Illustrator Wren McDonald’s busy landscapes are full of detail and character

Illustrator and cartoonist Wren McDonald’s friendly style has nabbed him commissions for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vice and The North Face among others. Full of soft lines, detail and thoughtful characters, Wren’s work reminds me of the illustration of my childhood like a distant, grown-up cousin of Nick Sharratt. Wren often blends sci-fi with a post-apocalyptic world, but it’s his work based in the everyday that draws me in more.

Using tones that look like they’ve been bleached by the sun, a mix of faded blues and reds colour his busy landscapes. Whether it’s pumped up bodybuilders, movie stars in a club or normal folk worrying about their finances, it’s the attention paid to each individual character and the expressions Wren conveys that bring his editorial illustrations to life.