{"id":219358,"date":"2025-12-31T05:41:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T05:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/219358\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T05:41:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T05:41:17","slug":"the-top-art-stories-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/219358\/","title":{"rendered":"The top art stories of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"9c5db2d6-1cf0-4e3a-b0b1-321badf8d6e6\">It&#8217;s been a lovely year for art, in that some gorgeous work has been created and we&#8217;ve been lucky enough to cover some of it.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of our top stories from 2025 that cover all things artistic (in no particular order).<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"9c5db2d6-1cf0-4e3a-b0b1-321badf8d6e6-2\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">If you&#8217;re looking to get started with your own creations in 2026 then don&#8217;t miss our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-oil-paints\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-oil-paints\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best oil paints<\/a>, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-acrylic-paintbrushes\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-acrylic-paintbrushes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best acrylic paintbrushes<\/a> and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-watercolour-paper\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/buying-guides\/best-watercolour-paper\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best watercolour paper<\/a> guides.<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-54d18fb4-0864-4ec4-bdce-9a0c012744ec\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/>New exhibition showcases Will Eisner&#8217;s profound influence on the graphic novel<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.30%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FeGL3EshnN3V2pY6269tcd.jpg\" alt=\"Will Eisner art from A Contract with God\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FeGL3EshnN3V2pY6269tcd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FeGL3EshnN3V2pY6269tcd.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Will Eisner)<\/p>\n<p id=\"ac81a3d7-74d8-4052-bcb0-6b72df0d6096\">Will Eisner is known as the father of the graphic novel for his 1978 publication A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. The milestone in sequential art was deeply personal, written a few years after Will lost his young daughter to leukemia, and it was instrumental in shaping the medium.<\/p>\n<p>Now the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York City is hosting a career-spanning exhibition of the legendary comic artist&#8217;s work, featuring pieces from every stage of the artist\u2019s career from 1941 to 2002. And we got an exclusive glimpse.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full story on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/new-exhibition-showcases-will-eisners-profound-influence-on-the-graphic-novel\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/new-exhibition-showcases-will-eisners-profound-influence-on-the-graphic-novel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Will Eisner<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-605200b3-0e6e-4dd8-8edc-f490c66206a5\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/>This artist creates stunning elfin characters inspired by anime art styles<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.22%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/xmqEFLSZBUAP4yNmRXFmiH.jpg\" alt=\"2D art of the week; A stylised, elfin woman\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/xmqEFLSZBUAP4yNmRXFmiH.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/xmqEFLSZBUAP4yNmRXFmiH.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Konstantin Popov)<\/p>\n<p id=\"79182d44-500f-4f7d-bbb5-5bab27c4853f\">Konstantin Popov started drawing at 20 after leaving his job as a lathe operator. He taught himself with courses run by artists including WLOP and Zeronis. As a freelance artist based in Kazakhstan, he now specialises in character design inspired by anime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.<\/p>\n<p>In our piece, Konstantin describes five of his stunning elfin characters.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full piece on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/this-artist-creates-stunning-elfin-characters-inspired-by-anime-art-styles\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/this-artist-creates-stunning-elfin-characters-inspired-by-anime-art-styles\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Konstantin Popov<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-04a63219-7397-4ad7-a4fc-9596ef4ff0d0\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.30%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8NKqjkChoTeP6tjVutdAxa.jpg\" alt=\"Ink line art showing a busy scene with humanised animal characters on scooters and text in French\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8NKqjkChoTeP6tjVutdAxa.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8NKqjkChoTeP6tjVutdAxa.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Kevin Antoine)<\/p>\n<p id=\"c584b367-2f2e-481a-a4b1-fafece6146fb\">Sometimes people think art should be meticulous and flawless, but striving for perfection can be the enemy of inspiration. One artist who&#8217;s well aware of this is Kevin Antoine.<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p>Known as ANTOINE, the Brussels-based freelance artist sometimes works with digital tools and is also a director and 2D <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/animation\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-redirect=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/tag\/animation\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/animation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">animation<\/a> consultant. But his greatest passion is working with ink on paper without sketches, preferably with a <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8429&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FPilot-Collection-Fountain-Accents-60152%2Fdp%2FB00063NUVM%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dcbq-gb-6194932274959458819-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" data-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8429&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FPilot-Collection-Fountain-Accents-60152%2Fdp%2FB00063NUVM%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dcbq-us-2036467969598497933-20\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8429&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FPilot-Collection-Fountain-Accents-60152%2Fdp%2FB00063NUVM%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20\" data-merchant-name=\"Amazon US\" data-merchant-id=\"1471\" data-merchant-network=\"Amazonus\" data-merchant-url=\"amazon.com\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Pilot Falcon SF pen<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>His aim in using such a direct approach with minimal tools is to keep his art spontaneous. \u201cEach line is intentional, each mistake is part of the story,\u201d he says. In our feature on him, he told us more through four pieces that serve as examples of his approach to line art.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full feature on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/how-minimal-tools-and-accepting-mistakes-make-this-artists-work-feel-spontaneous\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/how-minimal-tools-and-accepting-mistakes-make-this-artists-work-feel-spontaneous\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kevin Antoine<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-e1f3b600-eea7-4765-9f43-d0724599131c\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/>How comics illustrator Greg Staples created his dream art studio<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:75.00%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dwzwcZN2GqxxaL2qqAPqS9.jpg\" alt=\"artist studio with a large easel\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dwzwcZN2GqxxaL2qqAPqS9.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dwzwcZN2GqxxaL2qqAPqS9.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Greg Staples)<\/p>\n<p id=\"534bda8a-bb43-47d0-929b-9b2cf05c52a9\">Greg has been working in his studio for around three years now, and he feels pretty lucky to own it. His previous studio was a loft he converted, but it was a relatively compact space.<\/p>\n<p>He takes us through his studio space and explains how he organised it.<\/p>\n<p>Read <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/artist-in-residence-how-comics-illustrator-greg-staples-created-his-dream-art-studio\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/artist-in-residence-how-comics-illustrator-greg-staples-created-his-dream-art-studio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Greg Staples&#8217; artist in residence<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-a623ec22-2062-4614-a27d-24b5d3d66cc4\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/>Inside the character designs for Netflix&#8217;s Love, Death &amp; Robots, plus other animated shows<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6LsgX4jiyRPFAWb3J977Qd.jpg\" alt=\"2D art; sketches of an old man\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6LsgX4jiyRPFAWb3J977Qd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6LsgX4jiyRPFAWb3J977Qd.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Oscar Jim\u00e9nez Vargas)<\/p>\n<p id=\"128d9d27-65dc-4081-8a7c-b4162a727645\">Oscar Jim\u00e9nez Vargas is an art director and character designer on animation and mobile game projects. With western and eastern influences, he focuses on clear lines, simple forms and striking silhouettes.<\/p>\n<p>In this piece, we looked at his character designs for shows including Love, Death &amp; Robots and The Missing Lynx.<\/p>\n<p>Read the feature on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/inside-the-character-designs-for-netflixs-love-death-and-robots-plus-other-animated-shows\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/inside-the-character-designs-for-netflixs-love-death-and-robots-plus-other-animated-shows\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oscar Jim\u00e9nez Vargas <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-5bd96b2c-b4c5-439b-b5c3-ff3e53815a33\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/>These beautiful depictions of everyday scenes tell a raft of individual stories<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.28%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/U8y8QKg3ej8gmZKoJgBZqL.jpg\" alt=\"2D art; a child at a grocer's\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/U8y8QKg3ej8gmZKoJgBZqL.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/U8y8QKg3ej8gmZKoJgBZqL.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Maria Spieker)<\/p>\n<p id=\"0fb47fe5-d9da-4a5e-911a-bb61f9afac34\">Maria Spieker\u2019s artwork focuses on emotions and memories, and she adjusts her style to the task at hand. She mainly works on children\u2019s books, with the world around her being a huge source of inspiration.<\/p>\n<p>With a diverse collection of scenes depicted in her art \u2013 and a huge variety of styles, too, you&#8217;re bound to find something you relate to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Read the full feature on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/these-beautiful-depictions-of-everyday-scenes-tell-a-raft-of-individual-stories\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.creativebloq.com\/art\/these-beautiful-depictions-of-everyday-scenes-tell-a-raft-of-individual-stories\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Maria Spieker<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s been a lovely year for art, in that some gorgeous work has been created and we&#8217;ve been&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-219358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}