Clockwise from top left ©: Nicolas Delort, Cliff Nielson, Anna & Elena Balbusso, Matt Griffin, David Curtis, and Mike Heath
Scratchboard, superheroes, and science fiction. The Directory of Illustration invites you to dive into December with six talented artists from Shannon Associates: Nicolas Delort, the Balbusso twins, David Curtis, Matt Griffin, Michael Heath, and Cliff Nielsen.
Social distancing and winter weather mean more time spent indoors streaming, reading, and dreaming. What better way to spend it than by traveling to other worlds? We can think of no better time to introduce the mysterious and captivating work of these 6 artists. Their art has the power to transport viewers to new realms and distant planets, where we’re limited only by our own imagination. They take us to places we can hardly believe: blazing starships and glittering seascapes under half crescent moons. Villains and heroes. Spirits and Gods. These stellar six artists are one galaxy among many in Shannon’s vast Universe of talent. This agency is supernatural. Welcome to Shannon Associates.
About the Agency: As an agency, Shannon Associates is nothing short of a premier agency at nexus of all areas of the visual arts including: illustration, animation, and photography. They have been serving the needs of the world’s top creative professionals in publishing, advertising, entertainment, design, technology, digital and print media for many years. Honored with every coveted award available in the industry, Shannon has had the privilege of representing some of the most talented groups of individuals in the field.
Their client list is not only vast and respected, but also a testament to the “wonderfully talented people who have entrusted their careers to us.”
© Nicolas Delort
Nicolas Delort is an award-winning illustrator currently living in the grey suburbs of Paris. Gathering inspiration in the daily and mundane as well as books and any kind of narrative medium, Nicolas endeavors to tell stories, big and small, by working on strong, evocative and intricate black and white compositions. His work has received the Gold Medal from The Society of Illustrators, and has been recognized by American Illustration, 3×3, Juxtapoz, Supersonic Electronic and This Is Colossal. Clients include: Blizzard Ent., Games Workshop/The Black Library, Quirk Books, Tor.com, Solaris Books, Lucasfilm, Penguin Books, Mondo, and many more.
“My medium of choice is scratchboard.”
© Anna & Elena Balbusso
Anna & Elena Balbusso (or “the Balbusso twins”) are a powerhouse Italian illustration team based out of Milan. Since 1994 they have worked as a freelance team illustrating in Italy, France, U.S., United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea. The Balbussos’ work has received more than 80 international awards, and together they have illustrated over 40 books for top publishers such as: Random House USA, Harper Collins USA, Simon and Schuster USA, Scholastic USA, Macmillan UK, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt USA,The Folio Society UK, Penguin Group UK, and many others.
“Enticingly Renaissance and eerily new wave.” – Steven Heller
© David Curtis
David Curtis is a Brooklyn-based professional picture-maker. He studied traditional illustration at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has a particular fascination with structural objects and architecture. Clients include: World Wide Mystery Books, HarperCollins, St. Martin’s Press, The Flyleaf Journal and Cred Magazine.
“I am an Illustrator and Designer who has worked in a wide range of markets, such as Publishing, Editorial, Advertising and Animation. I now live in New York City where I am a Designer for HarperCollins and am continuing to develop my illustration studio. “
© Matt Griffin
Matt Griffin is an award-winning illustrator, author, and animator from Kells, Co.Meath, Ireland. He has garnered an international reputation for his distinctive and innovative graphic art. Clients include: Disney, Warner Bros, Lucasfilm, Universal, Folio Society, Penguin & Harper Collins.
“Don’t change the hunger. That belligerent, stubborn refusal to cave and the desire to make drawing your living is all-important.”
© Mike Heath
Michael Heath is an illustrator with over 18 years of experience and more than 500 published artworks. His design expertise ranges from identity design, interactive/web and motion graphic solutions to photo illustrations. After graduating from Colorado State University in 2000 with a degree in fine arts, he concentrated his efforts in the areas of photography and graphic design. He spent the first four years of his career as a designer and then as an art director directing three publications. His photography evolved while working in the editorial and book publishing world creating work for magazine spreads and best-selling authors. Clients include: Apple Music, Audible, Disney, Harper Collins, Random House, Sony Pictures, Wired, and many more.
“If you asked my clients what I excel at, they would probably say that I can create worlds they want to visit and characters that inspire a second look.”
© Cliff Nielsen
Cliff Nielsen is a California based artist who is best known for his work on projects such as Star Wars, The X-Files, Chronicles of Narnia. His projects include advertising campaigns, designs, and magazines and his work is so ubiquitous that it is inseparable from our cultural zeitgeist. He studied in both traditional and digital illustration and graduated as valedictorian from Art Center College of Design in CA. His illustrations have been recognized for their excellence by the Society of Illustrators, Print, and Spectrum among others. Clients include: Marvel Comics, Hasbro, and the top book publishers in the world.
“The concept of “supernatural magic” can be both powerful and enlightening, and I try to capture those qualities with bold ray shapes and swirling eddies of potently colored light.”
