Artist Inspirations

I thought it would be an interesting think to list my current favorite and most inspirational artists of this time. It would be interesting to look back in 5 years and see how that list changes. Anyways, here it goes.

Dead artists:
Frank Frazetta
John Singer Sargent
Manet
Rembrandt
N.C. Wyeth
Howard Pyle
Norman Rockwell
Alphonse Mucha  (not just his posters, but his painting are sweet!)


Alive:
Jeffrey Jones
Greg Manchess
James Gurney
Ashley Wood
Jon Foster
Peter de Seve
Mike Mignola
Brom
Ron Searle
Donato Giancola

Really, I have a ton of modern and living ones, So I'm Just going to list the big ones.

Also funny thing to note, 99% of these guys are tradtionional painters, or use traditional methods, oh, how the times have changed! I look back to my freshman year of college when I was sure I was going to be a digital artist forever. :P

Abraham Lincoln and Flats

Two comments:
Im trying to get into using alternative lighting styles, not just rembrant-esque 3/4 lighting. I love it so far.
And
I love flat brushes, all others do not give me the brushstokes I am looing for. (at least for me.)

Abraham Lincoln

~20 min study of bust.
Acrylic and Charcoal.

My Declaration of Independence

This is it. Here and now, I, Joshua David Johanson, born June 20, 1990, declare that I no longer will compare myself to other artists, constantly checking up on their lives, their accomplishments and artwork, and will focus more completely on my own work and studies.

Run on sentence or not, I mean it. I've found myself in a slump over the past two years, where I consistently find myself checking up on other artists, and not checking up on myself. I neglect my own work and study, and have paid dearly for it.

No Longer.

I dedicate this day and every day from now to working on my own artwork, and not keeping up with others. Sure, they may paint/draw/sketch/vector/see/make money better than me, but if I am completely focused on them, I will FOR SURE never get better, never succeed. In focusing on my own work, I know that with hard work, over time my skills will improve and I will get better. I declare my independence from others.

Now, onto better things than writing a blog post, I'm going to bed.

g'night

Acrylic sketches.

Doing some practice sketches with some acrylic. Really using these as experiments to loosen up, not worrying about ruining a painting, and such. I like the zombie apple one more than the snake thingy person.

Zombie Apple/Braiiiiiiiins

??

B-Town and Froud

Was at the library the other day and found Brian Froud's Goblins of the Labyrinth book. I loved his creature designs and imaginative qualities in his work, so I pulled out the sketchbook to do some pencil studies. Really fun stuff.

Also, im going to be in Bloomington helping a friend move in for the next 2 days! yay College life!

Summer Progress 2010

So, my summer was spent doing a lot of sketching and learning, as I had no job I took time to focus on my art. I feel like a really learned a lot and got to experiment with watercolor, but now am also really interested in focusing back onto my oils/acrylics. Major obsessions over Peter de Seve, Frazetta and Ashley Wood, Jeffrey Jones, Dean Cornwell, Greg Manchess and such this summer. Lots of my learning may not show in these sketches I've posted, but believe me, my understanding of art, and its creative process of creation has increased a thousand fold, along with my concept of brushwork and form. Thus, I leave you to look at my sketches of the summer. I selected only the ones I found fit to post,  and there is a huge manila folder full of them, so that that. Have a look and feel free to comment and Crit anything.

Watercolor portrait of man with horns.

Trollin'

Ink sketch of two charachters i've dreamed up. I like the other version I posted more.

First real ink/watercolor painting. really enjoyed working like this, though the line art isn't much to look at, the process of the piece was a lot of fun.

I like this version of the two far more. Ballpoint and watercolor.

Color comp for an illustration for a dreamed up story. Lots has changed since this sketch, but i  still really like it.

Watercolor orc. Based on a lego figurine at a friends apartment.

Man, I dont even know...

Watercolor/Acrylic blob turned into monster with a pencil and white paint.

Zombies
on a busride.

Falling figures, free form sketching on a bus.

One figure that im really proud of doig this summer. Painting is sloppy, but i looooved the sketch underneath.

watercolor portrait. no ref, just freesylin it baby!

Pencil face sketches while listening to interviews.

Cornwell Study in b/w acrylics.

Frazetta Study in Acrylic

Started messing with inking. Brush. Also, face studies in w/c.