Instagram is getting illustrators seen

With everyone’s eyes on social media, illustrators are in a perfect position to take advantage of this new way of getting their work seen.

These creatives understand and are influenced by pop culture and beautifully fuse it with a graphic and colourful local approach.

Young people value art differently. They connect more to someone on social media who is using the platform as their canvas, than to an artwork hanging on a stark white wall in a gallery.

Aspiring illustrators use Instagram as a resource, an ideas bank. Businesses increasingly use them to design their logos and to create beautiful and timeless portraits.

One such creative is Andy Hendrixx, known as @22ndhq on Instagram, who created a striking illustration of actress Thuso Mbedu that #Trending used on its cover last week.

“I loved drawing since I was a kid. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of me drawing Son Goku from Dragon Ball Z when I was about seven.

I thought it was kinda cool, so I just kept doing it. I eventually got into graphics in high school and ended up freelancing by the time I was in matric. I then started a company, 22ndCentury Creative Collective, with two of my closest friends and started pushing our movement,” says the illustrator from Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal.

Hendrixx uses Adobe Illustrator Draw. He says he’s enjoying the evolution of art and how social media has influenced this wave.

“I love how it’s growing to a point where now a fanbase of any South African artist or celebrity supports local artists, videographers, bloggers, YouTubers and even meme pages. The whole online community has evolved through the years.

We benefit greatly from that because we focus on releasing quality art not just for us, but for the South African art community.”

The 22ndCentury Creative Collective makes quality content for brands, from merchandising and clothing, to music and videography. But it’s his illustration of his mom that he’s most proud of. “She said she really loved it and it felt really cool. I think it’s my best work to date.”

• To commission illustrations, logos, flyers and designs, contact 22ndcenturyco@gmail.com
• Follow their work on social media @22ndHQ