Olivier Kugler

The contrast of basic, sharp line drawings that appear to be free and the constricting use of solid blocks of colour is what appeals to me. The line drawings add a quirky feel to Kugler's work as the straight lines are precisely straight as each is done freehand. The addition of highlighting certain sections in an image shown in the pub illustration makes the key concepts of that image jump out to the viewer which I think works very well. It adds a graphic feel to the piece which is effective. The solid blocks of bright colour add a naive appeal to the work that makes up for the lack of detail and precision. The addition of text from a conversation in the office illustration adds character to the two people and brings the drawing to life, yet it doesn't detract from the illustration itself. It's adds another dimension to Kugler's work, rather than just relying on images to convey a story.

Noma Bar

The simplicity of Noma Bar's work is what first catches my eye. There's no scratchy lines or minute detail, just simple solid shapes. The use of colour in the elephant and mouse illustration is bright and perhaps garish, yet it doesn't look too heavy on the piece as the simple shapes tone the colour down. Bar cleverly uses negative space in his pieces. It's easy to forget about negative space around an image but Bar uses this space to his advantage, creating a mouse in the crook of the elephants trunk and a face between each cup and its handle. I love the basic block approach to colour, rather than using different tones of the same colour. These pieces could be made using a basic collage approach and perhaps even Bar did this in the planning stages to his work. The fact that these childlike, basic shapes convey a message is very clever and makes Bar's work unique and thought provoking. This shows that an image doesn't need to be detailed or full to have a big visual or literal impact. In the case of Noma Bar, less is definitely more.