Illustrators and artists to follow on Instagram
Do you spend the first half an hour after waking up in bed hooked on Instagram? Is Instagram the last thing you find yourself scrolling through before you call it a night? With an account for virtually anything, this photo sharing application has become the new black in the world of social media. Insta users will attest to the fact that once you begin browsing through the posts, the hours just fly by. We at The Week are guilty of letting Instagram consume us and we have come across quite a few wonderfully talented illustrators whose work delight, inspire, and give us some much-needed respite.
Lauren Hom @homsweethom
If you love bright colors and lively letterforms, you will love Lauren’s feed. In 2016 Lauren traveled around the world, so in addition to her chalk art you can also browse through photos of her globe-trotting escapades and be inspired in a million different ways. Her posts will also inspire you to try and replicate some chalk designs on your own.
Zachary Smith @zacharysmithh
If you are only going to look through one Instagram account in the 10-minute break you are giving yourself mid-work, let this be it. The really simple designs are pleasing to the eye and the messages are uplifting. Look at the posts and read the captions too. If you thought the posts were nice, the full captions make it even better.
Meet this 84-Year-Old Japanese Insta-fashion model
Adam Ellis @adamtots
Mostly fun illustrations with occasional photos of himself and his cat, Adam’s Instagram account will have you laughing till your tummy hurts. Not only will you be nodding your head in agreement, you will also be forced to repost and recommend this illustrator/author who knows how to say and make just the right thing at the right time.
Ahda @misterdoodle
Mister Doodle is a calligrapher and typographer. His Instagram feed is hugely inspirational and visually stunning, as he often combines carefully crafted hand-typography with beautiful photography. If you haven’t come across misterdoodle yet, you are missing out on something that’s really fun and motivational on Instagram.
Stephanie Buscema @stephbuscema
You don’t know what Stephanie will post next. On top of being a painter, illustrator and designer, she likes to get crafty so she even makes jewelry. We recommend this feed for things that will make you smile and get your creative juices flowing at the same time. Her work is quirky and not for everyone but it’s still a lot fun.
Lucy Knisley @lucyknisley
Author/illustrator Lucy Knisley had always been fascinated by comics. As a child, she read them against her parent’s mild objections because it beautifully combined the written world and the drawn image. Now, she specializes in personal, confessional comics and travelogues and her Instagram account is full of such feeds besides art and snapshots of her often-hilarious daily life.
Robin Eisenberg @robineisenberg
Be warned: This is not an Instagram account you will be able to quickly browse through. Few artists can do what Robin does in her depiction of aliens. In her world, they are cool creatures that love to eat pizza. Through them, Robin celebrates the female body – in all shapes and sizes – and creates inspiring works in which women are confident about themselves.
Dami Lee @dami_lee
Dami’s posts feel like mini bits of therapy, for free. This ‘cartoonist lady person’ has fun mini comic strips of a boy or a girl battling the day-to-day existence. The protagonist’s problems are your problems, their issues are the very ones you are currently facing right at this moment, which is why her feeds can be extremely addictive.
Polly Norton @pollynor
London based illustrator Polly Norton depicts women and their inner demons in her work. Her female characters are as 21st century as they come: fun-loving, unabashedly sexual, and doing whatever the heck they want. Her posts on Instagram are just snippets of her work where each piece seems to have a story of its own. And there’s a healthy dose of satire in each illustration that is drawn lovingly.
Lisa Perrin @madebyperrin
This talented artist designed the book cover of Gregory Maguire’s After Alice and though they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t help but fall in love with the book the moment you lay your eyes on it. What’s on the inside is a different matter altogether. Follow this ‘mover, shaker, picture maker’ on Instagram and be enthralled by her creations.
Fashion Pun-k @angelicahicks
Last year Angelica Hicks did a series titled ‘Why don’t you?’ on her website angelicahicks.com that was original and unpredictable. Her Instagram feeds are equally fun, if not more. Here, she does individual pieces that are so brilliant that you will be wishing you were half as creative as her as you go through her posts, jealous but unable to stop scrolling down. Her sense of humor has even earned her celebrity followers
like It girl supermodel Gigi Hadid, stylist Jacob K and art critic Jerry Saltz and more.
