We're big fans of Irish illustrator Steve Simpson (opens in new tab) at Creative Bloq, having previously featured his reinvented barcodes (opens in new tab) and spaghetti Western posters (opens in new tab). So we had to share this brilliant children’s activity book he created, which celebrates the Catholic festival of Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muenas).
This beautiful and informative book is comprised of 16 pages filled with petrifying puzzles, morbid mazes, and of course, no shortage of skeletons - all illustrated in Simpson’s unique and colourful style, using pen, pencil and Photoshop CC (opens in new tab).
Simpson's obsession with fine detail and vibrant colours shines through. One extra touch that most will over look is the simple but stylish borders that beautifully link the book together
Aside from the obvious influence of folk art Steve Simpsons influences come from Jim Flora, Mary Blair, arts and crafts pioneer William Morris and his uncle which Simpson talks in more depth about here (opens in new tab). You can keep up to date with Steve’s works in progress on Behance (opens in new tab)or on his blog (opens in new tab).
Words: Alex Williamson (opens in new tab)
Alex Williamson is an art and design student in London, who blogs about design, art and illustration. Follow him on Twitter (opens in new tab).
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Have you seen any stunning book illustrations? Let us know in the comment box below!