Film: Peek into the brain of freestyle illustrator Shantell Martin

Date
2 December 2013

Illustrators who can create enormous stream-of-consciousness fuelled drawings never fail to amaze me, especially when they work with the fervour that Shantell Martin exudes at every opportunity. This short interview, produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and posted by the New Yorker is entitled Follow the Pen, a notion which demonstrates exactly the infallible trust which powers her work. Illustrating everything from shoes, airplanes and walls to shirts and motorcycle helmets, Shantell’s studio resembles exactly what I imagine the inside of her brain to look like. Strictly monochrome, and covered from floor to ceiling in the thick black outlines she has made her own. It’s quite something to behold.

“The pen knows where it’s going, and I’ve gotten very good at following,” she explains. Looks like we’ve got no choice but to trot along after her, too.

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Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen

Above

Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen

Above

Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen

Above

Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen

Above

Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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