UK illustrator reimagines mental illnesses as monsters

It's difficult to know what a person with mental health issues is going through if you haven't experienced such condition yourself. Sure, you could read Wikipedia; or, you can look at these illustrations instead.

Toby Allen is a freelance artist from the United Kingdom, and made this Real Monsters series to raise awareness about these conditions; from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Toby, who himself suffers from anxiety, has emphasized that his artwork is "not at all intended to make light of these conditions but instead is intended to give these intangible mental illnesses some substance and make them appear more manageable as physical entities."

You can learn more about Toby and his work here.

[h/t: Mashable]

Comments

Where Fantasy Meets Folklore

Timothée Humbert creates wild, zoomorphic sculptures that pull the viewer into an imaginary world. This place is full of strange, funny, and sometimes grotesque little beings. His creatures feel ancient and childlike at the same time; one can't tell if they are jokes, spells, or something sacred. Humbert was born in Paris in 1979. While primarily a ceramic artist, he also draws, paints, and engraves. He earned his Fine Arts diploma in 2004, and a year later, he set up his studio. Since then, he has created nothing but one-of-a-kind pieces. These include monsters grinning like kids who know something you don't, skulls with attitude, and oddball geniuses who might be ghosts. His style mashes together global traditions and pop culture. You can trace the lines from Japanese ceramics, African sculpture, and Mexican Día de los Muertos, then, out of nowhere, find manga, fantasy, and sci-fi. Together, they create a kind of postmodern language—a jumble of hieroglyphs that hum with life....

Hand-Painted Bags That Tell Your Story

Most bags today look like they were produced by bored machines in a dimly lit factory. You can walk into any mall and find rows of identical leather (or “leather-like”) things, all claiming to express individuality. Ironically, though, they all look exactly the same. Then there’s Abby Verano . Her bags are not mere accessories; they’re declarations. Each one is hand-painted, touched by an actual human being with an imagination. Abby doesn’t just sell you something to put your wallet and smartphone in; she sells you a story, a vision, a little revolt against the tyranny of sameness. Her tools are simple — brushes, acrylic paint, bags made from pandan leaves, and creativity. No duplicates. No clones. Just one-of-a-kind art pieces you can carry.

A Declaration in Spray Paint

Street art has rewritten the story of cities. What used to be blank concrete now hums with color. It's not just rebellion—it's existence, declared in aerosol. Murals rise where billboards used to glare. Festivals sprout up, neighborhoods come alive, and what was once vandalism becomes culture. We have to thank the people behind this, artists like Dasic Fernández . The Chilean-born, New York-based muralist wants to make the world more colorful. His works spill across continents—from Chinatown to Santiago to the desert of Diriyah. Each one transforms a gray, ignored corner into something radiant, impossible to overlook. While studying architecture in Chile, he became obsessed with how art could shape the city itself. Street art, for him, was the purest form of dialogue: direct, public, and alive. “Painting on the street,” he says, “carries great responsibility—both artistic and social.” Here are some of my favorites. Be sure to follow Dasic's Instagram for more.

finding cain

Search This Blog