Claudine O’Sullivan is an illustration student at the University of the Arts, London. She is inspired by faces and the subtlety of people’s expressions. This is conveyed using her gritty style, which doesn’t hide anything. All creases and cracks are laid bare for all to see. This is not classic portraiture, this is modern stuff. The expressions are often not so subtle; they are quite powerful and intriguing. The line-work is not perfect; it is rough and uses varied weights in unconventional ways. But the overall illustration comes together somehow! This is throwing the rule book out and still getting the desired result. This is what makes Claudine’s work exciting to me.

