Vaka Valo updates his manual-themed illustrations with more sinister scenarios

We first featured Vaka Valo’s Dream Diary series back in 2012 and up until recently it’s remained relatively untouched. The illustrator has posted a flurry of new images on his website bringing his unusual style back to life.  

A combination of schematic diagrams, first aid booklets and other health and safety paraphernalia, the latest works follow a similar route in that they repurpose old instructional manuals. Vaka creates his illustrations by scanning in individual elements from the found books, which he then builds into digital collages. The images are then retouched by hand after being printed onto large canvases. 

The new additions are just as sinister as before yet contain more surreal elements within them like animal heads replacing human ones or organs and skeletons lurking in draws. These twists to Vaka’s alternative reality amplify the contrast between the deadpan expressions of his characters and their oddly violent actions.