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Adorable Minimalist Illustrations Have a Hilariously Sharp Wit

Illustrator and designer David Olenick has a knack for pairing adorable characters with a biting wit. His minimalist artworks grace a variety of products like pillows and greeting cards but are most popular on t-shirts. Smiling foods, unhappy umbrellas, and puzzled dinosaurs accompany short sayings that reveal what the subject is thinking. Olenick's designs give us a funny glimpse into these ridiculous inner monologues.

Anxiety, embarrassment, and character flaws all inspire the creative's work. A lot of his ideas are born in bars and restaurants, suggesting that these types of things don't come from hours of brainstorming. Instead, Olenick's illustrations seem like they could begin as funny thoughts or conversations that are then best worked out on napkins.

Check out his Tumblr and you'll get a glimpse of his process. Concepts are started with a very rough sketch and later refined into what we see here. You can buy Olenick's work online through Society6 and Threadless, where he frequently posts new hilarious designs.

David Olenick Tumblr and Facebook page
via [Izismile]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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