An illustration of a figure with a brown paper bag over their head, wearing a red jumper and green trousers. They hold a pink lighter while standing beside a large blue dog. In the background, a car is engulfed in flames under a red sun.

Simon John Thompson might just be the craziest illustrator alive

Words: James Cartwright
—
Date: 18 December 2012; Work
Illustration

You know what your favourite illustrator is probably missing, 100 abstract naked chicks hanging out on a beach. No? What about a paper bag-masked arsonist watching a hawk remove a pig’s entrails? Burning witch electrocuting an armless woman? We give up, maybe you’ve seen it all before but to us Simon John Thompson’s illustrated world is 100 per cent batsh*t crazy. And we freaking love it!

You see on the one hand Simon has an effortless knack for creating intensely surreal imagery that’s fuelled by pop-culture, news reports, the French avant-garde and vintage cartoons, and on the other he’s a terrifically skilled printer, producing immaculate screen and risograph works on paper in which the colours have been overlaid to perfection. This balance of imagination and skill make him a force to be reckoned with – and he’s not even graduated university yet. Look out world, Simon John Thompson’s about to unleash a fury of visceral illustration upon you!

An illustration of a white wolf with bold blue shadows, standing in a green landscape. Behind the wolf, a blue river flows towards rolling green hills under a purple and orange sky. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Into the Wild

A colourful painting of a purple figure reclining against a yellow pillar, their head obscured. A blue, ghostly figure with claws emerges from a large fire to the left, while small blue cartoon characters watch from below. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Welcome to sérigraphie

An illustration of a chaotic, surreal scene featuring a red-skinned figure firing yellow beams from their eyes. They are surrounded by a green dragon, a blue wolf, and a distorted Bugs Bunny. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Welcome to sérigraphie

A colourful print of a large, spotted leopard prowling through a dense jungle. Below the leopard, a small red figure with a white face crouches in the grass. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Scream Panther!

A surreal illustration of a figure with a brown paper bag over their head, holding a small bottle. They stand beside a blue dog with a long red tongue, looking down at a headless body on the ground. In the background, a large bird attacks the body while a green car burns under a red sun. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Welcome to sérigraphie

An open book featuring a vibrant illustration of a beach scene. A palm tree and a yellow sun sit on the left, while the right page reads “PRÉTEXTE À DESSINER DES FEMMES NUES”. Below the text, a pink figure is positioned upside down with a pineapple between their legs. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Prétexte a dessiner des femmes nues (excuse to draw naked women)

An illustration in a book with a bright pink background. A large yellow banana and green apple sit in a white bowl, while a small blue cat looks up in shock at a floating pink brain. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Prétexte a dessiner des femmes nues (excuse to draw naked women)

An illustration of several pink figures in a bright blue sea. They interact with a large orange rock, a blue dolphin and a red brain-like creature with tentacles. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Prétexte a dessiner des femmes nues (excuse to draw naked women)

An illustration across two pages shows several pink, muscular figures with yellow hair in various poses. A small blue figure stands in the centre, surrounded by the larger figures against a purple and orange background. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Prétexte a dessiner des femmes nues (excuse to draw naked women)

An illustration of several bright pink figures on a sandy beach under a yellow sun. The figures are in various athletic poses, surrounded by colourful balls and a small blue bird. — Above
Simon John Thompson: Prétexte a dessiner des femmes nues (excuse to draw naked women)

Further Info

www.simon-john-thompson.com

About the Author

James Cartwright

—

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.

Simon John Thompson might just be the craziest illustrator alive

Share Article

Further Info

About the Author

Related content

From wax seals to postal stamps, Aplomb perfume’s packaging has the intimacy of a handwritten letter

Artwork for anyone that’s looking: Bill Rebholz on taking ‘trash’ and turning it into beautiful vernacular signs

Mona Chalabi on making sense of the unmeasurable

Affinity and Cavalry give creatives somewhere to create freely… and for free

It's Nice That Newsletters