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InspirationIllustration

Haunting illustrations explore vacant spaces, industrialisation, conflict and mystery

Halloween might be over for another year, but with the nights drawing ever darker, it's still a spooky time of year here in the UK. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce the work of Cardiff-based illustrator, Jacob Courtney. After graduating from Cardiff School of Art and Design, he produces work that involves pencil drawing and painting, with the aim of making atmospheric and immersive scenes and worlds.

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A solitary figure in dark clothing stands in an empty industrial courtyard bounded by concrete buildings, with a red metal barrier and overcast sky above

He explains: "My work often revolves around themes of urban areas, the role of people and their relation with these areas – vacant spaces, industrialisation, history, conflict, and mystery. My work is often dark and desaturated.

"As well as this I have an interest in narrative and storytelling. I'm interested in the stories that vacant environments and locations can tell just by the hints and traces of life that they contain.

"This was something I tried to do with my Ghost Town project, which was inspired by the town of Port Talbot and its steelworks."

Discover more at jacobcourtneyillustration.com.

All images courtesy of the artist

Illustration of a hooded figure sitting on a wooden bench outside a run-down building with a "Staff Only" door covered in graffiti and boarded-up windows
A narrow street between terrace houses with boarded-up windows, rendered in muted greens and greys in Jacob Courtney's Ghost Town project
Monochrome illustration of a dilapidated residential building with broken windows and industrial structures visible on the rooftop against a grey sky
Monochrome illustration of a shadowy interior hallway with a metal railing overlooking a misty, industrial landscape visible through an opening
Pencil illustration of a figure in wrapped clothing holding a suitcase, illuminated against a dark, textured background
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