With a mixed media approach being prevalent within design and illustration at the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking on first inspection that Photoshop played a role in Tokyo artist Ei Kaneko's work. It's clear that the majority of the work is hand drawn but what's interesting is how we automatically assume that computer software played a role in it's creation, when in fact all the work is assembled solely by hand. With a number of artists and illustrators creating work along a similar vein but utilising Photoshop in the process it's often difficult to tell where the hand-drawn ends and the software begins.
What's more important than discussing the process however is the impact that the work has and it can't be denied that Ei Kaneko's work has impact. With a dark and slightly surrealist aesthetic, Keneko's work is at once striking and also a little disconcerting. With limbs and facial features cut out and re-assembled and an abundant, even severe use of negative space, Kaneko's work certainly leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.
While his site is more than a little confusing and only contains a limited body of work at the moment, Ei Kaneko is undoubtedly a talent worth keeping your eye on.
