Johnathan Jackson

Similar to the other volunteering events, I helped The Sid Foundation unload their TV, equipment, and any chairs that need to be put in place for other attendees. I also helped with putting some heavy comic book box collections that needed to be put to the side for more space on the table we were using. Unfortunately, not a lot of people showed up, so there wasn't many opportunities to volunteer this time. Nevertheless, I had a great time at the event and I receive some great feedback on my comic book that I have working on.

This time around, I had something to do before the workshop so I wasn't there for the first couple of minutes. However, I made sure to help pass around the workbooks and sketch cards that The Sid Foundation and Prime Vice Studios, LLC, another company associated with the event, passes around.

On top of this, we had a community member, Chad, that paid for the workshop and wanted to learn more about making comics and art. Even though PVS was his main source for learning, I still put myself forward and decided to chime in when the opportunity presented itself. I showed him my sketchbook and thumbnail drawings that we as sequential artists produce to help our initial ideation process before making a comic.

After the workshop, I helped to put up some chairs and the TV that PVS and The Sid Foundation uses to present their work and teach their workshops with. Like always, I had a great time and I was happy with how many people came to join us this time.

As a side note, both companies allowed me to present my own teaching lesson. I taught everyone at the workshop how to develop their own ideas and characters. I made sure to provide activities such as thinking about your favorite hobbies, colors, sports, and activities. This may seem simple but it's important because these are all things you have to put into your characters. From an animator's perspective, there is a lot you have to put into your characters and yes, it can be as deep and simple as just their favorite shoes or chore. Characters are human too, so we as artists have to treat them like so and think as much as possible.

This was another great volunteering event with The Sid Foundation, Inc where I had the opportunity of meeting a child, Matt. He was a nice and inspiring young boy that loves to draw comics and characters from series like Marvel. When he showed us one of the covers he made featuring Venom, I was amazed at how detailed and well done the drawing was. I also made sure to provide a little critique when he asked.

Other than that, I continued to engage with my community and fellow interns during the workshop. I always like to emphasize culture and it's impact now so I suggested looking into cultural identity to Julian. I wanted to further help her create a symbol and story that features something original to her and not something that copies off of others.

This time during the workshop another KSU Digital Animation student, Jilian Soble, helped me set up the chairs and move the comic book merchandise for extra room for participants. Jilian is very nice and was willing to ask a lot of questions in order to provide assistance and be as attentive as possible.

Then, as the workshop started, I talked about a recent experience where I received an award from KSU Career Planning and Development team for being an intern with the past year. This helped Professor Vahal and Perez know more about how much theur internship program and company is making an impact on the community. Lastly, I made sure to speak with them about my mini comic I have been working on so that I can publish it during my second internship with them. They liked the idea and are looking forward to seeing what I have in store in the future when the internship program starts. Yet again, I always love going to these workshops and it's a great way to reflect on life and my career path as I venture into such a stressful environment with animation.

I had a great time at the KSU Day of Service event at The Cherokee Garden. Angel did an excellent job leading the group and made sure to check on me frequently. My tasks were to shovel and transport mulch to different areas of the garden. I worked with Angel and his friends in a group which provided me with vaulable connections and communication skills such as guiding my peers to the right locations, learning about their culture, and speaking up with other volunteers to make sure the work process is efficient. It was honestly some good hard work as I chipped through a large pile of mulch, lifted it onto a wheelbarrow, and carefully transported it along different paths. It wasn't just Angel's group and I that worked well together but everyone as they helped us put the mulch in the right place while clearing a path for us to effectively place the mulch. They also checked to see if we needed a break since we were doing a lot of heavy lifting and pushing our way through the terrain. Overall, I had fun and would love to do another day of service with Kennesaw State University.

During my time at the event, I arrived earlier than usual and asked one of the employees if it was possible to set up before Professor Vahal arrived and started the event. I wanted to help take away any extra work needed while she and her associate, Professor Perez, set up themselves. However, I had to wait for them but once they did arrive, I made sure to actively engage in whatever task needed to be done. I plugged in a TV used as a visual form of teaching comics, helped to provide more space by lifting and organizing boxes filled with comic books, and made sure to set up chairs for attendees. I tried to help anyone new to creating characters by pitching in during the workshop and mentioning how important references are. This means using Pinterest, creating mood boards, and really getting a good visualization of the character before going through the struggle of writing down all the details. I also showcased my own characters to receive feedback on a short animated story I'm working on and to see if I was using my facial expression correctly. At the end of the event, I made sure to stay, put the boxes of comic books back on the tables, and check to see if Professor Vahal needed assistance. Yet again, this was a great event and I always love to go to the Comic Creation Workshops thanks to the welcoming community.

During my time at the Comic Creation Workshop, I helped Ananya set up tables, asked questions beneficial to new artists, and cleaned the space we worked at. I improved the experience for attendees by relinquishing my seating for others and asking the store managers for assistance when more chairs were needed especially in a limited space. As mentioned, I asked a question about the "180 degree rule" used in sequential art which helps in creating an easier flow for an artist's readers and audience. A KSU student had a question about how to deal with too much information and pacing. This gave me the idea to also mention this rule since it equally helps in the process for facilitated reading in comics. Lastly, I helped to clean and organize the space since the comic store needed their supplies to be put back up in response to allowing us the space for the event. Overall, this was another great event and I would love to continue helping the Sid Foundation Inc.

During my time with The Sid Foundation Inc., I was able to professionally collaborate with KSU professors Ananya Vahal and Carlos Perez about their cause for assisting lung transplant patients. Professor Vahal is also the owner of The Sid Foundation Inc. and the Lung Girl Comic series. The purpose of the event was to raise funds for lung transplant patients and to provide more effective research towards lung-related issues. My tasks were to help set up the event such as setting up chairs and organizing my work space on a table for comic book cover and sketch card commissions. This event was being live-streamed on the Whatnot streaming platform and I was faced with interacting with clients on the spot as an artist. Throughout the whole event I managed to produce three works of art featuring comic characters like Black Panther and Lung Girl's mascot who I was personally commissioned by professor Vahal. I received compensation for these works of art and gave part of it to the foundation to help. Overall, I will say this event was a success and I especially gained some real world experience for my career as a two-dimensional animator and comic book artist. I appreciate professor Vahal and Perez for providing me with such an opportunity and would encourage artists and anyone interested in social media or marketing.