Scotland-based artist Marcus Oakley is known for his naive style of illustrations, admired by fans and brands alike. Since graduating with a degree in Fine Art and Graphic Design he has worked for fashion icon Paul Smith and he launched his own design and illustration studio working on projects that include book illustrations, textile and product design, and packaging.
With more than 80k followers on Instagram, his toolbox includes both digital and traditional tools. “I simply enjoy the physicality of drawing and connecting one line with another and the journey of trying to visualize something that often started in my imagination,” Oakley shared with aye Magazine. “Thick lines, thin lines, zig-zag, curved, straight, fast, slow, wonky, abstract and pictorial they all have there own special mood and melody.”
His illustrations mostly require a pen and later a computer, while his more personal projects call for a more creative approach, employing tools such as cardboard, wood, and glue.
Much like his varied methods, so is Oakley’s inspiration, with his work informed by both retrospective and contemporary forms of art. “They include folky, harmonic and melodic music of all kinds; the pastoral and folkloric delights of the countryside and the various eccentric beasts and humans that inhabit it; the joys of cycling; the stimulations of tea; the dizzy geometries of architecture and design – and overall the wonders of making stuff,” he notes.
The end result is the kind of a delicious mess you’ll want to add to your life.
