This week’s artist’s spotlight focuses on Johnny B Hazard, who describes his own style as “quite a mutt.”
The Artist’s Spotlight is a Hypable weekly feature that will focus on someone who has caught our attention for fandom-related art, whether it be drawings, songs, crafts, or more! Every week you can expect a new talented artist we think you should be aware of!
Hypable: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Johnny: I like turtles. I’m an artist, cartoonist, illustrator. I dabble in photography and videography and audio recording. I geek out on movies and stand up and sketch comedy. I like to be silly. I’m a dog person. Sometimes I let my beard & mustache grow quite long. Other times not.
What first interested you in art?
Coloring books, Saturday morning cartoons, and the paintings in my childhood home. There was always a huge stack of scratch paper my mom kept in a cabinet that I’d use for drawing. My best friend and I always spent a lot of time drawing when we weren’t playing with action figures, watching movies or generally finding ways to potentially injure ourselves. And I think my basic temperament predisposed me to art.
You have a lot of amazing superhero art! Which superheroes are your favorite to draw and why?
Thank you! I kinda stick to a select group for the most part. Hellboy, Batman, Wolverine are my favorites. They can all be drawn quite angularly which is fun for me. Lines and angles can really be fun to compose and execute. But they’ve also been drawn over the years in so many variations that I feel free to try out different approaches or styles with characters I’m already very familiar with.
What’s the biggest challenge you face when you create some of your work?
Demonic hordes; they’re terrifying… Finding the time can be tough… Keeping fear and doubt out of the process can be quite difficult. The goal for me when drawing or painting is to get into the right-brained zone where there is only the work happening and nothing else. No time, no self. It’s just the process. That’s when the work happens by itself. So no matter what the end goal may be, I’ve learned to clear out enough mental space so the work can happen. The flip side of that right-brain process is the planning process. Something I need to practice more is doing prep work: figuring out what story can be told with an image and what’s the best way to present that image. And again the challenge there is to work the equation diligently without too much second guessing or doubt.
“The goal for me when drawing or painting is to get into the right-brained zone where there is only the work happening and nothing else. No time, no self. It’s just the process. That’s when the work happens by itself.”
How do you go about picking your next subject for a piece of art?
I drive by bus stops and see if anybody wants a ride. I’m kidding. But really, I keep a list of ideas on my phone. Anytime I’m struck with an idea I’ll write it down. I try to be open to any serendipity or coincidences that might be going on around me. And I try to pay attention to what has heart and meaning to me. Then I’ll pull from that list when I sit down to sketch. The sketches I feel were successful can then become the basis for digital or traditional paintings.
What’s your favorite medium?
Miss Cleo… I really don’t have a favorite… A really smooth ballpoint pen is hard to beat. And acrylic paint is damn fun.
We met at Indy PopCon this year; what is it that you like about conventions?
It’s the only time when I get to see strangers’ reactions to my art in real time. Normally there is the veil of the internet between the audience and I. Conventions are a whole different experience. I also enjoy getting to meet other artists and seeing art I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I’ll get to talking with another artist and sometimes they’ll drop knowledge bombs on me or I’ll get to share whatever tips and tricks I use. That information exchange is very energizing. It’s a good opportunity to talk shop.
“Be present. Pay attention to what has meaning to you and honor it. Speak your truth with care and compassion. Don’t attach yourself to outcomes. And draw like the dickens.” |
Which artists have influenced your style?
So many it’s ridiculous. I have batches of favorite artists in multiple genres. Shel Silverstein, Edward Gorey, Robert Crumb, Al Hirschfeld, Ralph Steadman, Aubrey Beardsley, Sergio Aragones, George Herriman, Jim Davis, Bill Watterson, Gary Larsen, Eastman & Laird, Jim Aparo, Mike Mignola, Jim Lee, Bill Seinkiewicz, Rob Schrab, Joe Madureira, Adam Hughes, Drew Struzan, Alphonse Mucha, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Dali, Klee, Picasso… I have a very unclear view of my own style. It’s apparently quite a mutt.
What advice would you give to other artists?
Give up and follow other people’s dreams… But seriously, that’s a tough one. I’ll just share the advice that’s helped me. Be present. Pay attention to what has meaning to you and honor it. Speak your truth with care and compassion. Don’t attach yourself to outcomes. And draw like the dickens.
What’s your ultimate goal as an artist?
I’d like to do more sequential art, story based stuff, short comic strips… And I want to do more sets with a theme or topic, stuff like directors, actors, authors, inspirational figures. I currently have my 400 series; they’re pen & ink drawings that I start drawing with no clear idea of what the finished picture will look like. They’re my version of drawing mandalas. Each one is some sort of reflection of what my psychic state happens to be at that time. It’s basically me having a dream on paper and it’s sort of starting to tell a story. It’s called the 400 series because I intend to make 400 of them. I have 8 or so made. I might not ever get to 400. But it’s good to have goals that you may never reach.
“It’s good to have goals that you may never reach.”
If you want to look up any of Jonny’s work, you can find it on his website. He currently has a sale on all of his work!
If you want to follow Johnny on social media and chat to him, you can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube.
And if you ever see him at a convention, be sure to stop by and say hi!
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