Jill Senft’s whimsical illustrations are the product of a vivid imagination: “I like to make up my own world and have fun with it,” she says. “Right now, I’m obsessed with still lifes and old masters – I like to [reference] them in my paintings…. Before, I was fascinated by trees and made a whole zine called Treemendous…. But in general, I’m into painting wobbling characters into the funniest and most absurd scenarios.”

Senft is based in Berlin and graduated from Kunsthochschule Berlin Wiessensee in 2017. She has worked on commissions for Suddeutsche Zeitung, De Morgen and Brand Eins magazines as well as Deutsche Bahn.

Her process begins with sketching out ideas in pencil. “Then I go on with painting acrylics – that’s the most fun. This is the part where I get into detail: choosing colours, adding shadows and light  which makes the painting more alive.” After that, it’s a process of digital editing.

She enjoys working on commissions that allow for some creative freedom – “it’s super refreshing when magazines want you for your ideas and not only for your style,” she says – and is keen to work on large-scale projects as well as editorial illustrations.

New Talent is part of Inspire, a partnership between Creative Review, Facebook and Instagram showcasing outstanding creative work across both platforms. More advice and inspiration for creatives using Facebook and Instagram is available at facebook.com/ads/creativehub.You can follow Jill Senft on Instagram (@jill_senft) or see more of her work at jillsenft.com