Thomas Colligan’s zine encourages us to appreciate the small things in life
Illustrator and designer Thomas Colligan has created Small Notes, a zine that contains a “selection of moments and items that we too often forget”. The zine is made up of a collection of beautifully drawn, colourful line drawings that depict simple activities like reading while lying down, having drinks with friends or just hanging out with loved ones in silence.
The mundane actions are captured in bright, vibrant hues with a focus on pattern and flat landscapes, which allows Thomas to experiment with how the shape of his characters and their surroundings fit together, rather than the nitty gritty details. To offset the primary-coloured artwork, Thomas has included blue, monotone drawings in the same style that change the pace of the zine.
The Switzerland-born, New York-based illustrator and designer was last featured on It’s Nice That in 2014 and 2015, and while this series of drawings still has the same colourful sensibility as back then, his style has become more pared back and refined, showing a maturity in his work.
The zine has been printed in a four-colour Risograph and published by Txt Books, who also published Anibal Bley’s zine Paso, which was recently on t’s Nice That. Thomas is a “co-co-co-founder” of the independent publishing project and the collective is just gearing up to show its publications at LA Art Book Fair, which kicks off 24 February 2017.
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Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.