Holly Stapleton mixes gouache with digital art to create works bathed in golden hour light
Taking a photographer's favourite hour of the day, when a golden light bathes everything in a flattering warmth, Holly Stapleton's illustrations are pleasingly soft, charming and tender. The Toronto-based artist masterfully mixes hand-painted gouache with digital art to achieve this unique style.
"I would say my style focuses on merging analogue and digital illustration in a minimalistic way," Holly tells Creative Boom. "I mainly develop figure drawings, and I like to use bright golden-hour lighting to amplify the beauty of soft and simple scenes. My work explores the complex nature of selfhood, vulnerability and loneliness."
Completely self-taught, Holly didn't undertake any formal training or higher education in illustrator or visual arts. Instead, she studied multimedia and communication studies for her undergraduate degree. During this time, she explored animation and made looping motion graphics in Photoshop for fun.
Pic: Say Goodnight, 2021 © Holly Stapleton
