What I am up to (29 Jun 21)

right now I split my time between:

1. designing & mailing monthly hand-made Context Calendars

- subscribe to receive those here from $3/month and up

2. designing Sandwich Stickers - mix and match sandwich filling stickers, buy 'em here

3. designing posters, mugs, and other stuff - buy ‘em on Etsy

4. drawing pictures

Instagram, lately, has felt pretty creator-unfriendly so my updates there are more sporadic (hence this “do you even create anything anymore??” page). I try to share regular updates via my Patreon (mix of public and Patron-only; subscription for the latter is $1/mo).

Artist Statement

My name’s John & I’m a Canadian illustrator, based in Somerville (formerly of Edinburgh, NYC, but most importantly New Jersey). For commissions, collaborations, or questions about anything on this site, please email me at johnlapsleyart@gmail.com. You can also visit either my Etsy shop or contact me on Twitter.

I create precise yet whimsical drawings to inspire you to explore your world rather than simply navigate it. My inspirations are everyday systems and overlooked miscellany: public transit, trash collection, local trivia. Using lighthearted, visually captivating, or emotionally striking illustrations, my work reminds you to seek out the magic in your own day-to-day surroundings.

I love making things you can hold - booklets, posters, maps, illustrated mugs and cushions - that are packed with surprising details and hidden facets, for you to keep and revisit. These include minicomics with camouflaged liner notes and mugs crammed with detailed, vibrant Edinburgh neighbourhoods featuring pinky-sized pubs you won’t notice until the third washing. To create exacting yet effervescent illustrations, I begin with meticulous ink drawings guided by carefully-drafted layouts and spreadsheet-based plans. Then - just as, conceptually, I aim to repackage the mundane in an emotionally engaging structure - I obscure those precise ink-and-pencil underpinnings with loose and organic techniques like watercolour washes, handwritten asides, hand cutting and folding and tearing, and jittery, noisy animation techniques.

I’m particularly fascinated by the innocuous connective tissue of everyday life; obscure local history, public transit, artificial waterways. I typically begin with something commonplace and ordinary: an unusual news item, a dubious urban myth, a neighbourhood map. I fill in its spaces and flesh out its contours with more abstract components: elements of the weird and eerie, bits of magical realism, my own dumb sense of humour. My goal is to make the everyday a bizarre space for you to explore (a simple city skyline packed with micro urban scenes); a compelling narrative for you to follow (a missing-person story centered around eco-friendly waste management); or a design or pattern to get lost in (a brightly coloured patchwork poster of Boston public transit modes).

Ultimately, I want you to take this same sense of adventurous wonder back to your day-to-day life. I want you to wonder if there are sea monsters in the reservoir and see secret messages in your electricity bill and hear syncopated rhythm in subway rattling. I want your morning commute to feel like exploring a video game level and I want you to research the forgotten, scandalous story behind your street’s name. I want to spark excitement about the everyday, because I believe that learning to find the magic in our world makes us more compassionate and empathetic towards the people in it.

For commissions, illustrations, collaborations, rates, or questions about anything on this site, please email me at johnlapsleyart@gmail.com. You can also visit either my Etsy shop or contact me on Twitter.