UK-based illustrator and art student Tess Smith-Roberts uses bold colors and simple compositions to convey messages and tell stories. This year only, she has been shortlisted for the Hamburg Book Prize and the World Illustration Awards.
“I try to approach my work with humor, bold shapes, and a playful use of color,” Smith-Roberts told It’s Nice That. “Everything is usually really bright with a stupid little smiley on it. Lately, I’m also really into adding stars to everything.”
She has a hard time deciding between paper and digital mediums, so she usually mixes both. Using a limited color palette helps her be more creative with what she has. “I always like to have a physical object to hold rather than it being stuck on the screen,” she says. “Also, every time I draw now, I use a limited color palette, always considering how overlaying colors can affect each other, like you do when preparing a Riso or screen print.”
Check out her work below!
