Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 459,692 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,236 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,366 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,236 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,366 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,208 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 459,692 cutting edge ideas.

Watercolor Wonder Woman Portraits

Mike Kretz Paints Superheroines as Dreamy and Elegant Figures

— August 31, 2012 — Pop Culture
Watercolors as a medium often carry a passive and relaxing connotation, but illustrator Mike Kretz uses it to render the most dynamic and aggressive women around. Specifically, Kretz paints female comic book characters, with Wonder Women making multiple appearances in his portfolio. Though the heroine is renowned for kicking butt and brawling alongside the most masculine of superheroes, Kretz actually portrays her in a more elegant light, with images of her looking simply serene. Who knew watercolor illustrations could so easily revamp a person’s public image?

Mike Kretz also has myriad paintings inspired by geeky cinematic characters on his deviantART page. Familiar faces from Batman, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings make an appearance. As he improves his technique, Kretz’s paintings are becoming much more realistic rather than stylized.
Trend Themes
1. Watercolor Illustrations - Watercolor illustrations can revamp a person's public image, and could be used for creating dynamic visual content for brands and marketing materials.
2. Geeky Cinematic Characters Artworks - As illustrated characters become more popular amongst millennials, investing in licensed artwork of popular cinematic characters can potentially be lucrative for merchandise-driven industries.
3. Realistic Stylized Paintings - The combination of realism and stylization in painted illustrations can inspire a new type of art style that could be utilized in branding and advertising campaigns.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Design - Industries that rely on visual content production can explore watercolor and stylized illustration techniques to create captivating and distinctive artwork.
2. Entertainment and Gaming - The entertainment and gaming industries can invest in licensed artwork of popular comic book and cinematic characters to expand their marketing and merchandising campaigns.
3. Fine Art Prints and Collectibles - Industries that specialize in fine art prints and collectibles can potentially tap into Mike Kretz's evolving art style to create unique pieces that appeal to fans of pop culture.
6.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness