Kat Johnston

Tag: drawing

  • Childhood trauma: the gift that keeps on giving.

    Kat Johnston Sketch: Dressing up for Halloween – its popular up to a certain age… goes out of fashion… then suddenly we all want to be kids again. Yay costumes!

    Thank you to all who responded to my survey! I’ll put together some results from that and post them either later today or tomorrow, to let you know how people answered. A couple did somewhat surprise me, but I’ll go into that later. If you missed responding and still want to do so, it can still be found here.

    Today’s piccie I think needs a little disclaimer. My mother never made me dress up for Halloween or, for that matter, any other happy holiday so far as I can recall. Unless you count Christmas and wearing a Christmas-print skirt that my grandmother made me, but there wasn’t really all that much arm-twisting going on there – it was rather cute after all.

    As for those parents who aspire to dress their children (even infants) in costumes for all occasions (who said that dressing a baby as a turkey for Thanksgiving isn’t just all in good fun?), luckily we have Martha Stewart and her guests showing us how. Luckily no real turkeys were hurt in the making of that clip, but I’m not sure I can say the same for the babies. The kicker? That clip is up on youtube and that kid will have to live with the fact that he’s the turkey-baby until the end of days. I bet that gets played at his 18th. Lucky boy.

    Onto other matters (I like costumes, by the way, so long as I get to pick them out), I am still typing on an ergonomic keyboard at the moment, because my darling husband upped and killed my most prized posession ever by spilling hot chocolate all over it a couple of weeks back. Squishy II was my most beloved keyboard and he ruthlessly murdered it. I have a feeling it was a sense of jealousy – he knows that in a fire I’d probably have saved it first… then come back for him and the cats. I’ve had to use this tragic ergonomic excuse for a keyboard thing for weeks. No offence to those who actually like using these things, but it is driving me insane *sigh*. Rest in peace, Squishy II.

  • The Unwise Owl: Escaped once more to grace my page.

    Kat Johnston Art - A book unwritten remains unread. It takes a pen to paper and a risk of failure to make those words take wing. How's that for a bit of philosophical mumbo-jumbo for you? The unwise owl gets a little sense, perhaps?

    Some may remember a previous post I did a little while back: The Unwise Owl, complete with a little story to tell his tale. A friend of mine liked the image rather much and I needed to draw something more substantial than a two minute sketch last night, so I took pen to paper in one of my sketchbooks; an ‘actual’ sketchbook, mind you, not a spiral-bound cheapie. It comes after this page in the same book, in case you were curious. I decided to give the unwise owl a second chance to redeem himself.

    If you click on the picture for today, it should link to a rather larger picture (800px wide rather than 500) because I just wasn’t happy leaving it so small. Generally it links to a 600px wide picture, so slightly larger, but I love the detailing in this one just so much that I had to share it properly. Lins and I have been talking about Atelodemiourgiopapyrophobia (a fear or phobia of messing up a perfectly nice piece of paper) a fair amount recently, as you can probably tell from my posting, since it has been mentioning it so often. So this seemed appropriate.

    A book unwritten remains unread. An artwork which stays in the imagination is only ever partially realized. It takes writing it down or roughing it out for things to truly take form. I can start drawing what is in my mind, but it isn’t until it gets to paper, canvas or whatever other medium I am using for it to really come to life. We all have a vision of perfection in our minds when it comes to what we do, but when it gets to the point of actually being realized, I think it is possible to stun even ourselves.

    I am with this image: I was a little concerned that I couldn’t do something to accentuate the owl properly whilst merging into another level of delicacy with the branches there, but to me, it works. The little books are flapping and floating, they’ve taken flight around him; perhaps he sits in awe of them. I don’t know why he isn’t flying with them… perhaps he is scared? Perhaps if he leaps from his branch he won’t float, but will fall? Who is to know. Perhaps I will write another ‘Unwise Owl’ story to accompany this picture later.

    I did slip up majorly once, although it probably doesn’t seem major to anyone else but me. As I drew my pen away from the page, I slipped and accidentally drew a line in the bottom right of the page. I turned it into the pen of the artist – what better way to transform those mistakes than to make them a part of the image? That’s all for today, hope you like it!

  • An update and some lunch.

    Kat Johnston Sketchbook - this guy is rather bubbley, isn't he? I wouldn't want his skin condition...Kat Johnston Sketchbook - this guy is rather bubbley, isn't he? I wouldn't want his skin condition...

    Its the second day in a row that I have posted after 3pm… I’m getting slack! I’m not even sure what this little guy is, but I have a feeling that he might be that little creature that sits in the back of the oven, waiting until you turn away to take a little nibble from the edge of a souffle and make it collapse, entirely ruining a perfect dessert.

    I’ve just gotten home from a delicious lunch of prawns, calamari, scallops, fish and Moreton Bay bug – which is not a real bug, mind you. Its a tasty little lobster, not a squidgey little insect, for those that are unfamiliar with them. It was followed by a most delicious cheese platter and afagato afterwards *sighs happily*. Tasty tasty! Anyhow, that is the reason that I am posting late today. No souffles at all. Have you noticed that restaurants don’t have these little mites? They turn out souffles perfect every time. I wonder if they have a special repellent for them… ‘Collapser-be-gone’.

    Ok, a little update: I’ve finally gotten around to getting the gallery up and running properly, though there is not a huge amount in there at this point. I have the progress shots of my ratties alongside some paintings and sculptural works I did a while back which I thought might be of interest. I may add an area in there for my favourite sketches when I have a chance also.

    I will be so happy when university is done for the semester and I do actually have time to paint again – I think that as soon as I have time once more that page will expand a lot more rapidly.

    I have also uploaded a more recent image of myself to the ‘About the Artist’ page, to reflect what I do actually currently look like. As I’ve said in a few posts previous, I’ve cropped my hair short and dyed it pink. I love it.

    Ok, that’s all for today. Keep an eye out for a very special post coming soon!

  • Henry is a blob. But don’t think that that keeps him down!

    Kat Johnston Sketchbook - He's Henry. He's smart. And he doesn't mind letting you know it too. Schemer, conniver and generally awsome blob, Henry just rocks.

    Schemer, conniver, all-around awesome blob. Henry truly does just rock. Just because he wasn’t exactly blessed with legs doesn’t mean he’s a step behind; nay, for someone that can’t even really walk (more of a wobble, really), he always seems to be a few steps ahead, if anything. Anyhow, Henry here is my little sketch-book picture for the day (as if you couldn’t already tell). I love him. He’s cunning.

    Just on a more personal note, my hair is back to being a nice shade of pink! Light pink, in case you were curious – the last colour was more of a hot reddish pink. Ohhh, it feels so good to have no regrowth again…

  • My Saving Grace.

    Kat Johnston Sketchbook - these sketches are odd, yet I am still fascinated with the characters they are creating... what is her story?

    Another ‘littlest sketch-book’ post, with another odd little creature coming forth from naught but a pair of eyes… I want to know what her story is. I haven’t quite been able to latch onto what it is yet… Neither do I understand her name of ‘My Saving Grace’, but the title floated down and settled upon her like a mantle before I had but a second’s say in her naming.

    But I suppose if this little sketch-book is going to contain creatures just drawn organically without a second thought, I had best respect that along with their own form, they may dictate their names without my interferance either. Its only a fair exchange for allowing me to capture them on the page, is it not? Well… I think so. Ok… I’m off to properly start the day. Hopefully there is enough time to scootch to the markets and buy the best hot chocolate in town before they shut up shop for the day.