Pop landscapes and punchy line work from illustrator Thomas Hedger

Thomas Hedger’s illustrations have come a long way since we last featured him in late 2015. Then dominated by a single figure or form on a block colour background, the London-based illustrator has since broadened his scope to landscapes and detailed scenes, often devoid of a figure at all. The works have a air of Supermundane and the sugary colours of Andy Rementer, yet with a sharper edge and an ambience that makes them truly his own.

“Big colours and punchy, thick outlines have always been my go-to, but I have been putting more work into the lines, to create complexity without overdoing it,” says Thomas. “In comparison to last year, I’ve experimented with composition and context by adding to pieces, making them less isolated, while maintaining a simplicity through negative space. 

“My colours have moved to being quite sunsetty, and I’ve definitely expanded on my palette but this is just because I keep discovering new combinations that work in odd ways and I haven’t the heart to kick out older ones. I started incorporating half tone as a way to get more colours without loosing a restricted palette and of course texture.”

The inspiration for his move to landscapes came, in unlikely fashion, from a crane. “I saw this crane in King’s Cross and envisaged it in a really deconstructed way, so I thought I’d draw it. I liked creating an artwork with a mood of its own, showing a narrative without any physical expression.”

Thomas has been commissioned by The Guardian, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Metropolitan and Book Block, among many others.