We continue with the best of this year with an art form that is very close to our heart, the illustration. The choice turned out to be more difficult than expected, but we wanted to reward those artists who even with a single image have managed to excite us.

Erotic, dreamlike and surreal illustrations by Giulia Rosa

If there’s an illustrator who made us fall in love more than any other this year, it’s Giulia Rosa. Her works succeed in restoring two sides of nudity, the sensual and dreamlike and the erotic and passionate, all seen through a pink filter. 

The sweet and exciting illustrations of Dion

The young illustrator Dion manages to convey strong emotions to the viewer through the representation of surreal situations that arise from different moods such as loneliness, lack of something or someone. 

Catalin Gellen and his NSFW black and white illustrations

Eros is the protagonist of the minimal black and white illustrations of the Spanish illustrator Catalin Gellen. The thick black lines become essential parts of a story, allusive, explicit, but never vulgar. 

Marinel Sheu captures sunsets in his illustrations

Marinel Sheu, a young artist of Albanian origin who lives and works in Dublin, was inspired by the sunset, by its light that constantly changes hitting the facades of buildings and creeping into the houses, making him the absolute protagonist of his work. 

The Japanese illustrator who represents the feelings

He is called アボガド6, Avogado 6 sui social, and is a Japanese artist who with his illustrations goes to explore the deepest and most hidden emotions and moods. You will be amazed by how what you feel is perfectly represented on the paper. 

Criticism of current events in Marco Melgrati’s illustrations

Let’s go back to Italy with Marco Melgrati, who is above all capable of producing illustrations that are always linked to current events, telling in a critical and sarcastic way what happens every day before our eyes. 

Regards Coupables and the NSFW illustrations

This year Instagram has been an endless source of inspiration. Among the many profiles what struck us most was “Regard Coupables”, or “guilty glances”, a name behind which hides a French artist specializing in erotic illustration. 

A Week In Tokyo with Jola Bańkowska’s illustrations

We didn’t limit ourselves to static illustration, but went as far as the illustrated videos. Among these, A Week In Tokyo by Jona Bańkowska stands out. The series of images offer the viewer a tour of the Japanese capital, from the fish market to the sauna. 

Kelsey Smith lets us enter inside the rooms of her protagonists

Atlanta illustrator Kelsey Smith opens the doors of teenagers’ bedrooms to us, who through their objects, colours and furnishings can tell us about the personality of those who live in them. 

NSFW illustrations by Wishyouwerehere

We conclude our shortlist with the wonderful illustrations by WIshyouwerehere, author of NSFW works that talk about eroticism and the complexity of human relationships. Each element becomes useful to describe the emotions of the subjects.