Scott Altmann’s richly colored fantasy art exudes a luminescent quality. He’s equally at home in working traditionally in oil or commanding pixels to do his bidding. “I try to sketch as much as possible, and more from my imagination than reference. It's the idea generation that I am searching for. I can always get reference later if needed, but that initial energy is very important to try to capture. It's really a searching process for me. My mind often feels overloaded with ideas and imagery- so the hard part for me is to be an editor. Scrapping the weak ideas, and trying to pinpoint the ideas that are more powerful.” Altmann divides his time between illustration and gallery work. His clients include Wizards of the Coast, UpperDeck Entertainment and Green Ronin Publishing. Altmann graduated from the Illustration department of the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Ferris Plock grew up in the Bay Area, amusing himself with comic books, graffiti, hip-hop, and Chevy Impalas. Plock's surrealist and seemingly childish artwork more often than not incorporates animals or monsters in everyday human conditions- going to work, dodging splashes from cars, walking their pets, or being attacked by various creatures. You’ll find Ferris Plock's illustrations in XLR8R magazine, Mad Mixer magazine, Tokion magazine, Quarter magazine, Freedom Book, and flavorpill.com. He has shown work in New York City, Seattle, New Orleans, Tokyo, London, Paris, Dublin, and cities across California.

Lio Beardsley entered an Anna Sui 'Dolly Head' contest in 2003, won the grand prize, had a chance to meet Anna herself, and has worked with her ever since. In 2005, Beardsley published her first illustration book, “Into the Magical World of Delite.” Her clients include Isaten New York, Maybelline, Vidal Sassoon, IT, This is real Art(UK), Samsung and several 4A agencies. She obtained her BA degree from Hong Kong Polytechnique University. “I want to be a mixture of artist and illustrator. Artist alone may be too far fetched, subjective and difficult to understand, but illustrator is also too commercial without personal opinion. Better be both. I don't want to be just an illustrator who draws pretty things. I think it is time for us to give back to this world, to make a beautiful world not only fashion, graphic design, interior design or decoration stuffs, but the inner side of it --- being a vegetarian, my goal is to make a better and peaceful world for the beautiful creatures - animals!”

Joshua Ellingson started making art regularly with self published comic books and gradually moved on to design work in college. These days, Joshua contributes illustration regularly to various national and international publications. "I try to bring a sense of design and narrative into my work, when possible. I feel like that's my strength." His work has been featured on everything from handheld games to slot machines. He also does animation, toy design, comics and the occasional art show. His work is vivid, humorous, and sometimes dark. Much of it touches upon machinery, technology and visions of the future.

'I am originally from the London area and studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design, I have worked for the past fourteen years as a freelance Scenic Artist and Illustrator', she says, 'working for such clients as Warner Brothers in Germany, Legoland in Bavaria, Universal Studios in Spain and painting a decorative ceiling for King Abdullah ll of Jordan in Amman. I set up a company in 2000 in Scenic Services but left 3 years ago to pursue full-time illustration from my new base in Valencia, Spain with two cats on my lap instead of ice in my paint bucket! Exploring the full potential of digital artwork big and small'.

I would have to say everything that’s happened in my life has affected me as an artist. My dad was in WWII and I think my family’s connection to that era brought about my eventual love for pulp art. I’ve been doing some website design, Flash illustrations for an educational CD-Rom for the University of Montana and a few ‘A Scanner Darkly’-style portraits. This past fall I did a painted commission for a Fables event at Austin Books and Comics and also did a t-shirt design for their fall sale. I’m about to start working on a comic I originally started at 24 Hour Comic Book Day. I like the story and I’d like to see how it turns out if I put some time into it. It’ll be my first comic book.

Jacques Laplante likes to think of illustrators as artists who capture a society's life and times - that a good illustrator will go beyond the mere visual reflection of a book's text. "Illustrators reflect the era in which we live," he says. Laplante’s characters have appeared in many publications and ads worldwide. They communicate with humor, warmth and simplicity. "Every project," he says, "unfurls like a butterfly, and every impending deadline represents a new surge of color and emotion."

An English/German hybrid, born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1977, Serge grew up traveling between the UK and Asia, where his exposure to modern Chinese art, Mad magazine and a constant diet of MTV fuelled his desire to become an illustrator. He currently resides in London working as a full time illustrator and typographer. Serge has worked on numerous projects from branding to logotypes. Clients include MTV, Vodafone, Match.com, Honda, Cartoon Network, Puma and the Glastonbury Festival.

Joe Rocco is a graduate of Art Center College of Design and has worked as an editorial illustrator for 18 years. He's currently writing and illustrating the weekly alternative strip "Fluffer & Nutter," seen in Seattle's "The Stranger". He's illustrated the column "Joe Bob's America," written by Joe Bob Briggs and distributed by The New York Times Syndicate, and for 10 years he self published and distributed his own cartoon "Enquiring Minds" with writing partner Mandy Foster to alternative newsweeklies in the United States and Canada. His clients include Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, S.I. For Kids, Time, Disney, Nickelodeon, Premiere, Scholastic Publications, The Chicago Tribune, National Geographic Kids, Fantagraphics Comics, Harper Collins Books and many other national newspapers and magazines. His work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Design and the Alternative Newspaper Awards.

Ward is showing large works on paper this coming June in Shanghai, China. In this interview, he talks about the difference between ART and illustration, and how they intersect in his work. The paintings discussed have a deep, raw energy that at first glance seem to have nothing to do with his illustration work. But look again and it all makes sense.