Sky Walker
Jakubowski's work "flies in concert with the clouds"

BY TOM MCLAUGHLIN

Not a big fan of comic books, Jakubowski often drew Star Wars characters, such as Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers.

Over the years, he was always considered the best artist in his class. That was, however, until his freshman year at Kean University. “When I got to college, everyone was either as good or better than me,” said Jakubowski. “It was the first time in my life that I realized that I had to start practicing and try to learn.”

For this reason, Jakubowski initially avoided art classes. Consequently, for his first two years at Kean, he considered himself more of a “drop-in,” occasionally popping into class just to take a test. That was, however, until one memorable day in professor Johann Jochnowitz’s art class. Jochnowitz had given the class the assignment of sketching an old Jewish fable. Jakubowski responded by scribbling something down five minutes before class began and lining it up alongside the other students’ artwork on the chalkboard ledge. “Everybody else’s was a little more professional,” Jakubowski conceded. “When he got to mine, he turned and asked, ‘Is this yours?’ When I said, ‘Yes,’ he laid into me. He told me not to waste his time and not to do it again. He told me that I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was, and that I needed to do something to improve myself. I was shocked. He then turned again, smiled, and told me to draw something better for next week.

“I was embarrassed. And I thought, ‘You know what? I embarrassed myself.’” Jochnowitz recalled the incident as well. “I unloaded on him,” said Jochnowitz. “I told him, if he’s going to be interested in the business of art and illustration, it’s not enough to have the talent; you need to have the focus. The artist can only make the difference. You can if you are willing to grow and change.

“And he did,” Jochnowitz added. “He grew, he changed, he worked and he focused. It’s not unusual for artists to have that one precise moment when they have to decide to rise to the challenge. But, when they do, the quality of their work flies in concert with the clouds.”

In the week following the incident, Jakubowski studied biblical artwork to observe the clothing, how faces were drawn and how people held themselves. Using examples from other works of art was just one of the many techniques Jochnowitz taught Jakubowski. The main skill Jochnowitz taught him, however, was the importance of maintaining a consistent work ethic. “He’s a great motivator,” said Jakubowski.

Jakubowski made his work more commercially viable a year after graduating from Kean with a fine arts degree. After trying unsuccessfully to get work doing covers or spot art — black and white illustrations that might appear on the inside of a book — he realized he needed to explore a new avenue if he were to make a living. He put his artwork on hold and taught himself computer art on an old Macintosh he bought from his neighbor for $100. “It ended up being very valuable,” said Jakubowski. “Instead of being a one-dimensional artist, now I’m two-dimensional. I can complete the artwork and put together the finished product.”

This represented quite a departure from Jakubowski’s attitude in high school, when he believed “computer art was only for anybody who can’t draw.” Now, Jakubowski considers the computer to be the ultimate tool. “I’ve done work where, if I’m pressed for time, I’ll do a quick sketch, scan it in and finish it in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator,” he said. “At the end, there is no hint of the original sketch.”

Those computer skills have paid off as Jakubowski is now the art director of book publishing for Troll Books in Mahwah, N.J. When he first arrived at Troll, Jakubowski did a lot of work on catalogues. Now, he produces numerous book covers, including one for Treasure Island. Staying true to what he learned at Kean, Jakubowski employs the use of artistic examples. When he can’t, he makes sure to create one himself. For the Treasure Island cover, he dressed like a pirate and took a picture of himself standing over a Jolly Roger.

In his current position, Jakubowski also reviews work samples from aspiring artists. “Sometimes you see three- or four-page color catalogues that look like they cost hundreds or thousands of dollars just to produce,” said Jakubowski. “Then you get work that looks like somebody made color copies at Kinko’s, where the color is off or fuzzy. If they just put a couple more bucks into it, then they would market themselves better.”

Though he has now fashioned a successful art career, Jakubowski still regularly goes back to Kean to show Jochnowitz his work. “It’s like he’s my Obi-Wan Kenobi,” said Jakubowski. “I especially like to show him paintings that are different from what I’ve done before. I bring it to him partly for approval, like a father figure.”

Jakubowski still gets a kick out of selling his works, no matter how much or how little the price tag is. “That is the nicest compliment, when someone wants to buy my work,” he said. “It’s not about the money, but that someone likes my work so much, they will spend their hard-earned cash and hang it in their house.”

Among Jakubowski’s ultimate goals is to be commissioned to do an official work for Lucasfilm Ltd., the company that created Star Wars. And when he isn’t setting his sights on a galaxy far, far away, he is aiming even higher. “I don’t know if it could ever happen, but I’d like to paint something for the vatican,” he said.