Graphic Design Illustration Publication Solo artist

Paul X Johnson

posted by Mel Luff January 28, 2015

Originally from the northeast, Paul X Johnson is an illustrator now based in London. Depicting unsettling, strange settings and featuring vacant, stone faced characters; his illustrations are moody, atmospheric and somewhat cinematic – each carrying a narrative.

Stylistically his work is otherworldly, in a vintage nostalgia – meets Grimm fairytale – meets film noir style. Working with gouache and ink his work is evocative of the poster artwork of the 1940s and 50s, yet still exudes a sense of modernity. With their strong lines, black-grey palette and muted tones, his work seamlessly fuses the three, with a sense of ambiguity and melancholia that makes them timeless.