Nat Belin Cartoonist Iillustrator

A member of a poor, fatherless family of 12 in Florence, SC,
Nat Belin struggled to get where he is today.
Growing up, Belin always loved to draw. His mother would buy him
a Superman comic book as often as she could afford. At first he
would trace the images. Then he would draw the images himself,
trying to capture the action in the comic.
While Belin enjoyed art classes, school did not suit him.
As a teenager, Belin dropped out of school and left home.
After 15 years of living on the streets, Belin took his first step
into a recovery treatment center that gave him the opportunity to

reclaim his life. While in treatment, Belin rediscovered his artistic talent.
He began drawing pictures from books
and magazines. When Belin saw a television commercial for Art Instruction Schools,
he sent in a drawing. This drawing enabled
Belin to enroll in the Art Instruction
Schools' fundamentals of art course.
"I really enjoy the feeling of being creative,"
Belin says. "I always wanted to get into the field of art and
Art Institution Schools helped me get there."
In 1995, Art Instruction Schools selected Belin as its
"Outstanding Graduate of the Year."Belin has now been
drawing caricatures for 30 years and loves every minute of it.
Over the years, his subjects have included presidents,
political leaders, television and movie celebrities,
comedians,musicians and athletes. "I learned how to
draw using realism, but creating caricatures is more relaxing and
enjoyable for me," Belin says."I try to find a paradise - a happy
zone - to think and create and to go with the flow. I start by
building the simple shapes, and then I line it, ink it and add the
colors last. Sometimes the best pieces come from himself, trying
to capture the action in the comic. simple doodles. When I'm done,
I'm often surprised by the way the picture has turned out."
Caricature is all about exaggeration,"Belin says. "You have to
notice things...some people have outstanding features.I work on
those the most, and people recognize themselves." In addition to
his caricatures done for corporate events, parties, company
picnics and children's birthdays, Belin has worked on several
corporate logo development projects and has created drawings
for presentations, newsletters and book illustrations. His other
projects include personal business cards, greeting cards and
t-shirt images. Belin finds artistic inspiration through nature
and his close friends. He spends part of each day in spiritual
meditation and "tries to live in art everyday. I wouldn't trade
my artistic life for anything. Creativity is God's gift to us.
Using our creativity is our gift back to God:"

For more information, call 336-725-7796; or write 820 West 7th St., Apt. B, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101.



	NAT BELIN
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	A member of a poor, fatherless family of 12 in Florence, SC, Nat Belin struggled to get where he is today. Growing up, Belin always loved to draw. His mother would buy him a Superman comic book as often as she could afford. At first he would trace the images. Then he would draw the images himself, trying to capture the action in the comic. While Belin enjoyed art classes, school did not suit him. As a teenager, Belin dropped out of school and left home. After 15 years of living on the streets, Belin took his first step into a recovery treatment center that gave him the opportunity to reclaim his life. While in treatment, Belin rediscovered his artistic talent. He began drawing pictures from books and magazines. When Belin saw a television commercial for Art Instruction Schools, he sent in a drawing. This drawing enabled Belin to enroll in the Art Instruction Schools' fundamentals of art course. "I really enjoy the feeling of being creative," Belin says. "I always wanted to get into the field of art and Art Institution Schools helped me get there." In 1995, Art Instruction Schools selected Belin as its "Outstanding Graduate of the Year."Belin has now been drawing caricatures for 30 years and loves every minute of it. Over the years, his subjects have included presidents, political leaders, television and movie celebrities, comedians,musicians and athletes. "I learned how to draw using realism, but creating caricatures is more relaxing and enjoyable for me," Belin says."I try to find a paradise - a happy zone - to think and create and to go with the flow. I start by building the simple shapes, and then I line it, ink it and add the colors last. Sometimes the best pieces come from himself, trying to capture the action in the comic. simple doodles. When I'm done, I'm often surprised by the way the picture has turned out." Caricature is all about exaggeration,"Belin says. "You have to notice things...some people have outstanding features.I work on those the most, and people recognize themselves." In addition to his caricatures done for corporate events, parties, company picnics and children's birthdays, Belin has worked on several corporate logo development projects and has created drawings for presentations, newsletters and book illustrations. His other projects include personal business cards, greeting cards and t-shirt images. Belin finds artistic inspiration through nature and his close friends. He spends part of each day in spiritual meditation and "tries to live in art everyday. I wouldn't trade my artistic life for anything. Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God:" For more information, call 336-725-7796; or write 820 West 7th St., Apt. B, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101.

NAT BELIN