Breaking into freelance illustration from the world of graphic design or animation can be daunting for a variety of reasons. One of the hardest things about it is finding your own personal style—a recognizable visual language or even a universe that sets you apart from others. This look sets your work apart from other illustrators, not to mention the image-making machine that is reshaping the industry.
Liverpool-based illustrator Craig Boylan has responded to this challenge in a unique way, creating a character called Bowman who embodies his style and can be placed in almost any illustration. Baumann looks like a plastic toy and is designed to be incredibly flexible, with tubular limbs and interchangeable features. He’s a bit like a Playmobil character, but he’s built from Craig’s own ideals.
Bowman demo image
“This character originally came out of Bauhaus-style character exploration and was actually the birth of my entire style. The limbs and head had this look because I wanted the process to be as simple as possible,” explains Craig.
As early as the 1920s, Germany’s Bauhaus movement explored ways to combine artistic craftsmanship with the possibilities of industrialization and mass production. In many cases, minimalism is the answer—eliminate any detail that a machine can’t replicate. Craig followed a similar approach, creating Bowman forms as prototypes to which certain elements could be added, resulting in one-off illustrations.
“I’ve been doing 3D motion design for many years, so I know how complex and time-consuming 3D can be, and I wanted to get away from that,” he said. “Although the style has evolved from the early stages, I feel the essence is still there and the characters have a very artificial feel. You can also make the characters become anyone by adding different elements such as hair, hats, glasses, etc., just like buying add-on packs for the toys.”
A You need a drink spot for BBC Science Focus
Craig’s style is an integral part of the Verdant brand
Not only will you see Baumann’s version in Craig’s illustrations for the BBC Science Focus magazine article You Need a Drink, but he’s also been center stage for Verdant Brewery’s Putty IPA brand and the company’s Be Weird campaign. In both projects, he also appeared in animated form.
Don’t worry, though, not only can Bowman drink, but Craig plans to one day turn the Bowman variant into an art toy. He’s already experimenting with 3D printing figurines.
In addition to being playful and physical, Craig’s work often has clever, complex angles. He likes to juxtapose the lighthearted fun suggested by his characters and primary color palette with a touch of dark humor.
Human evolution observed by artificial intelligence in “Midway Zoo”
“For example, in the illustration ‘Zoo Halfway,’ we see robots looking at humans in cages, like a zoo, when all they are doing is looking at their phones. This illustrates the potential for AI to take over and that humans are not the smartest creatures on the planet,” Craig said.
His happy pill image is another example of a concept and commentary that stands out. “The blister pack of the Happy Pill is a pretty bold and evocative image, and the emoji is actually a contrived way of expressing emotion. When you look closely at this image you can see the grimacing pill, which I think gives a slightly unsettling feel,” he added.
Happy Pills. Which emoji will you swallow?
Craig’s coffee ritual, illustration
Craig has a VJed, worked in motion design at an ad agency, and freelanced for 10 years, but for the past two years he’s been figuring out his style around Bowman. Now he feels he can take it a step further.
Perhaps the next step will be to bring Bowman into the real world on a grand scale – a bit like the creative duo Craig and Carl, who create epic installations from their bases in New York and London. And, if you’re in Liverpool, keep an eye out for Craig’s free illustration and art magazine, Agog!, which highlights creative work from around the world.
