Reader FX Posé

Alice in Wonderland, dragons, dieselpunk, angels, vampires, teenage turtles, tarot cards and much more besides.

Location: US Web: www.kirbiillustrations.com Email: kirbi.illustrations@gmail.com ME DIA: Photoshop

Since graduating art school, Kirbi has focused on producing Young Adult book covers. “Many people describe my work as nostalgic or dreamlike,” she reveals. “By combining textures and art styles of old and new I hope to create a timeless aesthetic.”

Her inspirations are constantly evolving but she’s always admired 1960s lifestyle illustrators like Eric Earnshaw, Jack Potter and Coby Whitmore for their bold colours and shapes. “I insist on creating my own textures that I scan and integrate into my paintings, which means each piece has time on a real easel. Even though my work is stylised, it’s informed by reality. Building small dioramas and photographing models for reference are critical parts of my process.”

1 Five Wands “A tarot card based on Alice in Wonderland’s queen’s croquet game. The stylised, ribbon-like hair in this image was inspired by the art of JC Leyendecker.”

2 Fairy tale “This book takes place in a fairy world meets New York City. I’m currently working on the third book for this series by Shanna Swendson, which features the bulldog again who I adore painting!”