The Fantasy Art of Howard David Johnson; Welcome to our gallery of  realistic illustrations depicting fantastic creatures, dragons, heroes, beautiful maidens, mermaids and fairies, gods and monsters all in a style inspired by classic illustrators. Where Fantasy waxes Surreal as the monsters, wild beasts, fearless heroes, and insanely gorgeous femme fatales shackled deep in his subconscious mind run free in the worlds of his Fantasy Art.

  Have you ever seen a deluxe edition on Art History with a chapter devoted to Fantasy Art? In all my decades of research, I haven't. This is largely due to two reasons. The First would be that the fantasy genre as we now know it today is a very recent development, arguably from the time of World War Two with J. R. R. Tolkien or the War of 1812 with Mary Shelley. It's predecessors had a noble history reaching back to mankind's earliest origins.
     As science took the fear of the unknown out of the shadows in the woods what had been widely believed to be true became superstition, myth, and folklore but the love of these kinds of incredible stories did not diminish.  Fantasy Art as we know it today is a genre of art that employs fantastic, magical or super natural themes, ideas, creatures and settings. To better understand it let's explore the genre of fantasy itself:  Stories of the supernatural and the fantastic have been a large part of literature from pre-historic times.
     What makes the modern genre different from traditional tales is the openly fictitious and make-believe nature of the fantastic elements, rather than believing they are real because of faith in old religions or superstitions. When people actually believed in pantheons of gods and monsters like the Olympians or Celtic superstitions they did not call it fantasy.

   As time went by and science became more influential, works were created in which the fantastic or supernatural elements were not to be believed ~ or only half-believed. These evolved into what we now call the Fantasy genres of art and literature. Below are examples of Folklore turned Fantasy~ See extensive illustration of Arthurian Legend and Greek Mythology in their own galleries. Links to all the galleries follow the Fantasy Art exhibit.

"The Defenders of the Faith" [MMXI Mixed Media]

"Ascension" [MMXII Mixed Media] shows traditional Merfolk from Greek Mythology. Valkyrie Maiden", right  [MMX Mixed Media]  The Valkyries were the daughters of Odin from Norse mytholgy who would collect the dead from the battlefields. This illustration is from the Ring Cycle from Norse Mythology which was used as the pattern for the Lord of the Rings.

The controversy over what is to be called "Fantasy" and what is not...

 By the more common standard, the genre includes all of Mankind's fantastic literature, the contemporary genre and everything that led to it, because though many elements were treated as true (or at least not obviously fictitious) by earlier writers and artists are totally fictional and unbelievable to modern readers. Still others say anything that is not real or is imagined can qualify.

 So, once again, our point of view determines our personal definitions of fantasy and reality. I personally think this kind of compartmentalized thinking has spread and is spreading and I  feel if the man who set the definition of the Fantasy Genre in stone can base his work upon and incorporate traditional elements, I can too. I used to argue that my work was not Fantasy art but I gave up.

"The Battle of the Damned" MMXI Most of what we call fantasy today is rooted in the folklore and superstitions of our past, by calling it "fantasy" we carry it with us into the modern age.

Old School Fantasy illustrations based on books from the late 19th & early 20th centuries:

My favorite fantasy artworks as a boy were Arthur Rackham's myths and fairy tales and the book cover art for the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs like John Carter of Mars & Robert E. Howard's Conan by Fantasy Art Legend Frank Frazetta.

Their influence has shaped my artistic vision to this day.

  LOST WORLD ADVENTURES

   Traditional folklore and fairy tales still dominate the Fantasy genre today

"The Dragon Slayer" MMX The knights and dragons above and "Dragon's Bride" and "None were able to Face the Dragon" (below) are examples of the modern genre and are based on contemporary fantasy writing using traditional elements of folklore.

FANTASY WIZARDS, HEROES and DRAGONS

Great Legends, Folklore and Mythology have always been the wellspring and the fountain head of my inspiration when creating all my various forms of  fantasy Art. Wagner's classic opera "The Twilight of the Gods" (below left) and Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" (below right) provided the inspiration for the next two fantasy pieces in our exhibit.

"Die Walkurie" MMVI Mixed Media

"The Tempest" MMVI Mixed Media

Mediums, Styles and Techniques

   The two paintings below are oil on canvas ("Faerie Guardians" below left) and oil on panel ("Sleeping Beauty" below right) Scroll down past the main exhibit for examples of the same picture "ALL HALLOWS EVE" rendered in digital media, Prismacolor colored pencils on paper and oil on canvas compared. Visit "original art" for more on these...

 

"Faerie Guardians" MMVI Oil on Canvas	"Sleeping Beauty" MMIV Oil on panel
By Popular Demand! So many have written asking how to tell the various media apart~ But friends! That's JUST my point! Left Digital Montage, Center: Prismacolor Painting, Right Oil on canvas  Of all Shakespeare's plays A Midsummer Night's Dream has had the most compelling hold on the imagination of painters. William Blake made a series of watercolors in the early 1790's.
"Elven Fairy Magic" MMVII Prismacolor Pencils	By the mid 1800's a tradition developed among British and Scottish Painters that continues today. See more fairies in the Gallery link Section past the Fantasy Art exhibit.    To your left, in "Elven Fairy Magic", Elements of surrealism and symbolism abound, especially in the women's faces in the evaporating mist flowing upward and merging with the forest. It features David's friend Ann as it's model and is rendered in Prismacolor Colored Pencils - A 'Colored Pencil Painting' if you will, Because this kind of picture is really not at all what people think of when they hear the word 'drawing'. This art medium, these relatively new soft oil based colored pencils are not the first Dry Painting Medium: the term 'Pastel Paintings' originated in the 17th century. They also are a wet medium, mixing well with solvents and applied with an artist's brush getting very oil painting- like results.    The digital montage is a natural evolution of the preliminary photo collage David learned from great Fantasy and Realistic illustrators like Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell.  Over the last 300 years, ideas about female beauty have drastically changed and this has caused many of the most wonderful paintings of the old masters to seem 'ugly' to youthful modern audiences. For example, in the days of Peter Paul Rubens, being forty to sixty pounds over-weight was considered not only attractive, but a status symbol. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and tastes have clearly changed.
Influences of the Great Fantasy Artists and Writers   NEW REPRINTS!   LICENSES    CUSTOM BOOK COVERS    ORIGINAL ART    ART INSTRUCTION   ART BOOKS and CALENDARS     "Back to the Stone Age" MMX Mixed Media   "A Mermaid" MMVII Mixed Media   "Back to the Stone Age" (above left) was influenced by contemporary popular culture and pays homage to the female super hero and the warrior maiden. This 2010 piece was influenced by the Pin up Art of Alberto Vargas and inspired by the Fantasy-Action-Adventure novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs (The creator of Tarzan) and book cover art of Frank Frazetta. "A Mermaid" (above right) is a return to the legends, a fantasy portrait mostly done to please the model... Along with the classic myths and legends that captivate my imagination and  serve as great fantasy art themes with all their beautiful maidens, mighty heroes, gods and monsters, I even turn to science and natural history for themes.
"The Red Dragon" MMXI Mixed Media	"The Mammoth Hunt" MMI Digital Montage
I began my career in 1974 as a scientific illustrator and had to keep my love of  folklore and religion a secret... I began my career as a scientific illustrator and the methods I learned from the scientists to sort out the details I now apply to my fantasy art as well. I began doing fairy art at the request of my models and after doing a fairy portrait for one, they all wanted them. They were not so enthusiastic about the Jungle Girls. Among my contemporaries or the generation preceding me in the world of Fantasy Art I admire the work of Wallace Wood,   Jack Kirby,  Ray Harryhausen, Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud, Alan Lee and Frank Frazetta.
NEW REPRINTS!   LICENSES    CUSTOM BOOK COVERS    ORIGINAL ART    ART INSTRUCTION   ART BOOKS and CALENDARS    I took inspiration from their subject matter and compositions and applied techniques of photorealism I learned from Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell and employed new media like Prismacolors in "Jungle Tales". For years Prismacolors were my favorite media even though nothing could compare to my oils in person, but  lately, I have fallen in love with digital media. For this I offer no apology. I love it, the possibilities of mixing media and styles seem limitless! Like Photography, it will only get better. I recently purchased 3d Studio max software and look forward to more fun mixing media in the coming years.
"The Summoner" MMII Mixed Media	"Fairies, Goblins and Dwarfs' MMVI Prismacolor Pencils on Bristol Board
Eroticism in Contemporary Fantasy Art
"Tiny Dancer" MMX Mixed Media	Of course simple Pin-ups and mild Erotic Art make up a great deal of Contemporary Fantasy Art and have always been among my favorites. Throughout Art History, the Classical or Greco-Roman school of art is distinguished by the notion that the human form is the ultimate arena for artistic expression. One of the principal attractions of  fairy painting for the Mid-Victorians was that it made possible highly realistic and erotic pictures of  unclad females that would have otherwise been inadmissible. In the 20th century the sexual revolution eliminated all of these traditional boundaries. In 21st century America however, the sight of a healthy unclad woman is taboo even in the visual arts. Unlike in modern revisionist  folklore, in traditional faerie lore, fairies were quite sexy! Many of them commonly went about proudly unclothed - uncommonly beautiful - mischievous, and scandalously promiscuous! I like the fantasy art with the magical and powerful ladies best myself. In popular culture I find strong women like super-heroines and anime girls the most attractive myself. I never really liked the Fantasy Art with weak or helpless women or powerless women dominated by those steroid freak musclemen that Saddam Hussein collected.
Chicks in chain mail? Now THAT'S  FANTASY! "Goblin Fighter Halith" MMX (below left) and "Duel of the Amazons" MMX (below right) Featuring Fabulous Ferocious Fighting Fantasy Art Femme Fatales were commissioned for Contemporary Genre Fantasy and unconnected to any pre-existing  folklore or culture. Most of the themes for my Art are traditional, drawing upon folklore and mythology, but not always. Sometimes I go to popular culture for inspiration too. Mixing genres and media have kept this as fun for me as the day I started, but I don't think that "anything goes".  I think the artist has a duty to society and times are changing. Preserving our Endangered Cultural Heritage is my personal mission.                        I love the warrior maiden phenomenon in today's fantasy art world but am a bit amused that so many contemporary writers want to re-write history to pretend they were always there.  I find it astonishing that TV shows like Xena, warrior Princess" have overpowered our precious historical records and fantasy has taken the place of history in the minds of modern people. The warrior woman has emerged in these recent fantasy books, movies and Art as ferocious and deadly as the mightiest male warriors of myth and history. The weaker sex? Not in these stories! The oddest part of this fun new phenomenon in fantasy art, cartoons, novels and movies is the eagerness of certain writers to pretend they always existed and to present historical figures in this light. For eons, men protected women. From the era of cavemen to the American Frontier savage tribes and wild beasts were a constant threat and women were to be protected at any cost. A day came at last when it was safe for women to go forth unprotected and men stepped aside to make room for these capable gals in halls of government, office buildings, hospitals and many other vocations. Make NO mistake- the "warrior woman" so prevalent in mythology did not exist in history but with exceptions you can count on one hand. History has been abandoned in public schools under pressure to improve standardized test scores and in a recent national survey 60% of American high school students could not recognize Abraham Lincoln's face or tell you what nation America declared its independence from. Never fear~ "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer" will restore his facial recognition to a new generation as this blend of fact and fantasy replaces history in the cultural consciousness by the power of motion pictures and television.  To make matters worse, art education has been almost completely removed from American Schools. Today, most American college graduates cannot name even one living artist. There is no way that mandating more math, requiring more reading, or scheduling more science will replace what we have lost as a culture.
More Dragons emerging from from Folklore to Fantasy The Dragon has played an important part in the myths and religions of mankind since pre-historic times... The Classical Dragon is a magnificent mythical monster usually represented as a huge crested snake, with great bat wing- like extensions growing from it's back, clawed limbs, or both, but continues to evolve in contemporary Fantasy Art.
Although regarded as a sacred guardian by many of the ancient cults the dragon has been more commonly symbolic of the principle of evil though, and the slaying of a dragon the crowning achievement of heroes like the Nordic Siegfried from The Ring Cycle which inspired The Lord of The Rings.
Surrealist Philosophy in Fantasy Art Surrealism is a literary and artistic movement launched in 1924 by the French poet Andre' Breton proclaiming the radical transformation of all existing social, scientific, and philosophical values through the total liberation of the subconscious. The most famous surrealist was the great Salvador Dali. His subconscious mind saw things that should be rigid as limp or melting and reflected it in his work with a sense of horror. Soon surrealism became synonymous with images of inappropriately limp or soft objects. (What would Sigmund Freud say about that I wonder?)    "Surrealism does not allow those who devote themselves to it to forsake it whenever they like. There is every reason to believe that it acts on the mind very much as drugs do; like drugs, it creates a certain state of need and can push man to frightful revolts." ~ The Surrealist Manifesto

Melting things are not necessarily surrealistic & surrealism is as vast as the human psyche. Everyone has different things enslaved in their subconscious mind.   The monsters, wild beasts, fearless heroes, and insanely gorgeous femme fatales shackled deep in Howard David Johnson's subconscious mind run free in his fantasy art.

Sensitive Subject Matter in Fantasy Art   " I've often thought that some of the most fantastic creatures and visions in all of the literature of mankind were found in the sacred texts of active religions. Sensitive subject matter to say the least. Few artists in history have even dared to attempt to paint these symbolic visions because of the controversies surrounding them... While I've been studying legends, myths, and traditions of the ancient Orient for new illustration projects I've also been studying William Blake, Moreau, Rochegrosse, Delville, and the Symbolic artistic tradition. In my paintings, I have endeavored to realize decadent mythology and sacred religious texts in my contemporary 'Fantasy Art" with the same style of vision and reverence they showed in their works ." ~ H. D. Johnson            Some people would be deeply offended to call these pictures of Angels and monsters "Fantasy Art", but others would be offended if you didn't! So what is or is not Fantasy art can depend on your religious beliefs as well as your tastes. When you consider these things, how can anyone intelligently say that Fantasy Art is not REALLY Art or that it is merely genre art?

I am persuaded that Fantasy Art can be as viable a form of art as any other. it hangs in the halls of the world's greatest museums and yet is is often used as a term of derision. To make matters worse, art education has been almost completely removed from American Schools. Today, most American college graduates cannot name even one living artist. There is no way that mandating more math, requiring more reading, or scheduling more science will replace what we have lost as a culture.     With a background in traditional media including oils, pastels and colored pencils, David now embraces leading edge digital media in the creation of his depictions of fantasy art, folklore, mythology, legend, religion, and heroic history. He works in and mixes a wide variety of media * Oil paintings * Acrylic Paintings * Prismacolor Paintings * Drawings * Chalk & Oil Pastel Paintings * Photography * and last but not least: Digital Artistry & Mixed Media *    CLICK ON THESE LINKS OR E-MAIL FOR  THE JOHNSON GALLERIES' VARIOUS BUSINESS SERVICES: NEW REPRINTS!   LICENSES    CUSTOM BOOK COVERS    ORIGINAL ART    ART INSTRUCTION   ART BOOKS and CALENDARS info@howarddavidjohnson.com Thank You for Visiting the Surrealistic Fantasy Art Gallery of Howard David Johnson Scroll down for more Galleries of Fantastic Realism... All Fantasy Art & text  copyright 2012 Howard David Johnson All rights reserved.      Affordable Art Lessons: The Brandywine School of the Illustrative Arts offers beginning, intermediate, advanced & master level instruction in Drawing, Painting, Photography, & Digital Illustration by Internationally acclaimed Illustrator & Photographer Howard David Johnson.  Your first 3 lessons are delivered online the same day via e-mail that we accept your payment and are also mailed the next day on CD-Rom Disk via U.S.P.S. Priority (2-3 day) mail or 1st class international mail. Who is Artist and Photographer Howard David Johnson? In David's invitation to the Florence Biennale Contemporary Art Exhibition, (a partner in the United Nations' Dialog among Nations), UN Secretary General Kofi Anon wrote: "Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people; they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred and an agent of public awareness... Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among nations." A portrait of the artist in his painting studio photo by his son Erich.   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304707604577426072268788062.html     Howard David Johnson is a contemporary illustrator and scholar with a background in the natural sciences, mythology, and history. His illustrations have appeared in every major bookstore and game shop chain in America as well as magazines and educational texts around the world. H D Johnson, or David as he is called, works in a wide variety of media ranging from traditional oils,  pastels and others to today's cutting edge digital media. After a lifetime of drawing and painting, Johnson's Traditional Realistic Art was exhibited in the British Museum in London in 1996, ( 3 years before he got his first computer ) as well as numerous American ones since, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.     Some of David's more prestigious clients have included the University of Texas, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England, The Australian Mint, The National Geographic Society, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, PBS TV, The History Channel, Enslow Educational Publishers, Adobe Photoshop, Auto FX, Tree-Free Greeting, Verizon wireless, Apple IPOD, Doubleday (Random House), Harlequin Top Historical Romances, and the History Book of the Month Club, as well as appearing in periodical publications like Popular Photography, and the Wall Street Journal just to name a few.    Licenses to print his existing art work are available at very affordable prices and great terms! Realistic Oil Paintings, Colored pencils, Pastels, Mixed media, and Digital art can also be commissioned for select projects - Working in a variety of traditional and cutting edge digital media he offers his customers a variety of options and more than thirty years of experience. As an illustrator David has not only used the computer but has been involved in the development of filter imaging software for Adobe Photoshop.  He delivers custom made copyright free illustrations and offers old fashioned courtesy and customer service when he does commissions starting at $500.USD. On his existing works license offers start at $100.00.

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Enter a World of Beauty and Imagination...

If you enjoyed this site, try visiting these other Galleries of Fantastic Realism Main Art Gallery Greek Mythic Art Surrealist Art Science Fiction Art Art of Norse Myths The World's Religions Art of Asian Myths Symbolist Art The Seven Wonders Res Publica Historical Art Spartan Warriors Art Numérique King Arthur Commercial Art History of Dragons Celtic Mythology Mythic goddess Art Fantasy Pin up Art Angel Art Studio Photography Art Instruction Frauen Mit Blumen Realistic Paintings Fairy Art Thumbelina full size Portrait Art I Portrait Art II Fantasy Wallpapers Pre-Raphaelite Art  Art of the Bible Mermaid Art  The Art of War  Business Center Legendary Women Paintings in Oils All Fantasy Art and text copyright 2012 by the author, Howard David Johnson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide  REPRINTS!   LICENSES    CUSTOM BOOK COVERS    ORIGINAL ART    ART INSTRUCTION   ART BOOKS and CALENDARS     LIMITED EDITION [of a maximum 1,000 prints per image] PRINT-ON-DEMAND Each inspected, hand signed and numbered by the artist! Gorgeous Quality Printing! For a LIMITED time and a LIMITED print run many of the illustrations in Johnson's vast portfolio are now available! Free Shipping and Handling on all orders! A numbered certificate of authenticity is included. CHECK OUT WITH thejohnsongalleries@gmail.com Sized to fit standard frames! 20x16 inches [508x406mm] & 14x11 inches [356x280 mm]    Poster Size Art Reprints! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS   The Johnson Galleries now prints these "in-house" with our new state of the art Epson 7890 oversize printer on Epson 200 year premium photo paper and canvas with Epson inks! JOHNSON ART BOOKS and CALENDARS ON SALE NOW from BRANDYWINE PRESS!                 These beautifully printed 11" x 8.5" 64 page hardcover and trade paperback versions feature 48 full page interior plates in full color starting at only $14.99 USD. Less than the price of a single poster! Featuring Realistic Mythological and Fairy Art created in a style inspired by Classic Illustrators by American Artist & Photographer Howard David Johnson.  Click on the covers to order the Fantasy Art Books and Calendars from our vendor, Lulu.com NEW REPRINTS!   LICENSES    CUSTOM BOOK COVERS    ORIGINAL ART    ART INSTRUCTION   ART BOOKS and CALENDARS This Fantasy Art Gallery has been honored by more than 25,000,000 Unique Visitors  from the Four Corners of the Earth My Friends from around the world thus far :     England,   Canada,   Scotland,   Wales,   Ireland,   Germany,   France,   Monaco,   Andorra,   Italy,   The Vatican City State,  Greece,  Macedonia,  Cyprus,  Turkey,  Belgium,  Denmark,  The Faroe Islands,  Greenland,  Yugoslavia, Macedonia,  Croatia,  The Czech Republic,  Bosnia,  Herzegovina,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Luxembourg,  Latvia,  Estonia, Hungary,  Bulgaria,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Austria,  Romania,  South Africa,  Seychelles,   Mexico, Spain,  The Russian Federation,   Ukraine,   Kazakhstan, Moldova,  Malta,  Iceland,  Finland,  Norway,  Netherlands,  Switzerland,  Liechtenstein,  Sweden,  Portugal,  Albania, Armenia, Georgia,  Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  Kazakhstan,  Gibraltar,  Israel,  Palestinian Territories,   Egypt,   Libya,  Mali, Algeria,  Niger,  Saudi Arabia,  Oman,  The United Arab Emirates,  Kuwait,  Bahrain,  Qatar,  Yemen,  Iraq,  Iran,  Jordan, Syria,   Lebanon,   Morocco,   Ethiopia,   Eritrea,   Liberia,   The Republic of Congo,   Rwanda,   Kenya,  Angola,  Ghana, The Ivory Coast,   Zambia,   Zimbabwe,   Sudan,  Nigeria,  Namibia,  Uganda,   Kenya,  Eritrea,  Tanzania,  Botswana, Malawi,  Senegal,  Djibouti,  Cameroon,  Chad,  Gambia,  Mozambique,  Swaziland,  Lesotho,   China,  Hong Kong,  Macau,  Mongolia,  South Korea,  China,  Hong Kong,   Viet Nam, Japan,  South Korea, Macau,  Mongolia,  Mauritius,  Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia,  Laos,   Myanmar,  Macau,  Malaysia,  Taiwan,  Nuie,  New Zealand,  Fiji,  The Cook Islands,  New Caledonia,    Vanuatu,  American "The Familiar" MMXI Mixed Media including Oil on Canvas, 3D studio Max and Adobe Photoshop. Samoa,  Australia,  Micronesia,  Polynesia,  Papua New Guinea,  The Heard and McDonald Islands,  The Philippines, Guam, Palau,  Cocos Island,    The Kingdom of Tonga,  Malaysia,   Brunei Darussalem,  India,   Pakistan,   Afghanistan, Bhutan,  Bangladesh,  Sri Lanka,  Chagos Islands,  The Republic of Maldives,  Turkmenistan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Uzbekistan, Nepal,  Indonesia,  Chile,  Argentina,  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Brazil,  Peru,   Aruba,  Venezuela,  Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana,  Aruba,  The Dominican Republic,  Guatemala,  Costa Rica,  Colombia,  Trinidad and Tobago,   Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,  The Virgin Islands,  The Netherlands Antilles,  Panama,  Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada, Ecuador,  Belize,   Nicaragua,   El Salvador,   Bermuda,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Dominica,  Haiti,  Puerto Rico,  Cayman Islands,   Anguilla,    The Bahamas,   Honduras,     and my home, The Great Free State of Texas... (USA) I think that's everybody but, if your home is not listed here please e-mail and tell us where you're from... info@howarddavidjohnson.com We love hearing from you! Your business, letters & links are always welcome. E-mail for courteous service... Keep scrolling down for essays and articles on Fantasy Art...

MANY PIECES OF ORIGINAL ART ON PAPER LIKE THESE ARE AVAILABLE:

Many pieces are currently available, mostly 11x14-13x16 inch Prismacolor Paintings (like Helen of Troy) and pencil portraits (like Arriba #2) followed in number by Acrylic, Prismacolor and pastel mixed media all on #400 Strathmore Bristol Board ranging from $700.00-$1400. 00 USD and Oil Paintings on canvas ranging from $1999.00 USD and up.  Pieces that have never been rendered in oil can be commissioned in 16x20 inch size on canvas for 50% down and delivered in under 90 days with signed certificates of authenticity aka legal documents pledging never to render it in that size and media again to ensure premium collectability and investment potential.

David can also do a completely new picture designed in digital media (for more on this visit his digital media page) and when we approve the photo-montage, he uses it as reference to render it in oil on canvas. No surprises.  Existing Artwork is shipped very well protected and go out to you immediately via Fed Ex or USPS Express mail upon receipt of payment at our expense. All new creations cost a bit more depending on what is involved. All new creations and rendering photo montages into art on paper are a LOT of fun with e-mail attachments and digital cameras.  

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ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS LIKE THIS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE:

  Almost all of Johnson's Mixed Media creations (above left) are available to be rendered in oil on canvas once like the 20x16 oil on canvas Faerie Guardians (above right). Each design will only be rendered in oil once at this size and can be delivered in as little as 90 days. Sadly, much of the subtlety, vibrance, lustre and impact of an original oil painting is lost when it is scanned and imported to digital media or even printed by a master printer. Nothing can compare to an original oil painting viewed in person in my opinion but the other painting media definitely look good in print and have their charms and distinct advantages. People have written asking me to tell them how to tell mixed media from prismacolors or oil. The very fact it is so hard to tell is my point! This new media looks very presentable and costs far less! ALL HALLOWS EVE was begun as a digital montage This is your guide: above far right is the digital composition...The question is, are you willing to pay tens of thousands to be old fashioned if only an art expert can tell the difference? So many have written asking how to tell the various media apart~ But friends! That's JUST my point! Left Digital Montage, Center: Prismacolor Painting, Right Oil on canvas

ALL HALLOWS EVE rendered in oil on 20x16 canvas (right) features the lovely Ann Bratton as Titania in this illustration from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Even when displayed at the same size the oil on canvas is clearly a superior illustration to the 2006 Prismacolor Painting on paper. (left).

New for 2012! Want to see your fantasy realized? David is now accepting commissions for Fantasy Portraits!

e-mail for more details at

info@howarddavidjohnson.com

Looking for a cover? David loves to do custom Fantasy book covers, especially to help emerging Fantasy writers. Most of the illustrations in this web are available for licensing at a very low cost and all new custom commissions are available too starting at only $500.USD.

Publishing calls for a different shape than traditional picture framing, basically more space at the top. Many of David's Fantasy Art posters can be modified to add that neutral space at the top with Adobe Photoshop (tm) Software. Printers also need neutral "chopping space". In the early days of David's career adding canvas space was as impossible as growing a second head... but now it is so easy he usually doesn't even charge extra to adapt them if its just skies or landscapes!  Here are examples of existing Johnson art that were adapted for use as Fantasy and Romance book covers below... Notice the upgrade on the spear point in the process. (above  right) And now back to our discussion of my Fantasy Art, regarding its content and themes...

Thank you for Visiting... Your  business, letters, & links are always welcome.

*****

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STYLE and TECHNIQUE

With a background in traditional media including oils, pastels and colored pencils, David now embraces leading edge digital media in the creation of his depictions of fantasy art, folklore, mythology, legend, religion, and heroic history. He works in and mixes a wide variety of media * Oil paintings * Acrylic Paintings * Prismacolor Paintings * Drawings * Chalk & Oil Pastel Paintings * Photography * and last but not least: Digital Artistry & Mixed Media * 

"Those who are enamoured of practice without science are like a pilot who goes into a ship without rudder or compass and never has any certainty where he is going. Practice should always be based upon a sound knowledge of theory, of which perspective is the guide and gateway, and without it nothing can be done well in any kind of painting."

       The various galleries linked to by the icons above show many examples of His Realistic Fantasy Art, and are grouped by theme rather than media. Since boyhood he has passionately copied the old masters. Using a strategy employed by J. W. Waterhouse (The old master David has imitated most) - his wistful and graceful models cannot be underestimated in their contribution to the stunning beauty and the potential for lasting appeal of his work. To create his work, he usually starts with a thematic concept, then working in his Photography studio with live models. He then assembles a variety of elements which are realistic and original. As a boy he dedicated his life to art in 1960. From 1965- 1999 he used Xeroxes and tracings to make his preliminary photo montages. This is patterned after  the manner used by Maxfield Parrish and other 19th century notables. For this he offers no apology as many of the greatest artists in history employed any and all means of technology at their disposal such as Camera Obscura or even the evil manufactured tube paints. See his article below: "On Art and Technology: When Seeing is Not Believing" An essay dealing with mechanical aids to visual art from Camera Obscura to Computers for more on this. The digital montage is a natural evolution of the preliminary photo collage David learned from great Realistic illustrators like Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell.

      His favourite medium for Fantasy art used to be colored pencil for most of his career because of the high speed and low expense, and people began expressing difficulty in telling his colored pencil drawing from photographs in the early 1980's.  In recent years he has grown fonder of oil and digital mixed media. In the last 35 plus years he has also mastered Oils, Pastels, Acrylics, Watercolors, Inks, Scratchboard, Gouache, Photography, and the highly controversial digital media (Art Numérica). As a commercial illustrator Johnson has not only used the computer to create fantasy Art but has been involved in the development of computer imaging software.   Working in a realistic style inspired by classic illustrators HDJ is deeply rooted and grounded in the Greco-Roman artistic tradition, Feeling that with all realistic art, the human form is the ultimate arena for artistic expression. His lifelong dream came true when his Traditional Realistic Art was exhibited in the British Museum in London England in 1996. His mixed media has also been displayed in numerous other ones since such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Having achieved international acclaim as a traditional visual artist he discovered digital media ( Art Numérica ) in 1999. Because of his passion for realistic art and photography he elected to embrace it and be a part of this historic era in the visual arts as a 21st century Fantasy artist.

     Since 1972 when he began his career as a scientific illustrator for the University of Texas he has earned his living illustrating all kinds of books, magazines, CD covers, and all sorts of games, greeting cards, calendars, portraits, murals and the like with his contemporary realistic art... H.D.J.'s Fantasy Art has appeared in every major bookstore chain and fantasy gaming shop in The United States and has been used in educational texts and magazines all over the world. This site features Fantasy Art paintings & pictures for the twenty-first Century including some oil paintings, as well as lots of other exciting media such as colored pencil drawings, pastel paintings, acrylic paintings, gouache paintings, watercolor paintings, and pencil drawings, and also featuring studio,  field, & aerial photography,  digital painting and photo-montage and all these media mixed in an assortment of experimental combinations...Working in a wide variety of media to create his Fantasy art he offers his customers a host of payment and product options. He delivers the rights to these custom made copyright free fantasy art illustrations and old fashioned customer service when he does work-for-hire.

          HDJ's Fantasy Art creations take their inspiration from the realistic paintings of the old masters just as West Side Story came from Romeo and Juliet. Our shared cultural heritage, great works of art, literature, music and drama, cinema, folk tales and fairy tales are all drawn upon again and again by the creators of new works. These works in the public domain are both a catalyst and a wellspring for creativity and innovation. Where would Walt Disney be without the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, or Victor Hugo? Where would Aaron Copeland have been without American folk music? Thomas Nast's Santa Claus without traditional images of Father Christmas? Pablo Picasso without African art? Public domain appropriators, one and all. Johnson  accepts select commissions to paint custom oil paintings with down payments starting at only one thousand dollars. He grants permission for most educational purposes simply for the asking. To use his existing realistic art works outside the classroom he offers low cost license offers starting around $100.00.

Use the  e-mail links above or below to contact him...

info@howarddavidjohnson.com

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What is your definition of Art?

Essay One: "THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME..."

In addition to his mastery of traditional oil painting media, Howard David Johnson now combines drawing, painting, photography, and digital media with more than thirty years of experience in these fields to create his Fantasy Art Numérica in 21st century paintings and pictures. Did you know the Greek word "Photography" means "Painting with Light"? Today with the advent of computers it truly lives up to it's name. Due to developments in Art and Technology, a broader definition of painting is needed than that which is found in common usage.

"Painting, in art, the action of laying colour on a surface, or the representation of objects by this means. Considered one of the fine arts"  ~Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

"Painting. noun. 1.) The act or employment of laying on colors or paints. 2.) The art of forming figures or objects in colors on canvas or any other surface, or the art of representing to the eye by means of figures and colors any object; the work of an illustrator or painter. 3.) A picture; a likeness or resemblance in shape or colors. 4.) Colors laid on. 5.) Delineation that raises a vivid image in the mind; as in word painting. ~ Webster's Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language

Pastel, Acrylics, and Colored Pencils combined

     Snobbism in the arts is nothing new. Some people will tell you that oils are the only valid medium for realistic paintings. That Colored Pencil, Digital, and other Realistic Painting and Drawing Media are not valid  for "real" art. Young artists, Don't let them bother you. Their forerunners used to condemn Pastels before they gained acceptance and called them "crayons" when Johann Alexander Thiele (1685-1752) invented them.  Mercilessly disrespectful  art critics of the time could not stop the Experimentalists no matter how viciously they attacked and derided them. "Crayon-painting" as it was called in England was practiced early on by persecuted pioneers in Switzerland and many other nations. What a debt we owe to these master artists who refused to knuckle under to the pressure of those short-sighted critics during those historic and experimental times. It took until 1870 with the founding of the "Societe` Des Pastellistes" in France that respect came  at last to these heroic & immortal visual artists.

        In England the liberation of the Pastellists from slight regard and undeserved disrespect came with the first exhibition of "The Pastel Society" at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1880. Pastel Painters like Mary Cassat and others from America and other nations forever silenced  the snobs with their masterworks and gained recognition at long last for Thiele's invention as a valid art medium. I am persuaded that history will repeat itself.  Like Pastels, I believe these wonderful new colored pencils and even Digital Realistic Art Media will one day receive the recognition they deserve as powerful mediums of artistic expression just as pastel paintings did. What is your definition of art? Have you thought about it?

Mine is: "anything that makes you feel or think."

     Consider dancing... it can be a little skip in the step or rise to the level of the incomparable Russian Ballet. Did you know that just the materials alone for a single oil painting cost up to a thousand dollars these days? Even paying the artist less than minimum wage no one but the super rich can afford them anymore. Something's got to give. Realistic paintings in oil have been highly prized for centuries and the appeal and following of realistic art is undiminished to this day. Oil paintings featuring Abstract Art and Realistic Art are generally the most treasured form of all the visual art media and with good reason. But snobbish art critics  favoring abstract art have declared  that realistic paintings, fantasy art, or illustrations are not art for a century. With so many representationalist  paintings by so many immortal master artists hanging in the Louvre, the Hermitage, and the British Museum and others I think the disrespect for realistic illustrators that dominated the 20th century is academically ridiculous as well as vain and intolerant, insisting theirs is the only valid opinion. What is your definition of Art? I believe almost any form of human expression can be raised to the level of "high art" especially  visual art and Realistic illustration...

The detail reveals Realistic art and abstract art combined

       By my own definition of art, which is: "anything that makes you feel or think" most abstract paintings are not "real art" to me personally, because abstract paintings usually neither make me feel or think,  usually focusing obsessively on technique and avoiding any coherent content. I usually draw a complete blank mentally and emotionally when I look at them. In 1979 the Houston Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed a triptych of 3 giant   paintings they paid fifty thousand dollars for-  three blank white canvasses entitled "untitled". Then there was "The incredible new artistic Genius "with an I.Q. of 62 ...Congo the chimpanzee with his gala New York art exhibition...an elaborate prank played on the Snobbish American Art critics about a generation ago by research scientists in the field of primatology. Imagine how upset they were when he created one of his "ingenious masterpieces" right before their eyes.

( My Source for this is the Time Life Science Library volume entitled "The Primates". )

      Art education has been almost completely removed from American Schools as a result of generations of this kind of  fabulous nonsense contributing to America's cultural illiteracy crisis. Now, the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and other notables are being removed from school libraries.  After generations of this, most American college graduates today cannot name even one living visual artist, abstract or realistic.

There is no way that mandating more math, requiring more reading, or scheduling more science will replace what we have lost as a culture.    

What is your definition of Art?

~HDJ

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Essay Two :

The Rebirth of Realism

More thoughts on Realistic & Fantasy Art yesterday & today

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  "All art is ultimately some form of imitation, even if you are an expressionist painter imitating an abstract vision in your own mind. These new visual art creations of mine take their inspiration in part from the realistic paintings of the old masters just as The Lord of the Rings comes from The Ring of the Nibelung and European folklore, West Side Story came from Romeo and Juliet, which was in turn inspired by Antony and Cleopatra. Much as Rubens copied Titian, I copy Waterhouse and so on. Over the last 300 years, ideas about female beauty have drastically changed and this has caused many of the most wonderful paintings of the old masters to seem 'ugly' to youthful modern audiences. For example, in the days of Peter Paul Rubens, being forty to sixty pounds over-weight was considered not only attractive, but was a status symbol. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and tastes have clearly changed. I feel many classic themes need to be redone to preserve interest and appeal for future generations. This has happened many times before as artists like Aesop, The Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney have appropriated, modified, and re-defined elements of our culture to preserve it for future generations. The legality of such use today depends on whether or not the source is protected by copyright law. You can draw or paint Shakespeare's fairies for example and publish them without permission but not more modern intellectual properties like characters from Star Wars or Mickey Mouse who holds the oldest copyright dating from 1928.

Our shared cultural heritage, great works of art, literature, music and drama, cinema, folk tales and fairy tales are all drawn upon again and again by the creators of new works. These works in the public domain are both a catalyst and a wellspring for creativity and innovation. Even though all my Realistic Paintings are legally new works and protected under copyright law their inspiration sometimes comes in part from works in the public domain.

The public domain is a space where intellectual property protection ( copyright ) does not apply. When copyrights and patents expire, innovations and creative works fall into the public domain. They may then be used by anyone without permission and without the payment of a licensing fee. My sources have been transformed so much in the creation of these new works of art that they would not violate an existing copyright even if they were so protected. Publicly owned national parks are also considered by many to be public domain lands. Because of the recent extensions of the terms of both copyrights and patents, and the privatization of lands and other resources owned by the Federal Government, little is now entering the public domain. Look for new litigation and another time extension when Disney Corporation's Mickey Mouse copyright is due to expire in 2023. Where would Walt Disney be without the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, or Victor Hugo? Where would Aaron Copeland have been without American folk music? Thomas Nast's Santa Claus without traditional images of Father Christmas? Picasso without African art? These are artists who made names for themselves and even fortunes through Public Domain appropriation, one and all.

   Some people are actually outraged that there are some intellectual properties that corporations do not own. They feel appropriation is only appropriate if a corporation does it. Corporations created by public domain appropriation, now are the most powerful force on Earth trying to put a stop to new things entering the public domain forever through lawsuits. The public domain is a space where intellectual property protection ( copyright ) does not apply. It was set up by our founding fathers, who felt creativity needed to be rewarded on a personal level for a time, and when copyrights and patents expired, innovations and creative works would fall into the public domain. They may then be used by anyone without permission and without the payment of a licensing fee. Publicly owned national parks are also considered by many to be public domain lands. Because of the recent extensions of the terms of both copyrights and patents, and the privatization of lands and other resources owned by the Federal Government, little is now entering the public domain. Look for new litigation and another copyright law time extension when Mickey Mouse's copyright expires in 2023. This is least likely to hurt the motion picture companies who produce new works "in house" granting themselves permission, but the music industry which does not is being hit very hard already. If a new song release resembles an old one, now there is litigation.

Since the public domain is a treasure trove of information and resources to be used by future generations, many advocates are concerned that its stagnation will make it more and more difficult for future generations to find creative inspiration. Art Tradition and etiquette suggest the most influential should be mentioned at exhibits; these original Fantasy Art  pieces Shown in my exhibits take their inspiration in part from the paintings of Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, Moreau, Bouguereau, Leighton, Ingres, Moore, Parrish, Rackham and others. They showcase some of my favorite models. As a student of fine art, copying is a great way to learn and create fine art, but as a professional fantasy illustrator things are very different. Works done by artists out of personal motivation belong to the artist who created them, and they can sell licenses for divers forms of publication. The law is clear and simple regarding illustration done for gainful employment. They are called "work-for-hire" under the law, and such works specifically commissioned and paid for belong exclusively to the customer and the artist must specifically ask permission to ever legally use their own work themselves.

My art is divided into two distinct groups; personal work partially copying the old masters and professional illustration applying these lessons to create totally original works. I start more often with a specific written request. This is the exact OPPOSITE approach to creating a picture from copying something that's there. Research comes first. In the case of the Greek Heroes to your left, there were no accurate sources in the public domain to copy correct Greek armor and weapons in combat poses from. Mostly I found scantily clad men standing around with the wrong helmets. Finding history books at the library with the accurate helmets, shield designs, weapons, and armor was essential to get an accurate depiction of a Greek Hoplite.  All the library had were stiff museum poses of anything. I hit the research jackpot with some very simplistic flat line drawings of great authentic Greek shield designs. All the elements must be found, gathered and assembled to create the dramatic action scene the client wanted. Next comes the layout. This is where the mathematics and geometric design come into the creative process. My wife, Virginia took a picture of me nearly twenty years ago on a carpentry project with the heroic Jack Kirby like pose I was looking for mixed with the texture and feel of a Frank Frazetta or Norman Rockwell painting. Naturally, in these cases I go to great lengths to make sure that my work looks nothing whatsoever like it's various inspirations and sources except in flavor and spirit. Of course, the characteristic old master's painting feel to the background most of my illustrations have was requested, and the picture was to have the flavor of a Howard Pyle painting.

With regards to use of mechanical aids to create my fantasy art: Did you know the old masters traced? To create his immortal "Mona Lisa" Leonardo Da Vinci used "Camera Obscura" which is  two mirrors set at 45 degree angles around the corner with parchment over it to trace onto. Michaelangelo used a similar technique for the Sistine Chapel. Think that makes it too quick and easy? You'll find once you've finally got that outline done right you're a long, long, way from being finished in any medium... if these men who set the standard for realistic excellence used them, why shouldn't those who come after them be permitted? Simple, because this is one of the most carefully guarded "secrets of the old masters" and most people don't know very much about art history...  When asked why I usually work from photos I like to re-tell Norman Rockwell's story about having to paint a chicken: He set it up on a stump in a barn and goes to painting. The chicken moves it's head. He moves it back. The chicken jumps down. He puts it back. He goes to paint. now the chicken decides to make a break for it... he chases it down clucking and screaming and puts it back. Now it knows he's going to have it for dinner and it goes completely berserk. The next day, he came in and set the chicken back, snapped it's picture, and the photo held nice and still." When asked why I usually work from photos I like to re-tell Norman Rockwell's story about having to paint a chicken: He set it up on a stump in a barn and goes to painting. The chicken moves it's head. He moves it back. The chicken jumps down. He puts it back. He goes to paint. now the chicken decides to make a break for it... he chases it down clucking and screaming and puts it back. Now it knows he's going to have it for dinner and it goes completely berserk. The next day, he came in, put the chicken back up and snapped it's picture, and the picture held completely still...

     I have built up an enormous library of original 35 mm source photos for use in my Fantasy Art. For decades I have been seeking out the most beautiful models and sometimes their boyfriends and bringing them in for sessions into my photography studio. Using a strategy employed by J. W. Waterhouse, my wistful and graceful female models cannot be underestimated in their contribution to the stunning beauty and the potential for lasting appeal of my work. I am always make sure to both pay them for their time and also the rights and with the exception of my closest friends and family who are always making cameo appearances I get a written contract. The law with regards to rights to photography is simple- if you own the negative you own the rights. This is the main reason I use my own photographs. With regards to using copyrighted material as a reference-  When you have to paint a wombat you can't fake it- you need a picture! The law understands this and automatically grants provision - within reasonable limits;   when using copyrighted sources for reference the source image must be sufficiently transformed in overall appearance in the translation so as not to be what the law calls "confusingly similar"... if it's newer than 1928 you can bet it's probably copyrighted- if it's newer than 1999 under the millennial copyright act it is automatically copyrighted without even filing. This new law is clear and easy to understand as well as great for creative artists and their estates, who will hold rights for one hundred years after the artists death."

~ Howard David Johnson  M M I V

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All Fantasy Art & Text copyright 2012 Howard David Johnson All rights reserved.

FANTASY ART LESSONS 

& PAID PERSONAL INSTRUCTION

David has four pages of free fantasy art lesson previews. Click on The Bride for links to them. After you have seen them, if you would like to still learn more of his design motifs and further details of his fantasy art techniques personal instruction is available for $199.00 U.S. dollars ( $14.00 per lesson )

Click on The Bride of Frankenstein for more information...

( These lessons are jam packed with unpublished huge - easy to study 11x17 images by the artist)