The Colorful Characters Of Andres Ariza

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Andres Ariza goes by the artist name of 'Ariza Maquinita,' a reference to the two sides of his artist persona. On one hand, Ariza represents the quiet artist who appreciates the arts, videogames and film and draws inspiration from them. Maquinita is the machine that brings the vision and execution to the table, obsessively doodling and continuously creating new worlds and characters.

With a persona like that, you can imagine that Ariza's work has a definite wild side, and I absolutely see that. Colorful, over the top characters with a penchant for wild street fashion make up the repertoire of Ariza's stable of creations. And it's not hard to picture these characters inhabiting the likes of wild animated Nike commercials, games similar to Jet Set Radio and plastered on colorful fashion advertising-The clean vector look, crazy color palettes and designs give this group a certain, refreshing pop that nearly seems wasted in a 2D image. More of his fun designs after the break!

I Love Food Illustrations By Jonathan Ball

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UK based illustrator Jonathan Ball wants us to know he loves food! And to do so he's created a series of adorable culinary illustrations featuring some of our favorite dishes. Ranging from breakfast fare to classics like pizza, all donning the same hollow eyed, creepy smile. Would you take a bite out of something looking right back at you?

Ball has had a chance to work with clients including MTV, BBC, Sony's Playstation Division, Microsoft, Stuff Magazine and a slew of other high profile clients so far, which is why you might find his work to be a little familiar. Check out more of his tasty food illustrations after the break!

Orlando Arocena's Awesome "Akira" Vector Tribute Series

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New York based illustrator Orlando Arocena set out to pay tribute to Katsuhiro Otomo's groundbreaking Akira anime, and that he did with this amazing vector series-featuring the most iconic cast members (And that unforgettable bike) from the 1988 feature.

I've alway have been a fan of Katsuhiro Otomo's creativity. His elaborate characters and profund interpretation of society, often reflect a familiar impression about the philosophy of relationships.
The 1988  movie adaptation of Otomo's story depicted a cyber-punk japan in the year 2019 ( only 5 years from now...) and had an incredible influence upon me- a city boy from the Bronx-ready to embark on pursuing a curriculum of art at Pratt Instiute. It's with the utmost respect, that I pay tribute to him and his story of AKIRA with this vector tribute.

A cool thing to note was Orlando's addition of a making of section, showing off just how incredibly complex his illustrator files were for the project. All the pieces were created without any use of gradients, tracing (A common trend with vector folks) and no filters, which for anyone with some knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, that's pretty damn impressive. Check out the rest of the Akira vector tribute series after the break, featuring everyone from Kaneda to Colonel Aramaki after the break.

The Art Of Quiccs - Mecha On The Mind

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Quiccs Maiquez is a stylish designer, art director and toy creator based out of the Phillipines, working under the mantle of Burnwater Art X Design and Red Mutuca Studios. He's got a definite affinity for remixing iconic mecha with a slick vector style that combines his self proclaimed love of graffiti and graphic design.

The result is a lot of works based around mechas, yet always executed with a variety of different techniques while maintaining that distinct 'Quiccs' branded look. When not illustrating he's off making his custom 'pirate' vinyl toys (Munny, etc) based off of Evangelion, Gundam and other popular franchises. More of his awesome work after the break.

The Vectorized Portraits Of Cranio Design

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Cranio Design is the artistic outlet for Alejandro Garcia, a Valencia (Spain) based illustrator with a vector based flair. His pieces tend to be heavy on the symmetry, yet his usage of portrait style shots and striking color choices make his work hard to look away from.

Alejandro has also experimented with a variety of mediums, including papercraft, logos and toy design. Check out more of his work after the break!