Johanna Olk’s Illustrations Adorn Paper and Skin

Johanna Olk is known for her fine line illustrations. Focusing mainly on women portraits, she enjoys representing the strength and emotion found in the ordinary. Her images, though simple, strike a chord, tending to the melancholy of everyday life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2gjNhSCCnr/

Whether it’s her fine line drawings or her large paintings on canvases, Olk represents women who seem to dream, enveloped in a certain melancholy. But her creations aren’t just limited to paper, and she’s also recognized in the world of tattooing.

“A paper or a canvas or a skin, are the same, it’s just different material,” she told Cortex. “I did my first tattoo on myself in high school with a needle and some random ink because I was in love with a stupid guy. Then I went to Nantes and met the best people, I was at school with Ivan he had a super scary tattoo machine, it took me a while before I tried, but once I started I followed him. I am now tattooing without a machine again. I really enjoy hand poked tattoos; I like the perfect imperfections, it’s effective.”

Trained in industrial design, Olk admits she has always been attracted to objects and composition with timeless beauty. Exhibited in France and the United States, her original creations are also shared on Instagram, where she has amassed more than 34k followers.

“I studied industrial design and I developed an interest for simple things, which are able to create emotion,” she says. “I am very attracted to pop art, mid XXth century graphics and the Renaissance period. It’s a long and slow journey, I am still researching and trying new techniques.”

Take a peek. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2R868ki4Ir/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1T7oplCHmm/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0u7ehQiyQS/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1_COooifPE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B19I1k8CmmM/