Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Hunt.
Hi Jon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My origin story will sound pretty familiar to fellow artists— As a kid, I copied my favorite comics and cartoon characters in pencil and crayon on the back of old letterhead my parents rescued from the trash at their jobs. Eventually, I graduated to watercolor and that horrible cheap tempera paint, and of course the endless supply of oil pastels given to me as birthday gifts by well-meaning relatives.
At one point, my uncle gave me his old set of oil paints and that’s when I began to feel like a Real Artist (although I didn’t own a beret until years later). When I got bored copying other people’s characters, I began to invent my own. I couldn’t draw hands so all of my characters had pockets, clenched fists, or magical blasts to obscure their fingers (I still fall back on these tricks in a pinch).
My senior year in High School, I got to visit the studio of a local illustrator and my life’s purpose became clear: I would avoid holding down a normal job as if my life depended on it! I would pursue illustration and experience the fulfilling life of austerity and unpredictability! I would stay up late drinking coffee and hanging out with the coolest freaks and art nerds!
After high school, I went on to earn a BFA in Illustration (in 1988 BC) from Paier College of Art in Connecticut and immediately started working for children’s book publishers Bradbury Press and Macmillan as well as small press horror magazines, gaming companies, and some part-time teaching at local colleges. I am pretty much doing the exact same thing 35 years later.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has my career been a smooth road? Allow me to tell this story as an allegory: When I was in elementary school, a friend and I ventured out into the woods. We followed an old set of railroad tracks into the wilderness. We pushed through brambles and clambered over broken trees. We kept our eyes open for black widow spiders.
Eventually, the tracks led into a small canyon that had been blasted through the bedrock. The canyon was officially known as Copperhead Canyon. It was at this moment, that we realized there was probably a very obvious reason why this was called COPPERHEAD CANYON. SNAKES! We decided to stop following the tracks and climb the canyon walls (about 30 or 40 feet high).
Of course, I fell. Luckily the decades of leaves piled up at the bottom of the rock face cushioned my fall and prevented me from breaking my back. It took us a while, but we managed to scramble to the top where we continued our journey. We got very lost. By the time we emerged from the woods on a familiar street, it was getting dark, and we were miles from home. But this was the eighties, so our parents had no idea what we had been doing all day and didn’t really care as long as we made it home alive with most of the blood still in our bodies.
This story from my childhood encapsulates my art journey: I had no idea what I was doing, how to do it, or how long it would take, and it was probably a stupid idea, to begin with, but I did it. I’m still doing it. And I still like getting lost in the woods.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In a very general sense, I would describe my artistic sensibilities and style as “realism” although I tend to gravitate toward fantastical subject matter. I work in watercolor, inks, and acrylics though most of my recent work consists of graphite pencil drawings which I scan and paint digitally.
As an illustrator and author, I have participated in many different types of creative projects. I wrote and illustrated children’s picturebooks many years ago, and since then I have illustrated horror, fantasy, and science fiction properties, and worked on collectible gaming cards and storyboards for films, training videos, and tv commercials.
My most recent large-scale project was published last year by Llewellyn Worldwide. It is a fully illustrated tarot deck and book set called The Trick or Treat Tarot. It was conceptualized and written by the amazing Barbara Moore and I contributed 78 full-color illustrations. The deck is super fun and explores traditional Halloween tropes and features a Norman Rockwell-esque take on characters in costume enjoying some good clean Samhain fun!
The imagery ranges from downright silly to creepy and everything in between and was a total blast to illustrate. In fact, I had so much fun working with Barbara that I pitched her a new idea that we are currently collaborating on tentatively named Tarot by Night. This deck features a culturally diverse range of characters and goth + alt culture imagery— and I am having even more fun on this one!
Here is a link to the Trick or Treat Tarot on Llewellyn’s site. It’s also available via Amazon or any bookstore https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738765105
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Work hard and play as hard as you work. Take your craft seriously but don’t be so serious. Work is important, but family and good friends are the foundation upon which any true success and happiness are built. Hang out with people younger than you. They know more than you think. Get out in the woods once in a while. Make friends with the neighborhood crows and raccoons.
Pricing:
- Illustration work priced per-project
- Prints available for $15-$30
- Original art prices on request
- Keyrings, pins + stickers are $5 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.huntillustration.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntillustration/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huntillustration/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntillustration/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3O3TDLPaftN3nXBpvakREw
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/creepyeepz
