Being strange doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, right? That’s exactly what this month’s merch drop is all about. British artist Luke McConkey created an illustration exploring the theme of strangeness together with 11-year-old Jordan from Kalimantan, Indonesia. Luke is an illustrator from Liverpool whose creations look like something straight out of a 90s cartoon show. His joyful and explosive style has caught the eye of brands such as Costa Coffee, Hyundai, ESPN, and Netflix.
The Luke McConkey x Jordan (11) collab is out now
Growing up with a passion for illustration
Luke starts out by explaining that he has always had an interest in art, from drawing on the living room floor as a child to getting lost in a world of his own making later on. While he wanted to study art, he got persuaded to focus on other subjects which didn’t turn out to be his passion after all.
“I did a creative course at university called Interactive Media Design, which was sort of a gumboot soup of disciplines, from claymation, game design, graphics work, and coding.”
He goes on: “After a few years doing different bits I always found myself coming back to drawing, adding illustration to creative briefs even if it wasn't requested.
“I moved from graphic design to illustration naturally, just having a go at things with no formal training beyond bits and pieces I'd absorbed over the years. A lot of trial and error you know? I heard a lot of technical terms and stuff but just wanted to make stuff how I wanted to.”
And now Luke is a well-established artist in his own right, with a distinct and playful art style. He says that he likes to use “bold colours and nice curvy, bouncy forms, with a sweet key line to make things stand out. Like a lot of illustrators my age who grew up in the golden age of cartoons, a lot of it comes from TV shows and video games of my youth.”
“I'm getting a little older now and finding inspiration from other places which I think is a nice natural progression. Nature seems to be dragging me blissfully into its warm embrace. I have an overwhelming urge to draw trees… which I don't think is a bad thing, is it?”
Certainly not!
The Luke McConkey x Jordan (11) collab is out now
Working on exciting projects
When you look at Luke’s portfolio, his art style isn’t the only thing that jumps off the page, but also the wide range of projects he has done. You will see anything from editorial work to branding, murals, and posters.
He explains that the types of people behind the projects are the main reason for this variety in his work. “Projects come in all kinds of groovy shapes and sizes, which is part of the joy of doing the job I do. You have to shift and adapt to industries, formats, and deliverables but if the people you're working with are sound, it just makes any project a joy.”
Besides the people, the creative collaboration also plays a huge role for him. “From a creative perspective, I love it when a client has a rough idea, be it editorial, branding or advertising. I thrive on collaboration with people and bringing to life the vision of someone else is a real kick for me.”
Of course, lots of experience and an immense talent also attract the attention of some big companies. Luke admits that he still blushes when his achievements are mentioned. But he also counts himself lucky for the work he has been able to do.
“I'd say the project which was the most mental was my collaboration with Trainline and Glastonbury festival. I had to design the sponsor side of the legendary Glasto Tote bag given out at the start of the festival.
“It was crazy to see so many people carry around my artwork. I believe over 200,000 totes were made, along with T-shirts and bits and bobs. I still sometimes see people using them around Liverpool which is mind blowing.”
From Glastonbury festival to art with Indonesian children
According to Luke, this Face This collab was his first time making art with children. He admits that he struggled a bit with imposter syndrome at the start, but thankfully that soon went away.
He explains: “The idea was great, I was really excited to be collaborating like this for such a wonderful cause. Working on client briefs most of the time, it was great to have a simple concept of ‘Jordan's made something special to him, can you make something special to you?' Magic.”
Another source of excitement was the opportunity to tap into children’s creativity and the way they make art. “It's a beautiful thing, to see imagination with none of the weights or pressures of being a grown-up. It's pure magic, and it's something I think adults should bring into everyday life.”
This type of approach seems to be exactly what we need in the art world at the moment. Luke goes on: “I think in this period of creativity, the art of expressing yourself has gotten a little lost with the pressures of having to document your process and share with the world. Children seem to make stuff because they want to and it just is what it is. They get their idea or feeling onto a piece of paper or whatever and then crack on with other important things… like snacks. What a different world we'd live in if we all took that approach.”
Strangeness as a source of happiness
For this collab, Luke was given 11-year-old Jordan’s drawing, which was based on the theme of ‘strange’. When it comes to this topic, it seems that the two artists are on the same wavelength.
Luke says: “It immediately made me think that I need to fit in some time to just draw funky characters and do what makes me happy. It was so interesting to see an interpretation of the theme from a kid and a culture on the side of the world. It also made me feel quite connected, there were things in there which resonated with me.”
And what was Jordan’s interpretation of ‘strange’? He drew animal hybrids like a DuckHorse, a mysterious figure he called ‘lelot lelot lelot’, and a pocong, which is a local folklore figure.
The Luke McConkey x Jordan (11) collab is out now
It’s clear that Jordan has positive associations with the theme. When we talked to him about it, he said: “Bizarre can also be brilliant and ‘cool.’”
When hearing this quote, Luke exclaims: “You see! Me and Jordan are on the same page! I couldn't agree more, it's the magic of being alive and human. Learning new things or how other people live or what they believe is brilliant. Strange should be met with an open mind and a smile.”
And particularly when it comes to art, strangeness can become even more valuable. Luke goes on: “I think at the end of the day, we're all a little strange in whatever way we want, and that's proper cool. We can all be strange and get along just fine. Especially when it comes to art. Without talking about anything directly, now more than ever we need strange human-made art.”
The Luke McConkey x Jordan (11) collab is out now
Embracing strangeness in the final illustration
When it was time to put pencil to paper, Luke couldn’t wait to get started. He explains: “Jordan did me a huge solid in making his illustration character-based, as that's my jam. I think from the moment I saw it I knew they were going to be the main focus.”
“I toyed around with the idea of taking them and creating something different, putting them in a scene or a space which I felt comfortable in. But the more I looked at them and the description that came with it, the more I realised they were really unique and needed to stay at the front of the illustration.”
“It was great having access to so much information about Jordan's town and being able to have a little scoot around on Google Earth. It helped inspire me to create the illustration. Seeing the beautiful painted houses around Jordan's town was great and really lined up with my style, bold colour, and strong lines. It also gave me the tools I needed to bring his characters to life.”
In the end, we got a glorious mashup of all things strange, funky, and imaginative. A perfect blend of our two artists.
We couldn’t be happier with the end result, and luckily, Luke was really pleased with his work too. “I'm super happy with the final illustration. I just hope Jordan is too. I will admit, the start was a little daunting. Trying to create something which held up against the other editions made by other artists, along with keeping Jordan's ideas alive, was a tough one. But it just goes to show that embracing the strange and scary things can work out really well.”
Of course, this cause is centred around helping the children at the school, but it’s also an opportunity for the artists to learn from the children themselves. So, is there anything that Luke will take with him in the future?
“Make things with joy. I've been wanting to make something for a while which was just fun, and this is that. I think it needs to be something I remind myself of regularly.”
“Being a boring grown-up you can lose your way a little in the pressures of life, kids, money, and stuff. But there is always a child inside. We don't lose that when we become an adult. I think we just don't listen sometimes, as other things are louder. So in the future, I'm going to listen to that voice and heed its advice.”
The Luke McConkey x Jordan (11) collab is out now