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Creepy Totems Drawn from Normal Objects | Monday Insta Illustrator

These guys definitely hung out under your bed when you were a kid.

crumb

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Nov 30, 2015 at 3:07am PST

If the Brothers Grimm grew up watching anime, their grotesque imagery might have turned out characters like Dutch illustrator Raymond Lemstra's. His dark apparitions look like idols to be worshipped, or monsters used to lurking in shadows, with red eyes peeking at frightened children. Following in the footsteps of early the 20th century primitivists, he arrived at this aesthetic by studying ancient cultures' drawings and sculptures. "What I find interesting about these is the distortion as a result of selective emphasis; parts of interest are emphasized, unimportant parts reduced or left out. For characters this means they come out big headed, where focus is on the face and the body is trimmed to its essential properties," he writes on his website. Along with these creepy visions, which look like ancient idols with a dash of the demons from anime like No Longer Human or Death Note, his Instagram hosts pictures of faces he sees in everyday objects, a condition known as pareidolia. Seeing the eyes and mouth in this craggy mountain, a phenomenon Lemstra refers to as a "crumb," sheds light on the mind that sees these gorgeous illustrations.

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Lemstra has recently collaborated with the likes of Kaos Temple artist Okuda, and been commissioned by The New York Times, so watch this space. Check out his work in the Instagrams below:

very big crumbs 100x70 #giclee #soon @limitedbysolo

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jun 26, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Aug 6, 2016 at 2:51pm PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Aug 5, 2016 at 10:15am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 11, 2016 at 2:01am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 10, 2016 at 1:11am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 7, 2016 at 3:52am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 7, 2016 at 12:48am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 5, 2016 at 8:47am PDT

waiting

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jul 2, 2016 at 5:48am PDT

very big crumbs 100x70 #giclee #soon @limitedbysolo

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jun 30, 2016 at 6:43am PDT

sketchbook

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Apr 3, 2016 at 5:28am PDT

portrait, 2010

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Feb 24, 2016 at 12:29pm PST

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sketchbook page

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Feb 5, 2016 at 10:20am PST

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jun 11, 2016 at 1:12pm PDT

sketchbook page

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jan 26, 2016 at 4:53am PST

coconut crumb

A photo posted by Raymond Lemstra (@raymondlemstra) on

Jan 16, 2016 at 4:16am PST

See more of Raymond Lemstra's work on Instagram. Find your next favorite artist on The Creators Project's Instagram feed.

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