Gaston Caba and Jeremyville

Jeremyville’s artwork greatly resembles that of Gaston Caba, however a few subtle details make all the difference. Where Jeremyville outlines most if not all characters in bold black, Caba’s illustrations have equal amounts of outlined and non-outlined subjects, effectively creating more interest in the picture through variety as well as more smoothly integrating the characters with their surroundings. Jeremyville’s artwork relies heavily on line work for definition giving his work the feel of graphic design which is helped along by his heavy use of text. Jeremyville also uses crude shadows beneath figures, varying from solid black to gray tones and without any obvious reasoning, to describe their position in space. Caba, on the other hand, incorporates more overlapping subjects than Jeremyville, perhaps to counter the lack of shadows and shading on the basic illustrations; Caba uses shading in the process of photo manipulation in order to impose a character in a photographed space. In contrast, Jeremyville paints his work directly onto surfaces whether in public or on mass produced icons which only further distinguishes his work from Caba’s with its graffiti-like characteristics. While Jeremyville uses flat tones for the background, Caba’s gradients help define the space his characters occupy.
Both Jeremyville and Caba’s styles are, for the most part, shape-based. The major difference lies in Jeremyville’s use of text where Caba has none. Second to that is Caba’s photo manipulation instead of Jeremyville’s graffiti. Aside from these details, however, their art is very similar. Both favor cute, wide-eyed cartoon characters and bright pastel colors. Caba and Jeremyville also share the quirk of slipping mature themes into seemingly innocent content; Caba’s rabbits sometimes feature injuries and scars while Jeremyville less subtly illustrates drink, drugs and cartoon violence. As quoted in Illustration Now! Volume 2, Caba works to illustrate a colorful world for children and adults alike while Jeremyville aims to give life to his stream of consciousness.

Like and Dislike - Illustration Now

There are many illustrative styles in "Illustration Now! 2" that I feel slight like or dislike for or haven't seen enough of to make a definite decision, but the ones that stood out to me were Gez Fry and Chow Lee.

What I like in an image is a story so I'm attracted to some of Gez Fry's work, as shown in Illustration Now (2). Particularly the style he uses to illustrate depth and movement, without forcing too much drama into subject poses or abusing color intensity, is something I admire. The compositions are full without being cluttered and the eye is directed around the picture subtly through use of clouds, patterns and mid-ground scenery. The lack of a hard edge to the lines of the image help integrate the subjects and make the overall illustration easier on the eyes.

On the other hand, I am sorry to say that Chow Lee's "Longman = Romance" eludes me completely. What the purpose is behind his "Longman" distortions is something I do not grasp; what is "Longman" exactly, what is supposed to be conveyed through the illustration and how do the two work together? The closest I can get to an understanding is the idea of elegance from tapering and distorting the subject's figure - similar to fashion figures - to create a sense of "romance" in the image. Unfortunately, "Longman" doesn't hit the same notes as fashion figures do because, rather than actually create tapered limbs or figures, Chow Lee skews the perspective in such a way as to make the subjects seem 2D even within their own respective worlds. Not only that, but the distortion is not consistent throughout the illustration; bodies elongate along one line of sight while the furniture and background are enlarged separately or keep to regular perspective.