The deer dance to the light of a massive bonfire
Underrated gems from Comics, Sculpture, Illustration, and More
Hello,
In a world overflowing with attention-grabbing visuals, it’s surprisingly easy for incredible artists to slip under the radar. I’m constantly stumbling across insanely skilled* creators with impressive backlogs of work and wondering—how have I never seen or heard of them before?
Why do they escape attention? It’s not their work—it’s the sheer volume of eye-catching content competing for our focus. At one point, I followed over 1,100 people on Instagram! How can anyone possibly keep track of that many artists?
This dispatch won’t solve that problem. In fact, it might just make it worse, because today I’m spotlighting five game-changing artists you’ve probably never heard of—but absolutely need to know. Their work will challenge your ideas, spark your creativity, and leave you wondering how they’ve stayed off your radar for so long.
These artists span genres from kidlit illustration to surrealist concept art, with plenty of stops in between. Here at Jake’s Desk, I don’t play favorites with genres or styles—the only question is: does it move me? And these artists move me.
Let’s dive in!
1) Matt Rocketfeller
Comics, Concept Art, Illustration
Matt got on my radar several years ago when I saw his work for the book series 5 Worlds. It’s been a real treat to watch his style and sensibilities evolve over the years. His latest book makes me want to drop everything and read it: LINK
Website: LINK
Instagram: LINK
Tumblr: LINK
X: LINK
Print Shop: LINK
2) Piotr Jabłoński
Concept Art, Illustration
Nicponim, as he’s known online, is a surrealist who paints like a French academist. If you mixed Bouguereau with Chirico you’d get someone like Nicponim. I am equal parts intrigued and repelled by the worlds he creates. Would I want to live in them? No. But the fact that they’re painted in such a way that I could even consider a world like that to exist means the man is a skillful world builder.
Instagram: LINK
Artstation: LINK
X: LINK
3) Gabriella Szendrey
Kidlit, Illustration, Visual Development
Gabriella is based in Budapest and has a wispy Hirschfeldian line that dances across each page she touches. It’s not just the rendering that I appreciate, it’s the subject matter as well. Each subject is infused with just the right amount of whimsy and magic.
Behance: LINK
Instagram: LINK
4) Zim and Zou
Paper-craft, Sculpture, Installations
The first time I saw one of Zim and Zou’s paper sculptures it stopped me mid scroll and I had to see more. The color, the shapes, the patterns, the subject matter, all delight the eyes and pulls you into them like a card stock harpoon to the head. No wonder top brands want them to design their shop windows for them.
Website: LINK
Behance: LINK
Instagram: LINK
5) Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Illustration, Comics
Rosemary reminds me what is visually possible with the comics medium. Too often comic artists fall into the trap of making their comics a loose stream of storyboard panels. Comics can be so much more than that and Rosemary is out there pushing the boundaries in beautiful and satisfying ways.
Website: LINK
Instagram: LINK
Bluesky: LINK
X: LINK
I can’t tell you how hard it was to pick just five illustrations for each of these artists. Please check out the rest of their works if any of these pieces piqued your interest.
That’s it for this week. Hope you have a nice break this weekend. See you next time!
-Jake
My sponsor for this newsletter is…me. It's me, because I'm not accepting sponsors for my email list, and don't plan to any time soon. Really, I'd just like people to buy stuff from my shop. If you like this newsletter, you can support it a few ways:
Join SVS!
SVSlearn.com 2.0, goes live this weekend. An ALL-NEW website, new community, and a special proprietary illustration starter kit for all members that evaluates your ability level and shows what to work on. It’s incredible. Check out the new website here: LINK
Order something from the shop (Best)
Back a kickstarter when I launch one (Also Best)
Support me on Patreon (Second Best)
Share the newsletter with a friend (Third best)
Shop for art supplies using my affiliate links* (Fourth best)
Mention it on social media (Fifth best)
I'd appreciate any of these when you can. Thanks!
Weekend reading:
Gotta study the comic masters!
*I started using the word skilled instead of talented because I think it better reflects the massive amount of work an artists does to make them look talented.
**Any amazon link I post is an affiliate link
Awww, thank you! I came across your kind mention through a random search result, and now it made my day!🌞Yay!💗
I think it might be Matt Rockefeller, not Rocketfeller. 👊🤙🤙 All are so bad to the bone in their own ways!!👀