Artist Feature: Meet Justin McCafferty

This post contains affiliate links.

Who is this Justin guy?

So tell us a bit about yourself…

I am a man consisting of 23% unicorn glitter, 12% bacon fat, 34% pizza crust, and 45% pencil shavings. Is that even 100%? No matter…I’m an artist, not a freakin math wizard. I was born in the deepest, darkest region of the amazon under a banana tree… there was a full moon that night… actually, it was during the day, but I’m pretty sure I saw something. I performed a cesarean section myself, and popped out of the fresh wound wielding a bread stick in one hand, and a bacon-shaped broad sword in the other. From then, I was befriended by the local wolf pack and my training began… is what I would like to say.

The boring truth, is that I was born in a small-ish town of Fayetteville, GA which is about 30 minutes south of Atlanta (ATLiens, y’all). I’m still in Fayetteville, after a brief stint in Walking Dead country (Senoia, GA). I actually got to watch them film a little, I took my then six month old son on the set (don’t worry, there weren’t any zombies), and we actually had to leave because he started fussing… it was quite comical. I met some of the cast members, and had some interesting conversations with ‘Hershel’. I fix electronic equipment for businesses in my ‘normal human’ hours. printers, monitors, scanners, etc. So by all means, if you work in retail… please go easy on the equipment.

How did you get into the business of selling your artwork?

See, when I was a baby… a dark artist come into my home, killed my parents, and attempted to murder me. He failed, but left me with a pencil-shaped scar on my forehead. Ever since then, a piece of him remained in me… and I’ve been able to draw and paint since that young age, even though it’s taken many years to develop my skills. That, or I’ve just been drawing for years ever since I was little… Batman consists of 80% of my drawing before age 20. I still enjoy drawing him today, it’s nice to have a cape to cover up all the things you don’t feel like drawing. Batman doesn’t have pupils either, another reason I love drawing him.

There was a period of time where I didn’t draw anything for about ten years, or maybe one or two drawings here
and there. When I started posting on Instagram is when things really took off, I posted something and someone offered to buy it. My first though was ‘Why is this person joking with me about money…that’s not funny at all’. Then, when I actually had the money, my second thought was ‘I NEED TO DRAW MORE..A LOT MORE.’ This was when I only sold originals and no prints…so it was a lot more work and very little output.

Do you have a particular style that you like to stick to?

It all happens right before I put the pencil on the paper. I have a huge list of literally thousands of ideas on a notepad doc, and I message myself daily with ideas. I might think of something right before I get to work, or right before I pull out my pencil. Ironically, I hardly ever refer to my doc or messages. Mostly because when I message myself, it’s something like ‘Hocus Pocus, Sharpies, low self esteem or dude’. So now I’m faced with the task of deciphering which is a drawing idea, which is something I need to buy, and which is a joke.

People post and send me ideas all the time, but I rarely use them… I have a hard time drawing thing I have no connection to, or am not a big fan of (I’m talking to you Rocky Horror Picture Show people). this is why there’s about nine Labyrinth pieces.

I’ve used lots of mediums before, from watercolor, to acrylic paint, to dirt, coffee, grass and fake blood. Currently, my medium of choice is pencil and pen. In order to maximize output, I started drawing on my breaks at my normal nine to five job. I get there a little early and do one, on my first fifteen minute break, lunch, and my last break. This allows me to ‘complete’ about three or four drawings a day. After the initial pencil/pen drawing, I scan them in and eventually color and edit them. This allows me to change some things i”m not happy about, like an eye not being shaped like the other eye. I lay down a pencil sketch first to get down shapes and poses, then go over with a thick pen and then with a smaller pen, then erase the pencil and go over again with pencil for some more shading. I don’t know why I go over it again with pencil, but I think it gives it a nice finish.

Can customers order original prints?

I have a giant stack of original pieces just sitting, wasting away. I think most of them are posted on my Facebook for sale, and I also have probably five or six full sketchbooks full or drawings which I also sell. I’m not a big fan of keeping my art work… basically anything I’ve ever done can be finagled away from me with little resistance. The canvas paintings I do usually end up hanging on my wall until I get sick of looking at them.

Do you do commissioned work?

I do commissioned artwork where I can, and I don’t mind it. It takes a lot for me to sit down and focus on something that didn’t come from my brain, to be perfectly honest. I’d say it’s about a month or so from request, getting you on the list, to completion… not including edits for prints and other things. I try to do them quickly, I really do haha… and I can’t begin to express the appreciation I have for everyone and anyone that has ever commissioned me to do a piece of artwork. It really means a lot to me.

Oh, you want MORE?

I had a really difficult time narrowing down my favorites from Justin’s Etsy Shop, Ludwig Van Bacon. They are just all so freaking cute and my fandom love is quite broad. So here’s some of personal loves. I’m sure you’ll find many more if you just look around his shop for yourself.

More, More, More!

You can buy more than just prints of Justin’s drawings! You can get your faves on an array of products from t-shirts and hoodies, to shower curtains and pillows. Hell… just get it all. Decorate your whole house with it. Make your friends jealous.

What’s your favorite?

So check out all of Justin’s work if you haven’t already. You know you want to. Nay, you NEED to. And then tell me which one is your favorite! I’m personally really feeling the Labyrinth pieces.