Michael Mantel

You can tell from Michael’s portfolio that he’s always enjoyed drawing comics and cartoons. He studied Communication Design at HTK Hamburg but is an artist who learns by doing and before becoming an illustrator worked for the German studio behind the animated films Animals United and Tarzan. Bringing that character-based experience across into his illustration work, his influences include Albert Uderzo, Bernhard Vogel and Pixar.

Approach

Michael works on a Wacom Cintiq using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and sometimes uses an iPad Pro if he needs to work on the road. Having mastered an array of natural media, he gives his work a real-world look and feel even though it’s created digitally.

Styles

While most of Michael’s work can be described as lively, colorful and humorous, he works in a range of styles chosen to suit the needs of his client and their brief. Each image is styled uniquely for its application.