Illustration

Section

Art Design Illustration

A Pop-Up Homage to Caspar Henderson’s Book of Barely Imagined Beings by Maria Chernakova

Russian designer Maria Chernakova, who uses Mary Komary as her professional name, created a unique pop-up interpretation of one of her favorite books. The original beloved tome by Caspar Henderson, titled The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, is a comprehensive guide to the natural history of real animals that are so fantastic they seem to be a product of mythology. In Chernakova’s imaginative interpretation, pop-ups, hand-drawn illustrations, and charts and diagrams depict charming aquatic animals from the nautilus to the axolotl. She created just one copy of the book, which is divided into two volumes and contains a total of ten pop-up structures. You can see more of the St. Petersburg-based designer’s commercial and personal work on Behance and Instagram.

Animation Illustration

Vanishing Thoughts Explored in High Contrast GIFs by Tracy J Lee

Chicago-based art director, designer, and illustrator Tracy J Lee creates animated city scenes drenched in high contrast light and shadow with subjects who are lost in deep inner thought. In several of the GIFs the central character steps outside of their self as a ghostly doppelgänger that disappears almost as quickly as it enters the frame. The figure plays a duet next to its twin, or attempts to help himself up from a position on the floor. The last few GIFs were inspired by the South Korean boy band BTS, and feature interpretations of some of Lee’s favorite songs. You can see more of her illustrations on her Tumblr, Instagram, and Behance. (via The Art of Animation)

Illustration

Creative Lego Constructions Bring Fantastical Moments to Life

Creative constructions of Lego bricks spring to life in these advertising campaigns developed by Asawin Tejasakulsin, a senior art director at Ogilvy & Mather in Bangkok, Thailand. The two series, Imagine and Build the Future, amplify the childhood wonder central to the Lego brand, devising playful scenarios that successfully interact with reality. In Imagine, storybook animals come to life, while in Build the Future, children assemble the uniforms of their dream jobs, all using Lego bricks. You can see more work by Tejasakulsin on Behance.

Illustration

Multi-Dimensional Illustrations Weave Together Mysterious Narratives by Victo Ngai

Los Angeles-based illustrator and storyboard artist Victo Ngai produces layered illustrations that reveal elaborate worlds filled with unexpected details. A beautiful expanse of unencumbered nature stands guarded inside a wide-mouthed bullfrog, while a seaside city burns with brilliant flames in the fabric of a heroine’s dress. Each scene inspires the viewer to pause, making sure they haven’t missed a key character that might unlock the work’s tangled narrative. Ngai is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, and provides illustrations for clients such as The New York Times and The New Yorker. You can view more of her colorful artwork on Instagram and Behance. (via Booooooom)

Art Illustration

A Centuries-Old Art Form Hides Within the Gilded Pages of Antique Books

Martin Frost creates paintings in places that people can’t see, or can only find if they know exactly where to look. The UK-based artist is a fore-edge painter, which means he produces elaborate designs and scenes along the edges of gilded books. The works are discovered only when you fan the pages in a certain way, and become hidden by the book’s gold edges as soon it is closed. “It is a discrete painting,” Frost tells Great Big Story. “It is only there when you know how to unlock it.”

Vanishing fore-edge painting dates back to about 1660, but didn’t become popular until the 18th-century. Frost has practiced the rare art form for the last 40 years, and as far as he knows, is the last commercial fore-edge painter in the world. You can view more of his hidden paintings, in addition to a series of illuminated miniatures, on his website. (via Great Big Story)

Illustration Photography

Sticks, Seeds, and Petals From the American Southwest Inspire New Insect-Shaped Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Raku Inoue (previously) recently look an extended road trip to several destinations in the American Southwest. During his journey he created a scorpion-shaped arrangement from seeds, sticks, and a pepper found at Antelope Canyon in Arizona, and utilized a fallen cactus segment near Horseshoe Bend as the abdomen in a prickly tarantula. Other works created with found natural elements during Inoue’s trip include a turtle bug, red ant, and centipede.

Recently Inoue created a monochrome stag beetle and Monarch butterfly for a short film in collaboration with CBC Arts. The artist has also begun to explore three-dimensional versions of his found flora creations, building armatures for a gorilla, water buffalo, and tiger. More foraged creations can be found on his Instagram.

Illustration

Three-Dimensional Paper Doodles Created With Playful Folds and Rips by HuskMitNavn

Danish artist HuskMitNavn (which translates to “Remember My Name”) is a painter, muralist, and compulsive doodler who creates clever three-dimensional drawings. The simple constructions are made from paper and pen, and depict cartoon characters in humorous situations like Mario avoiding an arsenal of tumbling barrels thrown by a looming Donkey Kong.

“It’s a long (and ongoing) process coming up with the 3D drawings,” HuskMitNavn tells Colossal. “I have been making so many drawing on flat paper my whole life and one day a few years ago I just started to experiment with the paper to see if could add another dimension to it. The idea is to make it very simple only using A4 size paper and a pen. No scissors or glue. I want everybody to join in and also try to 3D drawings at the kitchen table.”

HuskMitNavn has an upcoming solo exhibition titled TEGN at Nikolaj Kunsthal in Copenhagen from August 29, 2018 through January 2019. You can a variety of the artist’s cross-media work on his website and dozens more of his ripped drawings on Instagram.