Looking for some art, illustration and/or drawing inspiration? In this monthly collection, we are featuring some of the best illustrations, digital art, sketches, doodles and paintings from around the world.
You can showcase your artwork on the YDJ Blog too. Just submit your best piece to get featured.
Inteligencia Artificial by Verónica Bermúdez Uribe
Refractive Sculptures by Tobias Peil
Submitted by Tobias Peil
The lockdown gave me a chance to spend my time on creative work that I wanted to do for a long time. The purpose of this was to visually research the effects of form on the refraction and how to get the most visually appealing structures / refractions. For this process, I used C4D and the Octane Render Engine.
Refraction itself is a physical phenomenon that describes the process of light changing its direction when traveling through a surface. Hence our vision of the objects behind the surface is distorted. In CG the term IOR describes this attribute and displays how strong the distortion is. During this series of experiments, I combined that with chromatic dispersion where one colored light separates into its components of different wavelengths – colors.
This effect is used a lot in modern days media as glitches and RGB separation have become a trend.
My cloud by Nattaphon Pinakaphang
Submitted by Nattaphon Pinakaphang
These works are about time and space. It started with nothing. It gradually changes with the space of time. The ending did not happen in the first place. But it happened with the present time it’s like when we start to look at the clouds in the sky, we can see or not see anything. It depends on what each person sees, thinking and receiving it’s independent of each person. Finally, though, those clouds will move and disappear in the time space of the sky.
Africa By Thyself by Kingsley Abeng
Submitted by Kingsley Abeng
Title: Africa Be Thyself
Artist: Kingsley Abeng
Medium: Graphite and Charcoal on Paper
Dimension: 48.6/53.8cm
Year: 2020
Africa be thyself is an art piece depicting a crying face, the subject is dark in complexion, the eyes are fixed on to left, and it seems to reflect what’s happening around, a great measure of sweat is oozing of the skin, with tears flowing down the eyes, her lips are firmly held together, portraying the intensity of the pain. The drawing was made using graphite and charcoal on paper. This is what the artist has to say about his creation, having been inspired by the mishaps in the society.
“Blood shed, lives lost, the annual celebration of independence from the white man has not ceased and yet the question remains. Did we really get the much deserved and needed freedom from the white man? No! And what do we get? A more complex enemy and slave master – our own mindset about the white man. The most pressing issue is the dysfunctional codependency on external sources. Fund after fund, aid after aid is what we opt for when in reality, we are doing nothing about the corruption in high places and misappropriation of internal funds resulting in the many deprived communities of basic needs. Yet another pressing issue is the million talents and highly trained personnel or intellectuals who flock foreign lands in search for greener pastures leaving poorly trained staff to man institutions and organizations hence the poor productivity.
I will not fail to mention the silent destructive weapon of distrust for locally manufactured goods and services failing to realize that it is the main factor that contributes to our economic structure. China for instance, has practiced this for so long and is now respected as an upcoming super power. But it is time. Time for freedom from the slavery of our own minds. Time to stand up for what we believe in and voluntarily donate to or support- Black. Time to invest in ourselves (reading) to the effect of creation (bringing to life the change we expect). Time to be the change. Time to exhibit our worth and give to ourselves the opportunity we served the white man on a silver platter that makes him feel superior. Time to emerge and emerge wholly from the submergence in white supremacy. Time to heal the wounds and pain of this mental slavery. We have destroyed so much in this slavery and still do, waiting for ‘the white man’ to come to our aid. What freedom then did we gain or fight for? This isn’t just another Art piece, but a call out, an advocacy, a bugle call to wake BLACKS up”.
This piece is indeed a exceptional one and if taken seriously by the society, will alter the paradigm of things in our nation.
River by Yukio Kevin Iraha
Submitted by Yukio Kevin Iraha
BB by Tadao Cern
She Inspires Us – Series by Terry Soleilhac
Submitted by Terry Soleihac
I have the great honor to share my series on female athletes who have left their mark on sports through their exploits, positions, and values they defend. We often see graphic illustrations of male players, but very few feminine ones. This is why they also deserve to be highlighted through different graphic styles and techniques. They also have the right to have their stories shared.
Adam Jacobs Artist Showcase by Adam Jacobs
Submitted by Adam Jacobs
Wu Zetian illustration by Louna Boutayeb
Distorted mental health by Andre Camacho
Submitted by Andre Camacho
I’ve been drawing myself almost everyday based of how I’m feeling that day. Other people have diaries but I’m no good at words… or spelling. I dont really know how to communicate my emotions so the best way to tell you Is to show you.
CoolSelection plugin for Adobe Illustrator by Viktor Horiachykh
Submitted by Viktor Horiachykh
CoolSelection is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator. CoolSelection adds new and advanced selection tools to the Illustrator.
Use the Selection Brush Tool to draw a selection of any shape You want. Objects fully inside the selection shape will be selected. Objects just touched by the shape will be not. Press and hold the Option (Mac) or the Alt (Windows) to color objects instead of selecting them.
Use the Selection Box Tool to select objects in the way it’s done in CorelDraw or in AutoCAD, or in Inkscape:
Click and drag. Only objects fully inside the selection marquee will be selected.
Press and hold the Option (Mac) or the Alt (Windows) to ignore the background.
The possibilities are endless: Select objects overlapping with many other objects or objects placed over complex backgrounds. Color black-and-white images literary in seconds. Pick small objects with a rather big brush – useful when working with a touchscreen.
See the video and use Your imagination!
Christmas illustrations by Daryl Lee J.Y
Submitted by Daryl Lee J.Y
Tools used: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Color pens, Black artline pens
Christmas is just around the corner! This was a little something I did in 2019 last year for a Christmas card project of my own. One was a calvaryman/horseman based on the traditional story ‘The Nutcracker Prince’, while the other a snowman on skis.
The Pieuvre Art Project by Fiona Couturier
Submitted by Fiona Couturier
I do paper collage from illustrations I find in books and magazines I buy. I do installations. I do plush (stuffed animals). I do jewelry. I do embroidery. Figurine painting and minis architectural building. I do mosaic. And wildlife and exhibition photography. And silly animation movies.
Cubes by Seb Agnew
Submitted by Seb Agnew
“CUBES” examines individual and yet so stereotypical human universes. I started the project back in 2018 when I often found myself looking at three equally shaped three-storey buildings right in front of my kitchen window. Most of the times, curtains block the view to what happens within the walls of these privately owned apartments. Sometimes, I see lights turn on and off, a TV flicker or the silhouette of a sole person gaze through the slats of Venetian blinds. I cannot stop wondering: What happens inside these rooms? What do their inhabitants think and feel? And why are they, seemingly, all alone? And do they, maybe, think the same of me when they watch me watching them …?
All nine cubes are linked to one another, metaphorically and visually held together and connected by means of water running through the walls of the building.
In order to make these exceptionally complex rooms turn into reality, I handcrafted nine individual miniature sets (using different materials and crafting techniques as well as laser-cutting and 3D-printing). The models were shot separately, paying extreme attention to matching perspective, light and colour.
I documented the construction of all CUBES in short videos which can be found on my website or on Instagram.
Tolga Akdogan Portfolio by Tolga Akdogan
Submitted by Tolga Akdogan
Hello, I’m Tolga Akdogan, an illustrator from Istanbul who lives in Hamburg. I studied Graphic Design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul. I have been working as a freelance illustrator since my student years. I like to work in different styles. I usually prepare my work on digital platforms and regularly keep a sketchbook to improve my drawing skills. I’ve been drawing storyboards for cartoon projects and advertising agencies for a long time. I am thinking of using the storytelling skills I have acquired for a graphic novel project. I have been living in Germany for 3 years. I am trying to reflect the effect of living in a different country on my line. For this reason, my development continues.
You can visit my web address or Behance to view more of my works.
Doubt by Ahmet Emin Korkmaz
Submitted by Ahmet Emin Korkmaz
Doubt is an incentive that drives people to make up stories.
My Colour Games by Gabija Steponenaite
Submitted by Gabija Steponenaite
I have started creating watercolours because… I had no friends in Chicago. I studied journalism at Vilnius University in Lithuania. I felt that journalism was the best choice I can make to achieve my life goals: write and travel. After graduation, I traveled to Chicago and I immediately fell in love with this vibrant, friendly, and multicultural city.
Although I loved the city, I hardly knew anyone there. One of my newly made acquaintances handed me a phone number of an art studio looking for new students. I bought a few brushes, paper, and a box of colours and went to my first class hoping to meet new friends.
For the next decade, I continued attending classes where I was painting, laughing, and eating pizza with my newly discovered friends.
It is “my colour game,” when I dip a brush into a colour palette and start painting. It provides for the development of each work into a unique expression of fleeting moments and feelings. My mixed media paintings are the material fragments of the memories inspired by the recollections of distant lands, cities, or dreams. In my abstract interpretations of the surrounding world, colour is the main medium for conveying a captured moment and its predominant mood.
Using visual suggestions, I invite the viewer into an imagined landscape, city, or room where a colourful, lively world lingers between the abstract and the representational.
I seek to inspire a dialogue between art and a visitor. I seek to awaken the imagination, evoke personal memories, and liberate interpretation. Thus, I am reluctant to title my work, as every suggestion acts as a road sign determining a final destination.
My works have been exhibited in group showings at August House Gallery, Ed Hinkley Art Studio Chicago, and the Lithuanian Youth Center in Chicago.
Rola Studio – illustrations by Daniela Silva
Submitted by Daniela Silva
Based in Porto, Portugal, Rola Studio was created by Daniela Silva – a graphic designer and illustrator – that explores the wonders of the world and her mind.
Tarot – XV The Devil by Fernando Branças
Submitted by Fernando Branças
Risography printing and illustration of the TAROT card XV — THE DEVIL.
We inspired ourselves on STAR TREK”s famous gesture the Vulcan Salut and it’s religious connections.
THE DEVIL
Originally the devil card shows baphomet or the horned goat of Mendes — a creature half human and half goat representing the balance between good and evil, male and female, human and animal.
VULCAN SALUTE
Popularized by the 60’s TV Series Star Trek was based on a priestly blessing of the Jewish Kohanim. Standing for Shaddai, Shekinah and Shalom. “You don’t wanna see it because it is so powerful that you could be seriously injured or it could be fatal. That’s why you protect yourself by covering your eyes, you don’t look.” — Leonard Nimoy about the jewish symbol.
Marina Labella Illustrations by Marina Labella
Submitted by Marina Labella
My name is Marina, I am a Spanish illustrator from Barcelona currently living in Hamburg, Germany.
Illustration is my passion and the visual communication within it is the part that attracts me the most. That is why one of my preferred areas is Editorial Illustration, where the image has a very important role to both complement and sustain the written part.
I like to create images that go beyond the aesthetics and carry a message, always trying to communicate from simplicity and visual rhetoric. One of my main focus is to open a dialog with the observer, give it something to think about rather than to just stare and visually enjoy.
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