I've always admired artists who sit at the intersection of two skills. Photographers who paint over their pieces? Fabulous. Embroidery artists that photograph and frame their skills? Incredible.
Today I'm sharing a unique set of intersectional artists—lettering illustrators. These artists combine the art of hand lettering often combined with graphics that they’ve made as well. As we all very well know, Instagram is a place to showcase your talents. To have the ability to post about anything, everything, and nothing at all is a joy to witness, and I hope we never take it for granted. It truly is fantastic to view artists' skills through the squares they choose to share with the world.
When it comes to strong, grungy, and bold typography, Irvan executes flawlessly. He designs mainly in black and white but often adds splashes of color into his work. One of my favorite pieces of his is "Bread & Butter." While I love most of his posts' edgy look, this one is homey and full of personality, just as bread and butter should be.
Are you obsessed with color? Then you must follow Jess Miller. Her Instagram is full of life and zest. Most of her page is designed in a similar color palette making for a very cohesive look without being monotonous. One of my favorite posts of hers is a bottle of ketchup that so kindly declares, "Let's Ketchup Soon." Her typography style ranges from retro to western, and her diverse bubbly look always brightens up my endless Instagram scroll.
Hayden Davis is an artist with a refreshingly honest approach. One of his posts is an iteration describing his lack of creativity, "I haven't been feeling particularly creative lately." His color combinations range from pink and green to black and red. There is no lack of intensity and enthusiasm with a wide range of emotions from post to post. Check out his "Typography" highlight for a range of lettering illustrations and typographic explorations.
If you're interested in the strong mountain vibe, you will want to know about Tatak. The typography illustrations balance somewhere between rugged and approachable. Think Smokey the Bear goes on vacation. The color palette stays within the blue and green ranges, but often with pops of mustard and reds. "Fountain of Youth" post is one of my favorites; I can't get over the charming font and the hand-drawn crocodiles.
To say that Brett Willbanks is full of spunk would be a complete understatement. His brightly colored feed is full of character, wit, and irreverence. There's genuinely not one color scheme that he sticks to, nor one font style, but somehow, his feed is cohesive. Who would have thought that skulls, tigers, and flowers would all fit together flawlessly? Not me, but thanks to Brett, I've discovered the possibility.
