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Top 5 illustrators to watch

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Toaster.



Thanks to social media platforms such as Behance and Pinterest, it’s now easy to access the works of thousands of artists every day, so creating a top 5 is no small task: there are so many talented people to choose from all around the world!

From satirical drawings to animated poetry, here are the artists who have inspired me and deserve to be better known.
This is a predominantly French Top 5 (no need to present Malika Favre anymore) but unfortunately there are still not enough women…

Here's a selection of my favourite illustrators of the moment

1. Karolis Strautniekas

My absolute favourite is a former graphic designer from Lithuania. He has worked for Adobe, The NY Times and the Creative Review. His highly-textured coloured illustrations have become instantly recognizable thanks to his use of contrast.
Check out Karolis's website here

2. Cècile Dormeau

A French designer and illustrator based in Germany, she likes to draw everyday girls in everyday, humorous situations.

Cecile’s cheeky illustrations are easily identifiable by her stylised and highly colourful characters.

3. Rafael Varona

German artist and animator, Rafael produced a series of animated GIFs of beautiful miniature worlds full of detail and surrealistic machines. His warm colours and use of textures make his style captivating.

4. Jean Jullien

Another Frenchie based in London. This bold, colourful artist has become famous for his cynical observations about our over-connected society. His brush pen black line illustrations explore how tech-addiction and social media change human behaviour. He is also the artist behind the powerful Peace for Paris symbol which has become an internationally recognised sign.

5. Sebastien Plassard

This French illustrator's work is distinctive for his use of complementary colours and his retro futurism inspiration. He stages poetic landscapes in neutral tones with a touch of absurdity.
See Sebastien's tumblr here