User:JessicaLatham97/sandbox/Marc Johns

Marc Johns is an internationally acclaimed artist and illustrator based in Victoria, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Fine Art. After graduating University, Johns worked as a freelance graphic designer, doing his own drawings on the side and sharing them online. His illustrative work is whimsical and filled with dry wit and humour. He’s particularly well known for his doodles on post-it notes which he started creating when he worked in an office as an in-house graphic designer. He found himself gravitating toward the office supplies closet, where he used a stack of Post-it notes and highlighters to make simple drawings. This small format was perfect for making a simple creation in a short amount of time, such as a lunch break. On screen they appear well as they end up being about life size. Johns states that “He's been drawing since he was tiny. He's not tiny anymore, but he's not exactly big either.”

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Fine Art, Johns found his own style later on in his life. He participated in group shows and has shared his work online since 2006; he is now making art full-time. He set up an online shop (http://shop.marcjohns.com) which made purchasing his art more accessible. His prints and drawings have been sold to people all over the world. It is known that Johns sometimes writes a little note or does a little drawing in every package he sends out.

Marc Johns aim when creating his watercolour illustrations is to say as much as possible with as few elements as possible. He likes to create absurd situations, by combining things together that don’t belong, or imagine what inanimate objects would say if they could speak. He bases his drawings on the idea that the world we have created as human species is a tad absurd. His drawings are often about navigating contemporary life. Johns always carries a notepad and records the ideas in his head. “Whenever I hear or see something interesting or odd, whether it’s a snippet of conversation in the coffee shop or some graphics on a gig poster when I’m downtown, I’ll jot down little notes,” he says. “Most of the time, they’re just half-ideas, little bits, and I’ll go back later that day or years later to that notebook and I’ll piece together an idea for a drawing from that.” These ideas, in turn, become the images he sketches. “I've been drawing in my current style for almost 10 years and trying to figure out the world through my drawings,” he says, “but after all this time it still doesn't make much sense – it's still a mystery.” Marc Johns has participated in many exhibitions around the world. Marc Johns has contributed some of his drawings to an exhibition with the theme of “Manager”. He created 20 post-it note drawings which are now on view at the Vögele Kultur Zentrum in Zurich. He is one of twenty contributors and the exhibition is called Wir Manager!, which looks at the phenomenon of the Manager, covering everything from business heroes and corrupt executives to middle management drudgery. Johns was also part of the ‘A Perfect Day’ exhibition in Amsterdam, which opened on February 10th till February 24th 2012. 22 of his post-it note drawings where exhibited at Westergasfabriek. On November the 1st 2012, Marc Johns participated in the submiT Vancouver event. submiT showcases local artists on limited edition t-shirts at a one-night-only event held at the Roundhouse Community Centre and 100% of the proceeds go to imagine1day, which is a global charitable organisation committed to ensuring that every child in Ethiopia receives a quality education. He took part in an exhibition called 100 Houses on November 16th till November 30th in 2012, which was held at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory in the UK. This exhibition entails 100 artists drawing/painting/doodling an image of a “house” and was in support of the housing and homelessness charity shelter.

Marc Johns has released three books: I Made These Drawings For You, Serious Drawings and The Daily Artist. These books welcome you to the world of Marc Johns, where you will find ice cream cones shaped like lightning bolts, hardcore mittens, objects reading books, giant yeti gloves, a rectangular bird who knew only one word, philosophically inquisitive gym socks and many more things that will amuse, entertain and intrigue you.

John’s work has since appeared in major publications. In March 2015 Johns’ fist bump illustration was featured in the National Geographic magazine. This illustration was used to inform people about how you transfer 90% fewer germs to another person with a fist bump compared to a handshake. In August 2009 Johns’ created an editorial illustration for an article about an eco-friendly restaurant. He has also created work for Wired magazine, Harper Collins, Vogue, Google and his post-it drawings have been used on Tommy Hilfiger T-shirts.