The surreal world of Justin Estcourt

So honored to have here with us Justin Estcourt aka @jetsyart answering a few questions about his work. Let’s begin!

How long have you been drawing?

I have been drawing and creating for as long as I can remember. I became obsessed with drawing every day when I moved to Denmark over a year ago. In that time, my drawing style has developed considerably and hopefully become more cohesive and original.

What’s your process?

I take my time thinking of drawing ideas, producing small ideation sketches on whatever is closest to me at the time, phone/sketchbook/internet bills. When it comes time to start a final piece, I rarely take breaks and can be focused on details for hours at a time.

Digital vs traditional?

For drawing itself I prefer traditional, but I also take pleasure in using Photoshop and designing on the computer.

How long does it take to create it?

My pieces can take from 4 to 20 hours to complete depending on size and detail.

Is it a hobby or your career?

I have been a full-time illustrator/designer over a year now, however I don’t believe that someone should do just one thing for their entire working lives. Therefore, I like to think of it as how I am expressing my creativity in this moment. I have many other interests such as music, film and architecture that I would be just as eager to pursue.

Why do you draw?

Put simply, I want to create work that I like. The artworks that I am most proud of are always pieces that I haven’t seen anything like before. I feel powerful willing my work into existence, and I love watching it unfold because I really enjoy what I do. My tastes change over time and I see something lacking in my previous work which pushes me to keep creating.

What inspires you?

I have a myriad of interests including music, astronomy, physics, architecture, fantasy and film. What attracts me to these disciplines is the extraordinary nature of the intellectual and artistic complexity that can be achieved by human beings. The cerebral search for perfection that will never be satisfied.

How can people get in contact with you?

Feel free to send me an email: justin@jetsyart.com

An interview with watercolor artist Inga Buividavice

Thanks Inga aka @inga.buive for taking part in our favourite illustrators’ interviews series!

Let’s start the questions!

How long have you been drawing?

I am a graphic designer but I haven’t been drawing that much till the last year. I was constantly thinking that I will start drawing one day but it seemed that this day will never come. But then two years ago I’ve picked up a brush while on maternity leave and was determined to learn watercolours.

What’s your process?

My process is chaotic, I don’t sketch most of the time and I paint fast. I can start three paintings at a time, leave them to dry and finish them off in three weeks. Sometimes when I want to do a more structured composition I do a light pencil sketch, then do one or two layers of paints and add details with a fine brush or white pen. 

Digital vs traditional?

Both. In my case noting is finished if not processed digitally.

How long does it take to create it?

I paint fast and I’d rather do lots of paintings than keep editing one. It can take anything from 10 minutes to an hour. However, I can do lots of sessions before it’s finished and they can be weeks apart. 

Is it a hobby or your career?

A hobby that pays for itself.

Why do you draw?

It’s a part of who I am. 

What inspires you?

My inspiration comes from watercolour itself. I’m mesmerised by how paints bleed into the paper. I start almost with abstract brushstrokes and then try to push it to the familiar shape such as florals or planets. That’s why my flowers are very simplistic most of the time. Shapes, colours and contrast are most important and together they make a certain mood that is the main purpose to me. I love geometry and patterns, nearly every painting will have that no matter how loose or chaotic it looks from a first glance.

What is the proudest moment that you have achieved?

Becoming a mom. My son is 2 years now so it’s all still very new for me.

What is the biggest obstacle that you have faced?

Maybe challenge more than an obstacle: moving to a new country and settling in, but it had a good impact on me after all.

You have one day to live, how do you spend it?

My family. My husband, my son and my parents. I want to spend every day with them.

How can people get in contact with you? 

Instagram @inga.buive or email inga.buive@gmail.com

Poetry in Colour

You’d think realists and hyper-realists especially must be painting with needles and pins! You wouldn’t be too far away from the truth. When it comes to watercolour, in addition to high quality brushes with lots of zeroes on them, realism takes detailed, accurate drawings (measuring included), lots of thin watery layers, really going from light to dark, and… loads of patience. Loads. The following three realists are taking their art miles further from mere accuracy – to poetry in colour.


Japanese artist Reina Yamada @_reina_yamada_ continually polishes her portraiture skills to perfection and beyond. She carefully chooses her models (among the multitude of her Instagram followers too), and inevitably comes up with brilliant perspectives, as well as the most intriguing fragments and angles. Reina uses natural earthy palette and never fails to awe the onlooker with her emphasis on light and stunning detail.


Christina Mrozik @christinamrozikart, an American artist based in Portland, Oregon, is a professional illustrator with a striking ability to transmute the external into a mirror of the inner spiritual and emotional world. Focusing mainly on the flora and fauna, Christina uses watercolor, graphite, acrylic and ink to take you on a journey of self-discovery – a heroic undertaking fraught with pain and fear – snake-scale by snake-scale, a petal after petal, and one by one moth wing.


Victoria Obukhova @vishnyaobukhova is a Russian realist with an astoundingly vivid palette. Her portraits, flowers, forests, birds and mammals are bursting with energy and zest for life, with her attention to detail being just as impressive. Victoria paints life using fiery pinks, shades of purple and reds, making each of those adorable faces bathed in a warm glow of sheer love for life.

Visit Lana’s Instagram gallery @calico.brush

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