Whether we want to turn a blind eye to some things or not, we can’t deny that today’s society is ridden with various issues. To escape harsh reality, we tend to bury ourselves in the virtual world, but even there you will be faced with some harsh truths that some artists will invite you to think through.In this case, John Holcroft createsthought-provoking illustrationsthat touch on various hidden realities. From our addiction to social media to child labor, John finds a way to convey strong messages through a single image. The artist’s sharp commentary on contemporary issues has caught the attention of 113K people on Instagram, as well as of prestigious entities like the BBC and The Economist.Without further ado, we invite you to scroll down to immerse yourself in these eye-catching artworks and uncover the layers of meaning that lie beneath the surface.More info:johnholcroft.com|Facebook|Instagram|EtsyThis post may includeaffiliate links.
Whether we want to turn a blind eye to some things or not, we can’t deny that today’s society is ridden with various issues. To escape harsh reality, we tend to bury ourselves in the virtual world, but even there you will be faced with some harsh truths that some artists will invite you to think through.
In this case, John Holcroft createsthought-provoking illustrationsthat touch on various hidden realities. From our addiction to social media to child labor, John finds a way to convey strong messages through a single image. The artist’s sharp commentary on contemporary issues has caught the attention of 113K people on Instagram, as well as of prestigious entities like the BBC and The Economist.
Without further ado, we invite you to scroll down to immerse yourself in these eye-catching artworks and uncover the layers of meaning that lie beneath the surface.
More info:johnholcroft.com|Facebook|Instagram|Etsy
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Bored Pandaonce again reached out to John to ask more about his artwork.
First of all, John told us how he chooses which issues to tackle in his illustrations.
Previously John mentioned that his style has evolved over the years. We asked the artist how he balances staying true to his signature aesthetic while also adapting to the changing demands of the clients and the evolving social landscape.“Commissions from clients are always going to be more challenging because you have specific criteria to meet, unlike the freedom you have when creating promotional work. What is important is the style has to be recognized as mine. Clients can sometimes throw curve balls during a commission in the form of a last-minute request that can compromise the whole piece, however, it’s my job to either tell them why it won’t work or try to make it work,” replied John.
Previously John mentioned that his style has evolved over the years. We asked the artist how he balances staying true to his signature aesthetic while also adapting to the changing demands of the clients and the evolving social landscape.
“Commissions from clients are always going to be more challenging because you have specific criteria to meet, unlike the freedom you have when creating promotional work. What is important is the style has to be recognized as mine. Clients can sometimes throw curve balls during a commission in the form of a last-minute request that can compromise the whole piece, however, it’s my job to either tell them why it won’t work or try to make it work,” replied John.
John is an artist who delves into socio-political themes, therefore we asked how he handles criticism or negative feedback about his work.
Given John’s concern about injustices and his desire to address issues like corporate greed and climate change, we were curious if John himself believes that art has the power to enact meaningful change in society.“I think young people are more likely to react to images they’ve seen, especially strong conceptual images that will get them thinking and questioning.Those people will be running governments in the future and if my work, can plant a seed of an idea along with thousands of other illustrators’ work then I believe it can only be a good thing,” replied John.
Given John’s concern about injustices and his desire to address issues like corporate greed and climate change, we were curious if John himself believes that art has the power to enact meaningful change in society.
“I think young people are more likely to react to images they’ve seen, especially strong conceptual images that will get them thinking and questioning.
Those people will be running governments in the future and if my work, can plant a seed of an idea along with thousands of other illustrators’ work then I believe it can only be a good thing,” replied John.
John shared what he would like for people to take away from his art: “Please enjoy looking at them and discuss the topics within them like mental health, corporate greed, online fraud, and climate change. Also, I sell limited edition, signed prints onetsy.com!”
And lastly, John added: “One major issue that is blighting freelancers everywhere is AI. I don’t know if those using platforms like Midjourney are aware but this is killing off illustration in much the same way streaming services are killing off music.
This isn’t me over-acting, this is happening unless we legislate against AI companies being allowed to copy illustration styles and take elements from illustrators' work. People think I must be financially ok, but the truth is, up till two years ago, I had a nice income and gradually my regular clients vanished and I’ve had very little work so I’m living off savings. After 28 years of hard work, I may have to stop being an illustrator and re-train to do something else. This is the hard reality and it’s because of a handful of greedy companies being allowed to develop software that basically makes people like me redundant. I want to change this behavior and get the commissioner to abandon this abhorrent software and commission real illustrators.”
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