Justin Stewart is a self-taught visual artist based in Toronto, Canada. He is best known for his twisted and satirical themed vintage-inspired digital collages. Justin is known as his alias “@veryrealfantasy” and his other account, @vintagefantasy. Since starting veryrealfantasy, a variety of clients such as but not limited to Trixie Mattel, Netflix, PEG Records, and Feminist commissioned Justin for his vintage art pieces. You can see his work featured in many media forums, and he has a collective following of 1.5 million.
Artwork by veryrealfantasy.
Justin says that what drew his attention to vintage pieces is his grandmother. His grandmother was a skilled artist like him, so she introduced and taught him a lot about art and creativity. Another factor in his love for vintage, he says, is the authenticity:
“I also think there’s so much authenticity in the way old media was printed. Vintage posters, movie covers, ads… have a very organic feel to them that you just don’t see anymore. Modern art leans much more minimalistic, which isn’t really my thing. I like textures, bold colors, and clutter. Which is why I think I’m much more attracted to the grittiness of vintage-retro art.”
Artwork by veryrealfantasy.
Veryrealfantasy is all about “art meets humor”, as Justin is an artist who expresses his feelings through comedy. Justin states that most of his inspiration comes from satirical artists and comedians. Especially his favorites itspeteski, Jeff Drew, Filthyratbag, and many more. This is why his collages are both beautiful and fun:
“Well, I’ve been experimenting with digital art and photo manipulation for years but never really connected with any style specifically. It wasn’t until I discovered the comics of itspeteski and Moonpatrol (Matt Cunningham) and was obsessed with the expression of humor meets creativity. So while I was in design school and fell down the rabbit hole of vintage comics with a modern twist and I just kept playing around with old magazine covers and vintage pinup girls. There was a gap however in the comic world, so eventually, I developed it into the style you see today.”
Artwork by veryrealfantasy.
“My main goal for my art is to expand as much as possible”, says Justin. When talking about the future of his art career, Justin talked about his recent project called “VintageFantasy Vol.1”, which is the first edition of his retro-inspired visual arts magazine. He adds that the magazine will feature creative works of many different artists, as well as his collages and designs:
“I can’t really tell you exactly when it will launch since I myself don’t know the answer and since I’m an annoying perfectionist. But I’m hoping by the end of the spring. Any updates will be posted at @vintagefantasy_ on Instagram!”
You can see more of Justin’s work and shop here.
