Geek-Art Selection of the Week
Newsletter #280 : Ryosuke Tekeushi, Daniel Isles, Frost Llamson, Leonardo Romero + interview : Atelier Sento + NEW ART PRINT RELEASE !
NEWSLETTER #280
[Retrouvez la version française de cette newsletter ici]
Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Geek-Art newsletter. Every Monday, I bring you a curated selection of four outstanding portfolios, along with the latest news, sneak peeks of new illustrations, limited art prints, art book recommendations, and an exclusive artist interview. In short: more content than ever celebrating art inspired by pop culture and the worlds of imagination.
This week’s line-up features the portfolios of Ryosuke Takeushi, Daniel Isles, Frost Llamson, and Leonardo Romero. Expect your regular dose of Magic: The Gathering artworks, plus a splash of Spider-Man, some old-school fantasy, beer label designs, and plenty more hidden gems.
Our featured interview is with ATELIER SENTO, a brilliant French illustrator duo whose work radiates a deep love for Japan and its culture. Don’t forget to support these talented artists by following them on social media!
[To get the full experience of this newsletter, I suggest you open directly the web version or use Substack]
NEW ART PRINT RELEASE : GEEK-ART x CAURETTE PUBLISHING x DELCOURT PUBLISHING
Linear Forests by Eric Héninot
Surprise ! It’s time to reveal the brand-new art print we’re releasing in collaboration with my longtime partner, Éditions Caurette! We’re thrilled to present this large-format print, featuring an exclusive illustration by Eric Heninot, the artist behind the graphic novel adaptation of Alain Damasio’s masterpiece La Horde du Contrevent, published by Delcourt Publishing.
This is an official release, produced in partnership with Delcourt Publishing and La Volte.
This collector’s gem will be available for a limited time only on Caurette’s shop, Liber Distri, from Friday, September 12 at 6 PM until Monday, September 15 at 6 PM. As always, the sale will be open to everyone during this window, with each print numbered according to the order of purchase. No reprints will be made—so don’t miss out on this exclusive large-format edition (61 x 91 cm), priced at €80.
For updates leading up to the launch, follow Geek-Art on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Bluesky.
And to make sure you don’t miss this release, sign up through the Caurette form—you’ll receive an email the very moment the print goes on sale!
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Access to the full version of this newsletter will soon switch to a paid model. You’ll then have the choice between two options:
Free version: one full newsletter per month, plus short previews of the three others.
Paid version: access to all four monthly newsletters, exclusive contests, early previews, and full access to the complete archives (not available to free subscribers).
To ease into the transition, the full newsletter will remain free for all subscribers throughout September.
Starting with the first October issue, subscriptions will become paid—but at a special introductory rate of €2 per month for the entire month of October.
From the first November issue, the subscription will shift to Substack’s minimum rate of €5 per month.
I’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
A huge thank you for your support and for subscribing!
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PORTFOLIOS
RYOSUKE TEKEUSHI
I was instantly charmed by the work of this Japanese illustrator, who blends traditional Japanese atmospheres with pop culture characters. His warm, gentle universe—his sense of staging, his attention to architecture and landscapes—feels truly transportive. And it’s all irresistibly cute. Special mention goes to his Fantastic Four fan art!
DANIEL ISLES
I’ve always been drawn to slightly psychedelic visual worlds, and Daniel Isles’ work naturally falls into that very personal category. There’s both madness and poetry in what he creates, with shapes and colors that bring an organic, sci-fi edge I find absolutely fascinating.
FROST LLAMSON
I’ve probably mentioned countless times in this newsletter just how much of a fan I am of the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes. Frost Llamson delights me with his portraits and action scenes drawn from that distant future where—as we all know and love—there is only war!
→ Twitter → Instagram →Bluesky
LEONARDO ROMERO
We’re wrapping up this week’s portfolios with, for a change, a comic book illustrator: Leonardo Romero. What immediately struck me in his work is the blend of modern graphic design with a distinctly 1960s spirit—a mix I find especially appealing. It’s no surprise, then, that Marvel tapped him as Lead Character Designer for the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, now streaming on Disney+!
→ Twitter → Artstation
MAGIC
Here’s my weekly roundup of the Magic: The Gathering illustrations that stood out the most to me this week…
We’re sticking with the web-slinger, as the incredible comic book artist Paolo Rivera revealed his work on the Magic Spider Man edition this week—and, of course, it does not disappoint!
GEEK-ART NEWS
This week’s artist news that caught my eye, from personal projects to art prints and exhibitions.
Les Utopiales, the must-see annual sci-fi festival in my beautiful city of Nantes, has unveiled its stunning official 2025 poster by Stéphanie Hans!
Manuel Eduardo Cardidas is the lead designer at Mattel for the entire Masters of the Universe line (anyone say “dream job”?), and he recently shared on Instagram these stunning packaging illustrations by German artist Simon Eckert!
The trailer for Deathstalker, seemingly dropped out of nowhere this week, is absolutely outstanding in every way. It also gave rise to a legendary tweet, highlighting the work of one of the last titans of fantasy illustration: Boris Vallejo. He famously illustrated the posters for the first four Deathstalker films (which, to my shame, I’d never even heard of). In short, a perfect opportunity to admire these little masterpieces…
To wrap up this little news roundup, Label 619 (one of my favorite French comic labels) revealed its collaboration with Arcka Brewery (check out their website and incredible labels) and Ethyquete (as the name suggests, specialists in liquor labels). They unveiled the first of four labels for the 619 vintage, featuring this stunning illustration by Run for Mutafukaz! Three more labels are yet to be revealed…
REEL OF THE WEEK
This week’s Insta video is all about WIP—and more WIP!
I stumbled across this account by chance (proof that sometimes the algorithms really do get it right): Le Dur de la Feuille. I must admit every single video is fascinating. You really don’t realize how difficult it is to make paper the old-fashioned way. So, artists of all stripes, if you want to create on paper with character and history, go follow Le Dur de la Feuille! (Workshops are also available.)
INTERVIEW : ATELIER SENTO
A French illustrator duo captivated by Japan and its universe, Cécile and Olivier are the four hands behind Atelier Sento. Their signature style blends watercolor, traditional printmaking techniques, and digital tools—an approach that has earned them widespread acclaim. Both comic book creators and freelance illustrators, they kindly agreed to answer my now-traditional questions for the Fantastic Portfolios newsletter!
First of all, could you briefly introduce yourselves to our readers? Where you come from, where you work, your background… and how you fell into illustration?
Hello everyone! We’re Cécile and Olivier, a duo of all-round artists working across comics, illustration, video games, and printmaking. Our path has been somewhat chaotic: we didn’t attend a specialized school and hesitated for a long time between different fields. We began receiving offers for book covers and festival posters, and in the end, illustration kind of found us.
How would you describe your graphic universe? How did you “find” it, and when did you realize, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life”?
In general, our style is defined by the use of watercolor and Japanese inspiration. It was during a year living in Japan, sketchbook in hand, that we developed our style—or rather, it developed naturally through the sketches we made during our stay. Our comics and illustrations use the exact same techniques as our Japan sketches. We’ve always wanted to do this for our lives, but it was when we published Onibi, our first comic, that we truly felt it had become more tangible than just a dream.
What advice would you give to young people who want to become illustrators?
The world of illustration has certainly changed a lot since we started, but for us, the most important thing is to prioritize human connections. By interacting—first online, then in person—you gradually build relationships and create opportunities.
What is your perspective on the profession and its challenges?
It’s a dream job (after all, you can work in pajamas all day!), but it’s not without its difficulties. Many illustrators struggle with doubt and loneliness. We’re lucky to work as a couple, which helps a lot since we can support and reassure each other. That said, we don’t count our hours, and our income remains modest. Still, it’s more than enough for us, as we’ve structured our daily lives around these constraints.
AI is on everyone’s lips and all over social media. Here at Geek-Art, we’re not exactly fans—especially in creative fields. What’s your take on the issue?
As illustrators, AI isn’t particularly useful to us. Yet we see more and more clients turning to this technology despite its ethical concerns, including city councils and many cultural organizations. It’s a questionable choice that they may eventually reconsider. In any case, when we come across AI-generated posters on the street, we enjoy examining them closely: beyond the first impression, they’re full of nightmarish details!
What is your favorite piece in your portfolio, and why?
In illustration, it’s probably The Ghost of Kyoto, because it blends realism (we drew Kyoto alleyways we love) with fantasy (featuring this enormous head whose expression is both intriguing and unsettling). For us, the two are always intertwined, and we constantly try to spot the strange elements that creep into the apparent banality of everyday life.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Primarily our travels in Japan: we return regularly and for extended stays to do plenty of sketching. We love walking all day—for example, in Tokyo, to see how different neighborhoods connect. Our work also opens many doors (we’ve visited major manga publishers and even Hideo Kojima’s video game studio) and allows us to meet incredible people. All of this eventually finds its way into our work, often without us consciously planning it.
Discover and support the work of Atelier Sento on their website, Twitter, on Instagram and Behance!
