illustrator Archives - MyTrendTales MyTrendTales Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:42:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Artist Captures the Innocence of Animals in Her Illustrations https://mytrendtales.com/artist-captures-the-innocence-of-animals-in-her-illustrations/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 06:04:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=8119 Mai Hatano is a Japanese illustrator living and working in Sweden. Once a factory worker, Hatano always dreamed about becoming an artist. While watching drawing videos, she decided she would start drawing as well. She bought an iPad, and that is how Lilla Ateljen was born. As she said in an interview for Ballpit, art is her […]

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Mai Hatano is a Japanese illustrator living and working in Sweden. Once a factory worker, Hatano always dreamed about becoming an artist. While watching drawing videos, she decided she would start drawing as well. She bought an iPad, and that is how Lilla Ateljen was born.

As she said in an interview for Ballpit, art is her booster of energy and happiness,” she said. “I am inspired by the innocence of animals and nature. I want to express their pureness in my art.”

Although leaving her country, family and friends was one of the hardest moves Hatano had to make, she still managed to find happiness in her new home.

“Living in Sweden gave me new perspectives and inspirations,” she added. “There are a lot of ways to spice up your daily life here. My artworks are inspired by those relaxing, calm, and peaceful moments in life that we need.”

Hatano likes drawing on paper, but her current favorite medium is digital. All because “you can use many layers and easily edit small details.”

She currently has more than 3,500 followers on Instagram, and all of her images are done in neutral colors. To see her beautiful artwork, check out the gallery below.

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French Artist Mixes Emotion With Geometric Designs https://mytrendtales.com/french-artist-likes-organized-pictures-full-of-geometric-designs/ Mon, 04 Oct 2021 06:11:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=8092 Marine Bl Girard is a talented French artist living and working in Paris. She started her career when she was a little girl, and was only four years old when she began drawing together with her grandmother. Later, she went to art school to eventually become a Graphic Designer. To create her masterpieces, Girard explains […]

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Marine Bl Girard is a talented French artist living and working in Paris. She started her career when she was a little girl, and was only four years old when she began drawing together with her grandmother. Later, she went to art school to eventually become a Graphic Designer.

To create her masterpieces, Girard explains how her creating process needs to look.

“I’m very organized. I like when everything is well planned, and precision is also really important to me,” she said in an interview for Ballpit. “Maybe that’s the reason why I really like geometric design, sharp shapes, vectors, and symmetry. It looks very clean and organized, and I think it creates a sort of harmony (at least to me!).”

After graduation, she moved to the “City of Light” and loves her creative job. Lately, she has been drawing more in Procreate, regardless of Illustrator being her favorite medium. Images of plates full of colorful and delicious-looking food, flowers, animals, and people are just some of the works she shares on her Instagram and Behance account.

Check out the gallery below if you want to see her beautiful illustrations. Don’t forget to support her work by following her on social media.

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Christoph Niemann’s Art is Simply Witty https://mytrendtales.com/christoph-niemanns-art-is-simply-witty/ Mon, 11 Jan 2021 06:46:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6888 When it comes to illustration, Christoph Niemann is right at the very top. A seasoned illustrator, artist, and author, his work appears regularly on the covers of  The New Yorker,  National Geographic, and The New York Times Magazine, with corporate clients including giants like Google and The Museum of Modern Art. And with one million followers on Instagram, illustrators should […]

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When it comes to illustration, Christoph Niemann is right at the very top. A seasoned illustrator, artist, and author, his work appears regularly on the covers of  The New Yorker,  National Geographic, and The New York Times Magazine, with corporate clients including giants like Google and The Museum of Modern Art.

And with one million followers on Instagram, illustrators should take note of Niemann’s words of advice. One solid piece of advice is to explore different techniques and styles. “When I first came to New York it was my great luck that my portfolio did not showcase one specific visual style or technique,” he recalled in an interview with The Creative Independent. “I had everything in there, from vector graphics to pixel drawings.”

According to Niemann, his strong point is the ideas he comes up with, rather than a specific drawing style. “More than a specific visual style, my trademark has always been to autonomously, swiftly, and conceivably map out and execute an idea,” he stressed. “Nobody ever approached me asking for a drawing of, say, a dinosaur with a fridge as a head done ‘in my style.'”

His ideas have a certain wit to them, often incorporating physical objects into his illustrations (a man with a kettle instead of a head, a woman’s face constructed of fruit). His original approach to art making also makes him stand out as an author. Niemann’s books include the monograph  Sunday Sketching, WORDS, and Souvenir. His most recent book is Hopes and Dreams and it’s about a trip to meet an artistic hero in Los Angeles.

“Drawing a story is not unlike editing a text,” observes Niemann. “Do I add this adjective or leave it out? The central questions always need to be, how do I get the reader from A to B? If I drown them in descriptions, I lose the story. If I’m too economic, there’s no emotional connection. Everything I add or lose is based on the question of what happens communicatively. And this skill can be practiced like a musical instrument.”

The end result is relatively simple, cutting straight to the chase. But looks can be deceiving. According to Niemann, some drawings take 20 drafts to look like they came together in five seconds.

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Illustrator Spotlight: Jing Wei https://mytrendtales.com/illustrator-spotlight-jing-wei/ Mon, 30 Nov 2020 06:36:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6815 Over the past years, Jing Wei has become somewhat of a household name amongst illustrators. The Chinese-born, California-raised, and Brooklyn-based illustrator has collaborated with some of the biggest brands, including Google, Adobe, Airbnb, and Etsy, and was featured in top tier publications like New York Times and The New Yorker. She has also worked as […]

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Over the past years, Jing Wei has become somewhat of a household name amongst illustrators. The Chinese-born, California-raised, and Brooklyn-based illustrator has collaborated with some of the biggest brands, including Google, Adobe, Airbnb, and Etsy, and was featured in top tier publications like New York Times and The New Yorker. She has also worked as the illustration director for Etsy.

So it comes as a surprise learning that she wasn’t formally introduced to illustration as a field, until going to college. “I was born in China, and no one in my family had a creative profession because it wasn’t an option available to anyone prior to my generation,” she relayed in an interview with Zappos. “Since I wasn’t deliberately exposed to the art world, my early influences came from books and TV.”

According to Wei, in middle and high school, she approached art-making solely as an exercise in skill-building with very little creativity or exploration. “When I was in college, I started to discover people like Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Lynda Barry, David B., and Marjane Satrapi,” she further recalled. “I’m in awe of people who can visualize a complex story.”

Having studied printmaking, her work these days is very much in dialogue with prints, with simple, clean shapes, the basis of her illustrations. After first exclusively making illustrations through woodcuts, she eventually mastered Photoshop, and nowadays is pretty fluid when it comes to her medium of choice.

“I hope that by pushing myself as an Asian female illustrator, I can at least be an example for younger girls who might not think this path is feasible,” she notes. Scroll down to see some recent work of hers.

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Scenes of Comfort and Coziness: The Illustrations of Leah Goren https://mytrendtales.com/scenes-of-comfort-and-coziness-the-illustrations-of-leah-goren/ Mon, 23 Nov 2020 12:12:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6801 Leah Goren is the illustrator your favorite illustrator follows. Based in Southern California, she’s amassed a cult following online, thanks to her playful approach to illustration. Drawn mostly by hand, her illustrations tend to portray scenes of everyday life: a woman eating fries and a man scrolling idly on his phone. There’s also a lot […]

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Leah Goren is the illustrator your favorite illustrator follows. Based in Southern California, she’s amassed a cult following online, thanks to her playful approach to illustration. Drawn mostly by hand, her illustrations tend to portray scenes of everyday life: a woman eating fries and a man scrolling idly on his phone. There’s also a lot of house plants.

Having graduated from Parsons School of Design in 2012 with a BFA in Illustration, she has since worked with brands as big as Anthropologie, The New York Times, Penguin Random House, Vanity Fair, and Urban Outfitters.

Aside from being an illustrator, Goren also works as a surface pattern designer (and indeed, scrolling through her Instagram page – her fondness of patterns is evident). “I like making patterns because they repeat endlessly and I don’t feel restricted to containing my drawing within a box,” she admitted in an interview with Spoonflower. “I’m always interested in home interiors, and I’d love to see my patterns on wallpaper or an upholstered chair or couch.”

According to Goren, patterns seem to come easily for her—each, having a clear theme or motif. Her toolbox includes brushes, gouache, ink, watercolor, palettes, a scanner, and Photoshop for finishing touches. “Gouache is my favorite to paint with,” she admits, “but depending on the piece I may use ink or watercolor instead.”

But when it comes to the creative process itself, she tends to stick to a clear schedule. “I usually finish everything from start to finish in one go,” says Goren, “though it may take days or weeks to complete a project depending on my work schedule and the complexity. I draw quickly and loosely and I’m used to the quick turnaround times of commercial illustration.”

Scroll down to see some of her selected work.

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The Editorial Comic Art of Ana Galvañ https://mytrendtales.com/the-editorial-comic-art-of-ana-galvan/ Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:58:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6644 Freelance illustrator, Ana Galvañ, creates images that are halfway between comics and editorial art. A rising star in the illustration scene, her work has appeared in publications coordinated by Fantagraphics, Nobrow, Ultrarradio, Vertigo DC, Off Life, Autsáider, Apa-Apa, and Fosfatina. She has also published a 64-pages story with Apa Apa cómics. “I’m a comic book artist by […]

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Freelance illustrator, Ana Galvañ, creates images that are halfway between comics and editorial art. A rising star in the illustration scene, her work has appeared in publications coordinated by Fantagraphics, Nobrow, Ultrarradio, Vertigo DC, Off Life, Autsáider, Apa-Apa, and Fosfatina. She has also published a 64-pages story with Apa Apa cómics.

“I’m a comic book artist by nature, rather than an illustrator, so there’s always this narrative element present in my pieces, even when I make a single illustration,” she remarked once in an interview with the WeTransfer blog. Indeed, each piece has a nugget of narrative within it, enticing the viewer.

Based in Spain, Galvañ studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Valencia, before moving to Madrid, where she worked as an Art Director. More recently, she left advertising to pursue comics and illustration full time. Her visual language is very wholesome, and includes bright colors and overlapping geometrical shapes. Galvañ also likes adding a textured feel to her work – a graininess that also makes her work more comics-like. “I have always tried to remove the coldness from my digital works, adding worn textures or screen dots,” she notes. “I also usually add some vintage Photoshop filters, which change the original colors.”


“I like to work on imaginary worlds in which any surreal event is possible,” she adds, “but it’s based on realistic surroundings. In that way, the surprise of absurd scenarios causes a bigger impact. I guess creating fantastic universes is one of the reasons I like to draw and tell stories.”

Follow her visual stories on Instagram:

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The Honest Illustrations of Ashley Ronning https://mytrendtales.com/the-honest-illustrations-of-ashley-ronning/ Mon, 20 Jul 2020 13:21:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6603 With more than 20k followers on Instagram, illustrator Ashley Ronning is a rising star in the illustration scene. Her work includes drawing, risograph printing, and zine-making, with selected clients as big as frankie, Milk Records, PBS FM, and Poison City Records. Describing her career course as a “wobbly path”, Ronning went back and forth between […]

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With more than 20k followers on Instagram, illustrator Ashley Ronning is a rising star in the illustration scene. Her work includes drawing, risograph printing, and zine-making, with selected clients as big as frankie, Milk Records, PBS FM, and Poison City Records.

Describing her career course as a “wobbly path”, Ronning went back and forth between illustration and design. “I had gone to uni in Canberra to study arts but soon found it wasn’t for me,” she recalled in an interview with the Shillington Design Blog. “I moved to Melbourne in 2011 and studied part-time at Shillington. One of my teachers Steph nudged me towards pursuing graphic design and prop making in film and tv. I did that between hospo work for a few years, while quietly working on my illustration skills in my down time.”

After deciding that film wasn’t for her, she slowly built up illustration commissions until she managed to make it a full-time job in 2015. “I’ve also been working on my side project since 2016, Helio Press,” she adds. “That’s where I do riso printing and publishing.” With her illustrations having a handmade, underground feel to them, her work comes off as very personal and honest.

“I’m constantly finding the best way to represent an idea through my work,” she notes, “whether its a commission or my own personal work. There are down sides of course, like trying to keep regular work going and boring business stuff, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now.” We’re glad she’s sticking to it.

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There’s Plenty of Charm in Leo Espinosa’s Illustrations https://mytrendtales.com/theres-plenty-of-charm-in-leo-espinosas-illustrations/ Mon, 18 May 2020 15:06:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6430 Before being the award-winning illustrator he is today, Bogotá, Leo Espinosa worked full time as a designer and art director. “Curiosity has led my career and it has proven to be a good business strategy,” he shared in an interview with AI-AP.  As an illustrator, Espinosa began with editorial work, but quickly moved into character […]

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Before being the award-winning illustrator he is today, Bogotá, Leo Espinosa worked full time as a designer and art director. “Curiosity has led my career and it has proven to be a good business strategy,” he shared in an interview with AI-AP
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I close my eyes and see bicycles #studioespinosaworks

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As an illustrator, Espinosa began with editorial work, but quickly moved into character and product design, as well as animation, logo design, comics, gallery work, and even children’s books – all the while combining illustration with his background in design. Base in Bogotá, Colombia, his work has been featured in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows worldwide. His short list includes brands and publications as big as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Nickelodeon, Penguin Random House, Swatch, and Facebook.

“Even though my illustration career didn’t kick off until the mid-90s, I like to think that I started working while I was still attending design school,” he observes. “I got a small job doing storyboards for an ad agency, which lead to a designer position, and later on I became an art director; by the time I left Colombia at the age of 22, I had worked in three large multinational agencies.”

Known for his bright and playful aesthetic, his work has a sense of vitality to it, with his compositions based around the characters’ movement. With so much going on for him, you’d want to join in the hype.

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Texture study #booksinthemaking #studioespinosaworks

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A chap from rainy Bogotá. TBT

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Here’s Another Illustrator You Should Follow https://mytrendtales.com/heres-another-illustrator-you-should-follow/ Sat, 25 Apr 2020 06:49:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6423 “I honestly just love drawing for money,” writes Sonny Ross in his short, candid bio. Luckily for us, there are people willing to pay for his delightful creations. Based in the UK, his selected clients include publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Telegraph, amongst many others. But initially, […]

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“I honestly just love drawing for money,” writes Sonny Ross in his short, candid bio. Luckily for us, there are people willing to pay for his delightful creations. Based in the UK, his selected clients include publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Telegraph, amongst many others.

But initially, Ross admits he actually contemplated a very different career. “I wanted to be a history teacher,” he shared with Lecture in Progress. “But when the time came to choose what to do at university, I chose illustration. I had always drawn and I’m going to be honest and put it down to ego. As a kid I would get compliments on my sketches and that felt good. Nobody ever really raved about an essay about post-reformation parliament in the same way so I chose illustration.”

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April

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According to Ross, he went into university with a very narrow view of what illustration was. “That was corrected pretty quickly,” he notes, adding that “being surrounded by incredible people with amazing skills beyond my own really opened my eyes.” Graduating from Birmingham City University in 2014 with a first-class degree in Illustration, his visual language now revolves around playful characters and bright color palettes.

 “I’m a freelance illustrator, which affords me the opportunity to work for whomever I like,” says Ross, “from editorial work to food, children’s books, corporate and independent. One day, I could be working on a really serious news piece and the next could be some light-hearted design work, I like that part of my work.”

Follow him on Instagram for more.

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Well I’m drawing again hope you’re all proud of yourself

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🐴

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Illustrator Bodil Jane Deserves the Hype https://mytrendtales.com/illustrator-bodil-jane-deserves-the-hype/ Mon, 20 Apr 2020 06:49:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6207 With more than 230k followers on Instagram, illustrator Bodil Jane is a household name when it comes to contemporary illustration. Centered around women characters almost entirely, her illustrations are detailed, colorful, and most often than not – steeped in greenery. Her handmade, homely and warm aesthetic is instantly recognizable. It’s a style that has caught […]

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With more than 230k followers on Instagram, illustrator Bodil Jane is a household name when it comes to contemporary illustration. Centered around women characters almost entirely, her illustrations are detailed, colorful, and most often than not – steeped in greenery.

Her handmade, homely and warm aesthetic is instantly recognizable. It’s a style that has caught the attention of a range of clients from The New Yorker to Unicef. Jane has also collaborated with Caran d’Ache and makes products too, notably working with dutch design brand, &Klevering. Her work was also featured in The Illustrator – 100 Best From Around the World by Taschen.  

“The women I draw are fictional but based on a blend of women I see around me and those I want to be,” explained Bodil in an interview with Creative Boom. “The city inspires me to draw these very diverse individuals,” she adds. “Women are a never-ending inspiration: how they behave, their energy, their looks. I’m always inspired by women who are themselves and who are special to me because of their looks. I have to draw them, of course, so the looks are important.”

Around these characters, Jane builds a detailed environment (mostly interior landscapes filled with houseplants). It’s a characteristic she puts down to her love of collecting, regularly visiting busy environments such as flea markets or botanical gardens for inspiration. “I don’t want my work to be an extension of the women we see in the media all the time,” she notes. “The ‘perfect’ woman. I’m more interested in quirky, interesting and sweet rather than sexy and smooth. I want them to be approachable, not intimidating.”

You’d want to join her growing fanbase.

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💛 Abyssinian 💛

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Woman with fan 🌝

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Sofa session for @refinery29uk x @botanicsuk 👩🏾‍🦱🌸👱🏽‍♀️🌝

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ersion="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> illustrator Archives - MyTrendTales MyTrendTales Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:42:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Artist Captures the Innocence of Animals in Her Illustrations https://mytrendtales.com/artist-captures-the-innocence-of-animals-in-her-illustrations/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 06:04:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=8119 Mai Hatano is a Japanese illustrator living and working in Sweden. Once a factory worker, Hatano always dreamed about becoming an artist. While watching drawing videos, she decided she would start drawing as well. She bought an iPad, and that is how Lilla Ateljen was born. As she said in an interview for Ballpit, art is her […]

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Mai Hatano is a Japanese illustrator living and working in Sweden. Once a factory worker, Hatano always dreamed about becoming an artist. While watching drawing videos, she decided she would start drawing as well. She bought an iPad, and that is how Lilla Ateljen was born.

As she said in an interview for Ballpit, art is her booster of energy and happiness,” she said. “I am inspired by the innocence of animals and nature. I want to express their pureness in my art.”

Although leaving her country, family and friends was one of the hardest moves Hatano had to make, she still managed to find happiness in her new home.

“Living in Sweden gave me new perspectives and inspirations,” she added. “There are a lot of ways to spice up your daily life here. My artworks are inspired by those relaxing, calm, and peaceful moments in life that we need.”

Hatano likes drawing on paper, but her current favorite medium is digital. All because “you can use many layers and easily edit small details.”

She currently has more than 3,500 followers on Instagram, and all of her images are done in neutral colors. To see her beautiful artwork, check out the gallery below.

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French Artist Mixes Emotion With Geometric Designs https://mytrendtales.com/french-artist-likes-organized-pictures-full-of-geometric-designs/ Mon, 04 Oct 2021 06:11:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=8092 Marine Bl Girard is a talented French artist living and working in Paris. She started her career when she was a little girl, and was only four years old when she began drawing together with her grandmother. Later, she went to art school to eventually become a Graphic Designer. To create her masterpieces, Girard explains […]

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Marine Bl Girard is a talented French artist living and working in Paris. She started her career when she was a little girl, and was only four years old when she began drawing together with her grandmother. Later, she went to art school to eventually become a Graphic Designer.

To create her masterpieces, Girard explains how her creating process needs to look.

“I’m very organized. I like when everything is well planned, and precision is also really important to me,” she said in an interview for Ballpit. “Maybe that’s the reason why I really like geometric design, sharp shapes, vectors, and symmetry. It looks very clean and organized, and I think it creates a sort of harmony (at least to me!).”

After graduation, she moved to the “City of Light” and loves her creative job. Lately, she has been drawing more in Procreate, regardless of Illustrator being her favorite medium. Images of plates full of colorful and delicious-looking food, flowers, animals, and people are just some of the works she shares on her Instagram and Behance account.

Check out the gallery below if you want to see her beautiful illustrations. Don’t forget to support her work by following her on social media.

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Christoph Niemann’s Art is Simply Witty https://mytrendtales.com/christoph-niemanns-art-is-simply-witty/ Mon, 11 Jan 2021 06:46:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6888 When it comes to illustration, Christoph Niemann is right at the very top. A seasoned illustrator, artist, and author, his work appears regularly on the covers of  The New Yorker,  National Geographic, and The New York Times Magazine, with corporate clients including giants like Google and The Museum of Modern Art. And with one million followers on Instagram, illustrators should […]

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When it comes to illustration, Christoph Niemann is right at the very top. A seasoned illustrator, artist, and author, his work appears regularly on the covers of  The New Yorker,  National Geographic, and The New York Times Magazine, with corporate clients including giants like Google and The Museum of Modern Art.

And with one million followers on Instagram, illustrators should take note of Niemann’s words of advice. One solid piece of advice is to explore different techniques and styles. “When I first came to New York it was my great luck that my portfolio did not showcase one specific visual style or technique,” he recalled in an interview with The Creative Independent. “I had everything in there, from vector graphics to pixel drawings.”

According to Niemann, his strong point is the ideas he comes up with, rather than a specific drawing style. “More than a specific visual style, my trademark has always been to autonomously, swiftly, and conceivably map out and execute an idea,” he stressed. “Nobody ever approached me asking for a drawing of, say, a dinosaur with a fridge as a head done ‘in my style.'”

His ideas have a certain wit to them, often incorporating physical objects into his illustrations (a man with a kettle instead of a head, a woman’s face constructed of fruit). His original approach to art making also makes him stand out as an author. Niemann’s books include the monograph  Sunday Sketching, WORDS, and Souvenir. His most recent book is Hopes and Dreams and it’s about a trip to meet an artistic hero in Los Angeles.

“Drawing a story is not unlike editing a text,” observes Niemann. “Do I add this adjective or leave it out? The central questions always need to be, how do I get the reader from A to B? If I drown them in descriptions, I lose the story. If I’m too economic, there’s no emotional connection. Everything I add or lose is based on the question of what happens communicatively. And this skill can be practiced like a musical instrument.”

The end result is relatively simple, cutting straight to the chase. But looks can be deceiving. According to Niemann, some drawings take 20 drafts to look like they came together in five seconds.

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Illustrator Spotlight: Jing Wei https://mytrendtales.com/illustrator-spotlight-jing-wei/ Mon, 30 Nov 2020 06:36:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6815 Over the past years, Jing Wei has become somewhat of a household name amongst illustrators. The Chinese-born, California-raised, and Brooklyn-based illustrator has collaborated with some of the biggest brands, including Google, Adobe, Airbnb, and Etsy, and was featured in top tier publications like New York Times and The New Yorker. She has also worked as […]

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Over the past years, Jing Wei has become somewhat of a household name amongst illustrators. The Chinese-born, California-raised, and Brooklyn-based illustrator has collaborated with some of the biggest brands, including Google, Adobe, Airbnb, and Etsy, and was featured in top tier publications like New York Times and The New Yorker. She has also worked as the illustration director for Etsy.

So it comes as a surprise learning that she wasn’t formally introduced to illustration as a field, until going to college. “I was born in China, and no one in my family had a creative profession because it wasn’t an option available to anyone prior to my generation,” she relayed in an interview with Zappos. “Since I wasn’t deliberately exposed to the art world, my early influences came from books and TV.”

According to Wei, in middle and high school, she approached art-making solely as an exercise in skill-building with very little creativity or exploration. “When I was in college, I started to discover people like Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Lynda Barry, David B., and Marjane Satrapi,” she further recalled. “I’m in awe of people who can visualize a complex story.”

Having studied printmaking, her work these days is very much in dialogue with prints, with simple, clean shapes, the basis of her illustrations. After first exclusively making illustrations through woodcuts, she eventually mastered Photoshop, and nowadays is pretty fluid when it comes to her medium of choice.

“I hope that by pushing myself as an Asian female illustrator, I can at least be an example for younger girls who might not think this path is feasible,” she notes. Scroll down to see some recent work of hers.

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Scenes of Comfort and Coziness: The Illustrations of Leah Goren https://mytrendtales.com/scenes-of-comfort-and-coziness-the-illustrations-of-leah-goren/ Mon, 23 Nov 2020 12:12:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6801 Leah Goren is the illustrator your favorite illustrator follows. Based in Southern California, she’s amassed a cult following online, thanks to her playful approach to illustration. Drawn mostly by hand, her illustrations tend to portray scenes of everyday life: a woman eating fries and a man scrolling idly on his phone. There’s also a lot […]

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Leah Goren is the illustrator your favorite illustrator follows. Based in Southern California, she’s amassed a cult following online, thanks to her playful approach to illustration. Drawn mostly by hand, her illustrations tend to portray scenes of everyday life: a woman eating fries and a man scrolling idly on his phone. There’s also a lot of house plants.

Having graduated from Parsons School of Design in 2012 with a BFA in Illustration, she has since worked with brands as big as Anthropologie, The New York Times, Penguin Random House, Vanity Fair, and Urban Outfitters.

Aside from being an illustrator, Goren also works as a surface pattern designer (and indeed, scrolling through her Instagram page – her fondness of patterns is evident). “I like making patterns because they repeat endlessly and I don’t feel restricted to containing my drawing within a box,” she admitted in an interview with Spoonflower. “I’m always interested in home interiors, and I’d love to see my patterns on wallpaper or an upholstered chair or couch.”

According to Goren, patterns seem to come easily for her—each, having a clear theme or motif. Her toolbox includes brushes, gouache, ink, watercolor, palettes, a scanner, and Photoshop for finishing touches. “Gouache is my favorite to paint with,” she admits, “but depending on the piece I may use ink or watercolor instead.”

But when it comes to the creative process itself, she tends to stick to a clear schedule. “I usually finish everything from start to finish in one go,” says Goren, “though it may take days or weeks to complete a project depending on my work schedule and the complexity. I draw quickly and loosely and I’m used to the quick turnaround times of commercial illustration.”

Scroll down to see some of her selected work.

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The Editorial Comic Art of Ana Galvañ https://mytrendtales.com/the-editorial-comic-art-of-ana-galvan/ Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:58:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6644 Freelance illustrator, Ana Galvañ, creates images that are halfway between comics and editorial art. A rising star in the illustration scene, her work has appeared in publications coordinated by Fantagraphics, Nobrow, Ultrarradio, Vertigo DC, Off Life, Autsáider, Apa-Apa, and Fosfatina. She has also published a 64-pages story with Apa Apa cómics. “I’m a comic book artist by […]

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Freelance illustrator, Ana Galvañ, creates images that are halfway between comics and editorial art. A rising star in the illustration scene, her work has appeared in publications coordinated by Fantagraphics, Nobrow, Ultrarradio, Vertigo DC, Off Life, Autsáider, Apa-Apa, and Fosfatina. She has also published a 64-pages story with Apa Apa cómics.

“I’m a comic book artist by nature, rather than an illustrator, so there’s always this narrative element present in my pieces, even when I make a single illustration,” she remarked once in an interview with the WeTransfer blog. Indeed, each piece has a nugget of narrative within it, enticing the viewer.

Based in Spain, Galvañ studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Valencia, before moving to Madrid, where she worked as an Art Director. More recently, she left advertising to pursue comics and illustration full time. Her visual language is very wholesome, and includes bright colors and overlapping geometrical shapes. Galvañ also likes adding a textured feel to her work – a graininess that also makes her work more comics-like. “I have always tried to remove the coldness from my digital works, adding worn textures or screen dots,” she notes. “I also usually add some vintage Photoshop filters, which change the original colors.”


“I like to work on imaginary worlds in which any surreal event is possible,” she adds, “but it’s based on realistic surroundings. In that way, the surprise of absurd scenarios causes a bigger impact. I guess creating fantastic universes is one of the reasons I like to draw and tell stories.”

Follow her visual stories on Instagram:

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The Honest Illustrations of Ashley Ronning https://mytrendtales.com/the-honest-illustrations-of-ashley-ronning/ Mon, 20 Jul 2020 13:21:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6603 With more than 20k followers on Instagram, illustrator Ashley Ronning is a rising star in the illustration scene. Her work includes drawing, risograph printing, and zine-making, with selected clients as big as frankie, Milk Records, PBS FM, and Poison City Records. Describing her career course as a “wobbly path”, Ronning went back and forth between […]

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With more than 20k followers on Instagram, illustrator Ashley Ronning is a rising star in the illustration scene. Her work includes drawing, risograph printing, and zine-making, with selected clients as big as frankie, Milk Records, PBS FM, and Poison City Records.

Describing her career course as a “wobbly path”, Ronning went back and forth between illustration and design. “I had gone to uni in Canberra to study arts but soon found it wasn’t for me,” she recalled in an interview with the Shillington Design Blog. “I moved to Melbourne in 2011 and studied part-time at Shillington. One of my teachers Steph nudged me towards pursuing graphic design and prop making in film and tv. I did that between hospo work for a few years, while quietly working on my illustration skills in my down time.”

After deciding that film wasn’t for her, she slowly built up illustration commissions until she managed to make it a full-time job in 2015. “I’ve also been working on my side project since 2016, Helio Press,” she adds. “That’s where I do riso printing and publishing.” With her illustrations having a handmade, underground feel to them, her work comes off as very personal and honest.

“I’m constantly finding the best way to represent an idea through my work,” she notes, “whether its a commission or my own personal work. There are down sides of course, like trying to keep regular work going and boring business stuff, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now.” We’re glad she’s sticking to it.

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There’s Plenty of Charm in Leo Espinosa’s Illustrations https://mytrendtales.com/theres-plenty-of-charm-in-leo-espinosas-illustrations/ Mon, 18 May 2020 15:06:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6430 Before being the award-winning illustrator he is today, Bogotá, Leo Espinosa worked full time as a designer and art director. “Curiosity has led my career and it has proven to be a good business strategy,” he shared in an interview with AI-AP.  As an illustrator, Espinosa began with editorial work, but quickly moved into character […]

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Before being the award-winning illustrator he is today, Bogotá, Leo Espinosa worked full time as a designer and art director. “Curiosity has led my career and it has proven to be a good business strategy,” he shared in an interview with AI-AP
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I close my eyes and see bicycles #studioespinosaworks

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As an illustrator, Espinosa began with editorial work, but quickly moved into character and product design, as well as animation, logo design, comics, gallery work, and even children’s books – all the while combining illustration with his background in design. Base in Bogotá, Colombia, his work has been featured in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows worldwide. His short list includes brands and publications as big as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Nickelodeon, Penguin Random House, Swatch, and Facebook.

“Even though my illustration career didn’t kick off until the mid-90s, I like to think that I started working while I was still attending design school,” he observes. “I got a small job doing storyboards for an ad agency, which lead to a designer position, and later on I became an art director; by the time I left Colombia at the age of 22, I had worked in three large multinational agencies.”

Known for his bright and playful aesthetic, his work has a sense of vitality to it, with his compositions based around the characters’ movement. With so much going on for him, you’d want to join in the hype.

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Texture study #booksinthemaking #studioespinosaworks

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A chap from rainy Bogotá. TBT

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Here’s Another Illustrator You Should Follow https://mytrendtales.com/heres-another-illustrator-you-should-follow/ Sat, 25 Apr 2020 06:49:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6423 “I honestly just love drawing for money,” writes Sonny Ross in his short, candid bio. Luckily for us, there are people willing to pay for his delightful creations. Based in the UK, his selected clients include publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Telegraph, amongst many others. But initially, […]

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“I honestly just love drawing for money,” writes Sonny Ross in his short, candid bio. Luckily for us, there are people willing to pay for his delightful creations. Based in the UK, his selected clients include publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Telegraph, amongst many others.

But initially, Ross admits he actually contemplated a very different career. “I wanted to be a history teacher,” he shared with Lecture in Progress. “But when the time came to choose what to do at university, I chose illustration. I had always drawn and I’m going to be honest and put it down to ego. As a kid I would get compliments on my sketches and that felt good. Nobody ever really raved about an essay about post-reformation parliament in the same way so I chose illustration.”

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April

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According to Ross, he went into university with a very narrow view of what illustration was. “That was corrected pretty quickly,” he notes, adding that “being surrounded by incredible people with amazing skills beyond my own really opened my eyes.” Graduating from Birmingham City University in 2014 with a first-class degree in Illustration, his visual language now revolves around playful characters and bright color palettes.

 “I’m a freelance illustrator, which affords me the opportunity to work for whomever I like,” says Ross, “from editorial work to food, children’s books, corporate and independent. One day, I could be working on a really serious news piece and the next could be some light-hearted design work, I like that part of my work.”

Follow him on Instagram for more.

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Well I’m drawing again hope you’re all proud of yourself

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🐴

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Illustrator Bodil Jane Deserves the Hype https://mytrendtales.com/illustrator-bodil-jane-deserves-the-hype/ Mon, 20 Apr 2020 06:49:00 +0000 https://mytrendtales.com/?p=6207 With more than 230k followers on Instagram, illustrator Bodil Jane is a household name when it comes to contemporary illustration. Centered around women characters almost entirely, her illustrations are detailed, colorful, and most often than not – steeped in greenery. Her handmade, homely and warm aesthetic is instantly recognizable. It’s a style that has caught […]

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With more than 230k followers on Instagram, illustrator Bodil Jane is a household name when it comes to contemporary illustration. Centered around women characters almost entirely, her illustrations are detailed, colorful, and most often than not – steeped in greenery.

Her handmade, homely and warm aesthetic is instantly recognizable. It’s a style that has caught the attention of a range of clients from The New Yorker to Unicef. Jane has also collaborated with Caran d’Ache and makes products too, notably working with dutch design brand, &Klevering. Her work was also featured in The Illustrator – 100 Best From Around the World by Taschen.  

“The women I draw are fictional but based on a blend of women I see around me and those I want to be,” explained Bodil in an interview with Creative Boom. “The city inspires me to draw these very diverse individuals,” she adds. “Women are a never-ending inspiration: how they behave, their energy, their looks. I’m always inspired by women who are themselves and who are special to me because of their looks. I have to draw them, of course, so the looks are important.”

Around these characters, Jane builds a detailed environment (mostly interior landscapes filled with houseplants). It’s a characteristic she puts down to her love of collecting, regularly visiting busy environments such as flea markets or botanical gardens for inspiration. “I don’t want my work to be an extension of the women we see in the media all the time,” she notes. “The ‘perfect’ woman. I’m more interested in quirky, interesting and sweet rather than sexy and smooth. I want them to be approachable, not intimidating.”

You’d want to join her growing fanbase.

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💛 Abyssinian 💛

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Woman with fan 🌝

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Sofa session for @refinery29uk x @botanicsuk 👩🏾‍🦱🌸👱🏽‍♀️🌝

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