Cave Johnson: “Black Mesa can eat my bankrupt--”

Without Cave Johnson there would be no Aperture Laboratories. Without Aperture Laboratories I would not have a theme to base my room on. I felt I should have something in the room as a reminder of where it all started, and what better way then a portrait of Cave Johnson!

Materials List

• A picture of Cave Johnson from the internet
• 16”x20” wood frame
• 1.25”x5” Name plate & engraving
• Someone who can paint

The Portrait
The Cave Johnson portrait I wanted for my room can be found in-game while you’re running around the offices. It has an older wood frame and looks like an oil painting which was done in the late 60s or early 70s. Thinkgeek.com had a product similar to what I was looking for, but it’s too small and I wanted something more unique then just a color printed image in a plastic frame.

Out of the many completely average talents I have, painting is not even close to being one of them. So how was a completely average guy like me with a completely average paycheck going to get a custom hand painted portrait of Cave Johnson by someone who actually can paint?? That’s right… TO THE INTERNET!!

Getting it painted
I did a little searching and found a guy who specializes in turning any photo into an original canvas oil painting, proving once again that if you need something done there is SOMEONE out there who can do it for you! At first he was assuming I wanted the picture re-mastered to something more photo-realistic, but I actually like the blotchy look of the original and requested him to keep that same look for the painting. Here is a shot of the paining about 60% done. (Update: I've gotten a handful of emails asking about the artist, however I have not yet received their permission to include their name or contact info on my site. I hope to give them credit soon and will update if/when I hear back from them)

Finishing Touches
The last 2 items I needed to complete this project were a frame and a name plate. I headed back to my local arts & crafts store and found a 16”x20” medium stain, wooden frame. As with my test chamber frame I picked up for my other project, I also got 70% off the cost of this one bringing the $60 frame to just under $20. Most oil paintings are not under glass, so I tossed that, wrapped the canvas around a sturdy piece of cardboard and taped down the edges before securing it inside the frame.

The second item I needed was a small nameplate for the bottom. I visited a trophy and engraving business a few minutes away from my home and had them engrave a 1.25”x5” brushed gold nameplate with the words “Cave Johnson – Science isn’t about why, it’s about why not!” on it for $10. I attached that to the frame when I got home, and my painting was complete!

Finished Project!
Even though this was a quick project, and I didn’t actually paint the thing myself, I’m really happy with the way it turned out and how it looks in the room. I think going with the original painting instead of a color print is a great touch and although I like all the stuff in the room, this is secretly my favourite… Shhh, don’t tell GLaDOS!

Total cost of the project: $105 + shipping for the canvas painting

Telnets