The Illustrator's
'Imagining's'
James Burke
Illustrator, Printmaker, Woodworker
James is a freelance, North-East England based illustrator, print maker, and wood worker. He combines the techniques and principles of traditional print media from the 18th and 20th century, and recontextualizes them into a digital/futuristic setting. James has drawn on the DIY aspect of the early punk movement in order to experiment with screen printing and stencilling to create designs for t-shirts and hoodies; through doing so he has adapted to fit a range of aesthetics for both as merchandise for bands and as part of his own branding as Vegetable Man. (@vegetable_man)
More recently he has produced promotional material for live music events across the North East, working regularly with Tyne and Queer CIC, Zerox Bar, and Teesside Dub Club.
James derives a lot of his influence and inspiration from the French/Belgian graphic style of "Ligne Claire," which combines a minimalist refined approach to shape and line with intricate cerebral compositions, and the often similarly principled artwork of heavy metal and the psychedelic inspired 20th century counter culture. Other contemporary influences range from graff and street art styles from around the world, documentary photography and cinegraphic media.