Featured Artist: John Jakubowski

My Background: I was born the illegitmate son of a blind bullfighter and a gyspy, being fed on a confusing mix of architecture, magic and animation. I have worked professionally in all three but never really seemed to find somewhere to call home. I am from the Midwest like everyone else won’t admit out here and came to work in feature film doing effects. It was really a girl, but the film job sounds better. Finding that I really enjoyed a life outside of work I succumbed to the bubble and opened a web shop. I have run a company focusing on creative development for the last seven years until recently jumping off the deep end to pursue my illustration full time.
does everyone else find it slightly uncomfortable fitting your background into a paragraph?

My Technique: This really depends on what I’m doing. I would like to say that I don’t have one but for most of the stuff on this page its freehand micron-pigma on Fabriano WC paper. I do the shading with my fingers and then have it professionally shot on 3 x 5’s. then I scan it in and do the color work in photoshop. some of the others are straight watercolor with ink and Xerox. It really depends on whats in front of me, but mostly pen and ink seems to be my staple. I work really large (16 x 20) so getting them digital is a little more complicated but it allows me a lot of freedom.

My involvement with the Guild: I’m a newbie and a sponge. Looking forward to meeting some graphic like people from this planet who have interests and lives outside of what they do. I’ve always wanted to be on a committee to re-elect something, you know - the guys that pay for all the strange commercials.

Favorite client story: I was doing effects for a company in Alameda. we were shooting “What Dreams May Come” .We were way past green hour (production rates double for most employees) so they were really burning cash fast. The director wanted to shoot it again and the producers were goin’ ape-shit. Lots of tension. I was standing next to Cuba Gooding Jr. when he looked at me shaking his head as Robin Williams jumped on the stage and started doing a full blown comedy stand-up for the crew. Within 10 minutes the whole set was holding their gut with laughter. Afterwards Robin came down covered in sweat and muttered, “There, problem gone.”

Anything else? I was wondering if anyone had an extra can opener. My girlfriend has this habit of taking ours to work and I was left last night staring at this can like a dog. What was that awful Tom Hanks movie?

All artwork © 2003 John Jakubowski. Not to be used without permission.