Inked Magazine article


(Click image to enlarge)

Inked Magazine has a full page article about my work in their November issue.

Now before you say "but Marc, you're not a tattoo artist!", to which I would say you're absolutely right, the magazine often features a variety of artists and designers from different genres. Which makes sense, because people who are interested in tattoos are going to be interested in art. 

On a related note (and I did mention this to the interviewer), I don't have any tattoos myself. I don't think I could ever commit to a specific image to be on my skin for life. I'm too afraid that I'd get sick of it and want to change it, because I feel like I'm always changing. But I guess that for some people, a tattoo is like a souvenir, a reminder of a certain period in one's life. So that as you evolve as a person and move through life, you'll always have a reminder on your skin of a certain time and place that was significant.

Thanks for the great feature, Inked Magazine & Kara Pound!

(Related: tattoos based on my drawings)

You Are So Loved - from Chronicle Books

You Are So Loved is a new book from Chronicle Books with four of my drawings in it. It is a follow-up to the very successful Everything Is Going To Be OK, which also included my artwork (and which I've blogged about).

I'm on the first page!

It's a book full of illustrated positivity. There are loads of amazing artists, including many friends and heroes: Jen Collins, Lisa Congdon, Gemma Correll, Will Bryant, Jessica Hische, Dallas Clayton, Julia Rothman and many more creative heavyweights contribute to this collection.

Buy the book here: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Book Depository

a drawing (poem?) in Portuguese children's book

I did this drawing a long time ago (you can get a signed print) ...

Which is now in this terrific poetry book for children:

My 'drawing' (poem?) is translated into Portuguese. Here's what it looks like in the book:

 I'm going to add 'poet' to my job title now. (Nothing says high-roller like 'artist/poet'.)

The illustrations in the book are fantastic. They're all by Serge Bloch.
Here's a spread for a poem by Edward Lear, one of my favourite nonsense poets:

Here's a spread for one by Spike Milligan:

There's also poems by Shel Silverstein (another favourite of mine), Laura Elizabeth Richards, Eduardo Polo and many more. I am incredibly, over-the-moon honoured to be in such amazing company.

Here's an excerpt of the book:

The book is published by Bruaa.

featured in OK Periodicals magazine

One of my drawings is featured in the latest issue of OK Periodicals, an independent art and culture magazine published in the Netherlands by design studio OK Parking. The theme of the issue (#7) is "Thriller", and only 500 copies are printed.

(See the original I'm sure they will fear me drawing)

Here's what the rest of the magazine looks like:

There's even a little a little electronic gizmo that plays an amusing, lo-fi version of Michael Jackson's Thriller when you open up the magazine on that particular page. It made me jump when I first cracked it open! Here it is:

Thanks for including me in this amazing publication, OK Parking!

If I was a logo

(See a larger image)

Ages and ages ago I was asked by Ethan Bodnar to tackle a creative challenge for a book he was putting together for HOW Books. (This was about 3 years ago, and I really don't know why I haven't blogged about this sooner.) He approached a big list of creative folks, and essentially asked each one to create something in a medium that was not their specialty. A photographer was asked to create a poster, a typographer was to create a comic strip, an illustrator was to photograph a stranger, and so on.

I was asked to create a brand. So, after hours of dreaming up silly fake companies and products, none of which were terribly original or interesting, I decided to brand myself. A great deal of my work is about identity, so it suited me. So what would my logo be? My brand guidelines? And most importantly, what awful product extensions (e.g. Frida Kahlo socks) and collaborations would I get into as my career headed toward excess? The above image was my answer.

It's good to poke fun of one's self.

Here's my spread in the book:

The cover of Creative Gab Bag:

The book is terrific, by the way. It's filled with many of my friends and heroes, such as Paul Octavious, Frank Chimero, Aaron Draplin, Mike Perry, John Martz, Chris Glass, Alex Ostrowski, Will Bryant, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Debbie Millman, Paul Sahre, Michael Surtees, and many more. Check it out.

drawings in Hollands Diep magazine - May 2011 issue

I did another commission for Hollands Diep, the ambitious and wonderfully designed arts and culture magazine from the Netherlands.

Clockwise from top left: cover; spot drawing in the table of contents; full spread.

The article was about a Mao-themed restaurant:

I don't usually draw or paint actual people, but I felt I needed to include a recognizable image of the iconic Mao for this. I found one of the more well-known images of the controversial Chinese leader (similar to the one Andy Warhol used), manipulated it in Photoshop until all colour was removed and all that was left were black and white areas, printed it out, traced the outlines on watercolour paper and got to work with a brush. See my painting of Mao uncropped.

Everything is going to be OK - from Chronicle Books

Everything Is Going To Be OK is a new, lovely little hardcover book out from Chronicle Books, and I am thrilled to have a post-it note drawing in it.

It's a book full of positive, inspirational messages, all presented in a fun and fresh way.

Here's my piece - I'm on the last page:

The best part is being in the same book as some wonderful creative people, such as Austin Kleon, Marian Bantjes, Anthony Burrill, Clifton Burt, Mike Perry, and a whole bunch of others.

From Chronicle Books' description:

A little inspiration goes a long way. It's the end of the naughties, and things are starting to look up: cropping up everywhere are messages of sincerity, optimism, and hope, and the good cheer has spread to the world of art and design. This pocket-sized volume is filled with artwork bearing mottos of encouragement and affirmation. Featuring work from a diverse roster of indie artists, designers, and crafters—including beloved figures such as Mike Perry, Marian Bantjes, Marc Johns, Enormous Champion, and Yee-Haw Industries, as well as a host of emerging new talents—this hip take on the classic cheer-you-up gift book is the perfect visual treat for anyone whose spirits need a little lift from time to time.

Buy the book:
Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indie Bound

Paper towel drawing in Rainn Wilson's new book

One of my paper towel drawings is in Rainn Wilson's new book, Soul Pancake.

Based on the website SoulPancake.com, the book explores philosophy, creativity, spirituality, love, truth, science, and much more with big questions, intriguing challenges, and loads of art. Here's my page:

Check it out: Rainn signed my book!

Here's a larger image of the paper towel drawing:

More paper towel drawings here.

I'm sure most of you know who Rainn Wilson is, but in case you don't (I know that lots of you are outside North America) he's the actor who plays Dwight on NBC's show The Office, among other things. He was terrific as the convenience store clerk in the movie Juno.