Huck Finn / Chris Oatley's Artcast

I listen to a ton of podcasts. I have links for some of my favorite art related podcasts in the column to the right under "cool places". Art & Story, Escape from Illustration Island, Ninja Mountain, and Big Illustration Party Time are all great. I'm thankful for all the time and effort the hosts put into these shows. They are entertaining, informative, and inspiring and make the day job go a little faster and feel more productive.

Chris Oatley's Artcast is really great. He has a down-to-earth personality, and an inclusive, genuinely positive attitude. He is building a community of like-minded people through his blog, podcast, and other networking sites. About a month ago, he posted his first assignment.

The assignment consisted of designing a character that combined classic literature with horror. I had a lot of fun playing around with the concept, (I was close to settling on a vampire/Piggy from Lord of the Flies) when the combo of Gillman/Huckleberry Finn crossed my mind. Get it?It's an obvious pun, and I won't be surprised if other Huck Finns show up. (I am excited to see the rest of the submissions!) I wanted my design to have the look and feel of a classic 1950's era Looney Toon, which I think are some of the funniest cartoons of all time.

Part of the assignment was to call the listener line and leave a message about the piece, which I did. Dorkily. Oh well.