Fred Fixler was born in Hungary, although his family migrated to America when he was very young, and was raised in the Bronx. After perusing other careers, in the early 1950s, Mr. Fixler turned his attention to art. He attended The Art Students League in New York, then later studied Cubism at the The Academie Julian in Paris.

Mr. Fixler began his illustration career working at publishers Brandon House, painting for their pulp paperback covers. So successful and identifiable was his style that he became Brandon House’s foremost illustrator.

Following a successful career, Mr. Fixler turned his hand to teaching. He taught at The Brandes Art Institute, and The California Art Institute influencing a new generation of illustrators who carry on in his teachings today.

His ex-student, Greg Pro, has set up a website showcasing some of Mr. Fixler’s body of work. It includes a lot of his handouts, note, and laws in the section titled Cave 22, which is a treasure trove of great tips.

Fernando Vicente is such a talented, versatile illustrator that it would probably take ten posts on The Lounge to cover his abilities. But to summarise, he specialises in fashion illustration, children’s illustration, pin-ups, technical illustrations, maps and caricatures. Some of his finest work depicts pin-up girls with segments of their inner anatomy displayed. Visit his website, or alternatively his Behance page to see more.

Schoolism teacher Jason Seiler is an award winning artist with a humorous style and sound technique. His portraits capture ‘that special something’ which makes them intriguing and engaging. Jason’s clients make for an impressive list and include Time Magazine, Penguin Group, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. To see more visit his excellent website and his agent’s, Richard Solomon. I love that Susan Boyle piece!

Denise Nestor is a Dublin-based illustrator who marries realism with contemporary. By using simple device, such as one or two solid colours and faded lines her work creates intrigue. Her pencils are obviously fantastic but it’s her composition and use of these devices that make her work stand out from other realism artist. See more of her portfolio here.

Monica Garwood recently graduated from California College of the Arts, and now lives in San Francisco. Her stand-out pieces for me are her veiled woman illustration titled ‘Peep’ and I rather like her children’s book illustrations for ‘Clara and the Magic Brush’. See more excellent work on her website.

Leighton Hickman currently works at Dreamworks Animation as a visual development artist. But he also teaches, mentors and is a dab-hand at landscapes. He worked on ‘The Croods’, Dreamworks’ latest animated movie on show. If you visit his website, you’ll see his excellent paintings, which full of rough brush marks yet still feel true to life. You can see the 50’s animation influence in his striking character designs, which are superb. Pop over to his website and have a look at the incredible versatility and top-drawer talent Leighton has on display.

Spanish illustrator Roberto Pena has had me hooked for a very long time; I always return to his website every so often to see his latest posts, and he never disappoints! The colour rendering is incredible and he seems to be able to draw anything in any style. Oh and if you like gorillas, there are plenty of them on his website.