# Surreal Hybrid Vintage Illustrations The Surreal Illustrations by Laura McKellar are Fantastical By Kristina Marković | Published 2014-02-13 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/laura-mckellar References: [witness-this](http://witness-this.com/art/laura-mckellar/) & [lauramckellar](http://www.lauramckellar.com/) Australia-born artist Laura McKellar fuses nature and humanity to create contemporary vintage-looking illustrations. The human and animal hybrid illustrations channel a different kind of art. The delicate pastel colored illustrations leave you feeling as though you are looking at a vintage picture but with odd modern touches. Laura McKellar's illustrations look like they have emerged from a children's fairy-tale book. Her art work is [magically surreal and storybook-like](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1). The timeless drawings captivate viewers. Laura is a multi-faceted artist who fuses different techniques to create her masterpieces. She works with Photoshop, print, scanning, editing programs and free-hand illustrating. Laura uniquely combines embroidery with the technique of printing old photographs onto fabric pieces. Laura McKellar's contemporary-vintage illustrations come to life with the [fusion of photography and embroidery](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/folded-echoes). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.2/10 - Popularity: 48% | Activity: 11% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Hybrid Illustrations:** There is an opportunity to create hybrid digital/real-life installations, building on Laura's techniques of combining different art techniques. - **Contemporary-vintage Art:** There is an opportunity to explore the market for contemporary/vintage art for home decor, potentially using Laura's illustrations to inspire the direction. - **Surreal Storytelling:** There is an opportunity to leverage the power of surreal storytelling through a combination of traditional and digital media. ### Where This Applies - **Art and Illustration:** Employing Laura's techniques to create contemporary-vintage hybrid illustrations for commercial purposes, including advertising and branding. - **Textile and Fashion:** Collaborating with designers to incorporate Laura's illustration prints on fabric, potentially with the techniques of embroidery printing. - **Storytelling and Literature:** Using Laura's artwork for book cover design or other literature-based projects, possibly with an emphasis on surrealism. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Vibrantly Colorful Dynamic Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kayla-rumpp.md) - [AI-Generated Poetic Photo Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emilio-alarcn.md) - [Striking Urban Wildlife Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clare-allin.md) - [Exuberant Love-Inspired Pillows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/laura-dro-designs.md) - [Hand-Painted Watercolor Prints](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emma-webster.md) - [AI-Generated Real-World Transformations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-generated-world.md) - [AI-Generated Retrofuturistic Objects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/retrofuturistic-objects.md) - [Hand-Painted Ceramic Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handpainted-ceramic-collections.md) - [Otherworldly Wooden Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-sculptures-1.md)