The artist defies the tall, lanky frames which have traditionally filled fashion illustrations and magazines, rendering her figures in a vast range of skin tones and body types. In one of her graphic illustrations, her female subject dances and hoists a boa constrictor high in the air, dressed to the nines in a peach jumpsuit and sizable bronze accessories. Ruiz’s muses are strong, chic, acrobatic women. Some stick to pencils and paint, but others employ Photoshop brushes, the new and improved iPad Pro, and animation software.īelow, we highlight 15 young illustrators pushing the medium forward, whether through obsessive drawings of cats, anime-inspired gifs, or satirical portraits of Donald Trump. And no longer confined to paper sketchpads and print publications alone, contemporary illustrators are indeed expanding their toolkit, techniques, and the range of projects they’re pursuing.

While illustration has traditionally referred to drawing commissioned for media and advertising, times are clearly changing. I’m interested in doing good work and cultivating my curiosity for things.” Milan-based Olimpia Zagnoli agrees: “I’m not really interested in dividing my work into separate boxes. “I’m not really sure there is a major distinction-boundaries between artistic practices are increasingly and refreshingly blurry,” says Brooklyn-based illustrator and painter Sam Kalda. Helen is represented by Folio in London.What separates illustration from art? For most emerging illustrators, the answer is complicated. Her moving portrait of David Bowie is our particular favourite. Working in a range of mixed media, she conveys a story and sense of fun in all that she creates. With Facebook, Warner Music and The Guardian amongst her clients, Helen Green is much-loved for her ability to not only capture a photographic likeness in her portraits but also the personality and life within her subjects. Read on for a burst of inspiration from some seriously impressive artists. To whet your appetite, we've picked out 30 of our favourite illustrators, including both fresh and familiar faces, that we predict are due to make a big splash in 2021.

And that makes it easy to search for, reference, and connect with some of the most talented artists in the world today. A companion site to the famous Directory of Illustration book, which is published at the beginning of each year, it features thousands of illustrations from hundreds of the best illustrators working today.

Digital illustrators