Artists in Singapore: Talented local illustrators you should follow on Instagram

We've rounded up the freshest illustrators in Singapore. From dark and twisted to whimsical and flirty, these artists inspire us to get back to the basics of pen and paper, watercolour and glitter for an unplugged session.

Who: Adeline Tan, who also goes by the moniker Mightyellow, is an illustrator and visual artist based in Singapore.

What: Taking inspiration from her personal experiences, environment and popular culture, she is known for imagining fantastical botanical landscapes. With a background in advertising before becoming a full-time illustrator, she has built up an impressive client roster that includes Facebook, Sonos and Uniqlo.

Who: Danielle Tay is an artist who is known for three dimensional hand-painted, paper-cut collages.

What: Traversing the boundaries of painting and craft, abstract and figurative, Danielle produced a large-scale mural in Facebook's Singapore office as part of the tech giant's Artist-in-Residence programme in 2018. Titled 'Elements of Relief', the wall-based work personifies her exploration of alternate cityscapes that are filled with vibrancy and whimsy. 

Who: Farizwan Fajari, who is professionally known as Speak Cryptic, is a visual artist. 

What: Inspired by the visual language of comics and underground music, his works revolve around a cast of characters and primarily deals with issues that relate to the human condition. Mostly working with a black-and-white palette, his line work has been featured at Today at Apple and as part of ATYPICAL, a travelling exhibition by Chan + Hori Contemporary in collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board. 

Who: Michael Ng, better known as Mindflyer, is an illustrator and visual artist. He is also the founder of the Illustration Arts Festival. 

What: Michael describes his work as "quirky, surreal, retro sci-fi and utopian". In 2018, he was commissioned by Coach to produce a limited edition hand-painted series of footwear, bags and T-shirts that were emblazoned with a girly take on the iconic Statue of Liberty.

Who: Lucinda Law is a botanical watercolour artist, teacher, writer and founding director of Within.

What: Driven by her love of nature and for helping others to develop and nourish their creative confidence, she has worked on over 40 collaborations and commissioned projects including most notably, an appointment as the first Brand Ambassador of Dyptique Singapore in 2018.

Who: Tiffany Lovage is an artist and illustrator born and raised in Singapore.  

What: When she is not working on traditional surfaces like paper or a wall,  Lovage develops her love for botany and anatomy with alternative canvases such as skin. She is also known for the intricate distinctive artworks done on the skin with henna and black eyeliner.

Who: Marina A is a Singapore-based illustrator who works predominantly in the medium of painting, but includes digital art and installations in her repertoire.

What: Marina's illustrations are influenced by astrophysics and dreams that involves a surrealist spin on reality. In th past, she has created album artworks for local bands such as Disco Hue, Ffion and M1LDL1FE. 

Who: Lydia Yang, also known as Oak & Bindi, is an illustrator and co-founder of art collective Tell Your Children. 

What: Lydia has painted murals in offices and festivals across the world in countries such as New York, Jakarta, and a handful of spots in Singapore such as House of Vans, Dover Street Market Singapore and The Substation. In October 2017, Lydia launched a fashion label Die Hard Lover and has released in collaborations with Gallery & Co., Actually and The Refinery. 

Who: Candice Phang, also known as Puffingmuffin, is an artist and illustrator with a background in architecture. 

What: She draws inspiration from pop culture and nature to create multi-coloured cartoon-like illustrations. Her tongue-in-cheek work is a marriage of traditional mediums like coloured markers and watercolour and digital manipulation.