iain macarthur

Macarthur began his artwork drawing anime characters inspired by comics and cartoons. He started to draw more realistically and detailed and photorealistic when he got older. He carries a sketchbook with him everywhere which he said show his "dedication" to art. He said it helps him to better his figures and make them more realistic. He is inspired by fellow artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Klimt, Lucian Freud, Jenny Saville, James Jean, David Choong Lee, Sergio Toppi and Ashley Wood. The artist uses mostly pencil and watercolor. i really like his limited pallette because that means that any color he uses will really stand out. I think this also keeps the viewer from focusing on just the colors. I really like his pieces because they evoke emotion out of me.

alexander korzer robinson

Robinson's work is really intricate and beautiful. the detail in his pieces drew me in initially. I also love the fact that he's removed the covers and allows us to look in on the book kind of like if the story was coming to life. He's a German artist that uses a lot of found objects or papers in this case. The process the artist uses is that he goes page by page and cuts out certain objects and leaves others. He then seals the book after it's completed so that he can no longer open it. He wants the viewer to travel through the book and create their own experiences within it.

I love the process of travelling through the book as if you were reading it.

Nimit Malavia

I love the style of Malavia's drawings. I love how she takes realistic looking figures and sets them in a more fantasy environment. I also love that her pieces have a collage feeling to them even if they're just drawings. I wasn't able to find a lot of information on this artist sadly. From what i've read this artist is just emerging onto the scene and just beginning to become recognized. I did find a blog that posted a lot of the before process of creating a piece. Kind of like what leads up to the final piece.

matt cipov

Matt Cipov is a hard man to research. All i could find was this.

"My name is Matt M. Cipov and I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my wife Lynda and my 15 month old son Max. I have lived in Wisconsin all of my life and I really love it here, it's a good place to strive to be an individual without getting lost in the fray. I graduated from the Milwaukee Institure of Art and Design in 1999 and ever since then I have been directly involved in art and graphic design work. As of late 2005 I have been a self-employed artist and designer and I am extremely glad I decided to take the plunge into working on my own...it has taught me quite a lot about myself and it has also helped me grow considerably as an artist. I have been able to take on projects I would never have dreamt of a few years ago.

As far as personal bits and pieces, I adore watching documentaries, I have never broken a bone, I love pizza and Asian foods, I am addicted to my computer, my music collection is an ever growing beast, I might be an adult, but I still love toys."

I love his pieces. They are graphic and funny and make me want to look at them more.

allyson mellberg taylor

Taylor works with her husband to create artwork. They are both environmentally conscious and working on a book about non-toxic and ecologically responsible art-making. Taylor states " I am an artist and professor living and working in Virginia. My work mostly consists of drawings, prints, and soft sculptures with some egg tempera painting and ceramics now and then. I often collaborate with my husband Jeremy Taylor. We are both members of the North Carolina Gallery Collaborative Team Lump. I am also represented by Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn. One thing that is consistent in the work that we make is that we always use non-toxic paints, inks, glues, and we try to use as many recycled materials as possible (90% of the fabric we use is recycled)."

Taylor's figures are created using pencil and wash creating a soft feeling. Her figures are very calming yet a bit disturbing at the same time. Her figures seem docile and dress simply. The spots that cover many of her figures are described as bacteria and other bad things we pick up and that stay with us. they are the toxins in our body that we encounter.

I really like her work because it look simple and girly but upon further inspection you can see that there is definitely something off with her figures.

Sam Chivers

I really love Sam Chivers work as well. I love his shapes and how he uses them. I love graphic nature of his pieces. Chivers started making prints in 2004. He said he loved it because he became his own robot, repeating his images over and over and yet each one was a bit different which he also liked. I guess it made it more human and flawed. Chivers designs start as doodles created when he's bored. He then takes the better ones and edits them into designs seen above. Chivers seems to be inspired by science, especially space and stars.

I was suprised to find out that Chiver's work is created by printmaking rather than on a computer. I've never tried printmaking but his works seem pretty complex and difficult to create.

Oliver Hibert

Oliver Hibert's work attracted me right away because of it's colors and shapes. It looks almost psychedelic and trippy. Hibert's paintings have been converted into clothing, skateboards and can be found in the form of figurines. He was born in seattle in 1983 and made his first debut in a gallery at the age of 16. he is self taught but grew up among a family of artists. MTV, Nike and Yellowbook are among a few of his fans, using his artwork for their products.

Hilbert said "his art is an escape from the mundane, influenced, at times heavily by the music, colors and imagery of the psychedelic 60’s era. Hibert’s iconic style transcends time as it nods to the past, while being so contemporized that it speaks to the future. The art is smothered with busy patterns, alluring figures, super bright colors and plenty of exclamation marks."

I really love the playfulness of his pieces. They just make me happy and want to stare at them for a while.

Jacek Yerka

Yerka was pressured by his teachers at his univeristy to create more detailed, realistic works because that's what was acceptable or in fashion at the time. I believe that this rebellion is what caused his very surreal paintings. I couldn't find a lot of information on this artist. he was born in 1952 and became a more recognized artist in 1980. Through his works he is able to create fantasy worlds that are all his own. He does pay a lot of attention to detail which grabs the viewer and pulls them into the paintings.

Jason Degraaf

I'm not the biggest fan of photo realism but I really give credit to the artists that can pull it off because i know how extremely difficult it is. Degraaf's work is simple and clean. His focus is on the objects themselves which allows you to appreciate the strength of the work.

taylor mckimens

Taylor McKimens is influenced by comics. His pieces look like grotesque scenes from everyday life but upon further inspection you notice that his 2D pieces are actually more 3D. He creates sculptural scenes that seem to make images on paper jump off the walls. Flat trucks suddenly seem to take up space. He is able to trick the eye with his optical illusions. His work has also been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art. Mckimens says that he creates scenes that many of would overlook and not describe as beautiful because he infact believes that they are beautiful. I guess he sees beauty in everday life. I love the inventiveness of his pieces and his installations that I haven't posted here. They make the real world feel like it's morphing into a cartoon, like we're all being sucked into one giant comic book world.

Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey is currently known for his Obama posters but I knew him for his make art not war poster. He is considered a graphic designer, a street artist as well as an illustrator. his work can be seen in the Smithsonian as well as the Museum of Modern Art. After college Fairey set up his own print shop where he created screen prints and stickers. This way he was able to continue his graphic art as well as share it with the world. Many of his prints deal with social issues and relate to the 21st century. His pieces are striking and bold while at the same time they're pretty clean and simple. I really like that he is conveying messages in his pieces and they still look a bit cartoon-y to me.

William Steig

William Steig is most known for his illustrations in famous children's books. He is also known for his sculpture as well as his cartoons. he sold his first cartoon to the New Yorker in 1930. Steig wrote his first children's book in 1968. newsweek also dubbed him the "king of cartoons". His work is simple and childlike which works well for his books. I couldn't find a lot of pictures of his work outside ofhis books or of his sculptures. Again I love the sense of whimsy in his pieces.