Yuko Shimizu is a multi-award-winning Japanese illustrator based in New York City, with over 20 years of experience across a wide range of disciplines. In addition to her illustration practice, she is also an instructor at The School of Visual Arts. Her clients span major media, publishing, tech, and cultural institutions. Yuko is also a two-time Hugo Award nominee (2019, 2020) and a recipient of multiple Clio Awards (2023). She was awarded the Caldecott Honor in both 2021 and 2025 for her work on the children’s books ‘The Cat Man of Aleppo’ and ‘Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains’. In 2009, Newsweek Japan named her one of the “100 Japanese People the World Respects.”

David Booth, who also works under the pseudonym ghostpatrol, is a Lutruwita-born, Naarm-based artist whose practice shifts between studio works, site-specific installations, commissioned murals and commercial design. His work has been exhibited at and acquired by several leading institutions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum and Parliament House Art Collection.

Nic Smith, also known as Soyboy, is a tattoo artist and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. His creative practice draws from a rich blend of visual references, including Biblical iconography, Greco-Roman mythology and sculpture, the natural world, and classical art movements. Working somewhere between illustrative fineline, blackwork, and stippled realism, his tattoos balance technical precision with expressive detail and symbolic depth.

Kacper Giłka is a Polish illustrator whose work has been commissioned by clients worldwide. His illustrations have appeared in projects for bands such as Whitechapel, Epica, Caliban, Sylosis and Matt Heafy of Trivium, as well as for the MetalDays Festival and brands including Soundgrowler Brewing, The Bookish Box, and Grains of Wrath. His artwork has been featured in books published by Heavy Music Artwork and Out of Step Books Press. His artwork has appeared on a wide range of formats, including book covers, vinyl, game art, posters, t-shirts, beer cans, and digital media. A proud husband and father, Kacper continues to grow an expansive portfolio, offering both custom commissions and pre-made illustrations available for print and licensing. 

How to Draw Animal Tattoos is a step-by-step guide to mastering one of the most powerful and visually impactful genres in tattoo design. Focused on bold lines, strong forms, and timeless symbolism, this book introduces you to the visual language of animal tattooing through 40 iconic designs, including tigers, wolves, snakes, eagles, panthers, koi fish, ravens, and more.

Simon J. Curd is an illustrator based in the outer suburbs of Nottingham, UK. He's known for creating an ever-expanding world of curious creatures wandering through overgrown, abandoned places. His work celebrates nostalgia and the quiet beauty of forgotten things. Alongside his personal projects, Simon illustrates for bands, books, and businesses and regularly appears at markets and conventions across the Midlands and the North of England. 

Douglas de Castro is a Brazilian contemporary artist, illustrator, and co-founder of the acclaimed art and design collective, Bicicleta Sem Freio. Known for his large-scale murals and distinctive visual style, blending psychedelic art, comic book aesthetics, traditional tattoo motifs, and tropical surrealism, de Castro's work explores the tension between real life and dreamlike illusion.

Syadat Baihaqi, founder of Blasphemy Ink Studio, is an Indonesian illustrator whose immersive, complex, and compelling artwork draws inspiration from mythology, horror and sci-fi. He has made a name for himself in the metal scene, collaborating with bands worldwide to create posters, merchandise, and album visuals that are full of intensity and character. He's also the artist behind several titles in the Vault Editions 'How to Draw' series, including 'How to Draw Dragons', 'How to Draw Skulls', and the upcoming 'How to Draw Monsters and Beasts'. Whether working on commissions or developing his ideas, Syadat brings a unique combination of high-level technical artistry, boundless imagination and immersive atmosphere to everything he draws.

Tomo77 is a Costa Rica-based artist whose bold, graphic work explores human behaviour, capitalism, and pop culture, shaped by his immigrant experience. With over 30 years in design and art, his work has appeared in exhibitions at La Luz de Jesus, LA, Saatchi Gallery 1st London, Stolenspace, One Grand Gallery PDX, Mortal Machine NOLA, Mirus SF, Palazzo di Espozisioni di Roma, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Costa Rica. It has been featured in Hi-Fructose and Juxtapoz. He's collaborated with Devo, Pearl Jam, Mastodon, Mike Doughty, Alien Ant Farm and Shepard Fairey, bringing a distinct visual voice to every project. His pandemic-era book Pandemonium acts as a graphic journal of life in crisis, urgent, raw, and reflective. Tomo77's work confronts the present moment with clarity and force, giving form to the stories that need telling.