Technical illustrators are a rare breed by themselves, but it’s even more rare to find female technical illustrator. New Sheridan graduate Leanne Kroll fits the niche perfectly though, and hopefully she’ll make a great career out of it.

Claudia Carieri is both a designer and illustrator, and she does both with whimsical flair. Her cut paper illustration work in particular stands out, as it adds a new layer to a well known children’s tale.

Brad Haubrich  has a nice portfolio of work that looks like it was influenced by traditional printmaking methods. His ‘Backwords’ CD work in particular stands out.

David MacDowell has wicked painting skills. Although most of his paintings seemed destined for gallery shows, they have  rich illustrative bent to them. As well as a healthy dose of sharp humor.

Goncalo Viana’s work is a real treat for a blurry Monday morning (or afternoon).  His work has a super stylish whimsy about it, lending itself well to serious and casual themes alike.

Jonathan Ball over at Poked Studio does an amazing job of combining cute character designs, vector art and 3D to produce his fun illustrations. Also check out his design and Flash work.

Vector graphics based off photos are a dime a dozen. Fortunately, every now and then, someone adds a new twist to the art, making it at least interesting again. Merley Michael’s ‘circles’ are one example of a simple yet complicated tweak to the genre.

Alejandro Cardona does fascinating ink and watercolor illustrations that are mixed in with his distinctive cartoon people.

Despite having the website Doodle.nl, Arne van der Ree does much, much more than just doodle - his work ranges from loose, freestyle sketches to tight finished paintings.

Even though my own style has some anime (Japanese animation) influence, it’s a style I don’t encourage as there isn’t a really big market for it commercially. That said, when adapted right, it can break out of the Sailor Moon/Pokemon cliche and hold it’s own. Jonathan Jae Lee’s work, I think, demonstrates the point.