illustration

Although there's a definite style to her work, it's hard to put your finger on exactly what Kathryn Macnaughton's mixed media illustrations have in common. Some references to pop culture. Some are generally innocent, others are more risqué. Some have clearly distinguishable backgrounds, others are more abstract. Even her work spans a few mediums, from paintings, to illustrations, to collages.…

Maybe you think of coloured pencils are a sort of intermediate art tool, reserved for middle school geography class.  A step up from crayons but less refined than 'serious' art tools, like pastels, watercolours and paints. But in the hands of Natalie Foss, these humble implements take on a new sophistication. Her retro-futuristic take on forlorn looking humanoids, with multiple…

Wes Anderson movies have a certain distinctive feel. Whether animated or live-action, the colour palettes, directorial choices and camera movements set them apart from your average film. And no one can deny that Anderson excels in creating a world in his movies that, while not far removed from ours, obviously exists on a slightly different plane. But what if you…

Ever looked at a hot dog and giggled to yourself? From its phallic shape to its slight bend and bounce, there's no denying its suggestiveness, especially if you're in your early teen years. Or maybe you never grew out of it. Artist Aurel Schmidt goes the slightly more sophisticated route by using vegetables to reimagine body parts, rather than the…

Ferns, foliage, and vintage cars? Russian illustrator Julia Petrova's images seem to have an underlying theme of teenage insolence, with tight clothes, cigarette smoking, littering and loitering. Her chosen colour scheme of greys, pinks and blues make many of her works look like they take place at dusk, just dark enough to conceal youthful acts of mischief.

What does it feel like to be a cool girl? For some of us, the answer might still be elusive. But look at Germany based artist Laura Breiling's illustrations and you begin to suspect she's figured it out. Her subjects have an air of nonchalance, clearly choosing to live their lives the way they want, and I'm sorry, is there a problem with that? Whether alone or in a group, out doing their own thing or watching Netflix with the cat, regardless of hairstyle or body type, her women are confident and comfortable in their own skin... Something we could all get a little better at.