Updated: May 13, 2022
Vector is a powerful technique to create beautiful digital artwork and graphics and there’s no wonder why tools like Adobe Illustrator are preferred by many professional artists. There are extremely high-talented famous vector artists with mind-blowing portfolios out there and we are going to cover some of them just for you. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or you simply appreciate art, those amazing portfolios will surely give you the inspiration you need.
So let’s begin.
1. Yukio Miyamoto
We can’t even begin to talk about vector artists without mentioning the master of the gradient mesh tool Yukio Miyamoto. With such high precision and attention to detail, he creates images so realistic, that you feel you can touch them through your monitor. Looking at Miyamoto’s artwork, anyone could mistake it for something created in a 3D program without realizing it’s a 2D illusion. In fact, the artist uses solely Adobe Illustrator for his projects ever since the program was created.
2. Tom Whalen
An accomplished designer and illustrator with a strikingly impressive portfolio, Tom Whalen has had a passion for comic books and poster art since a child. His love for the Marvel and DC Universe inspired him to merge words, design, and images into a cohesive unit. The artist believes that studying multiple disciplines from fine art and design to sculpture can boost one’s creativity in different mediums. And yet, his most preferable platform is the vector because of its flexibility in the workflow and easy editing. Tom Whalen also shares that he loves the simple technique of setting gradients to multiply mode as they add more life to the image.
3. Seb Nirak1
Sebastien Feraut, better known as NIARK1 is a French freelance artist, illustrator, and designer. He has had numerous exhibitions and publications since 2010 and has worked for multiple international clients in advertising, fashion, and streetwear. Whether he creates his artwork on paper via pencil and acrylic, or digitally via Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, his images always bring that typical haunting atmosphere. Feraut’s style is a unique mixture of cartoon and dark fantasy built from dark shadows, simple shapes, and limitless imagination.
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4. Sam Werczler
Samuel Werczler is a famous art designer and illustrator from Brazil. Being a graduate of Fine in Sao Paulo and Advertising and Marketing in New York, he combines his artistic skills with his knowledge of advertising to the point of perfection. His designs are vibrant, often surrealistic, and always attention-grabbing and unique with their flow. The artist has also worked on many movies and short film projects as a concept designer.
5. Matthew Skiff
Famous vector artist Matthew Skiff lists the “drawing of stupid things” as his main personal interest, which could mean only two things- he draws awesome stuff and has quite fun while doing it. His artwork is influenced by the nostalgia of the pop culture of the 80s and that is easy to see from the vibrant neon colors and over-the-top badassery of his characters. Skiff makes illustrations for bands and t-shirt designs in vector on a regular basis and they look stunning. He believes that the best thing about being an illustrator is the freedom and skill to embody the craziest and wackiest ideas. What else would you expect from the talented 80s kid who’s been raised by the greatest cartoons, horror movies, and music of all time?
6. Cristiano Siqueira
Another famous vector artist from Brazil, Cristiano Siqueira has an impressive portfolio that showcases important projects he’s worked on during his successful career. Although his background is based in traditional media, the artist can’t deny his love for vector art in all its glory. He’s always looking for the perfect lines and color schemes and he loves that vector gives him absolute control over both. Siqueira claims he doesn’t have any hobbies, but with artistic skills of such epic proportions, who needs another hobby?
7. Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee is that kid who grew up in the 80s and early 90s with all the mandatory Saturday morning cartoons and Disney Afternoons and stayed fresh ever since. The multidisciplinary designer and illustrator is a huge geek at heart and proud of it, as it’s easy to see in his amazing portfolio. He enjoys the flexibility of vector art and he strongly prefers to use effects rather than filters. Lee has worked with lots of great clients and agencies but he’s particularly fond of his work on all the gift cards for Target and his project with Nike ACG.
8. Chris Leavens
Another amazing famous vector artist who is simply impossible to miss is Chris Leavens. He creates most of his art from start to finish in Adobe Illustrator and the results are fantastic. His enviable knowledge of colors and fascination with the beauty of nature through the prism of surrealism has led to the bizarre highly imaginative artwork he’s famous for. The twisted landscapes, unique monsters, eye for detail, and amazing color schemes are just a small part of the story-rich images everyone loves so much. Leavens uses custom brushes to create his textures in Illustrator and one of his favorite tricks setting a 100% black brush to tint- mode. This way the brush can easily employ any color for the stroke and lead to great results. He compares using vector programs to playing a musical instrument and we can all agree that his vibrant images don’t lack the precision of a virtuoso, in that manner.
9. Charles Williams
Raised in Manchester, England, Charles Williams’s work includes many magazine covers, advertisement campaigns, and branding designs some of which we’ve all seen at some point. His geometric style is easily recognizable and stands out with its isometric grids and 3D aesthetics. Williams’s approach to design is multidisciplinary as he holds on to some artistic tendencies but he twists the rules from the eyes of an artist into a freestyle. His way of thinking that projects itself into his artwork has been influenced by the mind-expanding electronic music he loves so much.
10. Grzegorz Domaradzki
Another great name in the industry, Grzegorz Domaradzki (Gabz) is recognized for his splendid movie posters and has worked for clients amongst whom we see names like Ubisoft, Marvel, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Gabs started his journey as a personal project titled Vector Movie Posters where he made amazing posters of his most favorite films. The project got him recognized by big companies and he went freelance ever since. His impressive artwork shows off his skill to create both abstract and realistic forms combined with different elements and digital objects in amazing compositions and colors.
11. Jonathan Ball
Jonathan Ball is famous for his cute and quirky characters inspired by pop culture and Japanese illustrations. The artist has an impressive resume with client names like Sony PlayStation and BBC, as well as he was featured in numerous popular UK magazines.An interesting fact about his artworks is that he creates them more like a collage of different images than as homogenous illustrations.
12. Jonny Wan
Jonny Wan is an illustrator from the UK with a unique style of symmetry, shape composition, and textures. He draws inspiration from the art of ancient cultures and his technique is constantly changing and evolving.
Vector programs can be indeed a powerful tool in digital art. In the end, there is nothing standing between the artist and the blank artboard but their own imagination and inspiration. Fortunately, this also goes for everything you do in your daily lives- nothing can stop you from achieving great results if you put your heart and imagination into the task. You only need to choose the right tools.
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