Computer Arts Gallery: August 2010

Karolin Schnoor
Location London, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact www.karolinschnoor.com

Karolin Schnoor moved from Berlin to London in order to study illustration, eventually graduating from the University of the Arts. "Seven years later and I'm still here… London really sucks you in," she says. Much of her university time was spent in the screenprinting room, and she says the way she created images then still influences her process today. "My main influence would probably be the folk art I remember from old children's books, and the way it combined colour and pattern with notions of narrative. There's a lot of flat colour in my work, and I really enjoy the idea of applying drawings to different surfaces."

To that end, Schnoor has recently started designing patterns for textiles. "There aren't many limits imposed on illustration today, so I would really like to see my work applied to all kinds of areas," she adds.

SeaGen This was created for Amelia's Anthology of Illustration, a book that used illustration to showcase alternative energy sources. "SeaGen itself is an underwater turbine that harvests tide power," Schnoor explains. "The main challenge was to create a relatively accurate image of what the machinery looked like, while also maintaining an illustrative and imaginative feel. I really wanted to use dense patterns to convey a sense of momentum." The piece was hand-drawn, scanned and finished with colouring in Photoshop.

Alex Tanner
Location Singapore
Job Illustrator
Contact www.cargocollective.com/alt

"Singapore is a diversified and developed country where cultures often converge," says Alex Tanner, aka AL.T. "I'm very much influenced by day-to-day life, and was given the ability to draw and express my inner world at a very young age." After studying at his local polytechnic, Tanner went on to experiment with other art forms, such as photography, with the aim of broadening his artistic range. "I seldom stick to a single style of my own, and believe that being versatile is the only constant [way] to adapt to the dynamic society," he adds. "I will often read up on design magazines and books to keep myself in the loop, and try to get my work seen as much as possible."

Virtual Reality The first piece of a series that Tanner intends to create, depicting the ubiquitous cartoon character Hello Kitty living in the real world. "It's a dichotomy between virtuality and reality," he says.

Alex Tanner
Location Singapore
Job Illustrator
Contact www.cargocollective.com/alt

"Singapore is a diversified and developed country where cultures often converge," says Alex Tanner, aka AL.T. "I'm very much influenced by day-to-day life, and was given the ability to draw and express my inner world at a very young age." After studying at his local polytechnic, Tanner went on to experiment with other art forms, such as photography, with the aim of broadening his artistic range. "I seldom stick to a single style of my own, and believe that being versatile is the only constant [way] to adapt to the dynamic society," he adds. "I will often read up on design magazines and books to keep myself in the loop, and try to get my work seen as much as possible."

Listen to Your Heart One of two themed images. "The concept of these pieces is to remind people to follow their true hearts and passions," says Tanner, "and not to be affected by the current situation."

Michal Miszkurka
Location Warsaw, Poland
Job Illustrator/graphic designer
Contact www.behance.net/miszkur

"I wouldn't say that I have a definitive style," says Michal Miszkurka. "Sometimes it makes me frustrated as I'm not able to make a set of work look similar but different, if you know what I mean." This eclecticism perhaps isn't surprising, given that Miszkurka graduated in architecture and went on to study visual communication at the Glasgow School of Art, but eventually decided that graphic design and illustration were more his thing. "Although I studied design disciplines, I'm much more devoted to the art and handmade stuff," he adds.

Most of Miszkurka's images begin as hand-drawn sketches: "In my opinion, work that was made with different media, especially a mix of traditional and digital techniques, is much more interesting. My dream is to design cultural, film and theatre posters, but it's really tough to become a member of this group."

Look at Me A personal piece, inspired by an image of a girl in a newspaper, hand-drawn and then finished in Photoshop. "The girl is maybe not the type that I would fall in love with, but she has something in her eyes that made me draw a portrait," admits Miszkurka.

Michal Miszkurka
Location Warsaw, Poland
Job Illustrator/graphic designer
Contact www.behance.net/miszkur

"I wouldn't say that I have a definitive style," says Michal Miszkurka. "Sometimes it makes me frustrated as I'm not able to make a set of work look similar but different, if you know what I mean." This eclecticism perhaps isn't surprising, given that Miszkurka graduated in architecture and went on to study visual communication at the Glasgow School of Art, but eventually decided that graphic design and illustration were more his thing. "Although I studied design disciplines, I'm much more devoted to the art and handmade stuff," he adds.

Most of Miszkurka's images begin as hand-drawn sketches: "In my opinion, work that was made with different media, especially a mix of traditional and digital techniques, is much more interesting. My dream is to design cultural, film and theatre posters, but it's really tough to become a member of this group."

Let it Flow Another personal illustration, this one created in several steps. The sculpture is a drawing of a piece that Miszkurka found in a Glasgow museum - "I spent several hours sitting on the cold floor, sketching" - and at first it just disappeared into his portfolio. Later on, having rediscovered it, he decided to add more detail in Photoshop, also incorporating typography. Eventually he used the image as part of a cover for a competition.

Sami Viljanto
Location Helsinki, Finland and Berlin, Germany
Job Illustrator
Contact www.grandedeluxe.com

Originally from Finland, Sami Viljanto now shuttles between Helsinki and Berlin, and has been a full-time freelancer for a year. "My history in the field of illustration probably started when I was about eight years old and I won a T-shirt from a drawing competition held in a local supermarket," he says. From such auspicious beginnings, he's gone on to develop a colourful, cheerful style, which he believes ties in with his personality: "I'm actually quite nice," he says.

Skinny Legged Wolves Can't Jump Early last year, Viljanto felt that he wasn't challenging himself enough, and decided to embark on his "biggest and most detailed picture ever". This image was the result. "It's vector-based, like all my work, spiced up with some textures and transparencies," he tells us. "I probably built the tree more than 20 times in total, because I wasn't happy with the composition of it… I want the whole thing to be kind of a 'Where's Wally?' picture, one which you could get a bit lost in."

Sami Viljanto
Location Helsinki, Finland and Berlin, Germany
Job Illustrator
Contact www.grandedeluxe.com

Originally from Finland, Sami Viljanto now shuttles between Helsinki and Berlin, and has been a full-time freelancer for a year. "My history in the field of illustration probably started when I was about eight years old and I won a T-shirt from a drawing competition held in a local supermarket," he says. From such auspicious beginnings, he's gone on to develop a colourful, cheerful style, which he believes ties in with his personality: "I'm actually quite nice," he says.

Kaikai Kitty and the Mysterious Bow Tie A preview image from Viljanto's forthcoming solo exhibition later this year. "For the past couple of years I've been building an almost unhealthy interest in old-school tattoos, and have finally decided to try to combine it with my own illustrations and started building it towards a bigger series to have an exhibition. The name and idea just popped up while I was having a chat with a friend on the net… I basically copy-and-pasted the image from my head onto a sketchpad, and from there into vectors."

Timothy Hunt
Location Yorkshire, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact www.ficklefate.co.uk

Originally studying graphic design, Timothy Hunt later decided to switch his specialism to illustration. "I focus on making my work bold and simple," he says. "A lot of the themes I explore are often tragic or sinister, but are portrayed in a playful way." He cites film, particularly world cinema and short films, as one of his major inspirations: "Sometimes the mood of a film can give me ideas… ideas can come from anywhere - bits of dialogue or maybe the way a particular character is dressed."

The Dada movement also provides Hunt with plenty of inspiration, as does the work of Hans Arp, whose use of shapes and colour is reflected in the illustrator's images. "I also love listening to people's stories, particularly ghost stories or unusual experiences… I think this is a more obvious theme in my work."

The Boy The main inspiration for this personal piece was old beer mats and matchboxes, says Hunt. "I wanted to represent a giant ocean of tears but contained in a small space and still a part of the boy. Most of my work starts as a complete image in my head, which I then translate onto screen using sketches and the Mac - I only really use the sketches to figure out the layout."

Timothy Hunt
Location Yorkshire, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact www.ficklefate.co.uk

Originally studying graphic design, Timothy Hunt later decided to switch his specialism to illustration. "I focus on making my work bold and simple," he says. "A lot of the themes I explore are often tragic or sinister, but are portrayed in a playful way." He cites film, particularly world cinema and short films, as one of his major inspirations: "Sometimes the mood of a film can give me ideas… ideas can come from anywhere - bits of dialogue or maybe the way a particular character is dressed."

The Dada movement also provides Hunt with plenty of inspiration, as does the work of Hans Arp, whose use of shapes and colour is reflected in the illustrator's images. "I also love listening to people's stories, particularly ghost stories or unusual experiences… I think this is a more obvious theme in my work."

Goo in my Shoe "I was thinking about what it would be like to have a shoe full of some kind of goo, and thought that with lots of nice colours this would look good on a page. I love all the different styles and colourful sneakers available today; one particular skate shop in Amsterdam has the most amazing selection all together on one massive wall."