Before we learnt how to Facebook, Tweet and blog excessively, even before we began caring for our Neopets and purchasing furniture for our Habbo’s (Hotel) sweet bachelor pad, the computer was used for only the fewest of things: Microsoft Paint, Powerpoint and Clip Art... oh and endless attempts at beating your sisters high score in 3D Pinball Space Cadet. Even though we’ve swapped Paint for Photoshop, those endless (save as) ‘Untitled’ doodles have left a darling impression on our computer learnings, and for illustrators like Tim Colmant, have become the foundation of his playful artistic practice.

A master of the paintbrush (that is, the little pixel one next to the spray can and magnifying glass), Colmant creates friendly and almost childlike in their appeal, drawings of squiggles and swirls alongside vibrant patterns that would put Fran Fine’s (The Nanny) colorful style to shame. We can spot cacti amongst fruit and dancing shapes, and the cutest little blob monster who seems to be having the “best day ever!”.

Colmant’s quirky subjects and funky colour palette combines the best of contemporary graphic design with the nostalgic style that Gen Y are most familiar with; these are similar to the works you may have attempted when you were younger, before you rage quit and went back to designing cool banners in Word Art (Microsoft Word). This is the type of work that you can't help but admire, because, well, you used to do it!

You can check out more of Tim Colmant’s work via his Tumblr.