Polish illustrator Jaroslaw Danilenko’s comic-like still life illustrations

At the start of the year, Polish illustrator Jaroslaw Danilenko began a Tumblr with fellow illustrator Michal Loba as a place to hone their skills and experiment in. A mix of different styles, the work mostly revolves around everyday observations but it’s Jaroslaw’s still life illustrations that feel strongest.

Comic book-like in their use of panelled squares, Jaroslaw works within those outlined confines, meaning his composition and subject matter feels more purposeful and conscious. With poppy colours contrasted with thick black linework, there are some Memphis undertones from the layering of flat, patterned textures. Unlike a traditional still life, it doesn’t feel like Jaroslaw’s simply depicting inanimate objects here but rather these frames are part of a bigger story. With peas scattered over a plate in one image and an abandoned cigarette still smoking in another, they’re snapshots in time where the viewer is left to work out their own narrative.