Marc Johns @ Flickr

I just discovered this fellow through a bookmark over at vi.sualize.us. Interesting and nonsensical watercolors that work well enough by themselves, but when you add the captions he comes up for them, you can’t help but chortle.

Artwork by Marc Johns.

From his profile:

Marc Johns creates whimsical drawings filled with dry wit and humour. Whether it’s a man with branches growing out of his head that need pruning, or a pipe that’s trying to quit smoking, his characters are simply, sparsely drawn, yet speak volumes with just a few strokes of the pen. He’s been drawing since he was tiny. He’s not tiny anymore, but he’s not exactly big either. Marc is not sure why he’s talking about himself in the third person…

I generally aim to say as much as possible with as few elements as possible. My work often leans toward humour. Finding the humour in things often leads to finding the truth.

I like to create absurd situations, by combining things together that don’t belong, or imagine what inanimate objects would say if they could speak. For instance, the pen I am using to write this draft would probably say: “I’m tired. Can we stop for a bit?” Or perhaps it would say: “I can’t believe you’re making me write this. This is rubbish. Signing cheques would be more inspiring than this.” These are the things I think about. I think about alot of things. I think about thinking. Don’t try it though, it’s not worth it.

I use watercolours in ways you shouldn’t. I make my own sketchbooks. If I smoked, I’d roll my own. I’d rather draw than rent a movie. Don’t try to start a conversation with me about recent films. I haven’t seen any. I play the guitar. If I was a hobo, I’d learn to play the ukulele, because you could fit one in your duffle bag. My artwork and the materials I use are quite compact. You could fit my studio in a large suitcase. I hope you like my drawings, or at least some of them.

Pen

Study done of a tree, but I don’t like drawing leaves sometimes, so I draw cotton balls…

Pen

A quick self portrait drawing in the mirror without really looking down at the drawing.

Pen, Photoshop

Pencil

Nude study. The assignment was to emulate an artist, recreating one of their works as closely as possible. I chose Jeune femme assise by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon

Colored Pencil

Chalk

Color study done in a drawing class at UC, freshman year.

Colored Pencil, Pen

Part of a skull study time in my life. This one does not belong to humans.

Chalk

Cloth study done in a drawing class at UC, freshman year.

India Ink

India Ink

Colored Pencil

Tree studies done with different media and surfaces.