13 Melancholic Thought-Provoking Illustrations By Owen Gent

Owen Gent is an artist from Bristol who has worked as an illustrator for over ten years. Owen is known for his contemporary, melancholic illustrations that serve as a visual metaphor.

In an interview with Pictolic, the artist shared that his illustration style leans toward a painterly approach as he comes from a fine art, traditional oil painting background. Most of Owen's work is meant for editorial, which is created for magazines and newspapers. He said: "I’ll get given an article to react to, and I'll read that and try and distill it and come up with a way of interpreting that image which is sympathetic to the article but also adds perhaps another angle and in an ideal world draws readers to it and also allows that reader to project themselves into that visual space."

Owen added, "I try not to focus too much on specific features and rather use imagery, which allows space for people to project concepts and ideas into. I hope that it's beautiful. I try to find the place where beauty and melancholy kind of meet and synchronize. Hopefully."

More info: Instagram | owengent.com | behance.net

13 PHOTOS

#1

Owen shared what initially drew him to the world of artistry.

“I don’t think there was even a moment where I was drawn to it, I just kind of did it. I've always wanted to make things, create things, as a kid I always wanted to build things from scratch and saw that like whatever Lego or anything that you could make things out of was limiting, so I've just always wanted to make stuff in a way that fitted me. Always painted, always wanted to make, even draw, so yeah, I guess the answer is it was always, always there, don't know what drew it to me.”

#2

#3

As the artist already mentioned, his creative ideas often revolve around the articles he illustrates. Owen shared that he tries to use intriguing metaphors, without being too specific, to create a world which draws the readers in.

#4

As the artist already mentioned, his creative ideas often revolve around the articles he illustrates. Owen shared that he tries to use intriguing metaphors, without being too specific, to create a world that draws the readers in.

#4

We were wondering what Owen hopes for audiences to take away from his artwork.

“In the illustration world, this depends on what the point of the article, or if it's a book cover, the book, or an album cover, what the album is. Hopefully, I've helped back up whatever feeling, concept, or idea that the client wants to put forward. But in my work, and if I'm adding myself to it, I very much hope that an audience feels something. Feels something beautiful, feels affected in some way, maybe sentimental, or nostalgic, or just... Yeah, if I come away from a painting I love, I want to feel warm, and I want it to stay with me, and maybe leave me a little puzzle to solve later on,” said Owen.

#6

#7

Lastly, Owen added: “Follow me on Instagram, take a look at my website. There are lots more projects there and some more kind of thorough, deep dives into my work. I also have a children's book called That's Nice Love, which is available in several languages now, but in English with Book Island. There's a link to that in the shop, on my website, where I sell prints and calendars in various bits. But yeah, just keep an eye on my work, really, and I hope you find something in there that resonates with you or leads you to some interesting books or articles. And thanks for reading.”

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13