Drawn in Black » Brush

Interview with Jonathan Bergeron aka Johnny Crap

Lee — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:54:03 +0000

"Balloon" by Johnny Crap

What’s your name?

Jonathan Bergeron

Where did you grow up?

Beloeil, a suburb of Montreal in Quebec.

Where do you live now?

Montreal.

How old are you?

ugh, 38

What is your educational background? What, if anything, did you study?

I am a self taught artist, who studied graffiti, punk/harcore album covers & skateboard deck art on his own time.

"BMX Viking" by Johnny Crap

How do you make a living?

It’s a 50/50 split between “Fine” art & band shirt designs.

How long have you been making art, and what role does that play in your life?

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember but I really fell into art when I started doing graffiti in the early 90′s. Around 95 I picked up the brushes when my mother gave me her set of oil paint.

I am now lucky enough to say that art is what I do, my personal escape & on top of it it’s my “Job”.

"Jackalope" - Johnny Crap

What does “art” mean to you?

That’s a tough one. Not sure how to answer that.

What role does drawing play in your work? Is it a means to an end, or an end in and of itself?

I love drawing, I even sometime prefer looking at drawings from other artists more than their paintings. I find that it gives you a better insight to their true personality.
& there is no end.

What would you consider your “style” of art to be, if you have one?

I would fall into the Pop-Surrealist category…

"Shreddin Zombie" - Johnny Crap

What’s your weapon of choice? What medium and drawing tool do you prefer to use?

For drawings, I always love pencil but most of my inking is done with a simple Pentel Pocket Brush pen. Rives paper is also a favourite.

Are there any people that influenced you that stand out? What current artists do you follow?

Todd Scorr, Robert Williams, Rick Griffin, Jim Phillips are old faves, and right now I really like Craola, Martin Wittfooth, Travis Louie & Viktor Safonkin’s artwork. I have a terrible memory of names, I could probably think of hundreds but can’t remember anything that isn’t an image. Haha.

What are you currently working on?

A couple of commissions, including a Mona Lisa/Calavera mash up for another artist as well as a couple of themed paintings for group shows at Gallery 1988.

"Sideshow Pigeon" - Johnny Crap

What would you tell aspiring artists?

To keep at it. Try to find their own thing & to push it. It’s not easy, lots of ups & down, especially if that’s all you do, but at the end it’s worth it because you do it for yourself by yourself.

What websites can we find you on?

You can purchase my work through Yves Laroche Gallery
I have a blog that has older stuff, johnnycrap.com & I maintain a TUMBLR site until my real site is ready: johnnycrap.tumblr.com

"Oldschool Line art" - Johnny Crap

Drawings and Tutorials by Brian Ewing

Lee — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:17:54 +0000

"Ms. February" Line Art by Brian Ewing

Man am I glad that I checked out Brian Ewing’s Flickr page. While there are plenty of sick drawings on his website and blog, the real action is on Flickr. Ewing is an illustrator who pumps out amazing illustrations for band T-Shirts, posters, magazines, skateboards, etc. For those of you who like the skull and, more broadly, tattoo aesthetic, you’ll get your fill here.

The real treasure trove, beyond the pictures themselves, are the tutorials and how-to’s that Ewing has put together on his Flickr account. Detailing every step of the way (minus colors) of how he’s arrived at some of his most memorable work, including, for example, the cover of I Want Your Skull #5, you get a really intimate look at the whole end-to-end creative process. There are lots of little tips that simple invaluable to the new artist – for example, don’t tape down your drawing but move it to preserve the motion of your hand and wrist. If you want to know how a professional does what he does, you simple must check these out.

Of course you’d also be doing Ewing a favor by buying some of his stuff. Really, you should.

3 more images below the jump.

IWYS Cover Inks by Brian Ewing

"Suicide Girls" Line Art by Brian Ewing

"High On Fire" by Brian Ewing

“Nurse Hypo” and Others by Phillip Jackson

Lee — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:47:24 +0000

Nurse Hypo by Phillip Jackson

Phillip Jackson, aka Jolly Jack, creator of the memorable “Sequential Art” and other online comic strips, has a great little sketchbook section to find a little inspiration. His drawings are fresh, sexy, and humerous – not a bad combination.

More below the jump.

Rain Rider by Phillip Jackson

Ribbon by Phillip Jackson

Panda Fishing by Phillip Jackson

Pilchard the Dragon by Phillip Jackson

Otis Sketch and Others from Chris Legaspi

Lee — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:37:36 +0000

Although his site seems to not have been updated recently (I could be wrong), you definitely need to check out the work of Chris Legaspi. Rarely do you find someone so diverse in talents: from fine art to cartoon, this guy has all styles on the lockdown. Definitely sick.

More below the fold.

Himba Tribeswoman

Spidergrunt

Workshop Drawing

Untitled (Head) by Sam Weber

Lee — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:48:31 +0000

I really respect artists who work in ink, it seems like such an unforgiving medium. Sam Weber has some great sketches and an impressive portfolio of illustrations, ranging from the visceral to the dark and unsettling.

Updated: For further review, see Charley Parker’s post on his blog linesandcolors.com.

Untitled (Young Girl) by Lotte Klaver

Lee — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:03:47 +0000

Another Dutch artist, Lotte Klaver, has a huge amount of great ink drawings which exhibit great dynamism. Related posts:Untitled (Figure with Worm Eyes) by Ken “Femme Poire” by Francois Dubeau Untitled (Head) by Sam Weber Related posts:

“Femme Poire” by Francois Dubeau

Lee — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:52:11 +0000

â€œFemme Poireâ€ by Francois Dubeau

Impressive display of how much emotion can be invoked with nothing but a few lines of ink. Reminds me vaguely of Japanese ink drawings.

By Francois Dubeau