The Amazing Stuff

The work of artist Patrik Svensson is deceptively simple. At first glance, broad areas of color and clear lines make these minimalist images seem straightforward. After all, with such a simple style, what else could possibly be going on?

Well, a lot. Svensson manages to capture layers of meaning in his illustrations by encapsulating complex ideas and themes into strikingly simple images. Working from his studio in Gothenburg, Sweden, his clients have included huge names like Starbucks and Airbnb. His artwork has also been featured in major magazines worldwide.

This illustration for the Washington Post covered a festival that hightlighted the work of female playwrights.

And this one for Men’s Health was about the benefits of a 45-minute workout.

Icon commissioned this piece to accompany an article about speaking to animals.

Svensson’s illustrations often include some kind of visual pun — a hidden message that lends deeper meaning to the image — which makes his work all the more interesting.

Others are beautiful in their simplicity.

His Flippable series features pictures that can be viewed from different angles. Each piece is essentially two images in one.

You can check out more of Svensson’s work, both personal and professional, on his website. If you like what you see, be sure to keep up with his latest pieces on Instagram and Tumblr.

Getting a portrait of your pet is nothing new. You can have them photographed, painted, or otherwise immortalized. They are, after all, important members of the family. But one artist goes beyond mere physical representations of the furry friends that bring us so much joy.

This artist also captures their personalities. Her name is Chris Beetow, and she’s known for her ability to capture the “inner pet.”

Her portraits capture the personalities of her sitters, and often reference things that only their humans know about.

By including these personality traits, Beetow creates a more complete image of each furry friend.

To create these highly personal portraits, Beetow has pet owners send detailed descriptions of their pets’ personalities, complete with their quirks and endearing little habits. After all, these are the things we love most about our companions.

The artist then works tirelessly to incorporate those traits into fun, multi-faceted portraits.

“It is my goal to capture who your pet is, not just what they look like,” she says.

“What makes these pieces so important to my clients is that they visualize how they feel about their animal friends — and that is a pretty special thing.”

And creating the portraits is great for Beetow, too.

“The pet portrait commissions are so rewarding because of the genuine happiness they bring clients,” she says.

“I get so many cool stories from people about their pets and how their pet has changed their lives, and I feel pretty fortunate to be able to translate that into something special.”

When she’s not creating pet portraits, Beetow works as an illustrator. You can see more of her work on her website, as well as on Facebook.

Everyone knows the famous smile of the Starbucks mermaid. She’s just about everywhere. But while most people look at her and think of sweet, sweet caffeine, Seoul-based artist Soo Min Kim sees endless opportunities for humor in the green lady.

Using a perfectly matched green marker, correction fluid, and some scissors, he explores the secret life of the Starbucks mermaid.

Using pieces of the original image, Kim creates new compositions.

The mermaid can take on many forms.

Kim also experiments with 3-D images to create eye-catching pieces like this.

Nothing lewd to see here, people!

At times, the artist leaves very little trace of the original mermaid.

The possibilities really are endless!

Just like the ideal supply of Starbucks lattes, am I right?

(via Ufunk)

You can see more of Kim’s artwork, both Starbucks-based and otherwise, on his Facebook page. In the meantime, treat yourself to a cappuccino!

One day, Kyle Bice headed over to his local drink-and-draw, a community activity where artsy types get together for a few pints and create artwork. On that day, however, Bice realized something: he’d forgotten his paints.

That small detail might have put a damper on things, but luckily, Bice is pretty innovative. Instead of having to rely on a fellow artist for materials, he simply used what was available: beer.

By using the beer, Bice achieves delicate sepia tones and a loose, watercolor-like style. The result is a timeless look, calling to mind vintage photos, but the Impressionistic style keeps it modern.

Bice has strong ties to the craft brewing world, too. He works as a label artist for New Holland Brewing, based out of Holland, Michigan, and he’s also a published author. After going on a promotional tour with New Holland, he found he could turn the Beer Portraits into a regular part of his work.

(via BoredPanda)

You can read the interviews with some of Bice’s sitters on his website, and see more of his work, too. When he’s not painting with beer, he also creates more traditional illustrations and paintings, which can be seen on his portfolio site. You can also watch his newest art unfold on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Originals are even available on his Etsy store for purchase.

I know how much you like facts, and how much you like animal facts in particular. That’s why I’m going to ruin that for you with the help of these hilariously glum animals and their unique characteristics. These facts are illustrated by artist and designer Brooke Barker, and can be found on the aptly named Sad Animal Facts website.

The series goes beyond the basic facts and gets into how the animals are feeling about their lots in life. (Hint: They’re not thrilled.)

What drove Barker to create these less-than-cheerful illustrations? It comes from a lifelong, but unfulfilled, love of animals. “My parents never let me have a pet growing up, so I had to settle for reading about animals,” she explains. “It doesn’t take much reading to find out that even though animals look cute, their lives are incredibly weird and strange and sad.”

Over the years, she’d compiled a ton of these facts, but there was rarely an audience for them. “Most of the facts on the website are facts I’ve been awkwardly telling strangers at parties for years, so it’s great to have an outlet for them.” And that’s probably a good thing. Learning that a ferret will die if she doesn’t mate seems like a pretty surefire way to bring a party down.

Thanks to our planet’s stunning biodiversity and the magic of the Internet, there are always new strange, sad facts to discover. “Every time I worry about running out of sad facts, I find twenty more,” Barker says.

(via BoredPanda)

Barker calls these facts “adorably sad,” and she’s been illustrating them for quite some time. You can see the entire collection on her website and on the Sad Animal Facts Instagram. You can also see Barker’s other design and illustration work on her professional website, and check out the calendar she’s working on in collaboration with another artist.