Artless: Art & Illustration by Simple Means

Artless presents some of the most compelling images created by contemporary artists and illustrators using the simplest of tools, such as color pencils, crayons, watercolor, scissors, and glue. 

Work produced in this manner represents a growing and particularly resilient trend in the visual arts world. Through individual interviews with over 50 artists, Artless looks at how and why these particular artists find the intimate connection between the unassuming tools they use and the art thus created so enthralling. For creator and viewer alike there seems to be a particular kind of pleasure to be had in short-circuiting the sophisticated and often elusive strategies of contemporary art in favor of something disarmingly uncomplicated. 

This book divides the artists' work in terms of the techniques they use, from color pencils and pens to ceramics and mixed media, with some artists mixing these techniques digitally. The end results are images imbued with a great sense of fun and spontaneity.