There’s something to be said about minimalistic art. Easily digestible, it most often than not captures the essence of an idea, boiling it down to the bare necessities. One of the most wonderful aspects of the minimalist movement is its ability to take a concept and simplify it without losing its magic.
Michael William Lester’s illustrations hold that particular magic. Having studied fine art in college and illustration in university (with a BA in Illustration and Visual Communication from University of Westminster), these days he works as a designer, illustrator, and animator. His work includes both personal work and commissions. “Personal projects allow you to steer your career,” explained Lester in an interview with Lecture in Progress, “it’s much more difficult to control where you are heading if you only do client work.”
But according to Lester, his fascination with art began much earlier, when he was just a child, and was amazed by his father’s drawing skills, which he thought of as a kind of magic. “My dad used to draw a lot,” he recalls. “As a kid, I would go to bed and he would ask me if I wanted a surprise drawing or something in particular. It was kind of magic to never see the process, it fuelled my intrigue – how was it done, how could I do it?”
Though his work is very much minimalistic, according to Lester he doesn’t have a particular niche when it comes to his illustrations style. “I don’t really have a niche, and that’s something I’ve rooted for from the beginning,” he notes. “I’d much rather be a person to come to for an answer to a problem than a go-to for a particular style.”
See some of his recent projects in the gallery below.
