James Bentley’s Illustration Practice Starts With People, Observation and New Subjects

For James Bentley, illustration begins with a pair of problems: how a body fits together, and what careful looking can reveal. That curiosity shapes a practice built around drawing people, noticing small details and taking on subjects he hasn’t explored before. Bentley is a new artist in the Directory of Illustration, and his current assignment brings those interests into focus through a series of 30 portraits.

Learning to draw people and look closely

Bentley was born in Montreal, Canada, where he studied illustration and design at Dawson College. He went on to attend the Illustration Academy in Liberty, Missouri, to further develop his craft. The source profile credits his work with recognition from Communication Arts, the Society of Illustrators of New York, Applied Arts and Info Press. Among those distinctions, he particularly values the Joseph Morgan Henninger Award—Best of Show, presented by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles.

Asked where his ideas come from, Bentley points first to drawing people. He describes the human body as a puzzle: its parts have to be understood and arranged within a particular space. That framing makes figure drawing an active process of problem solving. Proportion, pose and placement become connected questions, with each drawing offering a new configuration to work out.

Observation is another steady source of material. Bentley says that spending time with something in front of him can make it more compelling the longer he looks. He then carries what he has noticed into his art. The useful discoveries may be small; the habit is to stay attentive long enough to find them.

For illustrators, that account points to a practical way of gathering visual ideas: give a subject sustained attention before deciding what matters about it. Bentley doesn’t describe a fixed research method or a particular tool. His emphasis is on looking, becoming interested, and bringing those findings into the work. The approach keeps inspiration tied to the act of drawing rather than to a single subject or source.

Unfamiliar briefs as a way to learn

Bentley’s favorite projects are ones he hasn’t done before. He says illustration regularly takes him into subjects he might not have chosen on his own, and that the process is fulfilling partly because it teaches him something new. The attraction, then, is not simply variety for its own sake. An unfamiliar brief gives him a reason to investigate, while the finished illustration turns that learning into a visual response.

That openness also changes how a designer or illustrator can approach a commission. Rather than relying only on familiar themes, a new subject can prompt questions that sharpen the work: What needs to be understood before drawing begins? Which details are distinctive? What must the image communicate to someone encountering the subject for the first time? Bentley doesn’t lay out a formal checklist, but his answers connect curiosity with craft. Learning about a topic and figuring out how to represent it are part of the same assignment.

His comments also suggest why observation matters across different kinds of work. Careful looking can help an illustrator move beyond a generic impression and find details that make a portrayal feel considered. The method is simple to describe but depends on attention: take time with the subject, notice what holds interest, and decide how those observations can serve the image.

Thirty portraits of young Atlantic Canadians

Bentley says he is working on 30 portraits for a project called “Amazing Atlantic Canadians.” The series profiles people under 18 who have accomplished notable things in sports and science, overcome difficult circumstances, or taken part in rescues. The source doesn’t identify the client, launch date, format or intended publication, so those details remain unspecified.

The scale of the assignment gives Bentley’s interest in people a clear focus. Thirty profiles mean thirty individuals to portray, each connected to a different story. His description doesn’t specify how the portraits will differ in style or how he is researching each person. Still, the subject range makes the project a natural fit for his stated interest in discovering unfamiliar material: each profile offers a new person and context to understand.

For an illustrator, a portrait series also raises a useful design question: how can a set of individual images feel connected while giving each person room to register as an individual? The source doesn’t describe Bentley’s visual solution, so no particular grid, palette or treatment can be attributed to him. What it does establish is the organizing idea—a group of profiles centered on young people and their achievements. The work’s next point of interest will be how that common frame meets the different lives within it.

Bentley’s answers outline a practice grounded in drawing, attention and the willingness to learn. His portfolio brings together more of his work through the Directory of Illustration, while his personal site also presents a gallery. The six linked images below offer a selection from the profile. For designers and illustrators, Bentley’s most concrete takeaway is a useful prompt for the next brief: look long enough to notice something new, then let that discovery shape the image.