Untitled (from series: Actualization)

Blake Kathryn is a digital illustrator and designer based in Los Angeles. Kathryn’s works utilize pastel and neon colors in new configurations, hinting both at nostalgia for bygone decades, and a thoroughly contemporary aesthetic moment.

Untitled (from album/single artwork for Salen)

I love the way that Kathryn combines the new and the retro in her works. The overall look and feel is one that’s quite futuristic, with gradients of bright pinks and blues along with digital renderings that celebrate the fact of their digital-ness. Whether the artist is working with still images, or in a video format, the figures she uses carry a similar deliberate smoothness and an emphasis on static form that references CGI and video game models from the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Many of the works on Kathryn’s website are produced as part of advertising campaigns or for specific clients. I like how the artist’s style remains so distinct and recognizable, regardless of the subject matter or campaign.

Untitled (part of icon set for Eros Mortis)