Johnny Yat-Kiu Chan, also known as “Thank Kiu Very Much” online, is a senior BFA illustration student here at SCAD Atlanta originally from Hong Kong. Chan’s special talent is creating humorous and offbeat illustrations that aim to bring out the best part of the works’ stories for viewers to enjoy and laugh along with. When asking Chan why he likes to do funny illustrations, he quotes Heath Ledger’s Joker, “Why so serious?”
Chan creates his illustrations using a well-known process in the comic world, which uses traditional ink and colors it digitally, but while most comic artists we see like to ink using clean lines which reproduce cel-shading, Chan tends to dilute the ink. to add a wider range of values to his work. His process is inspired by his upbringing, which led him to read comics and other graphic novels because he thinks it’s more accessible and digestible than traditional books.
Chan began illustrating with this question in mind, “what do horses do after a horse race?” His answer, “probably a hot bath.” We see two horses enjoying their separate baths while smoking cigars, presumably after a grueling race. Chan was aiming to highlight a possible human side of these animals, or in another perspective he offers, an animal side of a human?
Chan also created a 40th anniversary illustration “ET”. It was inspired by the original ET design, which is completely different from the cute and friendly ET design we all know and love. The piece was intended for a cover for MAD Magazine, an American humor magazine. The artwork featured its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, based on the original scene where the titular alien was found on earth.
Chan also created a fan variant cover for the infamous “Kick Ass” comic. Chan exemplified the violent nature of the comic, which is not usually shown in published comic book covers. Illustrating a decapitated head making a silly face as it gets ripped from its body, Chan decided to add additional blood splatters to create an even more dramatic and violent scene so that the “horror-comedy” genre be better represented.
It’s easy to see why so many people find joy in Chan’s entertaining illustrations. If you want to see more, you can check out his Instagram @thank.kiu.very.many