Catherine Slaymaker is an artist whose unique illustration style I’ve been really enjoying lately.

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Scott Teplin’s candy-colored paintings and incredibly detailed line drawings of wrecked vehicles as well as his Sims-like images of surreal, fantastical urban structures express both malaise and wonderment at the spaces we have created for ourselves in modern life.

Illustrator Jess Douglas does great line drawings and screen-prints of street scenes, many of them sparse and devoid of people but still somehow cheerful and warm.

Timelessness is surely one of the most sought-after characteristics that any artist, writer or musician can aim for in their work. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that what felt good a generation ago still holds true to this day; perhaps even better to know that what made one tick as a child still draws a smile years down the line. I often feel this with certain children’s illustration — they evoke an innolinecence every adult still retains somewhere deep inside. The work of UK illustrator Jenni Desmond does just this to me — there’s a real sense of adventure running through it and vision of the world being far, far larger than it really is.

Presented as a tableau of vignettes, the work of UK illustrator Jody Barton is executed in a variety of techniques and mediums, yet manages to run the gamut from delicately bold watercolors, to thoroughly noir black and white ink drawings, to child-like, and endearing, colored pencil scribbles.

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Josh Cochran’s illustrated world is full of hard-edged shapes, coarse textures and clashing colors that somehow seem to fall into place. Just. We asked him in what ways his illustration style has evolved over the years: ‘My style really came from a general frustration I had towards painting while I was in school. I started drawing early on and have always felt fairly comfortable about it. Teachers at Art Center would constantly encourage me to make my work look more like my sketchbooks, which got me thinking of ways to produce finished looking artwork, using a more linear style. I took a printmaking class fairly late in my education, which really changed everything for me. Silkscreen and flat color provided a much needed contrast to my obsessive line work’.

‘I wasn’t confused by having an infinite amount of colors, and had to make the best out of three or four colors. I started looking at older printing techniques found in turn of the century children’s books and cheap reproduction materials like propaganda leaflets and posters. My family has been a big influence as well. My Grandmother is an accomplished Chinese watercolorist and calligrapher, and my Mom’s been working in graphic design since the early nineties. I have to also put this in: my wife Jenny has a crazy critical eye, with way better taste, and is a major influence on what I put into my portfolio’.

We checked in recently with illustrator Josh Cochran and asked him how he kept the creative process fresh and stimulating, despite producing so much new work: ‘I try hard to keep pushing new ideas in my work. Of course, there are often times when I feel tired and stale and produce work that isn’t that isn’t challenging. Generally, though, I try to keep building on things I’ve accomplished in my work. To me, that’s what keeps my work consistent as well gives me room to grow. After a while a certain direction will feel boring to me and I’ll start pushing out to try something different’.

The loose linework and watercolors that mark the illustration of Victor Kerlow bring to mind several other well known editorial illustrators, but Kerlow is clearly doing his own thing. I love his White Sheik illustration, which he did for the New Yorker, in particular. The New Yorker, yes. It’s hard to believe this guy is only just about to graduate from SVA. We will most certainly be seeing more of him in the years to come.

Yoko Furusho’s work leaves me absolutely speechless. There are so many lines in all of her drawings that I really wonder how she can do it all with one single hand. Just take a look at her Galliano and Fantasy drawings, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Not to mention her magical characters, her endless parade of patterns and her remarkable use of colour, which makes you feel like you’re swimming inside of a whipped cream and strawberry pie!

I met Yoko through my good friend and fellow illustrator Marcos Chin, who had the pleasure to be one of her teachers at SVA (by the time I started teaching there, Yoko had already graduated.) Talking to Marcos a few days ago he mentioned how, regardless of how tired Yoko was, she would never miss class and would always bring all her homework. When I asked him, rather surprised, why she was so tired, he replied: “Because she always working!” So, there you have it!

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I’m keeping a sharp eye on Florida illustrator Francis Vallejo. Upon first glance, you’d never realize that he is about to enter his senior year at the Ringling School! Vallejo has the draughtmanship and expressive brush work of a top tier, seasoned professional. Having already busted out work for clients such as Vibe and grabbed awards from the Society of Illustrators among many others, he is onto great things.

The Awesomist Tomorrow is an exhibition of detailed large scale ink drawings by artist Kiel Johnson opening in Los Angeles on September 6.

Obsessive, impossibly intricate art can sometimes veer off into self-congratulatory messes, overwhelming viewers while not having any real substance. Vasco Morao’s Escher-esque line drawings are rather simple, however, and have a gorgeous, meandering, and meditative quality about them.

Tom Giesler’s My Anatomy series is a playful take on the anatomical charts you might find in a high-school biology lab. They have a boyish, frat boy quality to them, as if its subjects are cheekily showing off their insides to a room of drunken onlookers.

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Bath based Lucy Oldfield has just moved onto a Canal boat — a risky move for an illustrator whose art is based on delicate linework. Luckily it hasn’t affected her steady hand. Her work is beautifully constructed with a fine eye for feminine detailing. She’s currently working on greeting cards, having previously worked for the design company I Love Dust, with clients including Orange, Mini Cooper, Conde Nast, The Times and The Sunday Express.

Brooklyn Illustrator Sam Friedman has the most graceful line quality. In whatever form it takes, from abstract line to bold cursive, it’s this beautiful line quality that is clearly the embodiment of his work. In Friedman’s work, this line is often built up in dense, colorful layers to create the most intense abstract fields, guaranteed make your eyes spin. Punctuated with bold shapes and imagery, with a distinct graffiti influence, Freidman makes it pretty clear that the boundaries for his technique are endless.

I love the vitality of Rod Hunt’s illustration work. The London-based illustrator has ‘built a reputation for retro tinged work and detailed character filled landscapes with UK and international clients in publishing, design, advertising and new media’. Most notably, he illustrated the cover of Change The World 9 To 5, the best selling environmental book by We Are What We Do.

There’s a sense of classic timeliness about the work of London-based illustrator, JaniceJ.
Of her work, she says: ”My illustrations are a combination of what I see on the street; buildings and everyday objects, and sometimes a bit of fantasy’.

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