From Bake-Off sketches to whimsical fashion drawings: the best illustrators to follow on Instagram
- Posted by
- Sejal Kapadia Pocha
- Published

When was the last time an Instagram picture really and truly stopped you in your tracks?
Did it cause you to dwell on the photo and marvel at its beauty? If the answer is no, you're about to do just that.
When a new post by one of our favourite illustrators drops into our newsfeed, it fills us with glee and admiration.
From the man behind the cake drawings in The Great British Bake-Off to the fashion illustrator sought out by the likes of Valentino and Cartier, behold the instagrammers who will turn your photo-stream into a beautiful gallery.
Paper fashion
Best for: whimsical fashion drawings
Paper Fashion
Since launching her website to share her fantastical watercolours created in a small country town outside of Atlanta in 2009, Katie Rodgers has become a go-to fashion illustrator in New York City and as been commissioned by the likes of Cartier, Valentino, Swarovski and Kate Spade.
Follow @paperfashion
Twisted Loaf
Best for: fans of The Great British Bake-Off
Twisted Loaf
Tom Hovey is the man behind those oh-so-delicious food illustrations on BBC's hit baking competition GBBO since it began in 2010 and has won many awards for his unique style.
Follow @twistedloaf
Nina Cosford
Best for: travel mood boards
Nina Cosford
Though Nina is based in Hastings and London, she has the ability to trigger serious global wanderlust and dreams of adventure with her little drawings of travel inspirations.
Follow @ninacosford
Johanna Basford
Best for: the young at heart
Johanna Basford
Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford has sold millions of copies of her adult colouring books Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest. See how she creates her designs with only a pen and pencil.
Follow @johannabasford
The Palette
Best for: beauty enthusiasts
The Palette
Calla O'Malley in Ottawa understands that beauty packaging can make our hearts flutter and even more so when she illustrates them so carefully.
Follow @thepaletteblog
Gemma Correll
Best for: when you're looking for a laugh
Gemma Correll
This cartoonist loves pugs and is extremely clever with her words. She is a must-follow if you're after a few giggles on your commute. She's also known for her candid yet witty cartoons on anxiety.
Follow @gemmacorrell
Megan Hess
Best for: lovers of luxury
Megan Hess
Prada, Chanel, Dior, Tiffany & Co, Vanity Fair, Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Cartier. These are just some of the luxury brands that have requested the work of power fashion illustrator Megan Hess. She's currently on an international book tour.
Follow @meganhess_official
Gretchen Röehrs
Best for: the food and fashion obsessed
Gretchen Röehrs
This San Francisco-based illustrator makes playing with food look stylish with her clever and creative portraits.
Follow @groehrs
Mekel
Best for: the fashion insiders
Mekel
This Perth-based fashion illustrator uses bold splashes of colour in clever ways. Her work is good enough to mount on your living room wall.
Follow @mekel_illustration
Holly Exley
Best for: all things British
Holly Exley
Holly's watercolours strongly depict her love of the British countryside and wilderness, having moved away from London to a quieter part of Essex. She's also periodically peckish, which means she's always painting food.
Follow @hollyexley_illustration
David Downton
Best for: historians
David Downton
Every so often, the famed Vogue fashion illustrator will share a new sketch or extract from his books. And when he does, it's well worth the wait.
Follow @daviddownton
Eleni Kalorkoti
Best for: depictions of everyday life
Eleni Kalorkoti
Edinburgh-based Kalorkoti is a regular New York Times illustrator which means her works powerfully depict issues of our times.
Follow @elenikalorkoti
Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde
Best for: fictional characters
Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde
Character designer Ira in Munich has a real gift for creating fictitious female characters and giving them the most memorable and human-like expressions. We highly recommend following her heroines.
Follow @iraville
Maja Säfström
Best for: animal (especially cat) lovers
Maja Säfström
Maja is a Stockholm-based architect and illustrator who sells tote bags and postcards with her sweet animal drawings on them. See her latest work on Instagram.
Follow @majasbok
Nadia Coolrista
Best for: detailed celebrity portraits
Nadia Coolrista
Nadia in Virgina has a talent for capturing faces. While she sells handmade crafts from interior accessories to clothes on Etsy, her Instagram account is all about fashion's latest muses.
Follow @nadiacoolrista
Sven Rayon
Best for: tattoo artwork
Sven Rayon
This Belgium-based tattoo artist custom-draws incredibly detailed body art for his clients. Prepare to have your mind blown.
Follow @svenrayen
Dani Hoyos Art
Best for: colourful and intricate designs
Dani Hoyos Art
Almost 200,000 people follow Dani's drawing tutorials on YouTube where she shares how to decorate artworks and accessories using traditional Indian henna patterns.
Follow @danielahoyos
Disney Pixar
Best for: animation fans
Disney Pixar
Every so often, the official Disney Pixar account will share photos of rare drawings from their hit films such as Inside Out, Up and Toy Story.
Follow @disneypixar
Vanesa R. Del Rey
Best for: film buffs
Vanesa R. Del Rey
Vanesa from Miami regularly illustrates female comic book characters, from pulp-style femme fatales or old classics like Wonder Woman and Cheetara.
Follow @vrdelrey
Sarah Stribbling
Best for: gallery-worthy animal portraits
Sarah Stribbling
Sarah manages to do what we never could with our box of Crayola pencils - create hyper-realistic portraits of animals.
Follow @sarahstribblingwildlifeart