Can you believe it is May already? Time flies! Here in Belgium, spring has arrived and has brought along its bright colors, the delicate odours of blooming flowers, as well as the cheerful chirping of birds. I try to soak it all in as this is my favorite time of the year.
On a related note, if we only looked closer, we would find gems of inspiration in the things around us. For me, nature is my personal and biggest gem. What’s yours?
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
- Finding Inspiration In Uncommon Sources: 12 Places To Look
- The Story Of Scandinavian Design: Combining Function and Aesthetics
- Showcase Of Web Design In Poland
- Massive Collection of Nature Inspired Typography
Sky Dining
Great color palette and love all the gradient mesh work in this illustration.
Spark Of Science
Still shot of short film. Beautiful perspective.
Perfect Morning — Dark Hedges
Perfect morning light at the Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland.
Facebook Events
One part of a series of illustrations for the inaugural set of artwork launched for Facebook Event themes. Special color combination.
Canlis Matchbooks
Beautiful colours that are being used here. The eyes draw you in.
San Antonio Magazine
Lovely combination of type and illustrations. Beautiful extrude 3D effect too. It adds this perfect contrast.
Anciados
Adoring the simplicity of all this. Just the basics so that your mind fills in the rest.
Summer Is Crazy
The special style of Sami Viljanto is an eye-catcher.
Packing For Mexico
Such a great vibe due to the way the fills are done with this particular pencil stroke effect.
Neutron Camper
Magnificent reproduction of the 1940s advertisement vibe. The entire piece was handpainted using digital paint brushes on a Cintiq tablet, and then a texture was applied created by an old, scratched up sheet of metal and a grain filter.
Smashmallow
Packaging illustration for 7 flavour designs for Smashmallow, all natural, organic sugar, gluten-free marshmallow snacks. The others are lovely too. Make sure to check them out!
Can’t Hide, Kampina
Very nice capture! A scenery that I always hope to encounter too when I’m out on my bicycle.
The Night Ocean
What a great book cover! Brilliant usage of lines that translate the title so well.
Ebola Crisis
A warm atmosphere in this illustration. Great patterns on the dresses and brilliant colors that suit the mood. The threat is hidden in the shape of the shadow. Very clever.
Hearts In Atlantis
Inspired by the film of Stephen King’s best seller with the same name. Nice detail that the hat is found on the heart. Such perfect soft blue tones to create the shapes of the ice.
Horse Vespa
Love this subtly absurd and boldly colored illustration.
I See You
The little details that make this shine are the eyes that you see in the binoculars.
Stanford Medical Wellness
Beautiful Pallet! Great textures too.
Playa Game
All the plants are so nicely executed. Also loving the female running and how the waves are drawn.
Banking Poster
So much greatness in this.
Testing Crew
Nice editorial image. The line drawings in the back are clever. Love this combo of styles.
Summer Night
Great job on the light effect by using (I assume?) the moon as the light source and the use of white and black for the shadows. This high contrast effect is just perfect.
Cats Love Tables
Maria’s intricately patterned illustrations made with a blend of colour pencils, markers, acrylic and watercolour on paper is what made me pick this one. The remarkable part is that she goes straight to paper without sketches. “I usually draw pretty quickly, I never prepare sketches, I go straight to the paper. I like it to be intuitive, to feel that the hand is almost possessed and drawing by itself, not letting the head think about every movement.”
Taco Friday!
Great for studying the texture and patterns usage. Beautiful retro style too!
Jennifer Loiselle
Great idea to fill the figure with a square grid. Fits perfectly with all the other ‘sharp’ elements.
Logan
So much energy in this illustration. Great colors as well.
Cycling Pinball
Wouldn’t mind having a go at this pinball machine created by Ellen Schofield. Such beautiful details!
Tycho-Terje
Another lovely poster from Scott Hansen. Many would proudly hang this one on their wall I think.
Panda Express
One morning you wake up and think, what if I draw a chubby panda bear riding a bike. I’m sure it would look funny. It does :) This is so well executed.
Byron Bay
Amazing sunset at Byron Bay. Such rich colors!
Early Morning Ride
Away from all traffic congestion, just focusing on that magical moment when the sun comes up. Great times, especially with friends!
The Trouble With TOO Much Tech
Illustration for the Wallstreet Journal in a piece about the trouble with too much tech. Great use of mid-century era’s furniture to create a wonderful composition.
Coffeehood Brand Assets
Nice colors and great font pairings. Beautiful inspiring stuff!
Earth Day 22 April
Nice set of colors to celebrate our beautiful planet.
United Stripes Of America
Great looking characters.
Love Songs (Weekend Magazine)
Nice editorial image. The line drawings in the back are clever. Love this combo of styles.
Summer Night
Great job on the light effect by using (I assume?) the moon as the light source and the use of white and black for the shadows. This high contrast effect is just perfect.
Cats Love Tables
Maria’s intricately patterned illustrations made with a blend of colour pencils, markers, acrylic and watercolour on paper is what made me pick this one. The remarkable part is that she goes straight to paper without sketches. “I usually draw pretty quickly, I never prepare sketches, I go straight to the paper. I like it to be intuitive, to feel that the hand is almost possessed and drawing by itself, not letting the head think about every movement.”
Taco Friday!
Great for studying the texture and patterns usage. Beautiful retro style too!
Jennifer Loiselle
Great idea to fill the figure with a square grid. Fits perfectly with all the other ‘sharp’ elements.
Logan
So much energy in this illustration. Great colors as well.
Cycling Pinball
Wouldn’t mind having a go at this pinball machine created by Ellen Schofield. Such beautiful details!
Tycho-Terje
Another lovely poster from Scott Hansen. Many would proudly hang this one on their wall I think.
Panda Express
One morning you wake up and think, what if I draw a chubby panda bear riding a bike. I’m sure it would look funny. It does :) This is so well executed.
Byron Bay
Amazing sunset at Byron Bay. Such rich colors!
Early Morning Ride
Away from all traffic congestion, just focusing on that magical moment when the sun comes up. Great times, especially with friends!
The Trouble With TOO Much Tech
Illustration for the Wallstreet Journal in a piece about the trouble with too much tech. Great use of mid-century era’s furniture to create a wonderful composition.
Coffeehood Brand Assets
Nice colors and great font pairings. Beautiful inspiring stuff!
Earth Day 22 April
Nice set of colors to celebrate our beautiful planet.
United Stripes Of America
Great looking characters.
Love Songs (Weekend Magazine)
Love the clean lines, forms and the smooth perspective.
Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
Inspiring usage of vivid colors without being too overwhelming.
Firenze
Very abstract and modern. Love the subtle gradients that create this subtle depth effect.
Sydney Word By Word
The colorful style of the Australian agency WBYK. Very eye-catching!
Northwest Airlines Fleet
I’ve always admired those vintage illustrated ads. This is one is from 1957 for the Northwest Airlines Fleet.
164 WEST 136TH ST.
It has been a while since I last visited ‘The Windows of New York’. Here’s the one from 164 WEST 136TH ST. Harlem.
Derwentwater
A dramatic sky over Derwentwater in the Lake District National Park in North West England. Thankfully Chris Upton was on hand with his camera.
Type Man
Lovely combination of 2D and 3D. Beautiful composition.
Melt
Love the merge/melt effect.
Phantom Manor
This photo of Phantom Manor, taken in Disneyland Paris, could be directly used for a horror movie poster.
It’s Like A Jungle Sometimes
Wonderful set of colors being used in this one. Bonus points for those that think “hmmm, this title rings a bell”.
Self-Employment
Editorial illustrations about self-employment. Two characters from white and blue collar jobs look at each other within a mirror. I can keep looking at this one for a while. Love all those little details, objects etc.
Pelican
The colours and details are spectacular!
Apatosaurus At Night
Illustration made just to practice working with a restricted color palette. Nicely done I would say.
Greetings From Austin, Texas
Remember that I showed a sneak peek from this? Well here’s the finished version which is great as usual. Look at those details and how the (few) colors are applied. Just perfect!
