Happy Thanksgiving from Roofus

Hope everyone has a good old-fashioned Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Enjoy a big plate of pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans and toast. I know I will.

Roofus Stickers

Check out these awesome Roofus stickers. I ordered these to help advertise my new Roofus website. I ordered them from a great site called www.stickermule.com. They make really great die-cut, vinyl stickers for a fair price. Oh, BTW, check out www.roofuscomic.com.

4 AFTER 5 ART EXHIBIT: A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS

I'm proud to announce that the 4 After 5 opening reception exceeded all of my expectations. There was a steady crowd attending the reception throughout the entire evening. All of us were busy hosting the event, talking to friends, family and art lovers. I was so busy in that I took NO photos or video. I've posted a couple of shots I managed to pop off. Fortunately, our photographer Lea Rhea was in attendance with camera in hand to document the entire evening. When I get my hands on those, I'll post them here. Remember, the show will be on display through January 7, so check it out!

Once again, to all of my friends, family, co-workers and fellow artists who came to the show: THANK YOU. You helped make this a success.

To my 4 After 5 brothers, Jeremy, Jeff and Trav: This was one of my proudest moments as an artist. I was an honor to share that moment with you. We did it, guys. We did it.

4 AFTER 5 ART EXHIBIT OPENS TODAY!

This is it, folks! Today's the day: the 4 After 5 art exhibit is here and open to the public. Remember the opening reception is TONIGHT from 5-8 pm. Need directions?

4 After 5 Art Exhibit

When: November 18, 2010 - January 7, 2011

Where: coolspace @ artspace, 710 Texas St., Downtown Shreveport

Opening Reception: November 18, 2010, 5 - 8 PM

 

Meet the 4 After 5 crew tonight live and in person: Travis Eck, Brad Campbell, Jeff Welborn and Jeremy Johnson.

This unique show fill feature cartoon and illustration work by four, hard-working, talented guys who are passionate about their work.

Remember to bring some cash. We'll be selling stuff. Such as:

The Jam Comic, a mini-comic written and illustrated by the entire 4 After 5 crew.

Roofus U, a collection of Roofus comic strips by Brad Campbell.

Hue's Day, a full size, full-color comic book starring Travis Eck's original creation, Hue.

Toomasooba merchandise by Mr. Jeremy Johnson.

And original comic book art and full-color prints by Jeff Welborn.

So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this and rush out to the 4 After 5 art exhibit. If you can't make it to the opening reception tonight, the show will be hanging through January 7, 2011. I hope to see you there.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

Travis Eck's 4 After 5 Swag

So, you all know about the upcoming 4 After 5 art exhibit, right? Did you know that the 4 After 5 artists will be selling official merchandise at the show? That's right! So, bring your cash and head on down to the opening reception this Thursday night.

Travis Eck's 4 After 5 Swag

Travis will be selling his very own comic book, Hue's Day (Hue Saves the World). Here's the official product description:

Hue's Day follows the life and times of good-natured nerd, Hue Snodgrass, and his best-friend, Herbie.  It's got comedy, action/adventure, and a bit of mystery all in one story! Will they pet a dog? Will they find some fritos? Will they survive a wicked ninja ambush? Maybe! Anything can happen! In this, Hue's first issue, he actually SAVES THE WORLD! See how in Hue's Day #1! 

www.huecomics.com

Roofus Bookmarks

I just got these in the mail today. These are the first ever official Roofus bookmarks. The were professionally printed by www.gotprint.com. They are printed on high quality, glossy paper stock and they feature Roofus artwork on the front and back. I will be selling these at the show for only a buck!

BUT WAIT! Have I got a deal for you! If you buy a Roofus book, I'll throw in a Roofus bookmark FOR FREE! What a deal. Buy a book and get a matching bookmark, no charge. Remember, the only place you can get this deal is at the 4 After 5 opening reception THIS THURSDAY from 5-8 at coolspace@artspace in downtown Shreveport.

Jeff Welborn's 4 After 5 Swag

So, you all know about the upcoming 4 After 5 art exhibit, right? Did you know that the 4 After 5 artists will be selling official merchandise at the show? That's right! So, bring your cash and head on down to the opening reception this Thursday night.

Jeff Welborn's 4 After 5 Swag

Jeff will be selling 11x17 original art pieces for $50 and high quality 8x10 laser prints for $10. Jeff's original artwork is amazing, so you HAVE to come to the opening reception to see it in person.

www.welbornart.com

Jeremy Johnson's 4 After 5 Swag

So, you all know about the upcoming 4 After 5 art exhibit, right? Did you know that the 4 After 5 artists will be selling official merchandise at the show? That's right! So, bring your cash and head on down to the opening reception this Thursday night.

Jeremy Johnson's 4 After 5 Swag

Jeremy will feature an array of Toomasooba goods for sale at the 4AFTER5 opening -- T-shirts, plush figures, prints, canvas totes and more. Free stickers and bookmarks will be available as well!  

www.toomasooba.com

Brad Campbell's 4 After 5 Swag

So, you all know about the upcoming 4 After 5 art exhibit, right? Did you know that the 4 After 5 artists will be selling official merchandise at the show? That's right! So, bring your cash and head on down to the opening reception this Thursday night.

Brad Campbell's 4 After 5 Swag

At long last, I'm very proud to announce my very first Roofus book: Roofus U. The subtitle is Scholasticus Canis which is latin for College Dog. :)

Similar to my Slick book, I decided to make it a digest-sized book. Below is the final cover artwork.

Front and Back Cover of Roofus U

I wanted the cover design to have a collegiate look, so I designed the Roofus U logo in the style of an academic crest as well as incorporating the college plaid pattern. 

   Roofus U Page Layout

I printed the interior pages of the book on my own laser printer. The layout consisted of three pages on one legal size sheet of paper with one Roofus strip on each page. Once all the pages and cover were printed, I delivered them to the local printer, Insty Prints, where they trimmed and perfect bound the books. I did a very small print run of 36 books. It looks VERY professional and I'm very proud it.

Remember, Roofus U will be for sale at the 4 After 5 opening reception, Thursday, November 18, at coolspace@artspace from 5 - 8 pm. I may have some Roofus stickers and bookmarks available at the show as well. 

PLUS, there will be 4 framed Roofus giclees hanging in the show which are also for sale.

For those not in the know, a giclee is a high-quality print. My Roofus giclees were all printed on canvas  and the quality is AMAZING. Here's a taste:

Above: Detail of a Roofus Giclee featured at the 4 After 5 Art Exhibit

  So come on out to the show...enjoy some Roofus artwork hanging on the walls, buy yourself a Roofus book and you'll also see this:

WHAAAAAT???

That's right! The world's one-and-only Roofus doll will be only display next to my Roofus books at the merchandise table. The doll is not for sale and is for display purposes only. A very, very special thanks to Jo Fountain who was kind enough to lend her time and awesome sewing skills to the Roofus doll. Thanks, Jo! Remember, the ONLY place to see this cute little guy in person is at the 4 After 5 reception this Thursday.

One last thing... 

FINALLY!

To coincide with the 4 After 5 show, I'm officially launching the official Roofus web comic: roofuscomic.com.  The site is a work in progress. I still have to tweak some things and update some of the artwork. I think it's coming along nicely. It's nice to finally have an online home for Roofus. So check it out. Pick up one of these promotional flyers for the site that I'll be giving away at the show.

The Big Tease

Details on Monday.

Presenting the Official 4 After 5 Jam Comic Book!

Would you like to read the completed jam comic that I've been posting all week? Well, you'll just have to come on down to the 4 After 5 art exhibit on Thursday, November 18 at coolspace at artspace! As well as showcasing our art, the 4 After 5 artists will be selling our wares. We will be selling a 20 page mini-comic featuring artwork by all four artists: Brad Campbell, Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn.  In fact, here's a sneak peek at the cover art.

The jam comic was not only entirely drawn by the 4A5 crew, but it was also lovingly hand-crafted by the artists as well. Here are some pics from our "Assembley Party." Not pictured is Travis Eck. He was busy taking care of his newly born child. He was there in spirit. 

Here's a shot of the unassembled books. That's a lot of pages!

That's me! I was in charge of collating. They made me do the hard part.

Jeremy "Staples" Johnson was charged with saddle-stitching. 

 Jeff "Slasher" Welborn maniacally wields the long arm cutter. Watch those fingers, Jeff!

Jeremy takes a reading break. Back to work, Johnson!

Jeff Welborn is aghast as I creepily stare over his shoulder.

"We're hilarious!"

Here's the final stack of jam comics, completely assembled. It only took us one and a half fun-filled hours!

Just for fun, we thought it would be cool to make an actual jam jar prop that mimics our cover art. We will display this prop next to our books that will be on sale at the opening reception.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

Medieval Jam by 4 After 5 artist Brad Campbell

Here's the final panel of the Medieval Jam by your truly, Brad Campbell. The other guys drew their panel with traditional pen and ink. I opted to draw my panel on my Wacom tablet. I've said it before and I'll say it again. My line quality is SO much better when I use the Wacom. I'm really like this drawing. It's has a very loose sketchy quality but it's also very crisp and clean.

Wanna know what the dragon is saying? Will I post this comic in its entirety? Tune in tomorrow for answers.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

Medieval Jam by 4 After 5 artist Jeremy Johnson

Today's panel is by 4 After 5 artist Jeremy Johnson. I love Jeremy's drawing style. His squiggly line technique is such a departure from his Toomasooba work. Tune in tomorrow for the final panel.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

Medieval Jam by 4 After 5 artist Travis Eck

Here's the second panel drawn by 4 After 5 artist Travis Eck.  I really like Trav's use of hatching. What in the world could the man be saying? You'll just have to tune in tomorrow and find out.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

Medieval Jam by 4 After 5 artist Jeff Welborn

This week I'll be posting yet another one of the 4 After 5 jam comics. This first panel is drawn by Jazzy Jeff Welborn. I'm always amazed that Jeff can pull these kind of images right out of his head and onto the page. It only took him about 30 minutes to draw this too. Amazing.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

4 After 5 Q&A: Meet Brad

Brad Campbell

Graphic Designer @ Gremillion & Pou

Q. Personally, what does the 4 After 5 art exhibit represent? 

Cartooning is an art form. Most adults would disagree. The majority of people have the preconceived notion that cartoons are for kids.  Due to that negative social stigma, I believe that, within the art community, cartoons and illustrations are regarded as low art. The 4 After 5 exhibit affords us, the cartoonists, the opportunity to showcase our work in the realm of high art. I’m hoping, that in some small way, our exhibit will help raise the awareness of cartooning as a legitimate art form.

Q. When did you first take an interest in drawing?

At the age of 10, I knew I wanted to be a syndicated cartoonist, and I didn't even know what the word "syndicated" meant.  I was born with asthma, so I stayed indoors and drew a lot. I taught myself how to draw from reading and tracing the Sunday Comics. That’s probably why I love comic strips specifically. I wrote and drew my first original comic strip when I was 11-years-old.

Q. Is it hard to work a full-time job and find time to draw? 

Amidst a busy schedule, you really have to make yourself do it.  This year, I started an art blog so I could share my artwork with friends, family and other artists. Day after day, I have been posting illustrations, sketches and various comic strips. Maintaining that blog really helped my artistic process and it forced me to be creative on a daily basis.

Q. Your inspirations?

I'm a pop culture junkie. Animation, toys, comic books, movies, TV shows...they all inspire me. When I'm drawing I often listen to music, comedy albums or various podcasts. Specifically, my comic strip inspirations are Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) and Berkeley Breathed (Bloom County, Outland).

Sample Panel from a 4 After 5 Jam Comic

Q. The 4 After 5 exhibit comprises of 4 artists. How much collaboration between artists was there and what was that experience like? 

Cartooning is such an isolated experience. Being a part of this group has given me personally the opportunity to share that experience. It's inspiring to discuss the artistic process with other artists who are genuinely interested in the topic. It's a dedicated group. We have monthly meetings in which we talk shop, plan events and, most importantly, draw comics. I love the Jam Comics that we've created together.

Q. Drawing medium. Any preference (pen, ink, digital)?

For years, I've used pen and ink, but recently, I've started using my Wacom tablet. At first, it was a challenge to re-teach myself to draw, because it's quite different from drawing on paper. I eventually embraced the digital format. It really speeds up the process: no scanning, no messy erasers, no white out. I love it.

Q. What type of art will you exhibit at 4 After 5?

It will be a mix of illustration and comic strips. Usually, people read comic strips in the newspaper or online. When people attend the 4 After 5 exhibit, they'll have the unique opportunity of reading framed, oversized comic strips on canvas. That's not something you see everyday.

Q. What project or projects are you currently working on?

To coincide with the 4 After 5 exhibit, I will be launching a Roofus web comic. Also, My first Roofus book, "Roofus U", is available for purchase. It will be available at the show. Plus, check out my art blog at www.bybradcampbell.blogspot.com.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

4 After 5 Q&A: Meet Jeff

Jeff Welborn

Running Dog Sportswear/Graphic Artist

Q. The 4 After 5 art exhibit. Your thoughts. 

I think it's just a celebration of fun. We are 4 guys that make our living as graphic designers. We live by customer demand and deadlines and this collection of artwork is what we do to unwind. This art isn't created for a client or to be approved by a committee, this art is created out of sheer love of the material, we just create it for fun. It's satisfying to know that people will be viewing these pieces that haven't really been seen by anyone outside of our normal circle of friends.

Q. When did you first take an interest in drawing?

I remember drawing on pretty much every test and homework paper I got my hands on during school. No matter what subject it was, somehow Spiderman made an appearance in the margins.

Q. Your day job is a professional designer. Between work and home life, when do you find time to draw?

These days I mainly work from home, so if I'm struggling with a certain design, I'll slide over to my drawing desk and draw a bit to take a little break. I find it keeps my creative juices flowing going from design work to illustration work and back again. It's just hard to get out of the habit of thinking "undo" when I mess up on a drawing.

Sample Panel from a 4 After 5 Jam Comic

Q. 4 After 5 exhibit comprises of 4 artists. What's is like working with the other artists?

It's been a blast! We collaborate or vote on pretty much every aspect of the 4AFTER5 art. However, the most collaborative component would have to be the Jam comics. They are a lot of fun and we never know how they will turn out. I think the thing that makes them so interesting is that each of us have a very different art style. Not only different art styles but different storytelling methods and senses of humor as well. So when we work on a jam comic it goes in directions we could not have imagined because of our variety of styles. 

Q. What’s your preferred medium (pen, ink, digital)?

Without a doubt, old fashioned pencil and paper. All of my art starts with a basic pencil sketch. That method just seems to be the most direct route from my brain. My arsenal of supplies is pretty basic: a non repro blue sketching pencil, a .05 mechanical pencil, and a .03 mechanical pencil, and that's pretty much it. I don't dislike working on the computer and it does make some things much easier, but I get much more satisfaction from sitting down and creating something from scratch with my own hands. That's why I would love to learn how to sculpt.

Q. What type of art will you exhibit at 4 After 5? 

Cartoon cel shaded pieces, character designs, digital pantings and figure studies from my sketchbook.

For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.

4 After 5 Q&A: Meet Travis

Travis Eck
Kalmbach Smith Meadows, Graphic Designer

Q. What's your take on the 4 After 5 art exhibit? 

I see the 4after5 exhibit as unleashed creativity.  In our day jobs we spend all day creating for clients, which is great because it pays the bills, but it's not REALLY our creations.  It's directed by the client or the project.  This show represents what we come up with when we're exploring OUR ideas.  I think that's what makes it so special.  No one paid us to create these pieces...they came straight from our love of creating. 

Q. When did you start drawing?

My first memory of drawing is preschool or maybe even earlier when my mom would lay out newspaper in the kitchen floor and let me go nuts. I was in 8th grade when I realized I could create drawings in a sequence and create my own comic book...not sure why that took so long, but I was hooked after that.

Q. Between work and home life, when do you find time to draw? 

I'm a married father of two, so any artwork has to wait until I've put my family to bed.  Luckily I've always liked staying up late at night. 

Q. What are your sources for inspiration?

I can be inspired by just about anything. Recently, I created an illustration that was inspired by a jar of gummi bears I spotted at the frozen yogurt shop. I'm still a weekly comic book reader and have an extensive superhero/sci fi movie collection, so those provide a large part of my creative inspiration as well. 

Sample Panel from a 4 After 5 Jam Comic

Q. The 4 After 5 exhibit comprises of 4 artists. What's it like collaborating with the other artists? 

As far as the pieces that are actually in the show, the collaboration mostly came from asking the other artists which pieces they would like to see in the show.  The jam comics, on the other hand, are ALL collaboration.  I've had so much fun with those.  I love seeing the scenes play out in each artist's unique style and the jams with a story are always fun because you never know where the next guy is going to take the story! 

Q. What's your drawing technique?

I'm most comfortable with a mechanical pencil, but I've recently discovered art pens, so now my usual process involves drawing in pencil, then drawing on top of that with art pens of various thickness.  I will then scan in the drawing and clean it up or color it in photoshop as needed.

Q. What type of art will you exhibit at 4 After 5?

I'll be showing a variety of artwork.  From 2005-2006 I illustrated a book of children's poems written by Stan Blossom. I've chosen my favorite 8 illustrations from that project to be a part of this show. In the past year I've also developed a fun process for creating pop-art style paintings. I'll be showing two of those in this show, one of He-Man and one of Skeletor. Also, I have created a series of 4 pulp-era-inspired illustrated movie posters starring my comic book character, Hue and his friend, Herbie. I created one for a Western movie, one for a Sci-Fi movie, one for an Adventure movie, and one for a Horror movie. I had the most fun with these pieces, as they were created specifically for this show. They star my character, Hue, who I've been drawing for over 15 years.

Q. What other projects are you currently developing?

After years of drawing Hue comics on lined notebook paper, I finally created a full-color, printed comic book starring Hue and his friends this year. I've created a website for the comic book that features character bios, history, downloadable content and links to buy merchandise. You can find out all about Hue and company at www.huecomics.com.

Additionally, being in this group as reawakened my love for illustrating on a frequent basis, so I've started an art blog to showcase whatever it is that I'm working on at the time.  You can see my most recent work at www.sivARTblog.blogspot.com. "Sivart" is "Travis" backwards, btw. 


For more info about the 4 After 5 art exhibit, visit www.4after5.com or the 4 After 5 event page on Facebook.