Computer Arts Gallery: July 2012

Luis B. Hernandez
Location: Madrid, Spain
Job: Graphic designer

Luis B. Hernandez is a freelance graphic designer based in Madrid, Spain, who produces editorial design, typography and visual concepts for brands. He also works as art director for Spanish graphic arts magazine Yorokobu and is a co-founder of Go Skateboarding Mag.

After finishing school unsure of which direction to take, Hernandez soon discovered that some of his favourite things in life – magazines, record covers and T-shirt designs – were created by graphic designers, and decided to study the subject in depth. He completed his studies in the late 90s and has now worked in the design industry for over a decade, notching up experience in publishing, advertising, communication and branding.

Averis
The typography seen in ‘Averis’ was inspired by flowers and springtime. “I’m so pleased, because some of the letters are especially beautiful,” says Hernandez

Luis B. Hernandez
Location: Madrid, Spain
Job: Graphic designer

Luis B. Hernandez is a freelance graphic designer based in Madrid, Spain, who produces editorial design, typography and visual concepts for brands. He also works as art director for Spanish graphic arts magazine Yorokobu and is a co-founder of Go Skateboarding Mag.

After finishing school unsure of which direction to take, Hernandez soon discovered that some of his favourite things in life – magazines, record covers and T-shirt designs – were created by graphic designers, and decided to study the subject in depth. He completed his studies in the late 90s and has now worked in the design industry for over a decade, notching up experience in publishing, advertising, communication and branding.

Yorokobu magazine
Hernandez designed the lettering for Yorokobu magazine. “All the articles that it was used for are very different,” he explains, “which enabled me to change the tone with every article.”

Marta Spendowska
Location: Green Bay, USA
Job: Illustrator, web designer and developer

Marta Spendowska graduated with a masters degree in management and marketing, only to find herself stuck in a “dead-end” job, dreaming of life as a creative. Not one for wasting time, she quit her job in Poland and head to the US to follow her dreams.

Having completed an internship while studying in Atlanta, Georgia, she knew that the US was the perfect place to achieve her ambition: “I sold my first painting in Atlanta, sitting on the pavement outside Whole Foods,” she recalls. “That was the moment when I realised how things could be so different if I pursued my life as an artist in the States.”

Currently working as an illustrator, print and web designer, she finds all aspects of her new career satisfying: “Today I think in watercolour and HTML,” she smiles. “Coding for me is like discovering the perfect shade of turquoise. It’s all the same joy.”

Striped
From Spendowska’s Striped series, this project combines strong lines with strong colours. “Many people are attracted to this piece, which makes me very happy,” she says.

Marta Spendowska
Location: Green Bay, USA
Job: Illustrator, web designer and developer

Marta Spendowska graduated with a masters degree in management and marketing, only to find herself stuck in a “dead-end” job, dreaming of life as a creative. Not one for wasting time, she quit her job in Poland and head to the US to follow her dreams.

Having completed an internship while studying in Atlanta, Georgia, she knew that the US was the perfect place to achieve her ambition: “I sold my first painting in Atlanta, sitting on the pavement outside Whole Foods,” she recalls. “That was the moment when I realised how things could be so different if I pursued my life as an artist in the States.”

Currently working as an illustrator, print and web designer, she finds all aspects of her new career satisfying: “Today I think in watercolour and HTML,” she smiles. “Coding for me is like discovering the perfect shade of turquoise. It’s all the same joy.”

Woof
Spendowska used watercolour and overlays on this image, showcasing her favourite shade of turquoise. “It was time to have some fun with masculinity,” she laughs. “So I decided to add some humour to ensure that it’s not a high fashion piece, but still looks elegant.”

Nathan Manire
Location: New York, USA
Job: Designer and illustrator

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Nathan Manire is now based in New York City. For the past five years he has worked with a host of impressive clients in his day job as a designer, while also maintaining a presence in the illustration industry through his freelance work.

“I like to diversify and try new things. Being a designer allows me to experiment more with my illustration work and try new things,” he explains. “Some of my personal work has earned me commissions with big clients, such as Nike and Wired, so working in this way is really beneficial.”

Over the next few months Manire intends to continue to work on urban landscape illustrations, many of which are inspired by the buildings in New York. He prefers to vary his creative process from project to project to keep things fresh. “Some people have a style and a process that they stick to, but that’s not how I work” he asserts. “My process is simple: stay confident, do research, be honest with myself and create something that will make people smile. All with a little help from good coffee and great music of course.”

These Pixels are Making me Thirsty
This project was created with inkjet print and digital media for Manire to give away as presents. “I’m a big fan of the TV series Seinfeld, so I created a print of illustrated props from the show.”

Nathan Manire
Location: New York, USA
Job: Designer and illustrator

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Nathan Manire is now based in New York City. For the past five years he has worked with a host of impressive clients in his day job as a designer, while also maintaining a presence in the illustration industry through his freelance work.

“I like to diversify and try new things. Being a designer allows me to experiment more with my illustration work and try new things,” he explains. “Some of my personal work has earned me commissions with big clients, such as Nike and Wired, so working in this way is really beneficial.”

Over the next few months Manire intends to continue to work on urban landscape illustrations, many of which are inspired by the buildings in New York. He prefers to vary his creative process from project to project to keep things fresh. “Some people have a style and a process that they stick to, but that’s not how I work” he asserts. “My process is simple: stay confident, do research, be honest with myself and create something that will make people smile. All with a little help from good coffee and great music of course.”

East 10th Street
Created solely in digital, this piece was created after Manire shot some images around his neighbourhood. “I love the buildings in the East Village, and I really wanted to recreate them in simplified illustrations,” he says.

Luis Teixeira
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Job: Illustrator

Brazilian-born artist Luis Teixeira divides his time between painting and illustrating. He takes a different approach to his work in each format: “In my paintings, I explore the human body as the central figure,” he says. “I seek to portray the idea of bodies in an apparent state of rest. However, the pictorial treatment implies the ageing of the body and life’s inherent condition.”

Meanwhile, his illustrations use what he calls a “synthetical graphic language”, which is namely a blend of drawing, ink, hatching and Photoshop creations. “My illustrations embody pop culture, irony and odd situations in paradoxical and metaphorical compositions,” he explains.

Currently busy working on paintings for a new exhibition, this year will see Teixeira return to watercolours for a series of portraits. He’s always had a passion for illustration: “Since I can remember, I have always been drawing. My school notebooks were all full of drawings, from comic strip characters to caricatures of teachers. Creating images was always a compulsion. I always had a pencil in my hand. It was as if I had no choice – that this was the career I was destined to take.”

Cameos – Keith
From Teixeira’s Cameos series, this Illustration is a humorous take on rock star status. “This is one of my favourite personal works, inspired by some of my favourite rock stars,” he grins. “Rock stars receive such status, especially with young people, because they define the way people dress and behave – I wanted to point out the humour in this.”

Luis Teixeira
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Job: Illustrator

Brazilian-born artist Luis Teixeira divides his time between painting and illustrating. He takes a different approach to his work in each format: “In my paintings, I explore the human body as the central figure,” he says. “I seek to portray the idea of bodies in an apparent state of rest. However, the pictorial treatment implies the ageing of the body and life’s inherent condition.”

Meanwhile, his illustrations use what he calls a “synthetical graphic language”, which is namely a blend of drawing, ink, hatching and Photoshop creations. “My illustrations embody pop culture, irony and odd situations in paradoxical and metaphorical compositions,” he explains.

Currently busy working on paintings for a new exhibition, this year will see Teixeira return to watercolours for a series of portraits. He’s always had a passion for illustration: “Since I can remember, I have always been drawing. My school notebooks were all full of drawings, from comic strip characters to caricatures of teachers. Creating images was always a compulsion. I always had a pencil in my hand. It was as if I had no choice – that this was the career I was destined to take.”

The Boat
This is a personal piece from a collection of images about solitude and the state of mind that it brings to people. “This shows the impotence of solitude – someone lost at sea, in a little sailboat, with no wind, trying in vain to move it and save himself,” he explains.

Huub Blekkenhorst
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Job: Illustrator and designer

“My illustrations are emotional, fragile, humorous and old-fashioned,” explains Dutch illustrator Huub Blekkenhorst. It’s little wonder, then, that he aims to create images that make people feel empathy: “I feel satisfied when the viewer feels sorry for the person in my illustration, or has some kind of common ground with them,” he says. “However, I do feel that sometimes illustrators take their work too seriously. Sometimes a funny drawing is just a funny drawing.”

Blekkenhorst studied graphic and multimedia design in Zwolle, in the Netherlands. After a short career in advertising, he returned to art school in Groningen, where he rediscovered his love for drawing: “During this time, my ideas about becoming an illustrator were confirmed,” he says.

He works with acrylic paint and ink, adding colour in Photoshop. “My inspiration comes from films, fantasy, friends, making music, cities and daydreaming,” he explains. “I love when an illustration has its own opinion – when it offers something unique or gives a subject a different point of view.”

He is also currently setting up an online T-shirt shop, i-shirt.net, where customers can choose an illustrator to make them an exclusive design.

Balance
This screenprint was created in late 2011, and is likened by Blekkenhorst to the landscape in TV show Lost. “I didn’t add a lot of detail to keep it as mysterious as possible. It could be anywhere in the world.”

Huub Blekkenhorst
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Job: Illustrator and designer

“My illustrations are emotional, fragile, humorous and old-fashioned,” explains Dutch illustrator Huub Blekkenhorst. It’s little wonder, then, that he aims to create images that make people feel empathy: “I feel satisfied when the viewer feels sorry for the person in my illustration, or has some kind of common ground with them,” he says. “However, I do feel that sometimes illustrators take their work too seriously. Sometimes a funny drawing is just a funny drawing.”

Blekkenhorst studied graphic and multimedia design in Zwolle, in the Netherlands. After a short career in advertising, he returned to art school in Groningen, where he rediscovered his love for drawing: “During this time, my ideas about becoming an illustrator were confirmed,” he says.

He works with acrylic paint and ink, adding colour in Photoshop. “My inspiration comes from films, fantasy, friends, making music, cities and daydreaming,” he explains. “I love when an illustration has its own opinion – when it offers something unique or gives a subject a different point of view.”

He is also currently setting up an online T-shirt shop, i-shirt.net, where customers can choose an illustrator to make them an exclusive design.

Tanz
Blekkenhorst created this during an internship in Hamburg. It was outlined in pencil and coloured in Photoshop, and grew organically: “One minute I was doodling curvy lines, the next it was two people dancing,” he explains. “I wanted to create a feel-good atmosphere, as if they were dancing for the first time.”