Scrolling through Laura Callaghan’s illustrations is the equivalent to falling down the rabbit hole. Highly detailed, her illustrations depict colorful scenes of everyday life through a humoristic lens.
“Drawing the tiny details is where the real enjoyment comes from,” admitted Callaghan in an interview with Varoom. “There is something very satisfying about drawing a perfect little rip off of a Lilt can or a Colin the caterpillar cake. It’s a cliche, but I feel if I’m going to do something I might as well do it right, even if the level of finish is something that can only really be appreciated when you are looking at the painting in real life.”
Each piece is hand-painted using watercolor, gouache, and pen. “I put a lot of time into initial research but it’s the basis of everything I do and I hope the amount of thought and detail that goes into the end result makes for a richer narrative,” says the London-based illustrator. “It’s the thing that makes my work mine, other people can mimic your drawing style but nobody else has your brain (lucky them)!”
Her packed illustrations have caught the attention of almost 300k followers on Instagram, as well as clients like NYLON Magazine, Urban Decay, and The Guardian. We highly recommend you follow her on Instagram. But, beware! Finding your way back from her illustrated worlds might be harder than you think.
