Vibrant contrasts, eye-opening patterns, and mischievous creatures are just a few of the characteristics of Brazilian artist Amanda Lobos’ beguiling scenes. Based in Vila Velha, about an eight-hour drive up the coast from Rio de Janeiro, Lobos works extensively across a range of mediums, from graphic and product design to murals and public installations.

A large-scale inflatable work titled “Ventura” was installed last year on the top of a building in the city of Belo Horizonte. Lobos calls upon the philosophy of Indigenous Brazilian environmentalist and philosopher Ailton Krenak, who posits that humankind should live in harmony with nature rather than trying to control it.

Lobos’ all-seeing “Ventura,” which translates to “fortune,” perches on a corner of a tall building and oversees its domain, double-faced with two eyes on each side and one of its legs curled up casually on the ledge.

This work “is about the agony and dilemma of returning a star to the sky,” Lobos says in a statement, describing “Ventura” as “condemned to the duality of the fantastic and the real.”

Much of the artist’s work is intentionally left open to interpretation. “I believe that what I want to communicate to viewers is already embedded in my work visually, allowing them to interpret it however they wish—that’s the beauty of it!” Lobos tells Colossal. “I don’t like to be too literal or overly serious with my concepts; I enjoy the creative process and the freedom it gives me.”

In vivid murals, Lobos applies a similar juxtaposition of mystery and play, as coy characters dance within colorful panels or long walls illuminate the joys of learning. An expansive mural at a school in the Jardim Limoeiro neighborhood of Serra celebrates science, art, curiosity, and play.

“My favorite thing about painting murals—besides seeing them come to life on a large scale from an initial sketch on paper or a 30-centimeter canvas—is the process itself,” Lobos tells Colossal. She adds:

Executing the piece and watching it unfold is truly special. The feeling of applying paint with no “Ctrl+Z” is humbling, and working on such a large surface teaches you to embrace mistakes and adapt in new ways. Every wall is a fresh learning experience.

Lobos is soon heading to Mexico to paint her first mural outside of Brazil looking forward to collaborating with two other artists on a pair of murals for the Movimento Cidade festival in August.

We’ve shared a handful of public art projects here, but you can head over to Behance or Instagram to see a wide range of the designer’s vibrant product collaborations and commissions.

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Accompanied by delicate insects and social betta fish, the cats in Tùng Nâm’s illustrations (previously) alternate between curiosity, serenity, friskiness, and determination. The artist portrays a diversity of feline natures, merging their likenesses with flowers, waves, foliage, and clouds.

Nâm’s characters are playfully anthropomorphized, donning patterned kimonos and hair ornaments. The series emerged organically from practice sketches of flowers in the ukiyo-e style.

“I felt like it was missing something, so I tried to add a cat as the protagonist,” Nâm tells Colossal. “Somehow it still doesn’t feel right, so I think of adding a companion—fishes, butterfly, dragonfly—like they were encountering each other in a specific moment.” Fittingly, he called the series An encounter.

An accompanying collection, A Floating World, takes further inspiration from the genre, directly referencing the Japanese word ukiyo. The term describes a hedonistic lifestyle in Edo—now called Tokyo—in the 1600s, spawning a style of art that captured the mood and interests of the period. Famed artists like Hokusai or Hiroshige focused on woodblock printing and painting to represent scenes from history, folk tales, kabuki actors, flora and fauna, landscapes, and more.

For Nâm, ukiyo-e provides the starting point for exploring a range of subject matter. He’s currently exploring ideas for further illustrations that incorporate different animals and visual cultures.

Find more on the artist’s Behance and Instagram.

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Widely celebrated in China and cultures across Asia, Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays, marked by the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20. This year, the celebration fell on January 29, and in accordance with the zodiac, 2025 ushered in the Year of the Snake.

Mary Maka (previously) ran with the motif in a new series of illustrations dedicated to the annual event, exploring character design and experimenting with a range of shapes. Combining botanical elements and an interest in animation, her dynamic creatures writhe and twist, sometimes incorporating plant-like traits like cacti spikes and flowers into serpentine compositions.

Of the twelve zodiac animals, the snake may be the most tenacious, associated with the element fire. People born under the sign are said to be resilient, intelligent, resourceful, and determined. Maka’s digital portraits capture various unexpected characteristics, from a fork-tongued green cat to a berry-tailed rattler.

Through humorous depictions of serpents shaped like cats, fruit, desert flora, and creatures out of science fiction, Maka embraces new ideas and juxtapositions. Still in draft form, additional vipers try on the guises of a genie, cowboy, and others.

See more on her website, Behance, and Instagram.

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Before photography, slide projectors, movies, television, or anything electronic, entertainment came from what we now think of as analog sources. In the 1700s, for example, your leisure time may have been spent listening to live music, visiting an art show or a theatre performance, playing games, and reading books.

Inspired by theatrical stage sets, one innovation that rose to popularity in the 18th century was the tunnel book. Known at the time as “peep shows,” the art form combined storytelling with numerous layers that, when opened up, created the illusory effect of depth and perspective. Typically small and delicate, the scenes frequently depicted figures in a range of landscapes and commemorated special events.

For self-taught illustrator Shelley Aldrich, the tradition inspires an ongoing series of vibrant books and folded visual narratives. Using primarily watercolor and gouache, she paints flowers and text that nod to folk tales and famous stories, like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit.

“I’ve always enjoyed crafts, but I didn’t really begin painting (or making) art until I was 45,” Aldrich tells Colossal. “My background was in marketing and financial analysis, which I did for more than 20 years. After I left my career to raise my girls, I fit painting into bits of free time to keep my mind growing.”

Aldrich learned the basics of creating a tunnel book from another artisan on Instagram, and she adapted the method to her own style. She always enjoyed stationery design, toys, and books that had tiny, hidden compartments or miniature surprises. She says, “It’s no wonder that when my first daughter was born, I started making tiny scrapbooks that involved moving elements: flaps that opened, hidden letters, mini books, and spinning objects. That was probably the beginning of my paper fascination.”

Aldrich continues to experiment with different paper tricks, such as sliding doors and increasingly elaborate folds. She constructs scenes inspired by nature, as well as recognizable elements of famous stories, like the magical portal from the first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

“Recently, I have been discovering vintage paper art that is rarely seen except in museums,” Aldrich says. “I can’t wait to figure out all the techniques, mash them together and make modern pieces that have never been combined before.” She is currently experimenting with the possibilities of combining tunnel books with Victorian puzzle purses, which were used as a means of exchanging private or romantic messages that could be encased in intricate folds.

“I still love the feeling of awe when you experience something that makes your heart swell,” Aldrich says. “As you get older, I think this happens less because of the responsibilities and burdens of being an adult. You tend to see less magic. I hope, with my art, to evoke the childlike wonder and hope that is in all of us.”

Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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In the Alsace-Lorraine region, bordering northeastern France and western Germany, the town of Illzach was once home to an institute for the blind. Martin Kunz (1847-1923) directed the school at the turn of the century and produced a remarkable series of embossed graphics that visually impaired students could use to learn about nature and geography.

Accompanied by braille descriptions, Kunz’s educational aids depict a wide range of plants, animals, and maps. To create each page, he hand-carved two wood pieces that formed a mold, into which he sandwiched paper to produce raised illustrations.

The material was typically thick, and Kunz soaked it in water before placing it between the blocks so that the natural fibers would soften and stretch into shape. Leaves, fish, herons, crocodiles, crustaceans, and more comprise a wide array of designs that he mass-produced and made available to blind students all over the world.

The archives of the Perkins School for the Blind holds a collection of dozens of Kunz’s late-19th and early-20th-century tactile graphics, and you can explore more examples from the collection on the Perkins Library’s Flickr.

Below, learn more about Kunz’s process in a video from the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, presented by director Mike Hudson. And keep an eye on the APH’s website for news about The Dot Experience, the organization’s museum expansion set to open in 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky, that applies inclusive design standards and brings disability access to the fore.

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You’ve probably heard the term “cookie-cutter” to describe rows of houses seemingly indistinguishable from one another, save details like color or which side the garage sits on. For Brooklyn-based artist Hayden Williams, the comforting yet slightly eerie predictability of these sprawling settings is fodder for Suburbs, a series of illustrations tapping into American obsessions with privacy and perfect lawns.

“A lot of things interest me about suburbia,” Williams tells Colossal. “I enjoy the quiet, uncanny beauty that, due to its cookie-cutter nature, is also extremely relatable and nostalgic to many people.”

Williams uses Houdini, a 3D rendering tool, to create his saccharine digital landscapes. Through visual puns and mysterious lightning effects, he emphasizes recognizable elements of neighborhood life, like in “Nosy neighbors,” in which a house curves upward and hovers over the adjacent property as if paying way-too-close attention.

The artist also plays with notions of presence and absence, as the streets and sidewalks are completely devoid of people, pets, or even cars, imbuing the houses with personality.

In “Best friends,” for example, a single walkway connects the front doors of two houses, which sit alone in an expansive, shared lawn. And in “Cul de sac,” an identifiable feature of many planned developments sinks into the ground to create a spiraling, subterranean existence with no visible end.

“I think there are a lot of interesting stories to be told about the suburbs,” Williams says. “They are an umbrella where many different, odd things take place. The series tells some of these stories—sad, weird, humorous—and tackles themes of growing up in suburbia and leaving it behind.”

Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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This month, the team at The Public Domain Review launched a new project aimed at artists, illustrators, designers, and creatives of all stripes. Containing 10,000+ items, the Public Domain Image Archive is a vast trove of illustrations, prints, scans, and more, all downloadable and free for use.

The database offers a functional search that allows users to sort by artist, time period, style, and theme. For those seeking maximum visual stimulus, there’s also an “Infinite View” option that collates images of all types into a navigatable grid.

Included in the collections are 19th-century drawings that turn maps into farcical figures, vivid fish renderings by Louis Renard, and satirical black-and-white cartoons from the censorship-laden Prohibition era.

Curators plan to add more entries to the database each week, so be sure to check back for updates. And, if you’d like more deep dives into copyright-free works, check out the public domain archive on Colossal.

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Glasgow-based artist Laura K. Sayers creates tiny paper worlds that sit within the compact margins of a stamp. Illustrating children’s books and whipping up projects for magazines leaves the artist with plenty of small scraps given another life through a series of layered postage.

Sayers begins by choosing a color palette, carefully selecting harmonious shades of paper and oftentimes painting over sheets to achieve the perfect tone. Referencing her own photographs, the artist then creates quick thumbnails to loosely guide her process. Using sharp scissors and a scalpel, layers of meticulously cut paper begin to take the shape of familiar landscapes, finished with perforated edges and sometimes nestled within a painted frame.

“Even though these stamps are very small and detailed, they have a lot of satisfying limitations to them: cropping a scene, using a limited color palette, and the amount of detail you can actually fit in when you’re cutting shapes on that scale,” Sayers explains. “As someone who regularly overcomplicates things, I find these restrictions quite helpful and a good challenge.”

Sayers is working on a few book projects and planning her future stamp collections. Next month, a few of her pieces will be exhibited in Portland at Nucleus Gallery, so be sure to follow the artist on Instagram and see her website for more updates.

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Swathed in patterned coats, overlooking expansive vistas, or reveling the joys of solitude, the characters in Rosanna Tasker’s illustrations (previously) delight in simple pleasures. Emphasizing the potential of color and contrast to create a sense of warmth and depth, figures bask in glowing interiors, and landscapes fade into the blue of distance.

Tasker’s figures are often camouflaged or miniaturized by their towering surroundings, whether wandering among stacks of textiles or strolling through a grove of trees. “Recently, I’ve been enjoying playing with pattern, light and depth,” she tells Colossal. “I’m always aiming for the balance of challenging my comfort zone while also staying true to my natural style.”

While she can’t yet divulge some of the exciting projects in the works for the coming year, Tasker is currently working on another illustration for Singing Holidays, which plans music-focused tours around Europe and elsewhere.

She enjoys working with clients that provide open briefs and lend their full trust. For example, Singing Holidays gives her “the space to really experiment with my work and create images that are mostly self initiated, while still having some parameters or starting points to work within—which is my favourite type of commission and when I feel most creative,” she says.

Prints and calendars are available in Tasker’s online shop, and you can explore more work on both her website and Instagram.

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“In a way, I was always an illustrator at heart, at least since I was old enough to hold a pencil,” says Myriam Wares. “Drawing has always been a part of me since childhood; I simply continued along that path into adulthood.”

The Montréal-based artist layers themes like the natural sciences, technology, mythology, and contemporary social issues through a surrealist lens. Her rich illustrations, commissioned by the likes of The New York Times, Barron’s, Quanta, and more, invite viewers into enigmatic, introspective worlds of wonder.

Wares emphasizes dramatic lighting, complementary colors, and the power of scale in dynamic scenes that emanate warmth. She draws on her background in visual art and an interest in art history to create narrative scenes featuring classical sculptures, emotional figures, and inviting landscapes.

“The language of symbols and visual metaphors feels the most natural to me when comes the time to express myself,” the artist tells Colossal. “I love playing with meanings and thinking of different ways to visually represent an idea.”

Wares enjoys the constant challenge of balancing numerous projects along with personal creative work, which evolves over time and informs how she approaches commissions for clients. “Every new assignment comes with its own set of demands and aesthetic particularities,” she says. “I never really have time to get bored before a new project comes along.”

See more work on Wares’s website, Behance, and Instagram.

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