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InspirationIllustration

52 Weeks of Freaks: Illustrator challenges himself to draw one character every week for a year

52 Weeks of Freaks is an adventure into the bizarre, character design of Leeds-based artist, Jaypee – also known as Jonny Packham – where each week, for a whole year, he challenged himself to draw one weird and wonderful creature for our viewing pleasure. Now set for a new book, containing all 52 of the full colour illustrations – see Kickstarter to pledge your support and make it happen.

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Person holding a print of an illustrated furry creature with large eyes and a red tongue, wearing a black top against a yellow background

Most of the time, the characters were inspired by either an event, fact, word, overheard conversation or experience from each week. Speaking of the project, Jonny said: "My only aim was to improve the way I conceive ideas as an image maker. As the weeks turned into months, and gradually a year – amongst an explosion of art and life, a set of characters emerged. They not only began to define my stylistic approach as an illustrator, but also became a visual diary with each character being an observation of the world around me.

"Each one of these characters holds a value to me and symbolises every week of the last year of my life. I have compiled these characters into this book in the hope that you will find inspiration in it, and help stoke your creative fires. The book contains 52 full colour illustrations, each with a description and some fact nuggets about their lives, hobbies, habits, likes and dislikes, careers and pastimes. I've been told it's a funny read!"

Fancy getting to know Jonny's creatures yourself? Give him some love over on Kickstarter, visit his website at www.jaypeeart.com or follow him on Instagram

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of the artist.

Open book showing a black illustrated character with orange accents and "52 Weeks of Freaks" text, with an orange bookmark ribbon visible
Open book showing a colourful hand-drawn character illustration on the right page, with orange spine visible on wooden surface
Colourful ink illustration of a grotesque character with multiple stacked heads, sharp teeth and wild hair on the page of an art book
Illustration of a spiky-haired creature with large eyes wearing a red collar and yellow outfit against a yellow background, from Jaypee's 52 Weeks of Freaks project
Large black numbers 52 with the words "weeks of freaks" in stylised lettering below, with a small orange star, all on a light background featuring faint character doodles
Colourful illustration of a bizarre blue creature with wild tentacle-like hair, sharp teeth and an open mouth, wearing a white lab coat and dark shoes
Cartoon illustration of a chaotic character with a large head wearing a space helmet, riding on the back of a furry blue creature and holding a wrench, with flame-like objects flying behind them
Cartoon illustration of a grinning golden cat figurine with large eyes, red bib and outstretched paw holding a yellow coin, drawn in a quirky style by Jaypee
A grotesque character with a giant ice cream sundae for a head, complete with melting mint-green topping, purple drips, cherries and a "BAKE" label on its torso, with bulging eyes emerging from the whipped cream
A fantastical creature with purple-grey fur, multiple wings and tentacle-like appendages, featuring an orange flame element, from Jaypee's 52 Weeks of Freaks project
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