Quentin Jones’s screwball yet stylish illustrations and animations feature well-attired ladies and gents, cut and pasted with charming surrealist characters, bold geometric patterns and cats… lots of cats.  She only graduated last year from her MA Course in Illustration at London’s Central St. Martins College, but since then her jaw-dropping creations have been snapped up by fashion’s finest, with commissions from the likes of Holly Fulton, E. Tautz and AnOther Magazine for Chanel – as well as being featured in Nick Knight’s prestigious Showstudio website. She is inspired by the work of fine artists and counts Hannah Hoch, Marlene Dumas, RB Kitaj, and John Stezaker as her main influences. For this series of photo illustrations for GLASS, Jones paired up with photographer and frequent collaborator Niclas Heikkinen, together with stylist Agata Belcen, with whom Jones studied Philosophy several years earlier.

 

So what was the idea behind this new project? “I thought it would be fun to bounce ideas off what could be seen to be already 'finished' photos, in the same way that it is enjoyable to draw moustaches on the girls in Vogue - but maybe with a little more thought! I wanted the challenge of visually reacting to the styling and mood of the shots.  Agata chose really interesting and textural pieces.” 

 

Jones is fond of featuring cartoons in her work, which she explains helps to counterbalance the high-fashion element. “I think the cartoon references have started popping up more in fashion, than in other areas. Maybe they allow for a certain ‘tongue-in-cheek-ness,’ and highlight the question of whether fashion, like cartoons, should be received straight forwardly as an optimistic and aesthetic subject. In this project for GLASS, I quite liked that Felix seems to be taking the piss a bit!” 

 

And lastly, what’s with all the cats? “I know, this project is crawling in them! I think the mood just took me, but generally I think they are fascinating creatures. I am terrified of them in real-life, but love drawing or collaging them. They have amazing features.”