Why I'm Illustrating the Public Domain

The purpose of this Substack

Welcome to Illustrating the Public Domain, an artistic project dedicated to exploring the public domain!

The world of art is in the process of entering a new era. The pillars of the 20th century cultural landscape are slowly exiting copyright and becoming free to use, reconfigure or reinterpret. Works like The Great Gatsby and Winnie-the-Pooh, Ulysses and Steamboat Willie are already in the public domain, with even more to come — like The Sound and the Fury, Tintin, and The Treachery of Images.

As an illustrator, I thought it would be fun to discover some of the possibilities of this new era by delving into the sphere of public domain books, approaching classic stories with my own takes.

You’ll find me mostly on Notes, where I’ll be sharing illustrations based on passages from novels, picture books and even ancient poetry. At the end of every month I’ll also send out a newsletter collecting the pieces I posted from the last few weeks, along with the excerpts that inspired them and a few extras.

Companies exert a tremendous influence on the culture of today through the hoarding of copyrighted stories, characters and imagery — this is why I think the public domain is one of the most exciting things happening in art right now. I hope you’ll join me on this adventure into it!