Robin Eley is an Australian illustrator based in Adelaide. Eley was born in the UK, raised in Australia and trained in the U.S. at Westmont College and the Illustration Academy.

Eley paints in acrylic and oil, in a kind of interpretive realism that combines direct representational and stylized images. This is particularly evident in his portraits, which can range from straightforward to caricature, but have a strong definition through his control of value and color.

His clients include Time, The Village Voice, The Wall Street Journal, Vibe, Hyperion/Disney and Houghton Mifflin.

Eley’s subjects always seem to “pop”, with little doubt where your eye is intended to focus. He will often soften his backgrounds, or control them with color contrasts, to make the subject snap into high relief.

He also has a nice feeling for the naturalistic representation of materials, giving even his most exaggerated subjects a firm grounding in the real world.

His editorial work, and his portraits in particular, often have a nice “bite” to them, pointing out the foibles of his subject with the precise stab of a brush.

You will find a range of his work on his web site, arranged into sections for portraits, book illustration, conceptual (editorial) and advertising. You can also find images of his work, sometimes reproduced a bit larger, on his Levy Creative Management portfolio page. His own site also includes some of his work reproduced nice and large and offered as wallpapers. (I can’t give you direct links because the site is in frames.)

Eley also maintains a blog, on which he posts and talks about his professional work as well as personal pieces.