color pencil sketches by Kate Powell

For some reason, I have always considered colored pencils kind of a crappy medium. It may just be because I never had really nice ones. To me they always just seemed like a watered down version of pastel chalk for people with poor dexterity. All of those notions are, of course, totally silly and tongue in cheek. But I have to say that seeing Kate Powell‘s illustrations using colored pencils has turned me into a believer. Check out her Tumblr and be blown away.

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Illustrations by Leigh Viner

Colorado based illustrator Leigh Viner is an artist that I discovered a few years ago. I can’t remember exactly how, but I think that I happened upon her blog for some reason. Anyway, I really like her work. It is a classic minimalist style using multiple mediums, including watercolor.

Being from the mountain west, myself, I guess that I am a little bit partial to Viner. I’m impressed with her presence and fashion clientele given her location. More than that, I just find her artwork very aesthetically appealing. If you also enjoy this style of illustration, her blog is definitely worth a flip through.

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New Shepard Fairey print “sedation pill”

I’m into this new print by Shepard Fairey. It is titled “Sedation Pill.” The print is apparently inspired by hip hop legends Public Enemy. Fairey explains:

The “Sedation Pill” print is inspired by the title of my favorite Public Enemy album “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”. I think the biggest problem in America is the indifference and complacency about important issues that results from much of the population being perpetually hypnotized by conspicuous consumption, social media, entertainment, and self-medication. Using sedation and escapism for relief from the rat race might make us less aware (blissfully ignorant)  but also less empowered to improve our role within the rat race… a vicious cycle of cause and effect.

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Gabriel Moreno

Earlier this week, Jux turned me onto the illustrations of Madrid based Gabriel Moreno. I also loved the description that Juxtapoz gave of Moreno’s work:

psychedelic figural images almost read like streams of consciousness. With drastic color gradients and multi-layered imagery that both emerge from and envelop his figures, Moreno creates dreamlike scenes in which his subjects’ thoughts seem to bleed through their skin.

After pouring over his website, I discovered that even his commercial illustrations are right up my alley. Definitely worth checking out.

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