Symmetrical Statement

In our developmental stage, we are all taught to recognize shapes and colors. In this series of work, Jonny Wan used these shapes and colors to form a world of fascinating illustration and character design. These graphical illustrations are eye-catching, leaving the viewers with their own interpretation with the message. Based in Sheffield, United Kingdom, Jonny Wan studied illustration and graduated from the Manchester School of Art in 2008. He took time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions for our curious minds.

Monzuki > What does your style convey to your audience?

Jonny Wan > I wanted the audience to ponder when they see my work. I like it when it is something that they haven't come across, reassuring me that I'm creating a style that is personal for me. As for interpretations, I will let the audience decide for themselves, and I would not want my work to have a singular voice. All my work is open to individual thoughts and criticism.

Monzuki > How did you develop your style?

Jonny Wan > My style comes from my love of shapes and symmetry. A combination of these elements fueled with my love for facial expressions as it allows me to develop my own style, as well as experimentation with different aspects of design also, e.g., patterns, colour, etc.

Monzuki > Because of the screen resolution on the computer screen, could you explain your medium? Is it a collage or digital?

Jonny Wan > All my sketches are scanned into the computer and made into vector shapes. I usually export the illustrations into Photoshop to play around with the contrast and brightness.

Monzuki > What is your process?

Jonny Wan > All my work starts as a drawings. The computer is merely another way of mark making. I never go into a new illustration without having the fundamentals and research in my sketchbook.

Monzuki > What projects are you currently working on? Are they mostly design or illustration projects?

Jonny Wan > Right now, it is mostly editorial illustration. I want to see how far I could take this style, and how far I could branch out.

Monzuki > What are your career goals?

Jonny Wan > My goal is to keep producing good work and letting the work speak for itself. I feel blessed to be working in an industry that I am truly addicted to. In some ways, I have achieved the key goal in my life. Now it is up to me to see how far I could take my work, and how many areas of design I could branch into.

We would like to thank Jonny Wan for his time. You could view additional work through his website.

Blissful Treats

With great color choices, images of delectable sweets, and a creative escapism, Brandi Milne give credit to her childhood inspiration of classic cartoons, crayons, and, coloring books. Her work is not defined by rules or criticism but is a form of self expression. Brandi is self-taught and has gain the respect and support from art galleries across the states. Her work has been written and published by major magazines, as well as her own published book, "So Good For Little Bunnies." She is currently working with Hurley on clothing design and her upcoming solo show in 2010. Check her website for additional artwork as well as exhibition dates.

Symbiotic Duo

Based out of London, Kyriakos and Kolette met after viewing each other's work and decided to become a photographic duo who began working together from March 2009. Their conceptual and collaboration work is what they called, "Symbiotic," without a defined role each will play during the project. They state, "The work is still evolving conceptually...and are still finding our way."

Feminine Portraiture

Lori Earley's style of an elongated feminine portraiture has a distinct visual of exaggerated and distorted beauty. Each painting narrates a story, spoken with facial expression, eyes, hair and body language. This is Lori's self expression of mood and emotion. Discovering her talent at a young age, she trained at the School of Visual Arts in New York to become a professional oil painter, exhibiting her work globally. Displayed here are oil painted on board.

Geometric Visions

Most of us grew up with a Spirograph, Rubik's Cube, and Legos. For those who became bored, either had it pawned or it mysteriously vanished. Chris Kirby took these creative toys as an inspiration, fine tuned his creative vision and turned it into a career. As an ex-engineer, he utilize his talent to creative these wonderful and captivating products from lighting, furniture, and accessories. His Compost Vase was awarded the Macef Design Award for Highly Commended Entry, as well as Core77 Light Objects for Notable Entry.

Speak With Visuals

Working as an illustrator and a cartoonist for various publications during his teens, Koren Shadmi's career has been paved with the opportunity to publish his first graphic novel at age 17.  He continued as a graphic designer and an illustrator for the Israel Defense Force.  Upon the completion of his service, he moved to New York and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts, where he received his Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts.

Koren Shadmi's work has been published with Spin Magazine, BusinessWeek, The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Progressive and more.

Grey White

It is quite ironic or a coincident with a name, Greg White, a photographer with a style consisting hues of grey and white (not to be confused with Greg and White) or lack of colors. The difficult task with the lack of colors forces the viewer to concentrate on the content rather than being distracted by the beauty of colors. The images on his website are beautiful and grand with the simplicity of shapes, lines, and repetition. Greg mainly shoots commercial and editorial photography, yet maintain his passion with landscapes and architectures. He carefully defined and sustained his brand and style whether shooting on a personal or commercial projects.

He quoted, "I only shoot images I think will make really interesting pictures and fit within the style of my work as it's very easy to get carried away and end up with lots of pictures that become similar to many other photographers. As a result, I don't actually shoot very much and prefer to chose wisely, making visits to a location before committing myself to a picture."

Greg White is based out of London. His personal work are shot on 4x5 camera using film, while his commercial work is shot on a high grade digital capture methods.