SMETHPORT — Now working from her family home in Hazel Hurst, Samantha Johnson has achieved considerable success in the competitive world of graphic art and illustration that in addition to illustrating talent also demands creativity, motivation, determination, persistence, preparation and even marketing skills.

As a freelancer, Johnson enjoys being her own boss and having the flexibility of setting her schedule since she is self-employed and not necessarily responsible to a certain employer for a long term.

Johnson graduated from Smethport Area High School in 2002. She decided on freelance work in 2006 after graduating with honors from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where she majored in graphic design with an illustration-heavy curriculum.

While Johnson markets herself as a freelance illustrator, she nevertheless incorporates both graphic art and illustration in her work. She has stopped marketing her designer skills to the public in order to focus on illustration.

“This was always the plan, though the plan involved landing a sweet graphic design gig to pay my bills until I made a successful career out of my illustrations,” said Johnson.

While being somewhat disappointed this plan never happened, Johnson nevertheless, is grateful because she might have settled for the design side of the business out of a desire for financial stability instead of pursuing her dream as an illustrator. She said, “While I garner a sense of satisfaction, from perfectly kerned typography and lining up a page layout with absolute precision, my heart is still in the drawing.”

Currently, Johnson’s work is divided about equally between private commissions and contract work, which always comes with deadlines that take priority. Johnson said, “I have a commission list to fill in the gaps between my contract projects, however, I’m not currently accepting new commissions as I have a full schedule through the fall of 2017.”

Johnson’s latest project is “Quest,” which is a contracted work that is a part of Blue Star Premier’s Master Collection of coloring books for adults.

No longer are coloring books strictly for children. Lately, adult coloring books have enjoyed tremendous popularity and moved to top ten best sellers since they are relaxing, and relieve stress and anxiety, offer therapeutic exercise, provide escape from ever-encroaching technology and can even be an alternative to meditation.

“My publisher said this is my own project,” Johnson said. “We want to work with you, and this publication is entirely yours.”

The books in this series boast a beautifully embossed satin touch cover, and a high quality heavy weight paper for coloring with colored pencils and even watercolors. “Quest” is both a coloring book as well as a wordless narrative, something new to the coloring book scene.

It tells the story of a little faun and her epic adventures to rescue the love of her life. Unlike many adult coloring books marketed currently, this book has 40 complete illustrations that range from easy to expert in coloring difficulty. “Quest” also contains a few of Johnson’s watercolors and four additional spread fold out pages.

For the past several years, Johnson’s main focus has been on trading cards and sketch cards, those cards that are about 2.5″ x 3.5″ n black and white or color that have been inserted in packs of trading cards since the 1990s.

Since August 2011, Johnson has been working as a contract artist for 5FINITY Productions, Perna Studios, Cryptozoic Entertainment, Breygent and many more, creating the original artwork for printed trading cards and the sketch cards.

While some of the companies create card sets that are strictly unlicensed themes, like fairy tales, Halloween monsters and mythology, most sketch cards are based on a specific theme, be it a movie, comic or TV series.

Through these sketch cards, Johnson has worked on licenses like DC Comics, King Kong, Ghostbusters, Red Sonja, Vamprella and Lady Death, among others.

Johnson is now part of the Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music to Cure Cancer project. In alternate years, Jim Semonik, a music promoter and a dear friend from the Pittsburgh area, puts out a new volume in this continuing saga of industrial music albums. according to Johnson, “I team up with fellow illustrator, Jeff Confer, to create the artwork for the album, packaging design, promotional materials and t-shirts.”

Bands worldwide submit tracks to the compilation, which is produced and distributed through Metropolis Records and Distortion Productions. All profits are donated to chosen cancer research and support charities. The project began in 2009 when Semonik was battling cancer. He is a survivor, and Volume IV was released this year.

Right now, Johnson has a stack of private commissions to do, mostly sketch cards and a series of 13 x 7 deadly and/or heroic pinups of DC Comics and Marvel ladies.

Beginning in the spring, Johnson will be illustrating the covers of the first three books in the Fae War Chronicles by Jocelyn Fox. “I’m really excited about this project in particular,” she stated. “One of my biggest inspirations to draw as a kid was my love for fantasy and sci-fi novels. I always wanted to draw the images I saw in my head, and now I’m getting paid to do it!”

Besides these projects, Johnson’s works also include brochures, tattoos, trading cards, stationery, promotional materials, business cards, post cards, web designs, buttons and character concept art buttons.

She now offers jewelry that features a tiny art print adhered to glass and set in rings and pendants.

Johnson explained the roles of creativity, research and electronic media in her work.

“Creativity is everything,” she noted. “My strongest projects are the ones that give me free rein to draw whatever I want. Creating words and characters and telling their entire story with a single image is what it’s all about for me.

“Of course, art based on already existing characters needs a lot of imagination, too. I won’t redraw a scene after another artist has done it. I have to draw it differently, see it from a new angle, find a composition no one else has found before. It’s an unending challenge I give myself.”

Research, Johnson said, is constant and probably consumes about a third of her working hours. With every new project comes the need to find reference photos for characters, costumes, poses, texture, lighting and general anatomy. She said, “I must say the internet is a beautiful thing when it comes to getting my research in order!”

As for her electronic creative station, it consists of a MacBook, digital drawing pad, light pad, scanner and a wide format printer. Pencil and watercolors are her go-to mediums, but since she is a multimedia artist, she works both as a traditional and digital painter, often using all these tools for one project. She explained, “This set-up allows me to create my own fine art prints in house too, as well as make proofs to color check my art before it is sent out for publication.”

This makes her a one woman art-director-design team-production-coordinator.

Prior to returning to McKean County, Johnson worked for in the graphics department at Matthews Bronze International in Pittsburgh for two years.

While residing in Huntsville, Ala., she worked in retail part-time, which allowed her to devote more time to her art work. As a bonus, the store where she worked had a café and gallery where local artists’ work was displayed. The store management not only filled their entire café for almost a year with Johnson’s art, but also helped her host several successful Meet and Greet events.

Looking back on her career, Johnson said, “The road has been difficult and there will always be pitfalls. Yet persistence pays off. Each year has been more successful than the last. Each day brings me closer to achieving my dreams as an illustrator.”