Jetpack Piggy Jam Comic

I participate in a local drawing group which is awesome. We meet regularly, we discuss our projects, we show off artwork, and we draw comics as a group. The group consists of four members: Jeremy Johnson, Travis Eck, Jeff Welborn and me. Up until recently, we named our group 4 After 5. At a recent meeting, we discussed the possibility of adding more members, so we decided a name change was in order.

After much discussion and brainstorming, I proud to announce we've settled on a new name:
The Drawing Board.

Here's one of our latest jam comics. This is how the jam comics work. One person draws the first panel. Then, someone else draws the next panel. And so on. The panels were drawn by (in this order): Travis Eck, Jeff Welborn, Jeremy Johnson and, last but not least, me.

Sketchbook Project Part 8

It was surprisingly fun doing the live demonstration at the library. I'm usually nervous in front of an audience, but I was surprisingly calm during the whole thing. The library's graphic novel section is pretty dope. I think it's awesome that the library has a comic book section. And yes. I really do love the Reading Rainbow song.

Sketchbook Project Part 4

Sketchbook Project Part 3

I recently participated in The Art House Co-Op Limited Edition Sketchbook Project. The project is a collaborative series of art books created by 5000 artists from around the world. 

On page 2, that really is a drawing of my mom and my brother. My brother is wearing a pair of "goofy eyeball" novelty glasses. On the third page, the guys pictured next to me  are Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn.

This really happened. We tried to hang our art and we couldn't. The groundskeeper told us ahead of time that the hangers would be in a storage box in the lobby. When we got there, no box, no hangers. Nothing. We spent an hour searching the storage rooms trying to find them to no avail. It was lame.

4After5: Deck These Halls

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Artwork hanging on the walls.

This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

Take a break from the holiday rush and take a relaxing stroll through Christmas in Roseland. Don't forget to stop by Welcome Center and check out our holiday art. Above is a sample of one of my Roofus Christmas strips.

4After5:Deck These Halls

Baby, it's cold outside. So come in from the cold and check out the new 4After5 exhibit! 

This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

Take a break from the holiday rush and take a relaxing stroll through Christmas in Roseland. Don't forget to stop by Welcome Center and check out our holiday art. Above is a sample of one of my Roofus Christmas strips.

4After5: Deck These Halls

It's beginning to look a lot like a 4AFTER5 Christmas. 

This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

Take a break from the holiday rush and take a relaxing stroll through Christmas in Roseland. Don't forget to stop by Welcome Center and check out our holiday art. Above is a sample of one of my Roofus Christmas strips.

4After5: Deck These Halls

I'm dreaming of a 4AFTER5 Christmas. And you can too. 


This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

Take a break from the holiday rush and take a relaxing stroll through Christmas in Roseland. Don't forget to stop by Welcome Center and check out our holiday art. Above is a sample of one of my Roofus Christmas strips.

Jonas Bot 3000

I recently finished another crafty project. My friend and fellow 4 After 5 crew member, Travis Eck and his loving wife had a bouncing baby boy. They were decorating their son's room with a Robot theme. So they asked me, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn to design a toy robot for the baby room. Over a year later, I finally finished this project (pardon my haste, Trav). Regardless, I think it turned out swell.

I started with a Color Blanks vinyl figure. Then I spray painted the figure with primer and let it dry. Once dry, I spray painted the figure with some Hammered Metal texture paint.

Once dry, I applied black acrylic paint all over the robot's body. Then, I wiped off the excess black leaving some black in the cracks and crevasses of they metal texture. This process is called antiquing. Then I applied some "Blinkies" for the eyes. When you rotate the eyes, they light up! Finally, I added  a decal for the mouth and some small details with a Sharpie pen.

Eyes turned off

Eyes turned on

So there you have it. Since Travis' son is named Jonas, it only seems fitting to name the robot after his master. Jonas Bot 3000 is fully operational and ready to serve his human overlords.

4 After 5 Art Showcase: Head Case

Final Version

Original Version

Original Sketch

Here's yet another Roofus strip that I featured in the 4 After 5 exhibit. I wanted to do something different with this strip. I had each panel printed individually and mounted on foam core. Then, each panel was hung together to form one giant comic strip (see the photos below). The final result was pretty awesome. You can also see this comic strip at www.roofuscomic.com right here.

4 After 5 Art Showcase: Negative

Here's another Roofus comic that was featured in the 4 After 5 exhibit. I completely redrew this comic using my Wacom tablet. I was very pleased with the line quality that I achieved using the Wacom tablet (see Wacom Inks below). I feel that this technique has given my line work a cleaner and crisper look. I've included the original version of this strip. Also, shown here is a photo detail of the actual canvas print. This comic is also featured at www.roofuscomic.com here.

Final Version

Wacom Inks

Original Version

Photo Detail

4 After 5 Art Showcase: Vicious Cycle

Here's a Roofus comic strip that was featured in the 4 After 5 art exhibit. This is one of my favorite comics that I've ever drawn. I think it's a good example of sequential art. There's no dialogue except for the final panel. The pictures tell the story. I'm including the original sketch and the original finished version. I made a lot of changes from the original final version. This strip is also featured at here at www.roofuscomic.com.

This Roofus comic was printed on canvas, sized at 24" x 36". The canvas print (or giclee, if you wanna get fancy) looks great. Here are a couple of photo details that show off the texture of the canvas.

4 After 5 Art Showcase: Space Case

Here's a Roofus comic strip that was featured in the 4 After 5 art show. I've also included two photos from the art exhibit. This is one of the last Roofus strips that was completely hand-drawn using pen and ink. These days I do most of my illustration using my Wacom tablet.

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.

Meet the 4 After 5 Crew.

Photo by Leah Rea

Introducing the 4 After 5 crew: Travis Eck, Brad Campbell, Jeff Welborn and Jeremy Johnson. Thanks to Leah Rea Photography for the fantastic photos. She made four geeks look...well, not cool, but slightly less geeky.

Come and meet us in person and check out our art show.

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