As a child, Gina Stavrou spent her time making little paper books of illustrated stories. It was a natural progression, then, when she came to study Illustration as an adult. Now, as a professional artist, Gina uses her work to instil a sense of magic into everyday life. “The world can be so harsh and draining,” she told Cluster, “I hope that my art may spark magic or beauty that can be translated into real life.” Indeed, magic is a keyword for Gina, whose illustrations frequently reference the cosmic.

Through rich, dreamy tones of blues, purples, corals and greens, she manifests an otherworldly atmosphere in her work, even when the subject matter is firmly quotidian. “I tend to be a bit of a daydreamer,” she explains, “as a Pisces, I tend to enjoy fantasy far more than reality, so these themes feel like a reflection of how my mind works.” In her piece Blurry Reflections chosen by Cluster, a tattooed woman and her mirrored reflection sit in a warm orange room. In her hand, a single flower, suggesting growth and beauty. It seems the protagonist has reached a point of contentment and self-acceptance in her life.

Tattoos are a recurring motif in Gina’s work, and understandably so; after all, what are tattoos but another type of storytelling inscribed on the body? “Tattoos tell stories about the people that have them,” she echoes, “I have witnessed a lot of judgement around them from older generations, but I like the idea of stripping that back and presenting them as art and expression.” For Gina, each piece builds up as she works, an intuitive process, especially when it comes to selecting colour. “I usually draw from imagination or memory, but sometimes use reference photos as a base,” she explains, “I like to mix many together within one piece, to create something new.”

Gina joined Cluster as a way to learn and engage with other artists, “I’ve been finding it really rewarding to be part of a community,” she added. Recently, she’s been working on a series of illustrations for children’s books, due to come out next year. “I’m unable to say much about it right now, but the story revolves around a rescue dog finding its home. It was a really beautiful story to work with.”

For UK based artist Becky Davies, tattoo culture also plays a key part in her work. Like Gina, she combines a sense of magic with the mundanity of the everyday through references to the esoteric and occult. There’s a subcultural tone throughout her work, reminiscent of underground zines and 90s slacker culture; everything feels messy, chaotic, and well - pretty fun.

Becky’s illustrations feature a roster of heavily-inked, otherworldly characters from angels and devils to aliens and witches. Queering the domestic, they dwell in suburban bedrooms decorated with lava lamps and record players, in poster-clad living rooms and plant-strewn bathrooms. In her piece selected by Cluster, cheekily titled Bath n Shit, one woman relaxes in the bathtub while another sits next to her, on the toilet no less, with a book and a face mask. There is something defiant in their comfort with one another that rides in the face of arbitrary taboos; they have no shame about their nakedness, their body hair, their tattooed bodies, and, Becky seems to ask; why should they?

There’s a sense of humour at play in these images, too, sometimes in the form of absurdity (smoking, kick-flipping aliens, anyone?) though often in much subtler ways, from the sarcastic tone of the posters hung up in her illustrated spaces to tattoos that state simply ‘urgh’ and ‘no’. Currently, Becky sells prints of her work from her etsy store, and is always open to commissions.