Rob Mackenzie

I recently picked up a copy of one of my favourite magazines, Nobrow, which featured an illustration of Rob Mackenzie's inside. It's the red and maroon one above (I'm guessing the red and blue one is the original done in pen, and then the colours were altered after the fact for the final piece). It's right up my alley – bold but limited colour palette, crazy detailed, monsters, hand-drawn etc. Very cool. So I googled his name and found his site, and lo and behold he's also a practitioner of one of my other favourite artistic practice – posting his sketchbooks. There's a quick sample below. I wish more people would do this, it really gives you a huge insight into how the creative process works, and also a much greater appreciation for the amount of time, effort and practise that goes into an artist's works. So, nice one Rob.

On a side note, if you see a copy of Nobrow I urge you to pick it up and have a flick through. The work they feature is always top-notch, and the production values of the publication itself are second to none. You can tell the people putting it together really care about each issue. And Nobrow isn't just a single magazine. Nobrow Press releases loads of different kinds of publications, all from great artists. And they all leap out from the bookshelf – I can often tell a Nobrow Press book before I check the publisher's details from the paper stock and colour palette (lots of thick uncoated papers and super vibrant spot colours. Mmmmmmm.) Check them out.