Artist Brings Sketchbook Pages to Life With Vibrant Paintings Captured en Plein Air

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

By working en plein air, artists capture the beauty of a moment in time. Brooklyn-based illustrator Angela Mckay, better known as Ohkii Studio, takes her sketchbook with her on all of her excursions and fills the pages with vibrant spreads of picturesque locations—from sunny seashores to flower-dotted fields.

Originally from Australia and Thailand, the artist has a particular fondness for depicting warm locales and verdant plant life, both of which appear frequently in her illustrations. “My paintings are inspired by far-flung travels, long summer days, and the wonders of the natural world,” Mckay tells My Modern Met. “I work primarily in watercolor and gouache, sketching quickly in journals on my travels or creating intricately detailed paintings later on.”

The artist uses simplified forms and repetitions of shapes in order to paint a sight as rapidly as possible. As a result, this stylistic choice also gives the illustrations a pleasing, pattern-like quality that makes the painting burst with color and energy.

You can purchase prints and original art via Mckay's website, and keep up to date with her latest projects by following the artist on Instagram.

Artist Angela Mckay, better known as Ohkii Studio, fills her sketchbook with vibrant watercolor and gouache paintings inspired by her travels.

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Paintings by Angela Mckay

Sketchbook Paintings by Angela MckaySketchbook Paintings by Angela Mckay

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Paintings by Angela Mckay

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Paintings by Angela Mckay

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Paintings by Angela Mckay

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Sketchbook Illustrations by OHKII Studio

Angela Mckay: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Angela Mckay.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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