Meet the Illustrator Who Treats His Work Like a Puzzle

By
Rose
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Canadian illustrator and designer Tom Froese loves a good challenge. “Every project I work on is a new challenge, a puzzle,” he told Ballpit Magazine. “I aim to solve them the best way I can, with the most energy, the most appropriate feeling for the job, the most charm.”

“Personally, I want to see myself grow and evolve with each new thing I do,” he went on to say. “I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again, so I look for new ways to use what I have, something that feels fresh, original, pleasurably unexpected.”

Indeed, scrolling through his Instagram page you can’t help but feel a sense of exploration. Whether it’s a new style of drawing, a different theme, or an unusual color scheme, Froese keeps it fresh. Working from his home studio in the small village of Yarrow, his original takes have grabbed the attention of giants like Yahoo!, Air Canada, and GQ France.

Take a look for yourself.

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I feel like I need to explain a bit about my last post. I am afraid I was alienating people who prefer digital. Here is my own work, which I think is an example what digital is good at. For the record, I don’t hate digital. I just struggle with forcing digital to look more physical than it is. Does that make sense? This one works. You’ll see I couldn’t resist adding a touch of “physical” texture in the stripes. Big secret: it’s a photoshop brush! I’m happy to make small compromises. It’s the spirit of the illustration that matters. I just think that fully analog textures have something that can’t be simulated, including the process the artist uses to make them. . All my thoughts on these kinds of things are largely a matter of taste. Very subjective. Whether you work all digital, all analog or somewhere in between, what truly matters most is that your making work at all! . Thank you for your brilliant thoughts and challenges in my previous post comments. You guys are my favourite. . #backpaddle #umbrella #oilskin #fashion #breton #france #frenchbrittany

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Last summer I had the privilege of working on the 2018/19 annual campaign for @jewishvancouver. . This was the main image, a montage of the various experiences of Jewish life in Vancouver and in the surrounding communities. . With the core community based in what is now a largely unaffordable city, many have to move further away and thus lose access to it. It becomes harder to stay connected. It also becomes harder to make Jewish traditions and activities a part of everyday life. . This image is about the endangered community aspect but also an image of hope of connection by bringing the community out past the traditional boundaries of the city. . #jewishvancouver #jewishlife #yvr #expensivevancouver #costofliving #vancouverliving

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