Art for All: Celebrate Diversity in DesignVolume 17

Welcome back to our Diversity in Design series on Envato Tuts+. Discover four talented artists with inspiring styles you'll love.

4 Artists You Should Know: Diversity in Design

Celebrate
the work of these extraordinary artists. Each with their own unique
background, they draw inspiration from their culture and surroundings to
create phenomenal designs.

Trudi-Ann Hemans

Let's start with illustrator and designer Trudi-Ann Hemans, who amazes us with her vivid and surreal illustrations. Step into the world of this Jamaican-born artist as she creates fantastic artwork inspired by nature.

See more in her portfolio, and follow her on Instagram.

When Doves Cry

I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, then at the age of 16 I moved
to the US to further my education and get the artistic guidance that I
needed.

I’ve been drawing for as long as I could remember—I think I
started carving stick figures on the backs of wooden furniture or under
tables in the house.

Bottle of Happiness

Growing up, I was always surrounded by nature and
vibrant colors but when I moved it was a drastic change to cities and
dull surroundings. So I draw the things of beauty that I took for granted
as a child.

Blind to Beauty

Lonesome

I’ve always loved cartoons. Growing up, I’d sit
less than a foot from the TV binge watching anything 2D animated. The
cartoons I watched as a child heavily influenced my current artistic
choices to use flat colors and a strong shape language in my work.

The art
nouveau movement is also an art style I admired when I started my
professional career. I’m inspired by way too many artists to list here
but my top three would be Mary Blair, James Jean and Alphonse Mucha.

Andres Tencio

Next, from Costa Rica, is Andres Tencio, a graphic designer and illustrator who explores incredible shapes and topics in his work. Check out his wide range of illustrations, from mysterious characters to elaborate editorial pieces.

See more in , and follow him on .

Mystic and Eerie Characters

In Costa Rica, we have many pre-Columbian art traditions in the forms of jewelry, pottery, stone sculptures and various artifacts. All of this indigenous art always makes its way into my mind to find
inspiration to create. 

Don Quijote

The scenery
that surrounds you in this country gets to you on a deep level. So nature, in all its endless forms, sounds, shapes and smells is always a great way to stay inspired.

Mystic and Eerie Characters

Grandes Espiritus

The art community in Costa Rica is very diverse, from comic book artists
of the level of Dan Mora and John Timms to various editorial illustrators. There are many traditional painters and a strong printmaking tradition here.

Megan Ruiz

Colorado native Megan Ruiz is another great artist with an incredible grasp on imagination. Featuring colorful digital paintings of whimsical characters, her work includes inspiring pieces that'll make you smile.

See more in her portfolio, and follow her on Instagram.

Fall 2018 Illustration

I'm Megan! I'm a 21 year old illustrator. I'm originally from
Colorado! I've never wanted to do anything except for art. Towards the
end of my high school career I applied to a handful of art schools. I
got into most of them, but ended up in Florida at the Ringling College of
Art and Design. I'm actually about to graduate from there now! I'm
working towards jump starting my professional career.

Creature Illustration

A lot of my work is based in nostalgia. When I lived in Colorado,
anytime you went outside you were met with some kind of wild animal. So I
have so many fond memories of being met with wolves, foxes, deer, bunnies,
and gophers.

Since I lived in such a small town, I spent more of my free
time wandering in the woods of Western Colorado than anything else. I
usually pull from these childhood memories when creating.

2018 Fall Visual Development

Spring 2018 Color Illustration

The reason I'm an artist today is because of video games. I
obsessively played Final Fantasy games as a kid and I would copy the
characters into my notebooks. I really like the fantasy aspect of
those games and I think the whimsical style still affects my
work today.

Currently, I look up to so many artists.
Part of my process is getting inspired by the people around me and art
that is different from my own. Specifically, I'm inspired by people like
Elena and Olivia Ceballos, Gop Gap, Bobby
Chiu, and Carter Goodrich.

At Ringling, I've been inspired by my peers
like Tess Lockey, Jamiel Law, Josh Baum, and Lucas Riquenes.

Karolayne Pez

Our last feature comes from Bolivian artist and graphic design student, Karolayne Pez. With a spunky style of her own, she makes awesome vector illustrations of stylish, original characters.

See more in her portfolio, and follow her on Instagram.

Whatz Up

Hello! I am Karolayne Pez, mom, wife, illustrator and graphic designer. I love nature and drawing girls.

Nicotina the Cat

I really like to draw faces of girls—especially angry, simple,
real, and imperfect expressions. I think this is because in society, social
networks do not want to show us in that way.

Other times I like to draw inspiration from my
culture, I am from Bolivia and we are rich in traditions and culture.

Cholicleta

Girl

Some of my inspirations are: @Mirandamakaroff, @Caridibuja and @Kirstenrothbart. They are all so original and unique!

Celebrate Diversity! Send Us Your Favorite Artists!

Help us find more incredible artists from different backgrounds to share with our audience! Tweet me your recommendations at MelloNieves or use the hashtags #artforall and #tutsplusdesign on Twitter and Instagram. You never know, we may just feature you in our next article!

Love this selection? See more from this series:

• 
  Illustration
  
  
  Art for All: Celebrate Diversity in Design—Volume 16
  
  
  Melody Nieves


• 
  Global Influences
  
  
  Art for All: Celebrate Diversity in Design—Volume 15
  
  
  Melody Nieves

I'd
like to extend a warm thank you to all the artists who participated in
this feature. Feel free to see more of their work in the links below:

• Trudi-Ann Hemans




• Megan Ruiz


• Karolayne Pez