I’ve been focusing lately incorporating more digital collage elements into my work, which helps me to communicate difficult concepts in a much more effective way while developing a style and approach that is more unique to my true creative vision.

© Thomas James 2012

By applying, cutting away, and using negative space, he produces large murals on walls and windows. His work has been gaining a lot of interest from cafe and bar spaces, so keep your eyes peeled for his tape drawings around town!

In his own words, Benjamin describes what he does, “I use black (and sometimes white) electrical tape to create large-scale drawings on walls and windows. My work is often slightly cryptic and sinister, with hints of narrative that is never fully explained”.

“I use the strips of tape to create line drawings, often cutting the tape to different thicknesses to create built-up and detailed images.”

© Benjamin Murphy, 2012

I’m a Brooklyn-based artist/architect who splits my time between my emerging art profession, ‘Vigilism‘ and my design practice, ‘Freeform+Deform‘.

I have always had a fascination for creating visual narratives, architecturally-inspired futuristic dystopias, and urban-mapping strategies. From the outset, this work has been characterized by exploring the relevant potential for a variety of digital media, when combined with traditional methods of representation, in the field of architectural visualization. As a result, my illustrations which are typically outputted digitally, possess a textured and painterly quality.

My process includes combining hand-drawn sketches with photos I’ve taken of industrial textures and deteriorated paper surfaces with 3D models both designed by me and ones I’ve downloaded from the internet. There is also a constant interplay between the digital and analog in my work as I often print out digital images, sketch over them by hand, scan them back in so they can be modeled in a 3D software or retraced digitally, and then finally I degrade the integrity of the sharp digital lines thru inaccurately ‘vectorizing’ the image in Illustrator and layering on textures in Photoshop.

© Vigilism, 2011.

“When I work I like to build narratives in my head.”

“These narratives are personal to me and don’t necessarily find their way into my finished work as stories, but they do help me to connect with the characters I draw and the scenes they inhabit.”

“Technically, I tend to approach my work in varied ways as I don’t want to feel that I am limiting myself to a few specific tools and techniques. I try to be open to what feels more natural to the project I am working on.”

“However, at the basis of my work there is always pencil on paper.”

“The feeling of the paper is quite important. I particularly like Sennelier sketchbooks and more recently an Italian brand called ‘Skizza e Strappa’. They produce big pads of office paper, very delicate. It has a quality that I can’t seem to find elsewhere!”

One of Agnese’ favourite places, an area near where she was born.

©  Agnese Bicocchi, 2011.

I usually begin with sketches on paper. Once I have some ideas flowing and I’ve rounded up any reference materials I need, I then start building a few compositions. Rough thumbnails usually get jotted down in my sketchbook while more finished concepts get worked out on crescent board or some other strong archival paper. Once I have a good idea of where I’m going with the piece, I will then scan the pencils into Photoshop and start thinking about things like surface, color, and visual flavor. 

I typically use a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet in combination with Photoshop CS5, but occasionally I’ll use Corel Painter 11 since it’s brush and media emulators are better at surface blending and wet paint simulation. For an ink & wash piece like a map or The Frog Price, I usually brush my inks over top of my scanned pencils and then paint my color layers in a loose watercolor manner underneath the black line work.

If I’m taking a more painterly approach, on the other hand, then I’ll build my brush strokes in a manner similar to the way I use traditional paint. I tend to fixate on naturalistic textures and as a result try to emulate traditional techniques while benefitting from the speed and plasticity of the digital environment.

© Mike Schley, 2011.

With a client list as impressive as his manipulation of forms to create double meanings, it’s more than likely that you’ve seen some of Noma Bar‘s instantly recognisable work. Noma Bar’s skill lies in the communication of his ideas with perfect clarity and a touch of wit by reducing images down into simple shapes.

From this weekend, you’ll have a chance to take home some of his work, take part in workshops, enjoy some live drawing, and have a play with his brand new paper-cutting installation, ‘Cut It Out’. From this Saturday the 17th to the 30th of September, a new solo show will be at ‘Outline Editions’, the graphic art gallery and shop in Soho, London. Check out the Outline Editions website for more details.

“Noma Bar was born in Israel in 1973 and graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art & Design in 2000. He moved to London in 2001 but it was during the first Gulf War that Bar developed his trademark combination of caricature and pictograms: while staying with his family in a shelter in Israel he sketched the likeness of Saddam Hussein around a graphic symbol for radioactivity that he found in a newspaper.

Since then Bar has published over 1000 illustrations for magazines and books worldwide, including upwards of 60 front covers. His clients include The Economist, Wallpaper*, The New York Times, The Guardian, GQ, Esquire, IBM, Sony, The V&A and more. He has also released two books of his work, ‘Guess Who – The Many Faces of Noma Bar’ and ‘Negative Space’, to widespread critical acclaim.”

“Outline Editions first opened in 2010 as a pop-up space off Carnaby Street. This gallery/shop has since emerged as one of London’s leading destinations for new-wave graphic art and illustration, with a reputation for its striking window designs and ongoing showcase of specially commissioned work from the most exciting and innovative artists of the moment – whether it be fast-emerging talents such as Sarah King (Evening Tweed) or internationally established stars such as Anthony Burrill and Kate Moross.

Outline Editions now has a permanent space on Soho’s Berwick Street Market, and continues to pursue its aim of bringing the best of graphic art to the widest possible audience. Work from Outline Editions’ artists can also be seen and purchased via its online store at www.outline-editions.co.uk. Prices range from £15-£300.”

© Noma Bar, 2011.

A shot of his studio area is at the end of this post.

I run free in an imagined world where I am the architect, cartographer, creator and destroyer. Like building a sand castle, delicate lines and dots collect to form curious spaces that weave and dissolve.

A large part of my process involves collaging and digitally manipulating found imagery, both historical and contemporary, for reference. These images come from pictures gathered from Library Collections to images found online. As I better understand the direction a drawing will take, I will usually spend more time collecting imagery. Even if I don’t end up using all the images found, I archive them as they may be relevant for future drawings.  

All of my drawings are done using a single-sized technical pen filled with calculated mixtures of inks. My process I have established is very slow and laborious, yet fully rewarding when a drawing is completed. 

© Armando Veve, 2011.

I’m really inspired by history, and I try to create art that has the feel of old engravings. I use Micron technical pens for my drawings. To get really fine lines, I wait until a pen is nearly out of ink. It usually takes a few months to a year for a pen to be ‘ready’. I have also recently started to do zinc plate etching. I use a scratchboard nib and a calligraphy pen for my etchings.

© Liz Mamont, 2011.

Creating cards for Valentine’s Day has become something of a tradition for Marian. She does it every year and sends them to a select (and very lucky) list of recipients. This year’s project came with the idea of passing them on, with people receiving a collection of varying designs to forward on.

Marian worked in sections of the heart shape, drawing out simple decorative lines, but intentionally avoiding typical romantic forms. After having a few variations per segment, they were shuffled into unique combinations and colours, and overlaid transparently, concluding in individual, special hearts.

Although finalised in Illustrator, Marian prefers to work initially in pencil. She finds it easier to form ideas on the page, while polishing off on the computer.

In a lovely video about the project on her website (have a look!), Marian states that what originally spurred on the on-going project was the realisation that everything she does, she does for love. A sentiment I think we should all carry on into our work!

© Marian Bantjes, 2011.

They seem to work really well contrasting against the larger blocks of colour he uses, too.

© Craig Henry, 2011.