Illustration

#digital #drawing #narrative #Ori Toor

Whimsical Creatures, Mechanics, and Celestial Details Collide in Ori Toor’s Frenzied Illustrations

August 15, 2023

Grace Ebert

on a blue backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and natural details

“TJF.” All images © Ori Toor, shared with permission

Tucked in the cramped confines of a rectangular form, the lively and fantastical illustrations of Tel Aviv-based artist Ori Toor (previously) are suffused with chaotic energy. Set on solid backdrops, the works are a frenzied mishmash of overlapping mechanical components, cartoonish characters, and natural elements like flowers with faces or pill-shaped planets. Toor plays with scale and perspective in a way that creates several winding narrative paths throughout each piece, along with seemingly endless visual intrigue.

While the artist often works digitally, he shares that he’s returned to doodling in ink in his sketchbooks. “It’s something I used to do all the time but suddenly stopped a few years ago. It’s a lot of fun and takes off the pressure of posting everything you make—when it’s on the computer, it’s already one step away from Instagram—but still very challenging,” he says. “Things look different when you can’t use undo.”

Toor was recently commissioned to illustrate a map of the multiverse for the collector’s edition of A24’s award-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once, in addition to a soothing, black-and-white piece for WeTransfer’s new coloring book. He currently has a limited-edition print available through Massbase and a few other works on Society6. You can follow his latest illustrations on Behance and Instagram.

 

on a beige-orange backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and flowers

“GHFHJ”

on a blue backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and natural details all tucked in a puffy pink cloud

“Inside the Flamingo Cloud”

on a purple grid backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and natural details with a large hand descending toward the right

“Plant Friends”

on a blue backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and planetary details

“Ride”

on a black backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters, mechanics, and natural details with a moon at the top and a drippy, tendril like form in the center

“Salads”

on a blue backdrop, a chaotic mishmash of cartoon characters and a dog near the bottom

“Dogwalking Machine”

#digital #drawing #narrative #Ori Toor

 

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