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Vanessa Dell

Artist and Illustrator

  • Illustration
  • Private Commissions
  • About
  • Contact

Ellen Pasternack

Researcher and writer Ellen Pasternack whose work focuses on the intersection of biology, culture, and feminism, painted for The Critic Magazine.

Paul Lay

A portrait of historian Paul Lay for The Critic Magazine, commissioned by Art Director Martin Colyer.

Charlotte Gill

Portrait of Writer and Journalist Charlotte Gill for The Critic Magazine.

Teeth & Pills

Writer and director Andrea Vinciguerra asked me to illustrate a film poster for his surreal, black comedy 'Teeth & Pills'. The final piece shows the three main characters from the film.

17

At the age of Seventeen, on the cusp of adulthood, so much to look forward to with lots still to learn.

A self-initiated piece marking a point in a young woman’s life, symbolising the future whilst touching on the weight of outside pressures.

Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq

A poster for Australia’s ‘Archie Brother’s Cirque Electriq’ to advertise the venue for End of Financial Year parties and celebrations. I painted and drew the artwork and lettering, supplied it to them in separate layers so that the client - Studio Yeah, could use different parts for multiple platforms.

Sacred Cows: Ben Fogle

A portrait of the popular British TV presenter for an article appearing in The Critic and written by Patrick Galbraith.

The writer argues that Ben is the ‘Pukka Prince of Fluff’ and can be likened to a golden retriever - ‘uninteresting and vacant behind the eyes’.

Admiral Grace Hopper

Commissioned by Cultr London, I was asked to create a portrait of Admiral Grace Hopper, the American computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral, famous for creating amongst other things the computer language of COBOL. For a project celebrating women in tech, the pieces will be animated and used across a variety of media.

Rag'n'Bone Man

A self-initiated portrait of one of the UK's most recent musical talents.

Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

A campaign I worked on with FCB New Zealand for their client Nestle. It’s a concept you may only get if you’re a Kiwi - the portraits are of people big in NZ’s pop culture and make a perfect pair with the object painted, just like Nestle’s onion soup and reduced cream! This one is of Suzanne Paul and her Thousands of Luminous Spheres.

Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

A campaign I worked on with FCB New Zealand for their client Nestle. It’s a concept you may only get if you’re a Kiwi - the portraits are of people big in NZ’s pop culture and make a perfect pair with the object painted, just like Nestle’s onion soup and reduced cream! This one is of a generic NZ Policeman and a hot pie.

Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

A campaign I worked on with FCB New Zealand for their client Nestle. It’s a concept you may only get if you’re a Kiwi - the portraits are of people big in NZ’s pop culture and make a perfect pair with the object painted, just like Nestle’s onion soup and reduced cream! This one is Nek Minnit with his broken scooter.

Jo Bartosch

Jo Bartosch for The Critic Magazine.

Ben Sixsmith

A portrait of Online Editor of The Critic Ben Sixsmith, commissioned by Martin Colyer - AD at The Critic Magazine.

Helen Joyce

A portrait of Helen Joyce - Irish journalist and critic of the transgender rights movement painted for The Critic Magazine. The backdrop is inspired by a shamrock V&A print.

Inside Housing

A 'Being John Malkovich' inspired editorial piece for Inside Housing Magazine on the lack of diversity in housing leadership.

WW Magazine

A lovely commission from Switzerland - Studio Sturzenegger.

The Art Director wanted a portrait of Florian Schwab - the editor of WW Magazine (lifestyle supplement of Weltwoche).

I was also thrilled to be asked to appear on their contributors page with a short bio.

Brussels Signal

A commission from European media company Brussels Signal to create portraits of their team.

Patrick Galbraith

A portrait of Patrick Galbraith commissioned by The Critic Magazine.

Swiss Integration Campaign: Pre-School

I was commissioned to paint 18 portraits of different types of people for the Swiss Government's Integration Campaign and commissioned by Hasenfeld Zurich. This one needed to show pre-school children sharing some fruit. They were used on posters, leaflets and on the Government's website.

Swiss Integration Campaign: Business Woman

I was commissioned to paint 18 portraits of different types of people for the Swiss Government's Integration Campaign and commissioned by Hasenfeld Zurich. This one needed to show a confident business woman. They were used on posters, leaflets and on the Government's website.

Integration Campaign: Sophisicated Woman

I was commissioned to paint 18 portraits of different types of people for the Swiss Government's Integration Campaign and commissioned by Hasenfeld Zurich. This portrait needed to show a confident and sophisticated woman. They were used on posters, leaflets and on the Government's website.

Dame Twiggy

Twiggy is the sixth member of our family and has quite a personality which I tried to convey in this portrait, she likes to think she is the boss and would sit well in Hampton Court I think!

Alan Titchmarsh

A portrait of Alan Titchmarsh was created for the front cover of Waitrose Weekend Magazine.

Hitchcock & Wertham

A portrait of Alfred Hitchcock and Wertham for an anniversary edition of the Swiss Annabelle Magazine.

Gervais & Ollie

A portrait of Ricky Gervais and his beloved cat who passed away this year.

Universal Pictures Employee Retreat

I was commissioned to create 2 posters featuring Universal Pictures' employees, they were designed as movie posters and given to them on a retreat. I worked with Trailer Park Inc. in California.

The Labor Game

A front cover illustration for Greenhouse Management Magazine in the US where they address the difficulty in finding reliable and qualified employees, the cover is based on the Guess Who board game.

Wiseman's America

A portrait of US feature writer Oliver Wiseman for The Critic. The art director asked for a backdrop with a few key landmarks running from East to West of the USA for the top banner of the page, with Oliver in the foreground.

Hannah Betts

Feature writer Hannah Betts for The Critic

Sarah Ditum for The Critic

Critic and Columnist Sarah Ditum was painted for UK Magazine The Critic, first appearing in it’s February 2020 issue.

The Applebys

The Appleby Family and their dog, painted as a private commission but with lots of illustrative fun!

Mountain Bike Magazine

I worked for several issues of Cycling and Mountain Biking Magazine painting portraits of some 'Heroes' of the profession.

Theodore Millon

Scientific American Mind Magazine commissioned a portrait of the psychologist Theodore Millon.

Gin Poster

A celebration of great bottles, their labels and gin!

The Lanksburys

Portraits of a family of creatives.

Steve Coogan et al

Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge was illustrated for The New Yorker along with some of his other characters.

Dizzy

A private commission to create a portrait of Interior Designer Dizzy Dezille as a gift.

Meienberg

I painted a portrait of the Swiss writer and journalist Niklaus Meienberg for an anniversary edition of Annabelle Magazine.

The Hillary Haters

USA's Slate Magazine commissioned me to complete 7 portraits for a cover story on American citizens who don't believe Hillary Clinton will make a good President. The deadline was very tight with only 24 hours to complete all portraits.

Guess Who Portraits

A series of 12 portraits of fictional characters used as part of a board game for the front cover illustration for Greenhouse Management Magazine in the US.

Peter Capaldi

A portrait of the actor Peter Capaldi (AKA Doctor Who) with a thistle background showing his Scottish heritage.

Ten

A gift for my daughter on her 10th birthday - a dreamer by nature...

Making Bif

Making Bif was a lighthearted drawing project done for social media both to exercise my pencil drawing skills and interact with a social audience. By adding an extra ingredient every day, the viewer is guessing what the final dish could be, in this case Bif the dog!

A Young Prince Charles

Prince Charles was painted for Annabelle Magazine in Switzerland - young and reflective.

Milos Forman

A portrait of the famous film director was commisssoned by Annabelle Magazine in Switzerland.

National Geographic Traveller

I was commissioned for two illustrations on a traveller's adventure in the Far East.

Butterflies

I drew many butterflies for a Universal Film employee portrait which were layered over the poster.

Oasis

Time Out London asked for a portrait of the Gallagher Brothers in their mid 90's prime.

Swiss Integration Campaign: Jew

I was commissioned to paint 18 portraits of different types of people for the Swiss Government's Integration Campaign and commissioned by Hasenfeld Zurich. This one needed to show a Jewish man. They were used on posters, leaflets and on the Government's website.

Muse

A personal piece...my favourite band, painted just before I saw them live in London, 2013.

Doctor Remy Who

A gift for my son on his 10th birthday - a Dr Who fan as you can tell!

Kiehls Couple

An older couple in love was painted for Kiehls Apothecary in NYC, the piece was used to advertise their Abyssine Cream on carrier bags and instore.

Mountain Bike Magazine

I worked for several issues of Cycling and Mountain Biking Magazine painting portraits of some 'Heroes' of the profession.

Lunch

My favourite cheese with my favourite fruit! Drawn with coloured pencils before I ate it all up.

Adam LeBor

Writer Adam LeBor painted for UK Magazine The Critic.

Musik Express

Amy Winehouse, Thom Yorke and Alexis Taylor were painted for the front cover of Germany's Musik Express Magazine.

The Demon Headmaster

These set of book covers for Oxford University Press were for the popular Demon Headmaster children's stories, the covers were based on the TV series at the time so it was important the headmaster looked like the actor Terrence Hardiman.

Friday Wine

Still Life drawing of Australian red wine Yering Station with my favourite glass.

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was painted for Annabelle Magazine in Switzerland for their anniversary edition.

Positano Wedding Invite

A private commission from a couple who wanted a bespoke wedding invitation.

Ramsgate Rooftops

A self-initiated painting of the Kent Seaside.

Weston Super Mare

Part of my 1970s collection of drawings inspired by memories of the era.

Mark Zuckerberg

The Facebook hero was a pitch for the cover of Taschen's Illustration Now! - Portraits.

Mountain Bike Magazine

I worked for several issues of Cycling and Mountain Biking Magazine painting portraits of some 'Heroes' of the profession.

Marie Antoinette

The infamous French Royal was commissioned as a pitch for a Genes Reunited campaign by Elastic Creative.

Homopromo

A poster commissioned by Albion London for their 2013 Homopromo campaign as a reaction to Russia passing a law banning homosexual propaganda.

70s Love

A personal piece of work to expand my portfolio of pencil work, it's based on a memory from the 1970's and an Aunt's wedding.

A Fisherman's Tale

A personal piece of work combining the words of a fictional fisherman with his nautical portrait

Hellohead: Donya Todd

Several illustrators collaborated in a project to raise money for the National Autistic Society by painting portraits of each other, the prints were then sold at an exhibition in London.

Spaceboy

Commissioned for BBC's Radio TImes,  Spaceboy was for a play about a young boy dreaming of a space adventure.

A Young John Hannah

A personal piece of work painting the Scottish actor John Hannah.

European Politics

Two portraits commissioned by The Economist with a French flavour.

The Bee Gees

Pencil portraits of the iconic band.

Ingeborg Bachmann

Ingeborg Bachmann was commissioned for the Anniversary edition of Switzerland's Annabelle Magazine.

The Times

This piece illustrated an article on BBQ's during the Winter months for The Times newspaper.

Ellen Pasternack

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Paul Lay

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Charlotte Gill

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Teeth & Pills

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17

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Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq

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Sacred Cows: Ben Fogle

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Admiral Grace Hopper

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Rag'n'Bone Man

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Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

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Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

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Nestle NZ Campaign - The Makings of a Classic

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Jo Bartosch

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Ben Sixsmith

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Helen Joyce

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Inside Housing

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WW Magazine

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Brussels Signal

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Patrick Galbraith

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Swiss Integration Campaign: Pre-School

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Swiss Integration Campaign: Business Woman

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Integration Campaign: Sophisicated Woman

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Dame Twiggy

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Alan Titchmarsh

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Hitchcock & Wertham

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Gervais & Ollie

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Universal Pictures Employee Retreat

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The Labor Game

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Wiseman's America

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Hannah Betts

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Sarah Ditum for The Critic

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The Applebys

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Mountain Bike Magazine

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Theodore Millon

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Gin Poster

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The Lanksburys

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Steve Coogan et al

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Dizzy

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Meienberg

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The Hillary Haters

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Guess Who Portraits

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Peter Capaldi

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Ten

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Making Bif

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A Young Prince Charles

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Milos Forman

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National Geographic Traveller

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Butterflies

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Oasis

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Swiss Integration Campaign: Jew

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Muse

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Doctor Remy Who

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Kiehls Couple

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Mountain Bike Magazine

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Lunch

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Adam LeBor

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Musik Express

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The Demon Headmaster

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Friday Wine

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Audrey Hepburn

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Positano Wedding Invite

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Ramsgate Rooftops

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Weston Super Mare

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Mark Zuckerberg

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Mountain Bike Magazine

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Marie Antoinette

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Homopromo

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70s Love

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A Fisherman's Tale

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Hellohead: Donya Todd

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Spaceboy

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A Young John Hannah

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European Politics

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The Bee Gees

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Ingeborg Bachmann

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The Times

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Copyright Vanessa Dell 2025