A black and white illustration of two large, bare feet stepping through a dense, surreal landscape. The ground is cluttered with small plants, fungi and a winding snake.

My new favourite illustrator, your new favourite illustrator, Niv Bavarsky!

Words: James Cartwright
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Date: 25 February 2013; Work
Illustration

It’s been ages since I stumbled across my new favourite illustrator and, if I’m honest I’ve been holding off on posting his work for a while because I really wanted to hang onto him myself. But I’m over that now and I’d like to introduce you to Niv Bavarsky, San Franciscan illustrator extraordinaire, whose gift for creating beautifully drawn, exhaustingly busy images knows no bounds.

Niv mostly draws cool stuff for cool guys; reputable and distinguished clients like The New York Times, Bloomberg View, McSweeney’s, Nobrow and Fool’s Gold Records which, coupled with his location in the Bay Area of San Francisco, makes him one of the luckiest commercial illustrators around. Though actually, it’s nothing to do with luck; this guy’s got serious talent.

An illustration of a tiger rendered in bold orange and black brushstrokes. The figure is captured in a dynamic, crouching pose against a plain white background. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Tiger

An illustration of a creature with a head of tangled blue vines and two large, glowing pink eyes. It is surrounded by strange, seed-pod plants and foliage in shades of blue, teal and purple. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Tangela

An illustration of a bald figure’s face, rendered in bright, clashing colours. Small, dark insect-like creatures crawl across their features, clustering around the eyes and nose. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Sick

A black and white illustration of a figure in a helmet and armour standing amidst a dense thicket of swirling, organic shapes. Above them, a dark, ink-wash sky is speckled with small white stars. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Shaman

An illustration in blue and green of a dog leaping through a tangle of vines and leaves. A large hand emerges from the ground below, while a floating rock and swirling lines drift in the background. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Leash

An illustration in orange and yellow featuring a surreal, crowded landscape of distorted figures and creatures. A person in the foreground holds a drink, surrounded by strange animals and melting, organic shapes. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Dogscape

A black and white illustration of a surreal, distorted creature with a spiked head and a body made of tangled lines. A small ladder leans against its side, surrounded by abstract shapes and floating swirls. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Cutie

An illustration in red and pale yellow of a figure with a spherical head sitting on a tree stump. They are surrounded by organic, flowing shapes and delicate wildflowers. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Contrapposto

An illustration of a chaotic, explosive burst of white and black scribbled lines. The background is split into horizontal bands of red, blue and green, with the words “CARNAGE” and “BANG!” written in white. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Carnage – Bang!

An illustration of a baseball player in a white uniform with the number “37” on their chest. They stand in a wide stance against a red and blue background with a crowd of figures behind them. — Above
Niv Bavarsky: Stephen Strasburg Shutdown

Further Info

www.nivbavarsky.com

About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

My new favourite illustrator, your new favourite illustrator, Niv Bavarsky!

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