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InspirationIllustration

Nicko Phillips' cheeky illustrations feel like a hell of a holiday

Hailing from Melbourne, designer and illustrator Nicko Phillips is all about living the high life.

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A cheerful pink character with purple wavy hair and bow relaxes in a swimming pool surrounded by lush green foliage, wearing sunglasses and a playful expression

Phillips describes his work as "otherworldly, rich in colour and tries to evoke a feeling of optimistic anticipation", and we can't argue with that: it's all about bright palettes, the odd cheeky skinny dip and a hell of a lot of booze.

"I love drawing characters that are comfortable and confident in their skin, within lush environments inspired by late nights, long weekends, cocktails and music," says Phillips.

There's clearly a lot of references to '60s and '70s psychedelia at play: lysergic swirls abound, and spectacles are always around and obfuscated with patterns. His sweetly chubby characters often have half-lidded eyes that hint that they’ve had a very good night indeed.

His recent style is quite a departure from earlier works, which were more based around slick portraiture (like this homies project, for instance)). Check out his Instagram, too.

Colourful illustration of a pink tiger character holding a microphone, wearing an orange jacket and green trousers, with a coiled cable trailing below
Colourful illustration of three quirky characters with closed eyes surrounded by cocktails and tropical fruits against a bright yellow circular background
Two cartoon wine glasses with chubby faces and patterned eyes against a pink background framed by a blue diamond on yellow, evoking 1970s psychedelia
Colourful illustration of a figure with a large pink afro, heart-shaped eyes and red lips, surrounded by playful imagery including fruit, plants and a speech bubble reading "Dude, come outside, it's friggen magic
Colourful illustration of a relaxed figure with magenta hair in a yellow jacket lounging on a blue chair against a teal background with cream moon shape
Two silhouetted figures with purple hair celebrate with a telescope and cocktails, surrounded by psychedelic patterns and golden accents
Purple figure with orange hair and blue planet-patterned sunglasses, wading in blue water with a starry sky above and green landscape behind, by Nicko Phillips
Illustration of a bearded character with fluffy pink hair and wide eyes wearing an orange sweater with "fuck it" text, framed in yellow against a pink background
Colourful illustration of a rotund character holding a large glass of wine surrounded by bread, tomatoes and other food items against a pink background
Colourful illustration by Nicko Phillips of a chubby character in an orange spacesuit floating through space surrounded by planets, stars, jellyfish and fried eggs
Cartoon character with blue curly hair and pink face wearing orange shirt and patterned purple sleeves stands at a bar window titled "The Love Buzz" asking "Are ya thirsty?
Three arched windows with blue frames showing stylised characters with plants and starry night skies, in bright greens, pinks and whites with psychedelic detail
Pink notebook covered with colourful band and venue stickers including Wings, Carousel, ENYA, People to Kill and 89.9 radio station logo on yellow background
Colourful illustrated arrangement of various bottles and glasses filled with vibrant liquids against a bright yellow background by Nicko Phillips
Colourful illustration of a pink figure with purple hair wearing patterned socks and boots, with large circular eyes, surrounded by planets and stars, labelled High Tide Sound System Volume 19
Colourful illustration by Nicko Phillips showing playful characters relaxing among clouds against a bright orange background, with psychedelic details and a festive atmosphere
Colourful illustration by Nicko Phillips showing a group of chubby characters with patterned eyes at a party, one saying "we're here for the party" and another "we brought treats
Nicko Phillips' colourful illustration of cherubic characters floating against a turquoise sky with yellow clouds, each sitting on a patterned circular base in shades of pink, yellow and red
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