Josh Nelson is an illustrator who draws everyday interactions with people he sees around Auckland, New Zealand. He enjoys taking public transport and watching people on buses and trains. “It usually gets me pumped to draw some weird interaction I see, or somehow incorporate it into a larger drawing,” he tells Creative Boom.
His illustration style shows people with funny facial expressions and big eyes enjoying a positive atmosphere in crowded places. As he says, his style is inspired by cartoons he watched as a kid. He looks up to illustrators like Kyle Platts and Nick Edwards.
The artist has a background in animation. He used to design backgrounds for a cartoon called The Vloggingtons that broadcasts in New Zealand. His goal for 2021 is to fulfill his dream of drawing a big illustration of Tāmaki Makaurau, the place where he currently lives. He did the same when he lived in Kirikiriroa.
Perhaps the coolest thing about his work is the cartoonish feel that gives his art a sense of innocence. And as far as the everyday interactions that he draws, this innocence reflects strongly in his characters’ faces. Follow him on Instagram to see more of his illustrations!
