Jon Krause

 

John Krause creates images that are typically characterized by a sense of calm that masks an elegant edginess and witty irony. His intelligent, thought-provoking illustrations firmly grasp the viewers attention at first glance, but the second glance is often rewarded with an unexpected visual twist.

Jon executes his compelling concepts with strong compositions and a tastefully subdued color palette.

As one of the few masters of the genre, I wanted to hear Jon’s secrets for successful concepts.

Q: What do you think makes a strong conceptual illustration?

A: I think that while the communication or suggestion of the text is vital, an image that allows viewers to draw their own conclusions through the illustration makes it much more appealing. Sometimes, I really just like to look at cool pictures too.

Q: What’s the key to an effective artist/art director relationship?

A: Trust, both ways, leads to an effective collaboration.

 

Q: Do you like to have ideas from an art director to start with or do you prefer to develop your ideas independently?

A: I prefer to come up with the ideas, but I’ve worked in situations where a certain idea has been concepted and approved and needs to be adhered to. In those cases I work out a lot of different sketches and compositions to produce the best image I can, staying true to both the clients vision and my own.

Q: What medium do you work in?

A: I work in acrylic, on wood or paper. I also have a Close Encounters of the Third Kind style Devil’s Tower of rejected sketches piling up in my basement.