Computer Arts Gallery: August 2011

Omar Clifton
Location Philadelphia, USA
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.taintedluv.net

“I’m kind of a ‘renaissance man’ when it comes to style,” says Omar Clifton, who works under the name Tainted Luv. “I don’t have a definitive look.”

Straight out of high school Clifton learnt Concept Development and Project Management at StarShooter Graphics while attending the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Since then he has worked on various projects ranging from website mock-ups and front-end design to small press books and illustrations, and regularly collaborates with magazine editors, videographers, recording engineers and others.

City of Dreams
This was a two-page spread for XION, the Philadelphia comic book networking group, which meets once a month to discuss all things comic-related. “It was developed for their first semi-annual sketch book,” says Clifton, “and was created using 3ds Max and Photoshop.”

Iveta Abolina
Location New York, USA
Job Senior web designer, illustrator
Contact www.onesweetorange.com

Born in Latvia, Iveta Abolina moved to New Jersey 14 years ago, and a few years later graduated from Parsons in New York. “Even though my major was Design and Technology, concentrating on motion graphics, I find that my true passion is illustration,” she says. As such she juggles her job at Showtime Networks with her own illustration projects.

“New York is a phenomenal place to be,” she continues. “I work whenever I get the chance; inspiration can spring up anywhere and any time, so I try to be open to it and have my sketchbook handy.”

Stay Awhile
This illo began as a simple drawing of a woman’s legs. “I kept it for a long time until I found the perfect colour match and canvas background. It was bought by Screen Gems Studios as a prop for a film called The Roommate, but unfortunately for me it was never used.”

Iveta Abolina
Location New York, USA
Job Senior web designer, illustrator
Contact www.onesweetorange.com

Born in Latvia, Iveta Abolina moved to New Jersey 14 years ago, and a few years later graduated from Parsons in New York. “Even though my major was Design and Technology, concentrating on motion graphics, I find that my true passion is illustration,” she says. As such she juggles her job at Showtime Networks with her own illustration projects.

“New York is a phenomenal place to be,” she continues. “I work whenever I get the chance; inspiration can spring up anywhere and any time, so I try to be open to it and have my sketchbook handy.”

Before The Storm
One of Abolina’s best-selling poster artworks and decal skins, and also one of the creations of which she’s most proud. “Part black-and-white doodle floral design, and part watercolour background, this abstract pulls in the browns, yellows and oranges to highlight the sinewy web of blooming flowers.”

Daphne Christoforou
Location Brighton, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact www.feelondemand.com

Graduating with a first in illustration from the University of Brighton, Daphne Christoforou now works as a freelance illustrator. “I was also lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship as Illustration Student of the Year in 2009,” she says. “I get a lot of inspiration from Hindu images, crazy Greek myths, alchemy and Indian miniature painting. My favourite illustrations are ones that tell a story. When starting a piece I make a rough pencil sketch of where everything is going to be, and then paint and collage in Photoshop using a Wacom Cintiq tablet.”

My Room
Of this personal project, Christoforou says simply: “It’s about a dying relative, particle hunters, ultra-marathon runner Scott Jurek, naked women in the gym changing rooms, and being single.”

Daphne Christoforou
Location Brighton, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact www.feelondemand.com

Graduating with a first in illustration from the University of Brighton, Daphne Christoforou now works as a freelance illustrator. “I was also lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship as Illustration Student of the Year in 2009,” she says. “I get a lot of inspiration from Hindu images, crazy Greek myths, alchemy and Indian miniature painting. My favourite illustrations are ones that tell a story. When starting a piece I make a rough pencil sketch of where everything is going to be, and then paint and collage in Photoshop using a Wacom Cintiq tablet.”

The Taking
This illustration is based on a story that Christoforou wrote: “Costas has had enough of his wife’s insecurities and decides to take care of the matter for the sake of them both.”

Ben Lim
Location California, USA
Job Graphic designer/illustrator
Contact www.betifon.com

As well as being a graphic designer, this 2007 San Francisco State University graduate runs his own creative lifestyle company, Betifon, which sells clothing, accessories and prints. “My artwork and company revolve around creative freedom and expression,” he says. “Pushing the themes of nature, technology, defiance and rebellion, anything is possible. I love creating unique worlds and characters.

“I’m always inspired and motivated when I see powerful pieces from other artists, and this is the reaction I hope to get from others when they see my work.”

H20
“I’m intrigued by the combination of opposites, and this illustration is based on that concept,” says Lim. “It combines natural vines, leaves and flowers with mechanical elements like gears, wires and electricity.”

Ben Lim
Location California, USA
Job Graphic designer/illustrator
Contact www.betifon.com

As well as being a graphic designer, this 2007 San Francisco State University graduate runs his own creative lifestyle company, Betifon, which sells clothing, accessories and prints. “My artwork and company revolve around creative freedom and expression,” he says. “Pushing the themes of nature, technology, defiance and rebellion, anything is possible. I love creating unique worlds and characters.

“I’m always inspired and motivated when I see powerful pieces from other artists, and this is the reaction I hope to get from others when they see my work.”

The Eye
Inspired by Lim’s younger days when, he says, he indulged in a few ‘experimental’ activities. The Eye represents the authorities: “They were always in the back of my mind during my mischievous days, watching me like an eye.”

Jacek Rudzki
Location London, UK
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.rudzki.wordpress.com

Having completed a BA in graphic design in his native Poland, Jacek Rudzki felt he needed some new inspiration – and thus he made the move to London, where he is now studying for an MA. For the last three years he has also worked as a freelance designer, mainly for print, producing a body of work that includes posters, logos, and book and CD covers, using a mixture of traditional media and digital techniques.

“I think most of my inspiration comes from other designers and the philosophy that they live by,” he says, “particularly Michael Bierut and Erik Spiekermann. One of my favourite phrases is the old classic: keep it simple, stupid.”

We Are Hip Hop
A self-initiated poster. “It was Mos Def who said: ‘We are hip hop’,” Rudzki explains. “Here I designed a complicated composition that shows a variety of people, with colours uniting the whole poster. This piece also shows my love for typography, as well as simple and clear design.”

Jacek Rudzki
Location London, UK
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.rudzki.wordpress.com

Having completed a BA in graphic design in his native Poland, Jacek Rudzki felt he needed some new inspiration – and thus he made the move to London, where he is now studying for an MA. For the last three years he has also worked as a freelance designer, mainly for print, producing a body of work that includes posters, logos, and book and CD covers, using a mixture of traditional media and digital techniques.

“I think most of my inspiration comes from other designers and the philosophy that they live by,” he says, “particularly Michael Bierut and Erik Spiekermann. One of my favourite phrases is the old classic: keep it simple, stupid.”

Inglorious Basterds
As part of his BA, Rudzki designed a series of posters based on films by Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton – and this is an example of the former. “It’s weird, but when I watch a good movie I almost immediately have an idea for a poster,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of projects based on this film and I was looking for something that nobody had come up with before – the legs and the typography.”

Katarzyna Ksiezopolska
Location Warsaw, Poland
Job Illustrator, graphic designer
Contact www.ksiezopolska.com

Although she graduated from the Academy of Art in Lódz with a diploma in Product Design, Katarzyna Ksiezopolska feels that deep down illustration has always been her real passion. “I was born in Warsaw, somewhere among sheets of paper, felt-tip pens and coloured paints,” she says, “and I’ve decided, against all odds, to dedicate my life to it.”

She now creates illustrations for editorial contexts, books and websites, as well as the odd textile design, and has a soft spot for children’s book illustration. “My images come straight from my heart – they’re sincere and very personal, sometimes weird, sometimes childish, often disgusting. They usually depict people who surround me and emotions that take control.”

Last Star
This is an illustration based on the concept of unfulfilled dreams, and a variation of another of her images, ‘Star’: “We should treat them as something exceptional, as if they were the last stars on Earth,” she says.

Katarzyna Ksiezopolska
Location Warsaw, Poland
Job Illustrator, graphic designer
Contact www.ksiezopolska.com

Although she graduated from the Academy of Art in Lódz with a diploma in Product Design, Katarzyna Ksiezopolska feels that deep down illustration has always been her real passion. “I was born in Warsaw, somewhere among sheets of paper, felt-tip pens and coloured paints,” she says, “and I’ve decided, against all odds, to dedicate my life to it.”

She now creates illustrations for editorial contexts, books and websites, as well as the odd textile design, and has a soft spot for children’s book illustration. “My images come straight from my heart – they’re sincere and very personal, sometimes weird, sometimes childish, often disgusting. They usually depict people who surround me and emotions that take control.”

Star
“Each of us probably has a dream that seems too far away and impossible to achieve, but it’s nice to look at it in our thoughts, to imagine it being within reach,” says Ksiezopolska. “That’s exactly what this illustration is about. The star represents my secret dream, which I won’t reveal to anyone.”

Nicholas Poulos
Location Sydney, Australia
Job Illustrator
Contact www.bottleofnick.com

“I like to call myself a digital illustrator because that’s what I do best,” states this self-taught 20-year-old. “My personal style is a strange balance between ugly and beautiful; I love drawing something ugly in a really clean-cut way and I like making pretty things more interesting with a touch of ugliness.”

Clean lines, shapes and blobs of colour characterise his work, and despite the ugliness he always tries to inject an element of lightheartedness to his illustrations. “I try to incorporate both humour and personality in my art with cheeky faces and smirks on any object I can,” he explains.

Don’t Fuck With Me
One of the first designs that Poulos sketched out before heading over to the computer. “I had an instant picture in my head of exactly how it should look, and for the first time it ended up looking how I wanted,” he says. “There’s no real concept behind this image. I just wanted to give a bird a persona that you wouldn’t normally think a bird would have.”

Nicholas Poulos
Location Sydney, Australia
Job Illustrator
Contact www.bottleofnick.com

“I like to call myself a digital illustrator because that’s what I do best,” states this self-taught 20-year-old. “My personal style is a strange balance between ugly and beautiful; I love drawing something ugly in a really clean-cut way and I like making pretty things more interesting with a touch of ugliness.”

Clean lines, shapes and blobs of colour characterise his work, and despite the ugliness he always tries to inject an element of lightheartedness to his illustrations. “I try to incorporate both humour and personality in my art with cheeky faces and smirks on any object I can,” he explains.

Don’t Abandon Me
The idea for this image popped up out of nowhere, says Poulos, and he had to get it on screen as soon as possible. “The pillow that the little boy is holding was something I just decided to throw in at the end, but I feel like it added so much context to the image,” he explains. “Maybe this boy is having a bad dream about the little guy he just abandoned.”