Quentin Johnston - Paintings, Drawings and Sundry Affairs

Minotaur Sculpture

2011-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

A small bust of a minotaur, just for fun.

Origami

2011-11-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

Drawing of a pelvis

2011-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with red and white chalk on toned paper as a means to draw. Due to the grain of the pencil you can't really render very well so things become somewhat less academic but without resorting to a technique or deliberate style. It's more like the tighter paintings - tighter looking but not rendered.

Pepper mills

2011-07-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Some pepper mill designs for the heck of it.

Still life with feathers and knife

2011-07-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is a looser still life on rougher canvas using hog bristle brushes, as opposed to the tighter-looking ones of my last few posts.

Non academic skull sketch

2011-07-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Still Life with wooden clock

2011-06-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

Another "tighter" looking still-life but not rendered.

Theseus

2011-05-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Pen and ink illustration. Originally a brush illustration but I reworked it with pen and like the results better for textural effects and the spontaneity of approach. Hopefully the first of many.

A Tale of Two skulls

2011-04-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was prepping painting stuff and had other obligations this week so I did a little drawing of two skulls. Charcoal pencil, no stumping. It might seem I have a morbid fascination with skulls but it wasn't mean to be a "finished" drawing project per se but just a time filler and some practice drawing from life (or death, more appropriately). Skulls are just interesting to draw. Or then maybe they're my "Wilson", my made-up friend..

Head sculpture..

2011-04-18T17:41:00.001-07:00

After finishing up my hand study I had a little extra sculpey and I had done some doodles of some random character and so i decided to model it with the rest of my clay. Nothing fancy but I may do more (and most likely more complex ones) as it's a nice break from painting .

Garlic Ying Yang

2011-03-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Couldn't think of an appropriate name so I called what it represents, light on dark vs. dark on light, sort of a flip flop notan thingy, if you will.

Anyway, a very similar approach to "Remnants" (see previous post). A tighter looking painitng but not rendered per se. To me rendering is simply tight application without regard to the scale of the product. So I only render if it is appropriate for the scale but in other areas where i can simulate the texture or detail while maintaining this tighter look without noodling I will do so. So the red-purple fabric has a combination of larger soft brushes and some size 0's for the right texture but the garlic on the other hand was all painted with a pretty fat filbert bristle. Scale is more important than rendering.

For me at least..

I will update the photo when I can take a more professional photo but I wanted to share this now.

Anatomic Hand Sculpture

2011-02-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

I just got round to finishing an anatomical sculpture of the hand that I had started ages ago but only finished the bone structure. I needed to get some new sculpey and then tinker with it during the evenings. So now I have a nice 3-d hand reference. Plus it, it might serve as a halloween decoration..

Self portrait in sanguine

2010-12-05T12:08:00.001-08:00

I haven't worked with sanguine before so I wanted to experiment with it. It has a much rougher and crumbly feel than the charcoal or chalks I have used before which forced a different handling (to me at least). From life ..i.e. my mirrored self.

Remnants

2010-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

Not yet varnished, with some sinking in, so it's showing some unwanted suede effect right now. 9 by 12 " on wood panel.

Skull study

2010-09-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

A painting study of a coyote skull, an additive approach.

Charcoal skull and feathers

2010-09-13T22:05:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I drew in charcoal so I did this...trying out a new procedure explained by a great friend. It's quite small, 6 by 8 so the texture really shows when you get close on the photo..definitely better to see the real thing but hey, it's the internet..

Yerba Mate

2010-09-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I did a while back on pretty rough canvas. I like to drink mate.

Bargue 56

2010-03-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

Did this direct, i.e alla prima which I don't usually do but this one was relatively straightforward and not too large. Not all the shadows are actually that dark but the camera always seem to screw up the contrast issues..

Pear and eggs

2010-03-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

A still life I did a while back that was on the shelf drying...and yes the pear was really ripe...although the photo enhances that effect quite a bit

Bargue 55

2010-03-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'd been lagging on this one, but finally got round to wrapping it up...

Pointilism

2010-03-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

I painted this simple still-life with a pointilistic approach but kept the color a little more muted. It definitely makes the camera's work so much harder with all those dots..

Vase and garlic

2010-02-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

Yet another still-life, painted slightly looser with only bristles ...i.e. no monkeying...oo aahhh oooo aahhh :) The garlic was really fun to paint loosely!

Comics blog

2010-02-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

I do a lot of sketches and painting stuff on this blog (well maybe not a LOT) but I have ideas for other things and projects that clog my brain. Some of these are comics. I created a new blog (see my profile for the link) so I can unload my brain somewhere else..

Take a look at the first one..Idaho Gold and hopefully you'll enjoy it!

Plane ol' gouache.

2010-02-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Gouache quickies

2010-02-04T18:23:00.001-08:00

Some random gouache quick sketches

Misc gouache

2010-01-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

A few random gouache/watercolor sketches

Wine and bread

2010-01-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

An experiment with different oil mediums..photo is a little off with the flat and shiny spots causing all sorts of issues with the photo (not that the painting doesn't have issues of its own..)

RIP

2009-10-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

We lost a great friend this weekend..

This one goes out for the wooster.

Sometimes the little ones are the most amazing of all. I hope to live so strong as life as you.

Bargue 52

2009-10-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Why the long face?

2009-10-27T16:42:00.001-07:00

Probably the least fiddled sketch of myself. More deliberately painted than past ones . Also a different selection of colors but otherwise just another practice painting. Oh and I didn't smile cause it's cheesy ;)

Bargue Plate 51

2009-10-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm still using a roughish canvas but found a little better method with gradations. Although at this scale (no bigger than 9 by 12 inches) some things can't be "rendered" - unlike with pencil. But I like to use the plates to experiment with paint as well as just to draw.

A few more..

2009-10-12T15:46:00.001-07:00

More Payne thumbs

2009-10-12T15:45:00.001-07:00

Gray day eucs

2009-10-12T15:20:00.001-07:00

Short Landcsape sketch.

Edgar Payne thumbs

2009-10-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some gouache/watercolor sketches/comps of Edgar Payne paintings. Pretty small but fun to see his approach even if I have to take a different tack to painting them in gouache. It'd be nice to have the original oils to look at...

Bargue 49

2009-10-01T17:22:00.001-07:00

Took a slightly different approach to this one to play with some different materials/layering but it's still just a Bargue...

Blue and Orange

2009-09-29T14:42:00.001-07:00

Another practice still life painting in the vain of the past teapot one (earlier post). Pardon the blurry photo, the painting is very glossy (but not varnished) and hard to photograph. The candle is sculpted then painted.

Bargue 48

2009-09-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty rough canvas to be painting Bargue studies on, so things are grainier than I'd like but hey, it's all I had available.

Marsh

2009-09-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

A brushy landscape sketch of some marsh along the tracks...

Hillside sketch

2009-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just a hillside landscape sketch...

Busy hands...

2009-08-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

I'm busy working on some projects....

In the meanwhile, this is a hand bone sculpture I did...Now I need to fire it and do some more work, with muscles and tendons...when I get time...

Monochrome

2009-07-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

Found this sketch I did a while back, playing with black and white, kinda liked it.

Canyon sketch -limited palette

2009-06-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to see a family of foxes near this place. Given the constant cloud-on, cloud-off conditions I'm surprised I was able to get the lighting right. Nothing like practice.

Work in progress

2009-06-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

A still life I'm working on ..

Coulrophobic portrait

2009-06-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Not for the coulrophobic (fear of clowns)...I don't know what possessed me to paint a clown, I find them somewhat disturbing. It started as a joke but turned into a digital adventure. No symbolism or greater meaning intended, I just decided to explore photoshop with an imaginative-no ref portrait.

Zorn self port

2009-06-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Working on my oil handling, this time a self portrait with no blending and bristle brushes using a Zorn palette.

Brooding

2009-06-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yet another self-portrait from a little while ago , experimenting with oil...must have been moody this day...

Cornwell

2009-06-03T16:03:00.001-07:00

I did some sketch studies of Cornwell in oil just to work on handling. The photo is a little off but you get the idea.

Digital sketch

2009-06-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

An invented sketch playing/learning with photoshop. I may work on it some more but for now it is what it is..

Different style sketch

2009-04-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been working on writing a book so I haven't painted much just lately but I've been playing with a few non-solvent based oil mediums and stuff so I did this more subdued style with no brush strokes... Not the greatest composition ..but I learned a lot about these mediums.

No dogbones please :)

2009-03-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I did some real dogbone sketches with gouache so there are only 3 worth showing...ah the rollercoaster of learning...

Another random doodle

2009-03-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

This next made- up doodle has strong colors cause that's all I had left....it's Red Riding Hood :)

Random 1

2009-03-27T16:17:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I have leftover paint from other projects so instead of chucking it I use what's left and doodle something quickly with the colors I have left.

Continuation of gouache/watercolor landscapes

2009-03-13T16:39:00.001-07:00

Just some more sketches. I spend more time driving around looking for things to paint than painting.

More gouache landscapes

2009-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some more gouache/watercolor landscape sketches, driving around looking at interesting things

Graphic sketch

2009-03-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Another short sketch with chunky brushwork and more color ( it does make it hard to shoot though when all the brushstrokes are in every direction...)

Cup sketch

2009-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

I had a little leftover paint the other day and did this quick sketch..

Some oil hand sketches

2009-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

I didn't have easy lighting and I had to use my own hand (no photos- from life)...it was really difficult to paint one hand while using the other ..but it is what it is...

More fun ballpoint pen hands

2009-02-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

More illustrative self portrait

2009-02-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Another self-portrait done in a much more illustrative manner

Skintones

2009-02-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

I did this self-portait with a the bit more realism in mind, learnt alot..

Brangwyn rules

2009-02-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

I love Brangwyn - he had a great mix of structure and organic feel, very hard to copy for me but very inspiring...these are some oil sketches I made of his work

Some bodycolor sketches

2009-02-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

A sample of some outdoor sketches with watercolor and white gouache

Zorn hands

2009-02-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do this sort of stuff(i.e. copy other artists) but these hand studies were fun..

San Elijo lagoon

2009-02-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

A fuzzy oil painting of the local lagoon

Metal mickey..

2009-02-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

Another oil sketch trying to find how I like to paint - metals and enamel glaze in north light...metal is always fun;)

Hand doodles

2009-02-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

I like to doodle my hands in ballpoint pen, I try different ways depending on how I feel..

Bargue 42

2009-02-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

I've been chugging away at these for a while ( I mean Bargue plates in general), trying different materials and working procedures.

Just another oil sketch

2009-02-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

A small sketch.. I don't really care personally for that ultra soft fine art look but finding what I want is easier said than done..a bristle sketch

Ah..vanity

2009-02-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not vain but I'm the only model I have right now...I wish he was more cooperative...The likeness isn't great but it was fun knife sketch..

Major updates

2009-02-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Boy, time for a refresh....let's start with an oldy -Zorn palette self portrait (hey is that Vincent Price..?)

more new cam

2008-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've been really enjoying tooling around with all the manual controls and actually learning about all that stuff so the hummingbirds offer great practice...don't you stick your tongue out at me!

New camera

2008-09-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

So we just got a new camera and it's the first one I actually tried to read the manual but I've been tooling around with it and so far it's soooo much better than the old one...here is a shot of one of the local residents...enjoy. Sure it's not art per se but it's fun!

Bargue in progress

2008-09-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

so this latest one is just with black paint not white. It's a little more difficult not using thinner (I gave that up a while back) and using alkyd instead to thin the paint but it's healthier that way... and it's all just drawing...I don't have much more to do but I'll give a while (I'm out of town soon) and then I look at it when I get back...

Wily

2008-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's a long story of a found mouse whom we adopted, but here are some oil quicksketches...

Self Portait digital

2008-09-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

So I attempted my first self-portrait sketch from life (as I do all my sps) in digital. I was severely backlit which made it very difficult for me to say the least but I persevered and at least for this sketch I didn't have much to clean up afterwards... ah the joys of practice..

Bargue...

2008-09-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been also trying different methods out with my bargue studies this one being black and white paint rather than the usual umber..

more plein air sketching

2008-09-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

I went o a new place for me a while back and sweated in the shade...while I painted this in the sun..

All mixed up

2008-09-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

so I've been using self portrait sketches to mess around with different style/techniques or whatever you want to call it and this one although maybe not the most accurate drawing did have some fun palette knife/brush mix.. and the lighting is always different...

Self-portrait bristle flats only

2008-09-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

more sketching with flats and no blending

Flats..

2008-09-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've been tooling around with flats too and not blending so the following are some flats-sketches in oil. Skull in warm light

Forever and ever

2008-09-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a while and there's so much rubbish that I could post but I won't.. but here I'll post a few...starting with a landscape sketch I did a while ago...

I Ain't no Fechin

2008-03-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Did this self portrait, again from life, but with the knife...and a teeny bit of brush.
It's hard to shoot knife paintings 'cause of all the reflections..
The model was fidgety, too...

Self portrait sketch in oil

2008-03-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first self portrait in oil I've done. Did it from life (with the help of a mirror) .
Pardon the bad photo, my camera's grainy (but the painting IS loose and sketchy - about 2-3 hrs.

Bright, brights..and flats

2008-03-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Another oil sketch with brights and flats...trying to experiment

Portrait light effect

2008-03-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

without elaborating too much this is a study pushing the effect of the light through it's color. That part worked but as a painting...oh well...that's a different story

More cast but tighter finish

2008-03-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

took a little longer on this one, wet on dry so I could work on rendering...

Some cast sketching

2008-03-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Yet more outdoor sketching in oil

2008-03-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

A hot but weird hazy day at Pipes

Some brush plein air...

2008-03-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

I need to practice painting with a brush...not just a knife, this one is mostly brights

More bright sketches

2008-03-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Brights are fun but tricky 'cause the edge quality is harsh but it's all learning

Experiment with brights

2008-03-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with brights lately, quick metal study

It's been a while...since my last confession :)

2008-03-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Some palette knife plein air

Happy New Year from Encinitas

2007-12-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a plein-air knife study that was done just before xmas at Batiquitos Lagoon.
This was a gift with frame..

Golden horse

2007-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

An alla-prima study of a golden horse bookend...on panel. I tried to maintain a clean brushstroke manner, i.e. no render monkeying...

Bargue 30 phew

2007-12-08T11:45:00.001-08:00

this was the gnarliest so far

bargue 29

2007-12-08T11:44:00.001-08:00

Gray day haze

2007-11-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

It was a cool week of weather here in socal so I practiced some color study at the lagoon...with a knife...

Van oil brushy sketch

2007-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to start on my brushwork with color so I did this in workshop as a start...

Swamis more knife

2007-11-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Been busy, here's some more knifing..