"Every year since... ever!... creative mags and websites have gazed into their crystal balls and tried to predict upcoming aesthetic trends as the calendar is about to turn over. It's fun, it's whimsical, sometimes we're right, and sometimes we're not. However, as January 2026 approaches, the process feels increasingly urgent - especially in the field of illustration. After all, commercial artwork is on its deathbed, right? Image-generating AI models are standing over it with a knife. Well, actually, things might not be all that dire."
"For some, the change can't come fast enough. What surprised us was just the strength of their calls for invention and innovation. It's time for artists to shed their inhibitions and strike out in new directions. "One thing is certain, a return to handcrafted styles will come," says Marie-Christine Brisson, co-founder of Colagene, Creative Clinic. That much we expected, but she adds, "And I hope to see many new forms of expression. We all need to be surprised again!""
"Hand-printed artworks Hand-painted. Hand-drawn. Sketching. Craft. Just like last year, these words came up a lot in our conversations with illustration agents, so we expect the unique hand of the artist to shine through plenty in 2026. Hand printing is a process that combines several creative techniques as it involves design, drawing, engraving or cutting, the application of colour, and so on. It came as a surprise, but several of our industry contacts put forward artists whose focus is this discipline. In 2026, the Central Illustration Agency (CIA) in London will sign a new Japanese woodblock printmaker to its books to deepen its offerings in hand printing."
Illustration experienced strong adaptation in 2025, with some artists and agents thriving despite advances in image-generating AI. The field is not ending but transforming toward new directions, driven by calls for invention and innovation. A notable shift emphasizes handcrafted methods such as hand printing, hand-painting, drawing, and craft-based processes that foreground the unique touch of artists. Agencies plan to expand offerings in traditional printmaking, including woodblock prints, to meet demand. AI may still play a role, but the priority for 2026 centers on surprising, fresh forms of expression and the artist's hand.
Read at Creative Boom
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