Black and White

Nothing beats the simplicity of black and white for conveying a clear message. Here, form, line and tone take centre stage to create powerful, evocative images.

This illustration by Nick Hayes mimics lino or woodcut printing. The use of black ink on a white ground highlights the stylised patterning of the trees and landscape in moonlight.

This incredibly rich illustration by Lynn Hatzius was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Using collage and her own original drawing, the use black and white echoes vintage photographs and engravings. The old and new are blended seamlessly to create something original, and intriguing.

Natalia Zaratiegui‘s striking illustrations from the book ‘Stories for Book Lovers’ uses black and white (with just a little yellow) to make a bold impact with minimal detail.

Kyoung Mi, Ahn‘s illustrations for a picture book titled ‘Door’ use charcoal, pencil and digital drawing to create a dramatic feel. The book is captivating, with its silhouetted figures, and an evocative, otherworldly feel.

Ioana Bolchis‘ digital artwork for her version of a cover artwork for Le Carre’s The Night Manager uses layers of texture to create this smoky, sculptural image that echoes the title character’s shifting identity.

This artwork by Julian ‘Julinu’ Mallia for a music album titled ‘White Lies, Black Truths’ probably couldn’t have been made using anything other than black and white! The monotone palette and infinite intertwining forms give this work a visual complexity echoing the themes of the music.

Ruo-Hsin Wu‘s animated illustration for ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is created using charcoal on paper. This technique creates an incredibly atmospheric black and white image with a profound sense of loneliness and longing, as if the colour has been drained from the landscape.

This illustration by Danyelle Lakin uses scratchboard to create an intricately detailed illustration with texture and line used to draw the eye in.

Anna Steinberg‘s digital collages use black and white to incredible effect; splicing the positive and negative spaces of each image to create poignant images to enhance the poetry they were made to accompany.

Darya Martynova‘s illustrations for poetry volume ‘The Infinite Garden’ combine energetic ink brush calligraphy with quieter, almost naïve illustrations that tell their own story alongside the narrative of the poems.