Eric Petersen, Illustrator

METALOCUS goes a step further, opening a new section ILLUSTRATION: we felt the moment to classify the scattered contents and open a new CATEGORY should come. There are many the reasons that lead us to think illustrators deserve their rightful place, a place where proposals are tackled and focuses on these sort of brilliant works often close to the forms of expression of architects, other thematic reference and most of the time because of its obvious intrinsic value.

Nothing Else Exists, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

And after the happy opening of the section with "COCO DÁVEZ, Illustrator", now Eric Petersen is our last proposal. This American illustrator draws as the authors of the comics of the 40s did; the merit lies in his ability to give them a personal style and not fall into "clichés" that reproduce vintage style to follow the trend of the commercial industry.

Conceived using uniform lines drawn on the computer, his characters are featured without facial expression and with blank eyes, erasing all their humanity. Creating images of random thoughts, his compositions are stripped of detail, leading the viewer to experience a frame of mind different in each case. His illustrations arise from the use of forced perspective and complementary colour like an antique photograph.

In the words of Eric: "Colour has become increasingly more important to me in my latest work. I am trying to create an emotional connection through an emotionless technical illustration style".

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Amusing the Patient, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

At the End of the Day, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

And Then I Woke Up, 2012. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Calling You, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

You're Not Alone, 2012. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Killing Time, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Learning To Walk, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Looking Forward, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Thank You TV, 2013. llustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

WhatHappened, 2013. llustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

Tomorrow's Sun, 2013. llustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

We Cause Accidents, 2013. Illustration by Eric Petersen. Courtesy of Eric Petersen.

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More information

Eric Petersen

Eric Petersen was born in 1973 in Santa Monica, California, United States; the available biographical sources do not specify the exact day or month of his birth. He is an American illustrator and artist who was based in Olympia, Washington, during the early years of his professional career. He currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Petersen studied Art at California State University, Northridge, and continued his education at institutions including ArtCenter College of Design, Cooper Union, and the School of Visual Arts. Before becoming a professional illustrator in 2012, he spent approximately a decade programming websites for major companies in New York.

His distinctive style draws inspiration from instructional graphics, video games, and American comic books of the 1940s. Using uniform digital lines, forced perspectives, and unconventional colours, he creates ambiguous and subtly unsettling scenes. His clients include Apple, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Wired, and Scientific American. His work has also been recognised by Communication Arts, the Society of Illustrators, and 3×3.

Published on: July 5, 2013

Cite:

metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA y LAURA CANTO

"Eric Petersen, Illustrator" METALOCUS. Accessed

<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/eric-petersen-illustrator> ISSN 1139-6415