What Is Search and Find Illustration?

Discover the key features and find inspirational artists for this popular but challenging illustration style

Chances are you're familiar with Wally (Waldo in the US), the character in the red and white striped shirt who became a pop culture icon in the 1980s. Created by British illustrator Martin Handford, the Where's Wally? franchise has won thousands of hearts all over the world.

Handford's work was the first to popularize what we know today as search and find or seek and find illustration a popular genre of children's books aimed at creating challenges to find characters and objects in large, detail-filled compositions.

Handford is one of the great inspirations of Victor Beuren (@victorbeuren), a Brazilian illustrator who is recognized internationally for his playful and colorful designs.

Victor has worked with brands such as Sky, Warner, Forbes, Hershey's, Volkswagen, and Tanqueray, and was named on Lüerzer's Archive's (one of the most prominent advertising magazines in the world) "200 Best Illustrators" list.

At Domestika, he teaches a Search-and-Find Illustration in Procreate course. In this article, the artist helps us to better understand what search and find illustration is and to identify its characteristics and main references.

Plus, if you want to venture into this style, don't miss the free tutorial at the end of the post to discover three unique ways to unlock your creativity.

Features of search and find illustration

The main characteristic of search and find illustration, according to Beuren, is "to tell stories that intertwine with a unique richness of detail." For this to happen, people, animals, and objects interact in large compositions or settings, such as a town square or part of a city.

The secret of this illustration style lies in the harmonious composition of all these elements, apparently chaotic. Mosaics and murals full of elements and easter eggs come to life, keeping the attention and awakening the viewers' curiosity.

To create in this style, an illustrator must pay great attention to detail. Victor Beuren says that "an illustration takes between forty and seventy hours of work."

Currently widely used in advertising campaigns, books, magazines, games, websites, apps, and much more, seek and find illustrations have excellent market potential. The great appeal lies in the richness of the details and the possibilities of creating fantastic, colorful universes packed with multiple narratives.

Origins of search and find illustration

Although there is little information about when and where this illustration style first began to emerge, we can recognize the influences of Hieronymus Bosch, the pseudonym of the 15th and 16th-century painter Jeroen van Aken.

Bosch's works show his meticulous eye in a series of fantastical and diabolical compositions, satirical and moralistic in tone, depicting the vices, sins, and religious fears that afflicted medieval men.

The Garden of Earthly Delights, now part of the collection of the Prado Museum in Madrid, is an excellent example of the artist's aesthetic and the detailed nature of his work.

5 inspiring search and find artists

Victor Beuren's illustrations have a unique and playful design, influenced by some of the great names in contemporary search and find art. Find out who these artists are and what makes them unique:

Martin Handford

British illustrator and children's book author Martin Handford is the creator of the Where's Wally? book series (aka Where's Waldo? in the US). His brushwork is colorful and rich in detail, and his signature style is easily recognizable to this day.

In total, the seven Wally books have sold more than 73 million copies, been translated into twenty-six languages, and published in fifty countries.

Mattias Adolfsson (@mattiasadolfsson)

Mattias Adolfsson is a renowned and award-winning Swedish illustrator and Domestika teacher who has worked for several animation studios such as Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, and Disney. His long list of clients also includes magazines such as The New Yorker, The Hollywood Reporter, and The New York Times.

He often uses pen and watercolor to create his sketchbook illustrations, bringing his playful and fun style to life.

At Domestika, Mattias teaches the courses The Art of Sketching: Transform Your Doodles into Art and Creative Sketching: Fill Your Illustrations with Life and Detail.

Rod Hunt (@rodhuntdraws)

Rod Hunt is an award-winning illustrator, map designer, and the artist behind the Where's Stig? books from the BBC TV show Top Gear. Fun fact: Top Gear: Where is Stig? was the fourth best-selling book in the UK in 2009 in the non-fiction category.

Throughout his career, he has created retro illustrations and highly-detailed landscapes for UK and international clients, creating book covers, advertising campaigns, campus maps, theme parks, and even large-scale museum and exhibition installations.

Marija Tiurina (@marijatiurina)

Marija Tiurina is a British illustrator with ten-plus years of experience in commercial art and design. She has worked with clients such as Apple, Saatchi & Saatchi, Disney, Wacom, Computer Arts, Disney, Microsoft, and many others.

This artist regularly creates projects in a variety of formats, from advertising, print, and children's books to games, concept art, and online illustration.

IC4DESIGN @ic4design.com

A Japanese studio based in Hiroshima, made up by a team of award-winning illustrators and graphic designers, IC4DESIGN's projects are marked by colorful, fun, and highly detailed illustrations. In addition to working with various brands, the studio develops its own books and licensed products.

3 ways to unlock creativity

Search and find illustration requires high levels of creativity and constant attention to detail—the pressure of which can sometimes lead to the dreaded creative block. When this happens, it’s a good idea to take a break instead of getting frustrated and hone your own skills with basic drawing exercises to stimulate your mind.

In the following tutorial, Mattias Adolfsson shares strategies for unlocking your creativity in three simple ways, turning the pencil into your best weapon against creative block.

Did you enjoy learning about search and find illustration? Develop and improve your skills by exploring Domestika's online drawing courses.

English version by @acesarato.

You may also like:

- 5 Online Watercolor Courses for Learning Different Styles
- 10 German Illustrators to Inspire Your Creative Projects
- 20 Amazing Projects in the Illustration Challenge: 31 Days, 31 Drawings
- Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style, a corse by Sarah van Dongen
- Fantastical Illustrations with Procreate, a course by Michael Relth