Well, maybe falling in love is pushing it. But I adore the thrill of finding someone’s visual voice that truly resonates with me. My new crush is British illustrator Wayne Anderson. First of all, he often works in colored pencil, which is not an easy illustration media in many respects, but it gives lovely textures. Anderson has deft compositions and a real command of tone: he won’t hesitate to put his darkest element next to the lightest elements, and let the medium tones support both. It’s as if all the colors get the best speaking parts, but none upstage the other.

Secondly, he has this fascinating balance between softness and precision. I see a lot of details, but I don’t find them superfluous or overwhelming. The characters, and sometimes the backgrounds, are expressive, moody, or just plain fun to look at.

Lastly, many of his illustrations show a great deal of thought and sly wit. The details of a room, or a character’s costume, make the picture feel like a window into a secret world.

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