Brooke Pennington

Brooke Pennington | Fishing For Compliments | 2023

How did “The Good People” project start, and what inspired its name?

The Good People started when I was in high school during my time in quarantine. Mentally I wasn’t great and was confused about what I should pursue after graduating. I became more and more obsessed with creating again to feel happy and distract myself from my thoughts and worries, and started to consider it seriously for college. I used to want to be a scientist of some sort, imaging that now seriously makes me laugh. I watched many youtube videos of artists creating their own characters and I was inspired that they all had their own style of art and I craved that for myself. I didn’t know where to start in making my own so I looked at my favorite artist and art styles from people like Vexx, Gawx and other cartoons. I chose pieces I liked and changed them to fit what I had in mind. After making my first character, Jimmy, I felt a sense of attachment to it, like I just created a whole entity with a personality. (The eyes in my logo come from this character, also probably why I make so many things with eyeballs). I decided after that I wanted to create a whole world of characters and develop my own sense of style to be unique and more recognizable to me.

The name was developed on a napkin during my high school restaurant job when I was telling my friend about my desire to pursue art seriously. Since the ideas I had for my characters were slightly disturbing and unsettling I wanted the name to be slightly contradictory to what you see. The characters I draw may be fucked up in some way or another, wether they are trying to rip their own eye out, or they think the worms are controlling them, they are not bad people and don’t mean harm. They are actually good people and just want to be friends with everyone, they just don’t know any better.

Brooke Pennington | Jungle Madness | 2024

Your characters often seem unfazed by disturbing or surreal events. What message or emotion do you hope viewers take from this contrast?

I feel like I don’t often consciously think about what my art conveys. I enjoy when people tell me what they think about my art and the feeling or message they get from it. I do like when people say that it is odd and a bit unsettling because it is. But to me, the characters are comforting, I know they are good, and I hope viewers can feel or see that too. To me they are great people or things, even though they are a little fucked up, but who isn’t, really. They just want to be friends with everyone, as I like to say. Half the time when I make something or come up with an idea I don’t know what it means. I draw conclusions and thoughts after it’s done and then I notice things about what I’ve created, or when others tell what they think of the piece. I enjoy hearing everyone’s perspective on my art and what they experience when engaging with it.

I am the gateway between the distorted reality of what I create, and this world. That doesn’t mean others can’t get something from my characters. I like when other people interpret my art. I like hearing what others have to think. It builds a sort of understanding of who my characters are in this world, but ultimately they aren’t in this world, they are on their own. I take comfort in knowing they can never quite be described in just words.

Many of your pieces feature a blend of humor and discomfort. Why do you choose to explore this emotional duality?

Honestly I’m not sure why I originally decided to create my art in this manner. I don’t even like scary things and can barely sit through a horror movie. I don’t want to make my pieces too gruesome and scary, just a bit unsettling, to the point where it makes the viewer think about whether they are okay or not. I wanted the characters to be friendly and appealing, even though they are slightly disturbed. Perhaps to feel relatable, and affirm that it’s okay to feel certain ways in whatever situation or place you are at. I believe what I create is just patchworks from my brain, of the ways I think with anxiety, overthinking, nostalgia, things I find cool, and lots of other things that I can’t quite pin point. They tend to just come out that way because that’s what I think would look cool and weird. I like to think positively even though the world is shit sometimes, so I guess my drawings are also a reflection of that mindset I strive for.

Brooke Pennington | Tv Heads Corrupted | 2025

What role do intrusive thoughts and overthinking play in shaping your characters?

I’d say I’m a pretty avid overthinker which can lead to some pretty crazy intrusive thoughts, so I think they pour into my ideas for an art piece. I also tend to overthink my art and ideas but I think it makes it better. Kind of the opposite of what happens when I overthink in real life. I think my ideas get weirder, maybe more unsettling, the more I think about them, every scenario they could be in, or what they could possibly be doing. Maybe that’s just having an avid imagination, I don’t know. I think overthinking/obsessive thinking is a positive thing when it comes to my art. It allows for a positive outlet for the intrusiveness of my thoughts. I think my ideas come at the most random of times and often by accident. I may have seen something and that sparks a random idea and it starts to snowball from there. Or if I’m talking with someone about something I’ll get an idea in the middle of a conversation because they might have said something to spark an idea and then my mind starts the spiral. I feel it’s hard for me to describe my art and say why I did something the way I did. But hey, I’m not a writer or a talker, this is why I create with my hands.

Brooke Pennington | Don’T Trust The Worms | 2024

Can you walk us through your process of taking a character from a sketch to a 3D object or sculpture?

When I create 3D objects or sculptures I tend to pick a character I have drawn, or part of one to make. After choosing what I want to create I’ll do rough sketches of the design in different angles and multiple iterations. I then move onto a 3D modeling software like Rhino or ZBrush. I digitally sculpt my idea in these programs based on references (either drawings, or 3D scans I took) or starting with a basic shape and modeling from there- this depends on what I am designing. After creating the model I then use different fabrication techniques to bring the piece to real life. This can be through a combination of 3D printing, CNC milling, or laser cutting. Then the stage of post processing happens through many different methods depending on the desired results of the piece such as, sanding, gluing, filling, priming, assembly etc. After that I do the finishing of the piece, this can polishing, painting, adding extra details like lights, wires, clear nail polish, laser cut acrylic etc

Brooke Pennington | Brooke Pennignton Tv Head Guy | 2025

Which medium do you feel most connected to—drawing, printing, sculpture, or digital modeling?

It’s hard to pick a medium I’m most connected to because I like experimenting with everything. I like testing and exploring so many different mediums because one, I want to learn everything I can to grow my skillset, and two, I enjoy seeing my designs in different materials, textures, colors, and dimensions. With that being said though, I think I like to see them most going from the 2 dimensional world to the third dimension. I love working with hands and being able to feel like I built something and put in a lot of work. Through obtaining my degree I fell in love with digital design and fabrication. Starting with an idea on paper, digitally creating that idea and figuring out the best course for actually making this “thing” to then actually fabricating the creation. The satisfaction I feel when it’s all done really pushes me to keep going.

Are there any artists or creators that have particularly influenced your aesthetic or worldview?

Artist like Vexx, Gawx, Alex Pardee, and Audrey Montoya, and brands like Ripndip, Killeracid, Santacruz, Toy Machine, Garbage Pail Kids, and other skate brands, I tend to find inspiration from whether it’s their designs or aesthetic. I would like to consider my art one day as a skate/street brand.