Pixel Ptushka is a talented pixel artist and manga creator. While I cannot appreciate her manga skills as I am completely out of that zone (but you shall), her pixel art is a pure pleasure for the eyes. The cities series is my favourite and I wish to see more of her pixel art soon.
Ilya Kazakov, a name familiar to our readers, is an illustrator based in Paris, France, whose work we've showcased multiple times. Known for his incredible productivity and a style that's both simple and engaging, Ilya has recently ventured into the world of personal NFT projects. With his unique approach and swift, precise technique, he's created art and built a community of enthusiasts who actively participate in and support his ventures.
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What sets Ilya's projects apart is the level of involvement from his community. From dozens to hundreds, these individuals don't just offer ideas; they become co-creators. Take his latest project, FTCG, for example. Ilya draws each card specifically for the person who requested it, crafting a deeply personal connection and fostering a vibrant sense of community.
On Ilya's private Discord channel, fans can request cards for free using their NFT tokens. These cards are then grouped into sets of five and distributed through fun giveaways. Getting your card involves a mix of luck and patience, often requiring trades to complete your set. Participants describe this process as both enjoyable and thrilling. The third set is underway, with 240 cards already drawn, and the community eagerly awaits the 300th card.
Ilya thrives on challenges. He's completed multiple Inktobers and the 365 Project, where he drew daily. He has also embraced a new tradition from the crypto community on X (formerly Twitter): the 'GM' (Good Morning) greeting. Inspired by this, Ilya now sketches every morning, each piece reflecting his mood and offering a window into his life through art.
In wrapping up, Ilya Kazakov's artistic journey continues to enchant and inspire. His talent for storytelling through visuals enhances our world and invites us into a realm of boundless creativity. As we anticipate his upcoming works, we're excited to follow his artistic growth and always ready to be delighted by his next creation. Ilya's art isn't just observed; it's experienced, and we're eager to see where his imagination will take us next.
Hey is a creative studio based in Barcelona, established in 2007. Specialising in developing creative strategies and visual languages for a global clientele 🌍, Hey Studio thrives on a collaborative approach powered by a passionate team. Their designs are crafted to be impactful, meeting client needs while resonating with target audiences. Believing in the power of design 🎨 to communicate messages beyond mere aesthetics, Hey Studio fosters a vibrant creative community where personal and professional growth is encouraged. ✨
The HeyStudio x Kaleos collection combines sustainability with versatility by offering a single, customisable frame that transforms into 1,296 styles. This reduces the need for multiple frames and caters to diverse tastes with a range of colors.
This collaboration with Balvi reimagines the classic chess set through a modern, artistic lens. It features geometric shapes, vibrant colours, and a blend of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.
Caravelle Brewery's new Soda, their first non-alcoholic drink, embraces a summery retro vibe with a vintage label design, a single flavour-focused colour, and a bubbly custom typeface evoking nostalgia and fun memories.
Gloria, an Italian motion designer and passionate music lover, embarked on a unique project to honor Queens of the Stone Age’s album, “In Times New Roman…”. Over four months, she crafted a short animation for each of the album’s 10 tracks.
In June, Gloria released these animations online, culminating in a full edit to celebrate the album’s first anniversary. Her work beautifully merges visual storytelling with the band's distinctive sound, offering fans a new way to experience the music.
Explore Gloria's animations and see the captivating blend of music and motion design in her tribute to Queens of the Stone Age.
Chema Mendez is a renowned artist who has been working in digital art for over a decade. His works are always surreal, with a high degree of detail regarding the digital components that blur the lines between reality and imagination.
Over the years, the style Mendez worked on has grown in people and more over his NFT collectors, placing him as one of the prominent figures in digital art globally.
His surreal compositions grace the covers of albums by top musicians, adding visual depth and intrigue to their musical tales.
Chema’s work has also adorned the covers of various prestigious magazines, implying that the artist is versatile and opens his creative vision to a large audience.
Through Mendez's oeuvre, he continues to push the limits of digital artistry, significantly impacting contemporary visual culture.
Karina Eibatova is a visual artist who has previously published work on our website and has also appeared in Juxtapoz, the New York Times, Wired, and The Verge. She has shown her artworks in Vienna, Berlin, Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles. Karina, born in St. Petersburg during the USSR's twilight, has pursued her passion for art and established an international career and academic trajectory from a young age. At the moment Karina is based in Devon, UK.
Karina's first collaboration with a UK company was with Atlantic Records in 2010. The artist created the cover artwork for the Versaemerge "Fixed At Zero" disc. The popularity of Karina's graphics in the early 2010s brought her many projects around the world at the very beginning of her artistic career.
Karina began her fine art studies in 2007 at a foundation school in Sweden. In 2014, Karina studied at Central Saint Martins in London on the Fine Arts 4D faculty. She later studied art in Tokyo and attained her first MA in fine art from the Art Academy in Vienna.
Solos show Project Space 1, AUP, Plymouth
Later in 2020, she did a cover for the fabulous British musician Tom Adams, which will only be released this year. After, Karina pursued her second Master's degree at the Art University Plymouth in the Southwest of the UK. There, she reached a new level of creativity, where her practice took on a more personal and profound approach: her paintings increased in size, and from watercolour and pencil graphics, she began to focus more on oil painting.
Renowned artist Richard Kenton Webb, who is an award-winning artist and educator with over 30 years of extensive experience at institutions including The Slade School of Fine Art, admires Karina's work, and he has left a review of Karina's last exhibition.
“What am I considering when I encounter Eibatova’s visual poetry? A sublimity of mind and a genuine ambition for wonder. These thoughts have been my companion when I engage with this painter’s vision. A vision that is both compelling, fresh and unnerving. I am not necessarily comfortable or put at ease when I spent time with these accomplished paintings, I like that fact, they are enigmatic. What I find is I am compelled to look, digest and converse with them face to face, to behold and hear their voice asking me questions. They certainly ask why to any certainty I consider a fact of seeing.
I find I am writing the words, apocalyptical and visionary. We could discuss English qualities of the painter and printmaker John Martin or the writer and academic J.R.R.Tolkien, or the extraordinary Gray’s Anatomy as sources, if necessary, for inspiration. Yet we for all this referencing we are certainly in what painting is now, contemporary thinking and making, not in a past, but a forward thinking, inside cinema graphic questions of fiction that are rooted deep in nature.
We are in the language and use of colour. Where colour is used to carry a magnificent narrative, that speaks into the soul of the viewer from an exquisite detail to a soft velvetiness of flat colour. I witness the sensibilities of the Cornish painter Peter Lanyon, his eyes and inheritance of being in Devon and Cornwall. Where painting is made air-born. Her diptych that is so beautifully original and statically poised about this particular place and landscape. As a gull floats on the wing, looking, stationary high over hundreds of feet of cliff beside the ocean. It makes me understand being inside a thought.
Karina’s paintings are like a dial in slow motion materializing hope. Of being a witness inside a dream, and renewed because of it. Collectively the ten paintings in this exhibition organise a great sense of otherness that we have shared in a great calm, like witnessing a flower open into its glory, but it seems just for us alone.”
“Currently, my personal creative practice is centered on oil on canvas. I explore imagery drawn from nature, dreams and imagination and strive to create an immersive and contemplative experience for the viewer through color and symbolism. My painting is at the crossroads, somewhere abstract, in some places not so much: a landscape or a body, a stone or a tree. In my recent works I try to reflect the value of the human body and of life itself, without resorting to depicting human figures, I try to depict our inner world, a secret landscape full of organs and light. Through a combination of neon, dark and pastel colours I want to express a sense of hope”.
This year, Karina was awarded the “Artist of the Month” prize in Zima magazine, one of the most recognised Russian-speaking media projects based in London. One of her works is on display in the city centre of London this summer.
“Karina Eibatova’s works combine tenderness, organicity, lightness of abstract forms, painted with special care, expression and force, a kind of rumbling, reminiscent of works about the terrible judgment of the English Romanticism artist John Martin. In her paintings there is a certain confidence, power and resilience of a soft, feminine flow of forms – not something corporeal, not something cloudy, not something earthy and tangible, not something airy and elusive. This remarkable balance of opposites allows the viewer to feel a profound visual comfort. The works envelope the beholder like a soft blanket and immerse him or her in other levels of this visual aesthetic, where he or she encounters an intense vitality, some even doom. One plunges into this painting like a cloud, which, while outwardly harmless, carries thunder and lightning. Karina has been shortlisted for the prize several times and we are delighted to finally present her with the award she deserves”
Intriguingly, two individuals made a similar comparison with English painter, engraver, and illustrator John Martin, which prompts the audience to contemplate the relationship between the apocalyptic landscapes of the 19th century and Karina's dramatic works. We'll continue keenly observing this gifted artist's upcoming creative endeavours.
About the author
Arseny Vesnin founded Designcollector, a platform established in 2003 in Russia. Designcollector is one of the pioneering digital magazines dedicated to covering and supporting the digital art scene and creative communities in Russia and beyond. The platform showcases a variety of content related to digital art, design, and visual culture, providing artists, designers, and creatives with exposure and inspiration. Over the years, it has expanded to include digital art events like the Digital Decade, an exhibition featuring emerging visual artists and designers. Designcollector has always covered the intersection of art, design, music and culture.
Hugos is an Italian illustrator bending the art world where tradition meets digital innovation.
His work goes into the traditional limits of illustration, achieved by contemporary tools and techniques, to evoke a compelling, detailed form of storytelling. It is an imagination mixed with emotion and technique that begets original illustrations, which touch deep within viewers.
Each piece is an exemplar of his mastery of both classical methods and cutting-edge digital artistry.
In Hugos's work, innovative fusion preserves the cultural legacy of Italian art and takes it into uncharted territories. At the same time, it seduces audiences worldwide with its unique visual narratives.
Vratislav Pecka, known in the art world as PosterLad, is a celebrated artist renowned for his minimalist and colourful designs. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Pecka's journey to artistry began after graduating from film school as a video editor.
Discovering his passion for graphic design, he co-founded Pecka Studio and worked with prestigious clients like Adobe and HP. His art, influenced by the Bauhaus movement and 90s nostalgia, emphasises basic shapes and vivid colours. With exhibitions across four continents and a book titled "PosterLad: Colorful Minimalism," Pecka's work transcends traditional poster use, aiming to captivate visually and please the observer.
“Vratislav managed to get international exposure for his excellent work. I appreciate the fact that the work is purely formal and does not pretend to advertise or promote anything, there is no function that manages to drag the work into the gutter”
Talented illustrator Bored Josei creates nostalgic flat-coloured isometric artworks calling out a lot of 90s childhood flashbacks.
Josei's art is a vibrant and captivating delight that effortlessly draws the viewer into a world of creativity and imagination. Their self-taught style sets them apart in anime art and adds a unique charm and authenticity to their creations. Through a masterful use of rich colours and intricate details, Josei's pieces beckon onlookers to explore every nuance, promising a journey of visual discovery and artistic appreciation. For those yearning for novel and exciting artistic expressions, Josei's work offers a refreshing and immersive experience that lingers long after the initial gaze.
Dive into the serene atmosphere of small towns created by Spanish artists working under the Alariko moniker. There is little to tell about the artist, but the works speak for themselves. Mainly using a rectangle brushstroke, they create beautiful scenery worth a full-length animation.
Anya Asano, a digital artist, seamlessly transitioned from a decade-long traditional painting career to the immersive world of NFTs, marking an evolution in his expressive journey.
With roots in traditional art school, Asano's work transcends boundaries, fusing digital technologies to create a unique visual language. They craft abstract and figurative amalgamations using tools like Blender, After Effects, AI algorithms, and glitch techniques, where the virtual and the real intertwine in a vibrant dance of pixels and polygons.
Martisha Merems, a Tel Aviv-based artist, explores the intricate dance of mental and spiritual transformation in her art. Through her work, she delves into the realms of emotions and self-awareness, aiming to harmonise the chaos of life with moments of tranquillity and joy. Her imagination intertwines with contemporary reality, offering new perspectives and celebrating the joy of existence.
Her "Normal Weirdos" collection epitomises this journey, championing the uniqueness of individual imperfections. Inspired by her idiosyncrasies and those of her loved ones, Martisha sees these quirks as vital, distinctive aspects of personal identity. This collection is a call to embrace and empower oneself by accepting these traits, suggesting that what makes us different is what makes us powerful. Martisha Merems showcases her creative prowess through her art and fosters a dialogue on self-acceptance and the beauty inherent in our imperfections.
Can any artistic practice truly be independent? Perhaps no – only multi-layered, immeasurably-macro / immeasurably-micro, whirling, intertwining expressions of human experience. And if art is inevitably an expression of these complex interconnections, why not embrace this multiplicity fully? After all, if one of an artist's greatest powers lies in their ability to create worlds with their own rules and characters, why not transform art criticism into incantation?
In what we might call the House of Time (though perhaps time itself is merely our limited way of perceiving something far more casual and informal), we find Mila Rosha. Her practice moves like Mercury in retrograde between past and present, though these temporal distinctions might themselves be innocent illusions. Through illustrations and embroidery, she creates portals where gothic aesthetics meets contemporary melancholy – each stitching a point in an infinite matrix of historical consciousness, each ink stroke a thread in the cosmic web of memory. Like a bridge suspended between centuries, her art exists in a liminal space where temporal boundaries dissolve – one can never quite tell whether they're looking at something ancient or contemporary, as if time itself has become fluid beneath her pen.
This becomes strikingly apparent in her monochromatic drawings, where elegant hands adorned with rings and bracelets hold upside-down bats, creating an unexpected marriage between Victorian refinement and the nocturnal. Her portrait of Aubrey, framed by Art Nouveau-inspired floral patterns, further blurs the boundaries between epochs - the subject's penetrating gaze and sharp features seem to transcend temporal constraints, while the decorative elements whisper of bygone aesthetic sensibilities. The darkness in her works isn't the absence of light but rather its mysterious companion, creating shadows where different eras meet and converse. Or perhaps it's we who are the shadows, and her works the reality?
Aleksei Krylov occupies what appears to be the House of Universal Language (though what do we really mean by 'universal' in an infinitely layered reality?). His work, like Jupiter's gravitational pull, seeks to draw people together through visual frequencies that transcend verbal communication. This quest manifests in his mesmerizing circular compositions where text transforms into pure visual rhythm – repeating phrases "What is play" spiral and flow, creating hypnotic patterns that pulse with chromatic variations. Each iteration of the design, bathed in different monochromatic hues – from cool blues to warm oranges, ethereal purples to vibrant greens – suggests a different emotional frequency, as if the same message is being transmitted across multiple dimensions of human consciousness. There's something beautifully futile yet necessary in this attempt to create connection in a universe where everything is already infinitely connected, infinitely causing and being caused. Each piece becomes another step in an infinite spiral of artistic growth – though perhaps growth itself is just another of our comfortable illusions, a way to make sense of endless transformation.
Aleksei Krylov “Power of Play”, 2023
In the House of Migration (or the house itself could migrate, if we are referring to more than just the physical space?), Olga Kuznetsova's work embodies the lunar pull between belonging and displacement. Her paintings pulse with vivid emotional intensity – from surreal garden scenes where masked suns watch over reclining figures amidst turquoise dreamscapes, to abstract compositions where ghostly white eyes pierce through layers of crimson and teal, to haunting portraits with crosses obscuring vision and mint-green flesh tones that suggest both alienation and transformation. Like the moon's influence on Earth's tides, her practice ebbs and flows between personal trauma and universal experience – though the distinction between personal and universal is another of our innocent misconceptions. Her emotional landscapes map territories that might be vast as galaxies or small as quantum fluctuations – scale itself becoming another of our necessary illusions. Through bold brushstrokes and intuitive color choices, she creates spaces where the familiar becomes strange and the strange becomes intimate. The feeling of being unmoored in vast systems might just be the natural state of all things.
In this moment of global uncertainty (though when was certainty ever more than an illusion?), when our collective sense of place and time seems increasingly fluid, these artistic navigators become essential guides. The artworks could serve as celestial maps (and who can judge us if we choose this way of being), helping us locate ourselves in the vast expanse of human experience, even as we question whether the location is possible or meaningful (in an infinitely interconnected universe).
And of course, these words too are part of attempting to describe what might be indescribable, to map what might be unmappable. Yet we continue, because what else can we do but dance our part in this cosmic choreography of meaning-making?
Luca Boni, a trailblazing post-realism illustrator and artist from South Africa, captivates with his vivid and intricate works. Blending realism with hot-topic memes, Boni’s art transcends traditional boundaries, evoking a deep emotional response.
“God is in details”, one can say about minimalistic approaches to creativity. But sometimes, excessive details drive a bigger picture for an artist’s imaginative world. If you come across Esra Elsen's artworks, you may understand the oversaturated level of detail. Painstakingly created sometimes following a “pixelboy’s” isometric grid Esra artworks hit you from the very first time.
James Jean is a highly acclaimed Taiwanese-American artist, famous for his exceptional skills in illustration and fine art. He was born in Taiwan, but moved to New Jersey, USA, at a young age. Later, he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Jean gained significant recognition for his cover illustrations for the DC Comics series "Fables," which earned him multiple Eisner Awards, a prestigious accolade in the comic book industry. His artistry expanded beyond comics, delving into painting, drawing, and commercial work, showcasing an incredibly diverse range of styles and techniques.
Jean’s artwork blends surrealistic elements with intricate and detailed compositions, incorporating organic and geometric forms. His pieces are characterised by vibrant colours, intricate linework, and an ethereal quality that captivates the imagination.
Apart from his commercial success, Jean has held solo exhibitions worldwide, displaying his captivating artwork in galleries and museums. His contributions to the art world have earned him numerous accolades and a dedicated following of art enthusiasts.
James Jean's ability to seamlessly blend fantasy, mythology, and contemporary themes into visually stunning creations has solidified his position as one of his generation’s most influential and admired artists.
Are you familiar with Socmplxd? If not, you’re missing out on a talented artist who knows no bounds. Socmplxd is a visionary who seamlessly blends the worlds of film and fine art, creating unique and captivating pieces that are sure to leave a lasting impression. His artistic exploration revolves around capturing the ordinary facets of everyday life, resulting in digital realism that offers a unique perspective. Influenced by his experiences residing in Asia and the US, his distinct visual language draws inspiration from a blend of Eastern and Western cultures.
The artist’s creative focus is on contemporary still life and scenes, taking cues from a medley of traditions, pop culture, and the internet. Socmplxd’s background in the film industry as a set designer shines through in his latest series, where his adept use of staging and lighting takes centre stage. The hallmark of his digital art style lies in his graphic elements’ precision, simplicity, and sharpness.
BOUBOY is an artist who combines post-pop art and crypto art, creating unique and captivating artwork that is both innovative and intriguing.
BOUBOY SPACE HUB
Through his skilful combination of traditional methods of creating realistic images and modern digital tools, he creates visually captivating artworks that connect the world of nostalgic popular culture, the advanced realm of blockchain technology, and internet memes.
This artist is perfect for you if you appreciate drawings and illustrations with a mystical touch. Garis’ artworks always showcase magical elements and intricate compositions, emphasising details and textures.
Hailing from Indonesia, Garis masterfully weaves magical components and vibrant orange and cerulean blue girls as focal points in their work.
Let’s discover the captivating world of Nick Sheehy, an Australian-born artist and illustrator currently residing in the artistic hub of London.
Nick started his artistic career in the wild landscapes of Tasmania, where he sculpted with bronze. But fate took him away from art for some time. However, life brings us back to our true passions, and that's what happened to Nick. Living in London, he rediscovered his love for drawing, inspired by the city's lively low-brow art, illustration, street art, and graffiti scenes.
He uses his unique artwork to explore the world of dreams, creating mysterious and sometimes semi-autobiographical scenes. His canvas serves as a platform for the eccentric characters that resonate from his childhood imagination, infusing his creations with nostalgia and amazement.
Nick's art showcases an array of subjects that depict a wide range of emotions. His portfolio reflects his limitless creativity, featuring everything from fanciful creatures to dreamy landscapes, and some find a hommage to Bosch’s bestiaries. He enjoys drawing unique fauna objects, an exploration of his imagination showcased in exhibitions, publications, and even some client projects.
