All images courtesy of Luke James
It’s not often that an illustrator who pops up who has an incredible talent whilst incorporating a cutting sense of humor and political observation into the subject matter. Ralph Steadman was probably ‘the man’ when it came to that, and there is definitely an element of that in the illustrations of Luke James. To contextualize my point with a visual reference, welcome to my favorite illustration in the world right now:
The above was used for an article on student etiquette. I don’t think I could think of a more fitting portrait of a fresher’s angel. The worn out boozehound with aspirations of fitting into Hugh Hefner’s manifesto of the ultimate woman. Those like me, who made a poor judgment call and ended up in Oceana at Fresher’s Week will crack a smile and tip their hat to James’s cynical yet accurate assessment of the student cliché.
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is the indie kid. The type who gets out of public school, jacks themselves up on Vice magazine and goes apeshit trying to be authentic in executing a trend. Back when I was at university nu-rave happened in the second year, and kids walked around wearing neon plant pots on their head for a semester. Sigh.
James’s ‘famous’ series continues a funny and irreverent dialogue with celebrity culture, Daniel Craig’s worn down Bond sketch is another favorite, alongside Obama carrying out the relics of the Bush administration.
Although the works are very funny, Luke James clearly has a sharp insight into modern culture and his observations deliver a concise message about the times in which we live.
Check out more at lukejames.co.uk
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