Meet Drew Button of DB Ink in Lakeside

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Button.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Drew. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Every day, I say yes to art, and to new opportunities to make more. I continue to follow my art, and that is how I’ve gotten to where I am today, and I am happy.

From an early age, I enjoyed drawing people, animals and plants. At age five, I wrote and illustrated a book to deliver details on different species of animals living in different climates and ecosystems. On each page, the text was tied to a Microsoft Paint rendering of the relevant subject matter. To this day, I continue to find great pleasure in exploring the natural world through my paintings and illustrations. In my drawings, I imagine and visualize the personalities that we humans project onto animals and landscapes.

In 2013, I won a local drawing contest that turned into a job producing illustrations for Rockyard Brewing Company’s beer bottles. The Castle Rock, CO-based brewery has employed me as an illustrator and graphic designer since 2013. To date, I’ve produced 38 works of art (and counting) for my friends at Rockyard and craft beer drinkers across the state of Colorado. Historically, the brewery used animals to give an identity to each of its own locally-brewed beer styles. We’ve expanded on that idea and continue to illustrate characters that reflect the flavor of the beer and gives each unique beer a face, a body, and a personality. I’ve drawn everything from punk dinosaurs shredding on electric guitars and anarchical beavers, to Mayan gods, over-sized owls, tender-hearted tough guys and robots. I attribute this particular opportunity to really getting me started as an artist.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Accepting criticism. I think many artists would agree with me here. First of all, we’re our own toughest critics and second of all – we tend to be shocked when our audience or clients aren’t immediately pleased with the first product that we show to them. I’ve learned to accept criticism and see it as a part of the design process. Things will go wrong. A client won’t always (or ever) like the first (or second, or third, or nineteenth) iteration of an idea that you slide across the table. Deal with it. Try again.

In each scenario that I’ve experienced working to realize a client’s very particular vision – accepting criticism and continuing to improve your work through collaboration & repeated revisions has always resulted in a better-finished product. Despite how frustrating it can be – it’s productive and encourages personal growth.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
I specialize in helping my clients realize their visions through an open, collaborative design process. I’m proud of the way I can help take a loose idea, concept or flavor and turn it into a powerful, descriptive image. What sets me apart from others is my ability to distill a conversation, an idea or moment into something visually evocative and bold. By working with me, my clients get to see their vision come to life in linework and color.

My areas of expertise include (but are not limited to):

 – Pen & ink illustration,

 – Graphic design & digital art

 – Sculpture & Sculptural visualization

 – Architectural modeling, rendering, & Landscape Design,

 – Mural Art

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success, personally, as having created something that I’m proud of whether it be for myself or someone else. The source of my pride is knowing that I was able to accurately cast my own or my client’s vision onto a page in a way that is meaningful, or useful to them in their home business.

Contact Info:

• Website: dbuttonink.com
• Phone: 7208220919
• Email: dbuttonink@gmail.com
• Instagram: @dbuttonink

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