Larissa Meek

There seems to be a definite trend in advertising where illustrators are changing the ways we view technology and brands in general. Traditional arts with a digital twist are popping up everywhere from print ads to websites. Many advertisers are embracing hand-drawn art or traditional paintings over simplicity or traditional design. This is something MTV has been rocking out for quite some time. We can see this tend taking place in many popular site designs as well. This trend is most likely due to to a sub-conscience rebellion to get away from what looks obviously digital and get back to our creative “roots” of hand-made art. There is something very refreshing about original “raw” art.

Advertisers incorporating art into their brands: Zune-Arts and Coca-Cola’s Remix Project name two. Sites with traditional art are Viget Labs and Indigo Kids for example. While preparing for my FOWD presentations I stumbled across some really inspiring artists/illustrators that made me stop and stare. These are some of my favorite artists on the web.

Below: Ray Caesar

Ray’s work is digital Lowbrow Pop Surrealist and are contemporary but at the same time classical, the works have contradictory effects on the viewer. I call this trend “creepy-cute” where there is a cuteness in the work but also an obvious darkness in the subject.

Below: James Jean

James Jean (born 1979) is a Taiwanese-American award winning artist. He was educated at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Upon graduating in 2001, he quickly became an acclaimed cover artist for DC Comics, garnering five consecutive Eisner awards, three consecutive Harvey awards, two gold medals and a silver from the Society of Illustrators of LA, and a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators of NY. He has also contributed to many national and international publications.

Below: Jim Bradshaw

Humorous illustration is what Jimmy does best and what you want to assign to him if you crave fun and success all at the same time. He lives in rural South Jersey and has a wife, a daughter and 2 sons,as well as 2 cats and a hamster. Some clients who worked with Jimmy include Children’s Television Workshop, Nabisco, Nylabone, Ghost Writer Magazine, New Horizons Magazine, Great Commission Publications and RoseArt.

Below: Joe Sorren

His award winning illustrations have appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Print, The Los Angeles Times, Juxtapoz, Step-by-Step, Art Now, Communication Arts and have been used by Warner Brothers and Atlantic Records. Since his first solo exhibition in 1995, Sorren has exhibited his work in various group shows in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Detroit.

Below: Leesa Leva

With her refreshing blend of strong drawing skills and dynamic use of watercolor Leesa’s work is both memorable and fashion centric. You can find Leesa activly using the digital space to promote her creativity on Flickr, Virb, Facebook, Myspace and more.

Below: I’m Jac

I’m Jac is working for the Oympic Games in 2010 in Vancouver. Other clients include: Vibe, Marie Claire UK, ESPN, WIRED, Jimmy’z, Moonstruck, Beyman Club, Bijenkorf, Ferrero, Coca Cola, La City, Toyota, Gavello, L’Oreal, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Printemps.

Below: Michael Heald

Mike’s mantra seems to be all about constant change. You can see from his portfolio that he is not restrained to any one area. He says, “I love to be involved on all levels, from pioneering new ideas with new technologies to getting fulfilment from chopping up some page designs… Balance, not too much of any one thing.”

Below: Jon Reinfurt

Jon Reinfurt was created in 1980 by a team of German engineers attempting to build the world’s largest robot. When the team unveiled their prototype to the scientific community they were met with harsh criticism and were ridiculed for creating a towering monstrosity that obviously could not function.

Below: Hypnoteis

Hypnoteis does a lot of wok for MTV and starts out in Adobe Photoshop, then Adobe Illustrator, then back to Adobe Photoshop and in the end (if it’s for print) over to Adobe InDesign, or if for motion
to Adobe After Effects.

Below: Naoto Hattori

Naoto is an award winning artist born in 1975. He attended the school of Visual Arts in NY with a BFA in illustration. Mediums used include: Acrylic, oil, watercolor and ink.

Below: Gary Baseman

His work is distinguished by big-eyed characters in slapstick situations and vivid use of colour. He has cited influences as varied as Warner Brothers cartoons, vintage American comic strips, Hieronymus Bosch, Day of the Dead artifacts, and Japanese pop art. Baseman’s work is part of the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in Rome. As an illustrator, his corporate clients include Gatorade, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike. He also created the art for the popular board game Cranium.

Below: Olofsdotter

Linn Olofsdotter, from Sweden, has explored many mediums before solidifying her career in the illustration field. After getting her education in both advertising and graphic design in Europe and the US, she moved to Brazil to start up a motion graphics studio along with her husband and creative partner. More recently Linn worked as a senior art director at a Boston advertising agency.

Below: Peter Hoffman (glashaus-design)

Peter Hoffmann is the founder of Glashaus Design and a freelance illustrator/graphic designer based in Cologne, Germany. He received his formal education from the University of Applied Sciences, Trier, Germany and, as a Fulbright scholar, an M.A. from the Savannah College of Art & design, USA.

Below: Michael Slack

Upon graduating Michael turned his love of monsters into a career creating and animating characters for computer games. After only a few years in the gaming industry Michael decided to jump on the freelance roller coaster which he has been happily riding ever since. Michael’s illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, and on TV. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in the U.S. and Europe.

Currently Michael is fulfilling one of his life long dreams illustrating children’s picture books. Michael has two new books scheduled for release in 2008.

Below: Julie West

Julie’s work features bright colors and bold lines. Her partial client List includes: Wired, HOW magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, PC Magazine, Relevant Magazine and LA Weekly.

Below: Mulheres Barbadas

Mulheres Barbadas is a collaborative illustration project by 2 Brazilian designers: Henrique Lima and Julio Zukerman, with commissioned and personal illustrations.

Below: Will Murai

Will was born in April 20th 1985 in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brasil. Lives in a small town called Arujá and has worked with: Marvel Comics, Dc Comics, Dinamite Entertainment, Lew Lara agency, AlmapBBDO agency, Gringo agency, Superinteressante magazine, Camiseteria, and many others .

Below: Alicia Neal

Alicia Neal was born somewhere in New Jersey during the 1980s. Majoring in illustration at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, Alicia graduated with a BFA in 2005.

Below: Helen Musselwhite

Helen says: “By the use of bold colour, strong graphic line and familiar images I create highly individual and visually appealing pieces of art that make an instant impact. My work has a distinctive hand crafted quality that pays respect to all forms of mid century design, folk and ethnic art, as well as current and future trends.”

Below: Laura Plansker

Laura Plansker grew up in a family where NOT going to art school would be considered rebelling. Her Parents Dennis and Geraldine met in art school, married, and raised five kids all in various art disciplines. Laura studied at the Center for Creative Studies, in Detroit, receiving a BFA in Photography. During her fourth year she interned at the Polaroid 20×24 Studio in New York. She moved to Los Angeles and began building miniatures for animation, such clients include Crayola, Chex-mix, and Michel Gondry’s Human Nature.

Entry Filed under: Elsewhere