Have you wanted to own an original drawing or painting of your favorite movie or comic character? You might think it would cost a fortune and be difficult to obtain. But it’s not. There are lots of up-and-coming artists who offer some really reasonable prices for a one-of-a-kind piece. When it was first discussed that Geeks of Doom wanted to spotlight these artists, I immediately had a couple of names at the ready-not just from seeing their work online, but because I have commissioned artwork from them.

And the one from whom I have purchased the most this past year is Justin McCafferty. I first saw his work on Instagram and immediately fell in love with it. I bought a Batman Returns Catwoman that he had made and posted for sale, but the rest of my purchases were commisions across the board: a classic Black Canary, Harley Quinn from the Arkham Asylum game, Catwoman from the Arkham City game (for a friend who collects Selina Kyle stuff) and Mystique in her classic white dress. He has very reasonable prices, too. Heck, he even has shirts and other merchandise available for purchase!

Want to know more? Read my interview with Mr. McCafferty and check out the full-sized commission images right here after the jump!

Geeks of Doom: What first inspired you to start creating art?

Justin McCafferty: I’ve been drawing all my life, since I was a little kid. I always drew Batman, it was something about the cowl and the symbol. I read comics a lot when I was a kid and tried to copy all the poses.

GoD: What different mediums do you use?

JM: My forte is watercolor and acrylic, but I’ve been known to use colored pencil, marker, and pen. Even glitter and dirt have been used a time or two!

GoD: What is your favorite subject/genre?

JM: I’m definitely more inclined to a comic book and horror subject, there’s something about the gritty feel of both of them. You can really go crazy with your crosshatching and pen work on a good comic or horror character.

GoD: Who was your biggest artistic influence and why?

JM: When I was a kid reading comics, I never knew the names of any of the comic artists. Since I’ve gotten back into them, I can give them their full props. There’s the obvious ones like Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Alex Ross, Tim Bruce, etc. But if I have to name one person right now, it’s gotta be Greg Capullo. I could read the Court of the Owls story arc over and over without any words at all. He has such and amazing style.

GoD: What is your long term goal and how are you focused on achieving it?

JM: I would love to have a comic book published. Writing, pencils, inks, colors, all by me. I’m actually in the middle of one, about an original character called Strike. He is born with a rare disease called CIPA or congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. He can’t feel any pain, which is both a blessing and a curse. He lives with all the ups and downs of the disease and uses it to his advantage as a vigilante. Sure, you can shoot him in the arms and legs and he might break a bone or lose some blood, but that’s not going to stop him. He’s based in Anchorage, Alaska which has a very high crime rate. Plus there’s potential for big city action and rural wooded area assault. I actually have the pencils and story done for a first issue, and the cover. I’m thinking of just making him a one-shot graphic novel. I also have a story written for a Batman graphic novel called Purgatory.

GoD: I’ve noticed that you do a lot of artwork and then post it for sale, but what percentage of your art is commissioned?

JM: I’d say about 30% is commissioned work. It’s funny because usually my commissioned pieces are the ones other people like the most.

GoD: The income from your art, is this just extra money for you or is it your main means of support?

JM: It’s extra money for the most part, a lot of it covers art supplies. But without it, we would be in trouble for sure! I would have been selling it long ago, but to be honest I didn’t think anyone would be interested in buying it.

GoD: You have a son that I know of, does he influence you in any way?

JM: Sometimes I get burnt out because I try and use all my extra time for art on the days I don’t spend with him. Then I start to think about his birthday, Christmas, vacations that we can have with the art profits and I get back to work. I’d like to think he’s had a much better life now with the art money coming in.

GoD: What is something unusual that has nothing to do with your artistry?

JM: I’m a music junkie, if I had to choose to keep art or music in the world, the Sistine Chapel would be burned, haha. My iPod has over 15,000 songs on it, that were all carefully selected. I was in a band in high school called 36DD, we won the talent show one year. I repair printers at my full time job and The Walking Dead, season 3 was filmed in my hometown where I stalked the set constantly.

Dedicated father and all around lucky dude (that Walking Dead comment has me green with envy). Justin is a very nice guy and does a great job when you ask him to create something for you. It was distinctly my pleasure to be able to give him a bit of coverage here. Check him and his art out on DeviantArt, Facebook, and Society6!

Links

Facebook: Justin13ArtComics
DeviantArt: justinart13
Society6: s1ngxthexs0rr0w

Commission Gallery (Click for larger view)