Leslie Barnes' bursting-bright illustrations have a mysterious way of instantly lifting your spirits

Leslie Barnes is an award-winning illustrator and animator based in Glasgow whose compositions can fill any space with a breath of fresh air. I can't remember when I discovered Leslie's work. It must have been six or seven years ago. But I do remember my reaction when I first saw her unique, vibrant and eye-catching designs.

Although Leslie has always loved drawing, she actually has no formal art training (she has a degree in English Literature). Some of her illustrations are somewhat geometric, and the various patterns and effects that she creates are simply mesmerizing. The best part? You can buy limited edition, signed and numbered pieces in her store at remarkably affordable prices.

Leslie has created exclusive product ranges for both the V&A and the Tate Museums in London. Other clients include Clinique, Glamour Magazine, Random House, Puffin Books, Anorak, and OKIDO. She is the author and illustrator of three children's books.

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Preserved tattoos of the dead

The idea of preserving tattoos after death came into existence long before NAPSA . London's Wellcome Collection has over 300 specimens of preserved human flesh bearing tattoos , collected in the late 19th century. There are many more examples of smaller collections in Paris, Poland, Portugal, Berlin, and Austria. But what fascinates me the most is this lesser-known museum at Tokyo University, the Medical Pathology Museum, which houses pieces of skin collected since 1926 by Dr. Masaichi Fukushi. "Fukushi would perform autopsies on donated cadavers and dissect off just the skin. He created a method of treatment to preserve the skin and kept them stretched in a glass frame, essentially like a leather. Later the ownership of the tattooed skin collection was passed on to Fukushi's son Katsunari. Katsunari added a further 20 tattooed skins himself and it's believed that the Medical Pathology Museum has 105 in its collection, many with full body suits." ...

Enigmatic Shapes and Psychedelic Patterns

To say that I love Sanagi 's work is an understatement. Looking at her art feels sort of therapeutic, and I find her drawings refreshingly intricate. They're trippy, psychedelic, and resemble something that you might see under a microscope. Not much is Googleable about Sanagi, but that's fine. There aren't many artists these days that still pull off the whole mysterious vibe, so I commend her for that. By the way... they're all hand-drawn with pen and ink.

Weirdly Charming

If you’re a fan of art that makes you do a double-take, you need to check out Richard Brener . Based in the UK, Richard is an internationally collected artist who works primarily with ink, fineliners, and gouache. When you first see his pieces, they actually look pretty playful. Then you realize the entire canvas is packed with thousands of tiny, ghost-like shapes he calls "champs." They’re all squeezed together like commuters on a rush-hour train, and the level of detail is honestly mind-blowing. Richard spends hundreds of hours drawing these little guys over and over. It’s obsessive, very intentional, and a little bit wild. The cool part is that the longer you stare, the more the vibe shifts. Check out more photos below:

finding cain

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