual Arts program concentrating in Digital Arts. I am currently anticipating graduating with my degree in Spring 2027. Aside from taking a full course load, I currently work in the UNG Auxiliary Services department as the Social Media Assistant at the Gainesville Campus. In this role, I assist in creating promotional and educational material for social media pages owned by the UNG Auxiliary Services department. I also serve as the illustrator for Auxiliary Services sponsored event material such as shirts and stickers
Originally from the east coast of Florida, I moved to Gainesville, GA at the age of 10 years old. I had been the typical "childhood artist," making crayon drawings on printer paper, but at that time I picked up digital art and began experimenting with different applications on my childhood computer.
Over the years, I gained self-taught experience in Photoshop, Animate CC, After Effects, Premiere, Blender, Paint Tool SAI, and Clip Studio Paint. Aside from my digital work, I also worked with traditional and 3D materials including acrylic paint, watercolors, colored pencil, air dry & polymer clay, and block printing. Over time, I began to find my niche in comic art.