Toma Vagner is an illustrator that grew up on a Russian island within easy sailing distance of Japan. Her father was a sailor that often bought back Japanese toys and trinkets, which went on to inspire her work.
The art style of the time went on to inspire her as well- e.g. Hokusai and his compositions and style. You can see this in the flat coloured areas and bold line art of her works.
Here, I love the grainy dark background and the pastel interiors of the piece. Random objects floating about give me an almost abstract, uneasy feeling – but I love it. I want to create this feeling in my work. I have already taken inspiration from the flowers growing behind the hand in one of my Future worksheets.I am a sucker for pastel pink work. Here, I like the female figure and her cool jacket. I also really like the repeated images throughout the piece, e.g. lipstick, the colour swatch circles and the lights on her mirror. The fact that most of the composition isn’t defined is interesting: it means the flat colour dominates the piece and I really like that. I like the grey background against the pink. Vagner tends to colour her lineart quite brightly, with pinks and reds. I’ve seen a lot of artists doing this and I think it adds a lot of interest. It gives the eye more to process than just red or just black.
Gemma's Art 