John Malloy
Encyclopedia
John Malloy is an American illustrator
, comics
creator, designer
, and fine artist. His illustrations have appeared in magazines, cd covers, apparel, and posters. His fine art employs a variety of media, including pen & ink, oil & acrylic paint, and digital.
, and began drawing cartoons and rock stars at age 6. His father, a cemetery-caretaker, and mother, a coal-miner’s daughter, encouraged him to pursue his talents. Later, he earned a strong background in trompe l'oeil
oil painting, and since has been self-taught in painting, pen & ink, design, and sequential art. He did not become interested in comics or graphic novels until he was 19.
, Mind Harness and Natural Balance, in addition to cover art for a variety of alternative newspapers. He also scripted, illustrated, and designed Amnesia, his first graphic novel for NBM Publishing
. In his mid-twenties, feeling his work was growing derivative and stagnant, he took a few years off from visual art altogether to pursue other interests and jobs. These experiences would later become partial inspiration for his comic, Queasy. In his spare time he experimented with new techniques and styles to develop his own unique voice. He started work again as an illustrator, designer, fine artist, and comics creator in early 2007 at the age of 31.
His illustrations have been featured in The Big Book of Contemporary Illustration, and Gestalten's Illusive 3 book of contemporary Illustration. Since 2007 he has produced work for 55 DSL (Diesel Clothing), Paste Magazine, Business Week, Focus Features
, Minus the Bear
, and many more. He is also the logo designer and artist behind Peace Iced Tea
for Hansen's Beverage Co./Monster Energy.
His fine art
has been exhibited in the globally touring exhibitions Tiger Translate and Into Infinity, Gallery 1988 Los Angeles' exhibit "Another Dimension", and others. In 2008 he completed One Out of a Hundred, his first personal series that explored drug side effects as a metaphor for consumer culture’s long-term effects on the human spirit. His work, Sedation, from that series, was selected for the international art & design publication, Semi Permanent 2009.
His first graphic novel
, Amnesia (NBM Publishing
; 2001), combined pen & ink, digital, and painted media. In its review of the novel, Publishers Weekly
wrote that "[w]hile Malloy has obvious ambition and talent, he hasn't harnessed that talent to present a coherent, meaningful narrative." In a 2010 interview Malloy states, "Looking back on it I’m actually not that fond of it since it was my first effort. I’ve always been a fan of the medium and enticed by how unexplored it is as a genre." He returned to the sequential/comics medium in 2007, concepting and illustrating sequential-art rock interviews for Lemon Magazine, and is currently at work on his autobiographical graphic novel
titled Queasy [an excerpt appears in Image Comics
' Popgun Anthology Volume #4].
group exhibition to benefit sharks and oceans hosted by pangeaseed
Spoke Art Gallery | San Francisco, CA
'Another Dimension'
group exhibition paying an homage to the twilight zone
Gallery 1988 | Los Angeles, CA
'Dublab: Into Infinity'
online and physical group exhibition of hand-painted 12" paper works | touring Tokyo, Japan & Los Angeles, CA
'Tiger Translate'
group global touring exhibition sponsored by Tiger Beer Asia
Semi-Permanent 2009
group exhibition and book sponsored by Design Is Kinky | Sydney & Brisbane, Australia
'One Out of a Hundred'
solo exhibition of paintings/mixed media works exploring drug side effects as a metaphor for consumer culture's effects on the human condition
Art Whino Gallery | National Harbor, MD
'The Grind 2.0'
group exhibition/charity auction of hand-painted skateboard decks for Kennesaw Skate Park, GA
Rabbit Hole Gallery | Atlanta, GA
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
creator, designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
, and fine artist. His illustrations have appeared in magazines, cd covers, apparel, and posters. His fine art employs a variety of media, including pen & ink, oil & acrylic paint, and digital.
Early life
Malloy was born and raised in Hanover Township, PennsylvaniaHanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Hanover Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,488 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which of it is land and is water. The Susquehanna River drains it and...
, and began drawing cartoons and rock stars at age 6. His father, a cemetery-caretaker, and mother, a coal-miner’s daughter, encouraged him to pursue his talents. Later, he earned a strong background in trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
oil painting, and since has been self-taught in painting, pen & ink, design, and sequential art. He did not become interested in comics or graphic novels until he was 19.
Illustration, Fine Art, and Comics
In his early twenties, Malloy began his career as an illustrator producing 2 pieces the Mirage Series for Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
, Mind Harness and Natural Balance, in addition to cover art for a variety of alternative newspapers. He also scripted, illustrated, and designed Amnesia, his first graphic novel for NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans...
. In his mid-twenties, feeling his work was growing derivative and stagnant, he took a few years off from visual art altogether to pursue other interests and jobs. These experiences would later become partial inspiration for his comic, Queasy. In his spare time he experimented with new techniques and styles to develop his own unique voice. He started work again as an illustrator, designer, fine artist, and comics creator in early 2007 at the age of 31.
His illustrations have been featured in The Big Book of Contemporary Illustration, and Gestalten's Illusive 3 book of contemporary Illustration. Since 2007 he has produced work for 55 DSL (Diesel Clothing), Paste Magazine, Business Week, Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
, Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2001, the group features current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving...
, and many more. He is also the logo designer and artist behind Peace Iced Tea
Peace Iced Tea
Peace Iced Tea is a brand of sucralose sweetened assorted iced tea flavors manufactured by the Hansen Natural Corporation which launched on 21 December 2009.- History :...
for Hansen's Beverage Co./Monster Energy.
His fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
has been exhibited in the globally touring exhibitions Tiger Translate and Into Infinity, Gallery 1988 Los Angeles' exhibit "Another Dimension", and others. In 2008 he completed One Out of a Hundred, his first personal series that explored drug side effects as a metaphor for consumer culture’s long-term effects on the human spirit. His work, Sedation, from that series, was selected for the international art & design publication, Semi Permanent 2009.
His first graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, Amnesia (NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans...
; 2001), combined pen & ink, digital, and painted media. In its review of the novel, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
wrote that "[w]hile Malloy has obvious ambition and talent, he hasn't harnessed that talent to present a coherent, meaningful narrative." In a 2010 interview Malloy states, "Looking back on it I’m actually not that fond of it since it was my first effort. I’ve always been a fan of the medium and enticed by how unexplored it is as a genre." He returned to the sequential/comics medium in 2007, concepting and illustrating sequential-art rock interviews for Lemon Magazine, and is currently at work on his autobiographical graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
titled Queasy [an excerpt appears in Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
' Popgun Anthology Volume #4].
Exhibits
'Sink Or Swim SF'group exhibition to benefit sharks and oceans hosted by pangeaseed
Spoke Art Gallery | San Francisco, CA
'Another Dimension'
group exhibition paying an homage to the twilight zone
Gallery 1988 | Los Angeles, CA
'Dublab: Into Infinity'
online and physical group exhibition of hand-painted 12" paper works | touring Tokyo, Japan & Los Angeles, CA
'Tiger Translate'
group global touring exhibition sponsored by Tiger Beer Asia
Semi-Permanent 2009
group exhibition and book sponsored by Design Is Kinky | Sydney & Brisbane, Australia
'One Out of a Hundred'
solo exhibition of paintings/mixed media works exploring drug side effects as a metaphor for consumer culture's effects on the human condition
Art Whino Gallery | National Harbor, MD
'The Grind 2.0'
group exhibition/charity auction of hand-painted skateboard decks for Kennesaw Skate Park, GA
Rabbit Hole Gallery | Atlanta, GA