Imagine navigating life in a fun way filled with a sense of passion and adventure. Picture the way you’d cruise through the world if everything you saw was an inspiration, an idea to spark your next project, or the subject of your next artistic endeavor.
That’s exactly how I imagine illustrators flow through the world. In a digital world, there’s absolute respect for artists who do things by hand. The craftsmanship and handmade feeling can often be lost in digital art, but illustrators have the magic touch that we all need and want to see more of.
Today we’re showcasing five non-digital illustrators that will undoubtedly inspire you to invest in a sketchbook and pencils. So scroll down and discover all that Instagram has to offer in the creativity department.
Amy Moss | @amymozart
Based in Edinburgh, Amy Moss works in a gallery and often does illustration commissions. She posts her beautifully original sketches on Instagram of colorfully chronicled moments that leave me feeling a whimsical sense of wanderlust. One of her pieces I admire most captures a woman at a table in a coffee shop—the pink and greens pop against each other, and the mood emitted from the framing is one that we’ve all felt, a nostalgic sense of peace.
Paul Verdell | @paulverdell
Originally from Long Beach, California, Paul now lives in Toledo, Ohio. His works often feature a funky and eclectic mix of textures and colors with a wide range of chosen media, from oil paints, oil pastels, and crayons. Constantly focusing on portraits, his Instagram feed features different people with various moods, expressions, and demeanors. My favorite post on his feed featuring vivid colors and passive yet intense emotions is the portrait of Danielle, a crayon drawing that’s emblematic of the feelings depicted in all of his posts.
Maisy Summer Lewin-Sanderson | @maisysummer
Quirky doesn’t even begin to describe Maisy’s work. Every post on her feed comes filled with playful images and a POV that views the world in a more elegant way than the rest of us mutts. Not only does Maisy spend her time outside of posting on Instagram freelancing, but she’s also a Teaching Assistant at Manchester School of Art and co-runs a collaborative creative network, Small Fry. Give Maisy a follow if you want your Instagram feed to get filled with charming illustrations that’ll surely make you view the world with a little more wit and compassion.
Anu Ambasna | @noanunoparty
Not only is Anu Ambasna an illustrator, but she’s also a broadcaster and DJ based in London. The illustrations sprinkled throughout her feed are clearly personal and represent a visual journal of her thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Each post features bright colors and a sense of humor that leans more towards harsh truths than anything else—relatable whimsy.
Adriana Lozano | @adriana_lozano_roman
Colored pencils are Adriana Lozano’s primary medium of creating her illustrations posted on Instagram. While she illustrates everything from food to scenery to pets, most often on her feed, you’ll find portraits that leave you more intrigued than at peace. The likenesses are more than the people she draws, and the scenery surrounding them often gives clues to who these people are and what makes them tick, and that’s where the magic to her art is. My favorite posts of Adriana’s depicts a man peeing in the shower and the portrait of Amy Whinehouse because who doesn’t love a stunning depiction of the girl who had the vocal cords of a goddess.
