Artist Jim Paillot can be counted on to capture the mood perfectly with his whimsical, candy-colored graphics.  “I pictured myself working in top hat and tails while I put the finishing touches on another piece for the Times. Meanwhile, my apartment would be running amuck with stewardesses and attractive art critics. Except the top hat and tails, the real illustration biz turned out different. Good but different.”



After a stint in design and advertising, Jim has been a freelance illustrator for more than 15 years. He helped design Port Discovery, The Children's Museum of Baltimore and works for fun clients in the U.S and abroad.

Paillot has created scads of illustrations for fun folks such as Walt Disney Imagineering , E!Online,  Coca Cola , Hallmark Cards Applebee's Restaurants , Hasbro Nickelodeon , Klutz Publishing Buster Brown Shoes , Golden Books AFilm, Denmark , Sterling Publishing Disney Adventures Magazine , Walter Foster Publishing Family Fun .

He lives in Arizona with his wife, two, assorted pets and any other animals that want to come in out of the sun.  “Even though everything in the desert either bites, pokes or stings we managed to stay happy and comfy.  I keep busy making to-do lists, hiking, watching cartoons and collecting robots.  Things I like: ant farms, wax fruit, Elvis and superheroes.  Things I don’t: angry mobs, 2-headed animals, meat on a rope.”



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The searing intensity of Marc Sasso’s  teeth-clenching, fist-pounding, rapid-fire style stems from his former position as a film designer, in which he contributed numerous concepts and paintings for feature films and TV commercials.

He uses his classical training as a painter to give his digital illustrations a painterly feel, often scanning in pencil drawings and underpaintings, then painting the entire illustration in Photoshop and Painter using a pen and tablet.



These tools allow him to give the illustration a look that varies from painterly to photo-surrealistic. His strong sense of composition and eye for detail coupled with his ability to come up with concepts have made him a sought after artist.

His art has appeared on the covers of novels, magazines, music CD's and comic books as well as posters, prints and CD ROM games. Marc's illustrations can also be seen in volumes 4-10 of SPECTRUM, The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art from Underwood Books and issue 23 of Computer Arts Special magazine. Sasso holds a BFA in illustration from FIT in New York City.

Sasso's worked with MCA Universal , Columbia Pictures , Warner Bros. , MTV , Sega USA , Marvel Comics , Wizards of the Coast , Science Fiction Age Magazine , Harper Collins Publishing , Ackerman McQueen Publishing , Fasa Corporation , Mattel Toys , Fleer Corp. USA , Wizard Magazine , Vivendi Universal Interactive , and Computer Gaming World magazine.




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Cathy Gendron’s survived 8 years in newspapers as an art director, brushes with death on the high seas and the noxious fumes from her painting process.  She’s a master of insightful, sometimes edgy, sometimes elegant illustration for editorial, corporate, advertising and children’s markets.



A teacher for over 20 years at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, her work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers and has earned her awards from Print, Communication Arts and the Society of Publication Designers. Gendron’s currently the Chair of the Ann Arbor Art Center’s Gallery Advisory Committee in Michigan, where she lives and works.

Whether he's outdoors, traveling abroad, or caught up in a history book, James Noel Smith’s surroundings always inspire him to sketch.

Fellow illustrators who have inspired James both personally and professionally are Bart Forbes, Jack Unruh, Cathie Bleck, and Randy Bishop. James says they are "great artists and great human beings." Canadian illustrator Ken Dallison was probably James' strongest early influence on what later became his loose pen and ink and watercolor style.



Although James draws most frequently with a pen, he works in many formats, such as charcoal, pencil, watercolors, and occasionally takes an easel outdoors for plein air oil landscapes.

A brief client list includes: National Geographic, Neiman Marcus, ITT Industries, Stone Barn Center, Atlantic Monthly, Chronicle Books, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Butterfield & Robinson, United Healthcare, Safeway Supermarkets, Disney, Departures Magazine, Food & Wine and Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

London artist Alex Williamson uses cut-out, collage and print techniques, combining found ephemera, drawing and photography.

His richly saturated color work creates an almost filmic presence; the various fragments of imagery evoke a haunting, elegiac feeling.



Williamson works on a wide range of commissions and projects in the publishing, corporate, editorial and advertising sectors.   Recent clients include: Penguin, MTV, Washington Post, Levis, Havana Club Rum, Molson Beer, The Guardian, Time Out, Orion, GQ, Macmillan, NatWest, Sony, BBC Radio One, Random House, The Economist, ICM Models, Gartner, The Independent, The Face, Sunday Times, Getty Images, Financial Times, Esquire, Portobello Books.

Alex also lectures in Illustration, Graphic Design and Moving Image at various art colleges and in addition teaches ‘Graphic Moving Image’ on the BA Graphic Design at London College of Communication.

Daniel Bejar’s thought provoking concept illustrations have been wowing designers consistently for the past decade.  In 2006, his image “Identity Theft” was awarded a silver medal from the Society of Publication Designers and was also featured in Communication Arts’ annual, and the Society of Illustrators 48 book.


Bejar’s hand rendered, vintage feel imagery has appeared in Step by Step's 2001 Illustration annual, the 2002 11th Applied Arts Photography & Illustration Annual, and has been awarded by institutions such as the Society of Publication Designers #37, 39: The Best of 2001,2003 Publication Design Annual, Society of Illustrator's Los Angeles 40, the Society of Illustrators 44, 46, American Illustration 21, 22, Communication Arts 43rd, and 44th Illustration Annual, Illustration Cubed V.1, and the Society of Publication Designers 15th, and 16th annual SPOTS competition.

...is a cut above ordinary.  Matt has been working as a graphic artist since 1995. Over the last eight years he has worked digitally & is extremely experienced in taking briefs via e-mail or over the phone. He uses a montage of found & self-generated graphic material, creating assured, vibrant images for the publishing, design & advertising industries.  He completed a graphic arts & printmaking degree from Leeds, and has lectured at Middlesex University (UK).  He’s worked for Nike, British Airways, The Royal Mail, NatWest Bank, BBC Worldwide, Toyota, Design Week, and Penguin.






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Toronto-based Cavanagh draws inspiration from an enormous 'creative soup' which includes: Andy Warhol, Designers Judy Ross, John Derian, Andy Spade, and Marc Jacobs, Singers Rufus Wainwright and Beck, and writer and filmmaker Don McKellar; all of whom she feels bring both a sense of intelligence and wit to their work. She is also eternally grateful to : Steve Jobs for inventing the Macintosh, Jet Fuel cafe for waking her up each morning, and CBC radio and NPR for keeping her company each day as she works.

In addition to producing illustrations digitally using Photoshop, Alanna also creates silk screened prints the good old fashioned way with ink and squeegee!  A solo exhibition of her silk screened prints is scheduled to open in Spring 2007 at TYPE Books and Gallery in Toronto.

What inspires Rod Hunt? Edward Hopper, 2000 AD, comics, retro 50s/60s/70s graphics and advertising, MAD magazine, sci-fi, pulp fiction covers, architecture, robot toys, and Tim Burton. He’s also inspired by being the art director for rising rock band The Southern Electrics.

Hunt’s currently serving as the Deputy Chairman of the Association of Illustrators. The AOI was established in 1973 to advance and protect illustrators rights and encourage professional standards.

Adam McCauley’s illustrations have appeared in magazines and ad campaigns worldwide. He also loves to illustrate kid's books, including Jon Scieszka's much celebrated Time Warp Trio series, Louis Sachar's Wayside School series, and “Oh No, Not Ghosts!”, a collaboration with gallery owner Richard Michelson.

McCauley’s work has been recognized by Print's Regional Design Annual, American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts and Graphis. Adam works out of his home in the sunny Mission district of San Francisco. When he's not drawing and painting, you might find him playing his drums or surfing the icy San Francisco waters.

The bold and brassy hand-drawn typography, the rough edge screen printed illustration, the lovely thick overprinting, it’s all great playful fun with lots of color. 

He studied painting at the Norwich School of Art before moving to London, where he spent 8 years freelancing for editorial & advertising clients.  “Coming from a village either you follow the root and stay there, or you go to a big city, because there’s nothing in between.” These days Andy works out of Venice.  His focus has broadened to include toy design, animation, jewelry & fashion.

Portfolio link here.

Drop the cynical crap and, well, cuddle up a bit. Lesley's charming greeting card and children's illustrations melt away any resistance!

Her edgy, cute, whimsical illustration is inspired by teen pop culture, monster trucks, and all things David Hasselhoff.  Check it out.