There is something refreshingly uplifting in Libby VanderPloeg’s illustrations and GIFs. “My work comes out of my deep affinity for storytelling, music, letterforms, printed ephemera, and wildlife, “she shares in her website. “None of these works could have been made without the world’s finest brioche and several good, strong cups of coffee.”
They illustrator and designer grew up in Michigan and since then, lived in Grand Rapids, Chicago, New York, and even Stockholm. “I’m inspired by just about everything around me,” she said in an interview with Create & Cultivate. “I’ve lived in relatively urban areas for most of my life and in such environments, you’re just immersed in interesting culture without trying very hard.”
“I find humans endlessly fascinating (and weird), and along that line I’m interested in the little worlds they/we create through fashion, decor, and culture more broadly,” she went on to say. “I’m constantly cataloging all of this visual information in my head, or sometimes jotting notes down on my phone to refer back to if I just feel like doodling but am not sure where to start. For me, I’m tripping over inspiration daily. Sometimes it’s the bolt-of-lightning type, but most of the time it’s more like ‘I think I’ll draw my funny socks today because I love them,’ and that’s fine, too.”
Check out some of her playful illustrations and viral GIFs in the gallery below. Do you have a favorite?
