Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Color of Justice!

Another long awaited project has come and gone: creating a pulp character for Figure Illustration 2, Third Year. I wrote a script for Col. Phantom the summer before I started my schooling at ACAD, determined to create my own radio play featuring the character, thus scratching a long time itch. So when this project finally came around, I was determined to get my ass into the AV studio and record the thing in all its campy, pulp glory.

So without further ado, Nick Johnson proudly presents:


(main characters featured below...)


Col. Phantom!


Dr. Wendigo!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Angels, Thieves and the Power of the Cosmos

Reading Week is here! Unfortunately, there's a To Do list as long as my arm that needs gettin' done and there is rent to pay... 

But enough about that boring sheeyit, let's talk illustration!


Assignment: For Illustration, choose an article and create a metaphor dealing with opposites that describes it. (Clear as mud, right?)

Concept: The underground French artists known as UX (article here, very interesting.) They are sneaky infiltrators made out to be outlaws who actually use their powers for good. So I have depicted a burglar type character who is revealed to be a bit of an angel.

What I Like: colours, character design, tiptoeing burglar pose.

What I'd Fix: increase randomness of moth displacement, make angel less blocky and add more movement and personality to his pose.


Assignment: This is a new intro page for James' upcoming collection My Modern Panic, for which I created the cover last year. It was great to be able to add a little extra to an old story (I re-lettered it and added some values) and it felt great to add some new art to compliment the story.

Concept: James wrote a sweet little poem as read by the Crypt Keeper-ish host Hermes. The characters from the upcoming story are balanced on the Scales of the Cosmos!.... or something.

What I Like: character design, half-tone values.

What I'd Fix: The composition was close to good, then I screwed up and placed it dead centre. Wiht the text all on the left, things are a little left-side-heavy. And the title itself is boring and lame. But I have time to improve it so that's what I'm gonna do!

Look for My Modern Panic at the Calgary Expo this year!

I'll be there.

Waiting for you.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

You'll Be Plenty Warm in Hell, Sam McGee

Phase 2 of my Storytelling and Environments class is proving to be as much of a challenge as the first part. Our first assignment was to create environments based on the poetry of Robert Service. Apparently he is a Canadian legend but I hadn't heard of him till I was assigned the project.

The poem I selected was the Cremation of Sam McGee. It's very atmospheric (all of his work is) and very spooky. Give it a read and you'll see why I chose it.


Inside Sam McGee's tent, as he prepares to head out on his final trek through the Yukon cold.


Dawson's pass, or as I like to call it, The Gates of Hell, Frozen Over.


Sam's final moments are filled with dreams of home, the warm cotton fields of Tennessee.


Filled with dread, our narrator approaches the derelict where Sam's body burns.

There's lots I'd love to fix on these, and the finals printed out quite dark so they looked even worse but you gotta get burned by printing at least once, I say, to learn the lesson right. Tighter pencils, better value control and painting a little less sloppy are my other lessons for this week.