Klaus Kremmerz plays with perspective in his felt tip illustrations

Klaus Kremmerz’ felt tip creations feel cinematic and full of narrative. The illustrator eschews conceptual illustrations and surreal elements, instead opting to tell stories through colours, compositions, characters, and shadows. Klaus enjoys drawing an array of environments from the natural to the metropolitan and always captures a sense of scale in his work, playing with perspectives to surprise the viewer.

Since we last featured Klaus, things have really taken off with him gaining commissions from a wealth of clients including The New Yorker, Elephant, WeTransfer, Die Zeit, Monocle and regular work from The New York Times. Working with so many different publications, the illustrator has been careful to stay true to his style. “I think you have to stay honest with what you put out there. People are going to ask you about your work, so I show only stuff I can replicate for my clients,” explains Klaus. “I believe the true challenge for an artist is making a good image for a client and remaining yourself at the same time. Since I work less on the ‘message’ and more on ‘how’ to tell a story, I think it’s easier for me to keep my style authentic.”

Klaus’ images range from solitary figures in sunny landscapes to pairs of people within interior scenes. What remains consistent is the illustrator’s bold colour choice and his markings add depth and texture to his works, mimicking undulating pool water and falling pieces of paper.

Colouring in is the final part of Klaus’ process which starts with sketching initial ideas out onto paper. “The idea I send to a client is just one but with different perspectives and composition,” he says. “I try to tell the core of the story choosing a frame and working on it. I think about the shadow, the atmosphere and the relation between the characters.”