Brigid Coleman’s love of vintage scary movies can be seen in her Halloween-themed art: sketchy characters doing seemingly mundane things. A playful, ominous macabre runs through her work here. It’s a mix of commissioned work, Halloween musings, and one drawn from her experience working as an undergrad in a fast food joint. The recent Illustration grad works as freelance illustrator and art instructor at Ashcan Studio.
“I love old scary movies,” says Coleman, “so when coming up with these small Halloween illustrations, I knew right away I wanted to incorporate ‘The Invisible Man.’ I wanted to show him in a more modern setting to contrast against the original 1933 film.”
“’Jennifer’s Body,’ the 2009 horror-comedy, was the first horror movie I ever saw in a movie theater. I wanted to do an illustration that conveys how nonchalant and ruthless Jennifer is!” says Coleman.
“‘The Pumpkin King’ is inspired by the classic story of Jack,” says Coleman. “I drew him as a teenager growing after 2000. It’s why I included Y2K fashion choices such as the blue flame shirt and baggy shorts.”
“This was an album cover commission I did for Indie musician “K8.” She told me that she just wanted something with paper airplanes. When listening to her album I was reminded of high school, which is why portrayed the singer in space sitting at a school desk throwing airplanes while they wrapped around her,” says Coleman.
“This was a project for Prof. Hyesu Lee’s class,” says Coleman. “I made the illustration toward the end of 2020 when I was working nights at a fast food job. Everyone who came in seemed to look distraught, only to show some sense of joy when they received their food! I liked to think that coming together for cheap food made things feel normal again. I felt good to be a part of that normalcy, even if it was just by serving cheap food.”
It paid off artistically. “My experience as an Illustration major was amazing,” says Coleman. “I met some of my closest friends at FIT. My favorite professors were Hyesu Lee and Janis Salek. They encouraged us to think conceptually when developing illustrations.”
To see more of Brigid Coleman’s work follow her on Instagram: @colemanbrigidart.