Illustration

Nathan Nankervis

We are LOVING the work of young Melbourne graphic artist and illustrator Nathan Nankervis who recently graduated from Communication Design at Swinburne University.

Nathan’s work caught our attention when he joined our impromptu ‘Real Australians Say Welcome’ hashtag on instagram with this awesome illustration, and not long afterwards we commissioned Nathan to create an illustration for us, to accompany this recent story.

We hope to collaborate with Nathan again before he is too famous… we’re predicting big things for this guy!

 

Written
by
Lisa Marie Corso

Details from the home studio of young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis in his converted garage / home studio in Croydon! Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

The studio of young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis in  in Croydon. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Sketchbook experiments by young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Details from the home studio of young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Nathan’s studio buddy! Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Writer
Lisa Marie Corso
6th of July 2015

Some people have a lot of energy and Nathan Nankervis is one of those people. He is design electrolyte. Nathan is a graphic artist and illustrator or as he puts it ‘a kid who likes to smile and have fun.’ His happy go lucky disposition is evident in his prolific creative output, which is always packed with colour and feel good vibes.

Since finishing high school Nathan has been hard at work to realise his dream of making a career out of doing what he likes doing best – drawing. He recently graduated from Communication Design at Swinburne University with first class honours, though he’s very modest and would rather not make a big deal about that!  While at university he approached assignments as a platform to explore his passion for an almost cartoon-like aesthetic. ‘I have an anthropomorphised style which is heavily influenced by my childhood and love of cartoons. I get the feeling I’m trying to avoid growing up.’ he says. Freelance work started to roll in soon after he graduated, and that’s when he decided to make a real go of having a professional creative career.

In a relatively short time Nathan has built an impressive portfolio of clients and editorial commissions, including Voiceworks, Hello Mr, Xero and Little Bao, a famous Asian street food meets American diner in Hong Kong. ‘That job was super awesome as I got to see my characters on stickers and t-shirts for the first time, not to mention on the other side of the world!’ he says.

When he gets ‘stuck’ responding to a creative brief, instead of procrastinating at his desk, Nathan re-boots his brain by doing something completely different.  ‘I’ll goof around and do something fun like skate around in the driveway, fly a remote control helicopter or play ‘keep-ups’ with the soccer ball. You’d be amazed what light bulb moments have eventuated as a result.’

While at the beginning of his career, Nathan is already looking to the future. His dream job would be to design a series of vinyl toys, and he will be exhibiting works at Substation as part of the Melbourne Fringe later in the year. On the immediate, Nathan is currently preparing to leave the nest in a few months time to travel abroad and work remotely. ‘I’ve had my head down for too long – study, work, study, work. I need to go out and see the world!’

Young Melbourne designer Nathan Nankervis at work. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Recent Illustration