Yehrin Tong

Yehrin Tong is an illustrator currently working in central London. Her work appears in everything from editorial to album covers to clothing (Maharishi's SS08 line). Rarely using more than one color, her illustrations are bold, rich in geometric repeat textures, and hyper realistic. Her typographic work evokes a lot of movement. Tong works mainly in Illustrator and Photoshop using a Wacom tablet to achieve a freehand quality. Her hard drive has become her sketchbook.

Fashion is a huge influence on her work. For example, beading and needlework in clothes is a meticulous element that Tong shows clear appreciation for. Tong says, "I try to produce illustrations that people would want to possess, in the same way you'd want to own a beautiful piece of jewellery. I think, 'how would this type look if I wore it?' Or 'how would that dress detail work on my typeface?' For figurative work, I look to dance for ideas; I find dancers in flight particularly transfixing. It translates to typographical work too, giving it a more emotive edge. In terms of subject matter, drama, strength, beauty and sexuality - I want them all coming across in my pictures."

On the subject of what she enjoys working on the most, Tong says, "It would have to be any one of the fabric patterns - I really enjoy designing them. It's a very nerdy thing to enjoy but I love the puzzle-solving element to some of the more complex ones. I'm a big fan of puzzles in general and maths equations etc. I'm not saying I've solved Fermat's Last Theorem or anything but the idea of problem-solving, motifs, perfection and order within chaos are all things I hope people can spot in my work. There's nothing more satisfying than when a pattern slots together perfectly and appears balanced and cohesive."

   

Chris Ware

Chris Ware is an American comic book artist and cartoonist, best-known for a series of comics called the Acme Novelty Library, and a graphic novel, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he resides in Oak Park, Illinois as of 2007. Combining innovative comic book art, hand lettering, and graphic design, Ware’s uniquely appealing work is characterized by ceaseless experimentation with narrative and graphic forms.

Ware introduced the character Jimmy Corrigan in a full-page strip he began writing for the Chicago tabloid New City. Combining six years’ worth of the strips, Ware created the best-selling novel named after Jimmy that spans an Irish-American family’s life in Chicago from the Civil War to the present. For its experiments in graphic form—including pull-out, three-dimensional inserts—and its non-chronological narrative, the novel earned numerous honors, among them the Guardian First Book Award, presented for the first time to a comic book.

At first glance his detailed geometrical layouts look like they were computer-generated using Adobe Illustrator but Ware works is almost exclusively by hand using t-squares, pencils, and rulers. He only uses a computer to apply color.

John Gall Book Covers

In today's publishing world, individuality is as quaint a term as dust jacket. Not so for art director John Gall, who brings an original and idiosyncratic design sense to his work for the Knopf Group. Gall’s stylish sensibility, simple but elegant use of typography and quietly rebellious spirit infuse these literary works with an added dimension. Subtle and compelling, his covers play with the perceptions of the viewer in unexpected ways, and to satisfying effect. Scanning the table of trade paperbacks at the local bookseller, one would have no difficulty spotting Gall’s distinctive and visually articulate work.

Aside from having a beautiful cover, A General Theory of Love is an amazing book.

Music Posters by zZz

‘Running with the Beast’ is the title track of the new album by zZz. Roel Wouters made this music video, which resulted in the artwork and a series of posters for the song. Two cocks were colored with Ecoline, then they printed their fight on a sheet of paper. They claim that no animals were injured and no blood was shed.

Old School Hip Hop Flyers

Buddy Esquire, artist, and Phase 2, an aerosol artist, put together these old school hip hop flyers. All pieces are handmade using things like rub on letters, wax machines, Exacto knives, and graph paper, methods that are used less and less today.

Carbon | Hong Kong

Carbon is a creative concept studio specializing in motion graphics, animation, film and video production. Jacky Lo Ching Hang and Fu Pok Yan have created really interesting and often trippy illustrations for publications such as IdN magazine and Shift. Visit their website for more.

Peter Callesen

Peter Callesen transforms simple single sheets of white paper into meticulous sculptures. They form a playful or grotesque narrative, often without the use of color.


Snowballs, 2005
Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue


Eismeer (detail), 2006
Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue


Down the River, 2005
Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue


18,2 cm Tall Tower of Babel, 2005
Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue