Flyingpig.pat : Random Access Memory

Created for Being Hong Kong magazine, this illustration was a response to the emotions experienced during quarantine.

The illustration shows the repetition of daily routine (working in front of a computer), along with the accumulation of domestic work, whilst communicating a feeling of hopelessness towards an unpredictable future.

The illustration was creating using watercolour and pen and ink.

Pat WingShan Wong, (aka Flyingpig) is a London based Hong Kong illustrator. She is a recent graduate from the Royal College of Art in 2021.

Naodan Hu : Lost

This illustration series was inspired by the experience of living in a highly competitive and material world where many people chase improved status, titles, appearance and brands.

As online spending in the pandemic continued to exacerbate virtual addiction, Naodan was compelled to review their stance on this and the effect of over consumption on mental health.

Using Procreate and Photoshop to finish this work, Naodan wanted to keep the colour scheme simple as the subject matter was complex. They chose limited vibrant colours to create contrast and used blue lines to define the style and express the theme more graphically.

Naodan Hu is a student of Illustration at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, graduating in 2023.

Shadz : Produced by the Film and TV Industries

Portrayed as a series of fictional posters, the purpose of these illustrations was to confront racial issues that are present on and off screen to an audience who may be unaware or unwilling to notice.

Racial inequalities are deeply rooted in society and impact who is making the content we see on screen. This is an issue that Shadz wanted to confront within the credits of each illustrated poster.

Taking inspiration from traditional art forms such as printmaking, including lino and screen printing, the illustrations were created digitally, including handmade textures over the illustrations to create more depth.

Shadz is a Black British-Nigerian freelance illustrator based in London. She graduated from the University of Lincoln with a first class degree in Illustration.

Andrew Haener : At Your Service

Beginning with mind-maps and free-writing of past experiences, these images grew into pencil sketches and final illustrations inspired by the creators personal experiences as the basis for graphic storytelling.

Each image recalls a job that they held in the past, the relationships that they foraged, and the gruelling work that the roles demanded.

The illustrations were presented as a triptych, mounted on plywood with nails, and presented as narrative art objects in a group showing. They now live on as digital editorial illustrations.

Andrew Haener is an illustrator located in Baltimore, Maryland currently attending MICA’s Illustration Practice MFA program.

Daniel Converio : The joy after top surgery

The feeling of having the sun and breeze hit your chest for the first time in years after having gone through gender reassignment surgery: fear and courage accompanying finally owning and embracing one’s visibly trans body on a public beach.

‘The joy after top surgery’ is a response to much of the negative news stories regarding trans people that have made it to the headlines this past year.

Daniel started by creating a number of small thumbnails, roughly representing the mood and subject. They then collected references and sketched anatomy studies to define the pose. The final illustration composition was created in Photoshop, with texture and colour added to finish.

Colin McElwaine : Life in exile

This illustration was commissioned by the New York Times Style magazine for Lance Richardson’s Story Life in Exile.

Lance is a travel writer who was stranded overseas when the borders closed to Australia, leaving him unable to return to his home in Sydney for two years.

Colin created the illustration with the aim to show the writers longing to connect with family and holding onto the memories of his home country.

Colin McElwaine is an Illustration student based in Australia, studying at the Queensland College of Art.