Marcus Oakley's collection of illustrative Instagram experiments

Marcus Oakley has a refreshing approach to his illustrations: he simply does what he wants.

After seeing a growing collection of black and white drawings by Marcus over on his Instagram we were intrigued about what he was up to. Yet, Marcus’ explanation was honest, “I simply enjoy the physicality of drawing and connecting one line with another and the journey of trying to visualise something that often started in my imagination.”

Graduating from the now defunct Graphic Design and Fine Art course at Camberwell in 1996, Marcus has a wealth of experience in various mediums of creativity. As a result his drawings are considered, open and never rushed. “I’d say I’m a graphic artist,” elaborates Marcus, “I’ll just have a go at everything.” Due to his maturity in the industry Marcus explains that his work is uncomplicated because he doesn’t feel the need to concentrate on content as seriously as students are often advised to, “because I’m older I don’t have to justify myself as much.”

As for this series of monochrome works, each drawing was created strictly for use on Instagram, each regimented to the 4×4 square. Within these specifics Marcus felt his work thrived, each piece becoming “symbiotic with the edge”. The graphic artist additionally chose to work purely and black and white because “it makes it simpler, each drawing is really exposed and there is nowhere to hide.”