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InspirationIllustration

Specimens: quirky characters brought to life by illustrator Stina Jones

A longtime favourite of Creative Boom, talented illustrator and graphic designer Stina Jones has just launched her latest series, Specimens. Combining bold line work with colourful fills to create fun characters with a clean simplicity, it's a signature style that we've come to associate with the Manchester-based creative.

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Turquoise creature with bulbous eyes, neutral expression and glowing neon lines across its chest against a coral pink background

"Doodling odd looking creatures and characters was always a fun pastime for me growing up, so I wanted to incorporate that into this series," Stina explains. "Illustrating is my hobby as well as my profession and I often doodle characters on my breaks or while I'm winding down in the evenings. I like to take my time, play around and experiment as I go."

Each of the designs starts as a set of simple shapes and doodles, developed using mirroring techniques to give them a satisfying sense of symmetry. You can see more of Stina’s character illustrations on Instagram @stina_jones.

Orange rounded character with spiky hair, white mask-like eyes and closed smile on turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Pink furry creature with spiky hair, closed eyes and a wide grin against a yellow background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Turquoise unicorn creature with pointed horn, cat-like ears and a wide smile against a purple background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Orange creature with a square head featuring a circular lens, set against a turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Yellow spiky creature with one large circular eye and stubby legs against a turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Turquoise cartoon creature with large triangular black eyes, small white pupils, pursed mouth and stubby limbs against a purple background
Turquoise ghost-like character with a white skull-shaped head, dot eyes and three horizontal mouth lines, against a pink background
Yellow rounded creature with pink flower-shaped eyes, buck teeth and small limbs on a turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
White skull with pink eyes and curved horns, supported by four long pink legs, set against a yellow background
Orange quirky creature with spiky hair, large round eyes and a neutral expression against a turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Yellow creature with two horns, pink circular eyes and turquoise hands against a turquoise background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
Turquoise robot character with a large circular eye, antenna, white mouth panel and stubby limbs on a purple background
Purple creature with large round eyes, small horns and a simple expression against an orange background, from Stina Jones's Specimens series
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