Because who doesn't deserve a painting for the holidays?
Shawn Coss
Courtesy of Shawn Coss
In stark contrast to his other job, illustrating those delightfully mischievous figures for webcomic Cyanide and Happiness, Shawn Cross’ art tends to be on the ghoulish-side. Think more along the lines of Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark. Although he’s been professionally commissioning work for years, a particular series that he completed for October’s 31-day #Inktober drawing challenge gained a lot of momentum on the internet. His particular macabre-style of work lent itself perfectly to the task of trying to illustrate different types of mental health disorders. The project aimed to assist in letting people experiencing them know that they aren’t alone and that help is closer than they might realize.
Shawn's work is available for purchase here.
Leah Goren
Much like something your parents would bring back after vacationing in the South of France, Leah Goren’s uncomplicated depictions of ladies, animals and flowers are bright and full of color. Her book, BESTIES is a super cute, illustrated catalogue of all of the reasons why a girl should celebrate her best friend. Based out of Brooklyn, Goren runs a studio where her lighthearted illustrations and patterns have been picked up by big companies like Revlon and Anthropology.
Leah's paintings are for purchase here.
See what else made it into our Top 8 by visiting its official page.
