happy christmas from downunder

awesome friends + swimming in the sea  + moet on the beach + 40 degree heat = one great christmas!

little studio and olivese

little studio

We got some exciting news before the end of term, we are going to be starting an on line shop! So I have started doing some researching into on line shops for inspiration.  

First - little studio, they do some lovely posters for grown ups and little people.

olivese

Second- Olivese who have just got a new line in their shop. I love the mixture of hand drawn and retro fabrics.

la maison d'anna g

Image from La maison d'Anna G: Eclectique et Scanie

This is without doubt the best interiors site I have come across in a long time, possibly ever. If interiors is what does it for you, you have to check out this blog.

jon klassen

RBC blue water ad by Jon Klassen

I think this guy is brilliant. I came across him in Taschen's 'Illustration Now'. He was involved in Coraline and a project for U2 for starters. Jon Klassen's blog is jam packed with his amazing work. I love his printerly style. Oh and don't forget to watch the bit he did for the Winter Olympics!

gemma correll

If you are needing a giggle, pop on over to Gemma Correll's fantastic site. I just did and I am feeling much better now!

sanna annukka

Post cards by Sanna Annuka 

On a recent trip to Oxford I bought a postcard designed by Sanna Annuka. She describes herself as "a half Finnish, half English illustrator and print maker with a love for nature and folklore". I enjoyed looking through her website and blog and following the links from her site. 
As part of my work for college I have to look at successful illustrators and their practices. I love her style and it was really interesting to see the diversity of the projects she has been involved in.

crazy life

Life has been a little bit crazy this week, from kids to blocked toilets and school closures to print workshops....and possibly most crazy of all, friends from Oz called to say that their Christmas present to me is a trip to Oz, this Christmas!!!! How great is that?
So just a quick catch up with some of the things I have been looking at. The following links and images are all people I have come across recently and whose work I like. Enjoy!

Ben Javens

Represent several artist worth checking out

Andrew Groves. Have a look at his Tumblr as well

Cornelia O'Donovan

jillian tamaki

Little K by Jillian Tamaki

Tree Frogs

Jillian Tamaki is an illustrator and cartoonist. She has a sketchblog and a website where you can read find out more about her and see her work. I was really interested to see that she works successfully in many different styles, from the images above to embroidery.

a little bit of random

happy days?!

Need cheering up? Pop on over and visit Kate O'Connor. I had a very happy half an hour watching her films. Also if you are interested in less conventional ways of constructing websites, hers is a good place to start. Enjoy!

jacqueline kari bos

I HEART THE ARCTIC by Jaqueline Kari bos

Jacqueline Kari Bos is a Brooklyn-based illustrator. I like her style and the way she mixes print, painting, drawing and collage. Her mini books are really cute and made the whole "book arts" concept seem much more accessible.

the working proof and sub-studio

Anna and Sean's concrete vases as featured in Crafting a Meaningful Home 

Here are another couple of sites that might be of interest. They are linked in that The Working Proof was founded by Anna Corpron and Sean Auyeung who are also known as Sub-Studio. Anna and Sean are printmakers who love art and design.

The aim of The Working Proof is to promote art and social responsibility. They showcase emerging artists and their artwork, whilst at the same time promoting a variety of charities. Their blog is a great way o keep up to date with their work.

Sub-Studio Design Blog, they describe as "a curated collection of products, furniture, jewelry, architecture and artists that float our boat".

There is a wide selection of really beautiful work on all their sites. They are really worth checking out.

magma books

magma books

Thought I would mention Magma Books. Illustrator Toby Morison was kind enough to recommend them yesterday when he came to talk to our course. I have only had a quick look so far but they look like being a useful resource. Hope you think so too!

ecojot

note books from ecojot

Not only do Ecojot sell lots of gorgeous stationery but they are a company with a conscience too. Their products are made from recycled materials and for every notebook that you buy they give one to children in poor areas who cannot afford school supplies.

nadia pigatone

Today I came across Nadia Pigatone's beautiful ceramic vessels. I love her use of colour and form and that she works in earthenware and porcelain. There are even some in porcelain that look to be slab built rather than turned and are patterned in a way that makes them look that they have been pricked many times with a pin. There are more beautiful images on her website.

monsters

monsters from ben conservato

I love these monsters by Emma Kidd. I have come across her pictures in other places but this morning I finally found her blog. One of the things that caught my eye was the fact that a lot of her images have a similar fuzzy edge to my monoprint lion, but reading through her blog I think she might use Gocco. I like they way she combines collage, paint and print, it is something that I have played at but I really admire the way she does it.

my lion

Last week we had one of those lectures which allows your mind to "multi-task" and I did a quick sketch which included the words, "everybody agreed that the tightrope walking lion had been a great success". This week I popped into the print studio to play around with the idea. Here is one of the prints I hope to develop. I will post the final outcome later.

it takes sue to tango

mood elevator badges by Sue Doeksen

I love this illustrator's work. It is so vibrant, fun and full of life. Her blog is really worth checking out, but if you are short of time watch this film of her work at the Alley opening instead.

stefan sagmeister and anni kuan

stefan sagmeister

Stefan Sagmieister was mentioned again today in our discourse module. Let's be honest, it would probably be difficult to get through a year of discussing contemporary graphic design and illustration without him being mentioned. But in case his name means nothing to you, I can recommend the New York Times guest blogger section to give you an idea, or the Sagmeister Inc website to see some of his work. Be warned though you need to have a strong constitution, or at least your eyes do. ...Or if you just want to look at the pictures the artist and his model have plenty.

Sagmeister Inc image for Anni Kuan

When exploring the Sagmeister Inc website  I was struck by the images he did for New York fashion designer Anni Kuan. Can you see the little black and white clothes? They reminded me of the work I have been doing for my book arts project.

nicola lópez

We have had a really fun-filled weekend, packed to the brim with friends, kids, parties, sleep-overs, good food and the odd glass of wine! But I have managed to get a bit of work done too. I have been thinking a lot about starting a new print project and about different ways of combining different images and different media.  I came across the work of Nicola López in the Autumn 2010 edition of Printmaking today. As you can see from the image above she is inspired by the urban environment in which she lives. If you have a look on her website you will see that her work includes drawings, prints, collages and installations - food for thought!

general pattern

Poster designed by General Pattern

James Brown is the illustrator and printmaker behind the blog General Pattern. I love his posters which you can buy in his shop. The images below are also his. His whole family is similarly talented, as you will see if you check out his blog.

Posters designed by General Pattern

damp flat books

Fanzines, as recommended by Damp Flat Books

If you are interested in Artists' Books, Damp Flat Books seems to be a great resource, including news books, publications and exhibitions. Amongst the posts it was mentioned that, for the first time, this year's summer exhibition at the Royal Academy included 19 artists' books.

book arts

book by Guy Begbie

Today I am working on my book arts project again. My tutor Guy Begbie is a really talented book artist and it was in his collection of artists' books that I first came across Sarah Bodman and her work Nature Trail. With my project, I am considering a range of  book structures, one of which is having a container to hold the information, as Sarah did with Nature Trail when she presented photos, maps and found objects in a box.

Nature Trail by Sarah Bodman 

poppytalk and will bryant

Poster by Will Bryant

I found this image on poppytalk, one of my favourite blogs. This poster by Will Bryant caught my eye. His website and blog are really worth checking out if you are into graphic design.

time is a dressmaker

Today I have been working on my college book arts project based around the phrase, "Time is a dressmaker specialising in alterations". The above image is a combination of some paper and fabric dresses that I made at home and some of the prints I did in college a few weeks ago. I put the image together in Photoshop which was really good practice for me as I hadn't used it prior to starting the course. These images will be cut up and used in a couple of the mock-up books I am putting together.

eclipse

This is the monoprint image I created for a poem entitled eclipse.

sophie backhouse and nonconform

Creating a blog is one of the tasks I have to do for college. Part of the reasons for this is to get our own work "out there". I am struggling with this a bit but a dear friend pointed me in the direction of Sophie Backhouse who is doing a great job of posting her work.

Nonconform's work for Manchester Camerata

I also noticed that Sophie works for Nonconform Design Consultancy. I was interested in this for two reasons; firstly, another bit of our course is about looking at the pros and cons of working freelance versus being an employee, and Sophie has (I am guessing) made the decision to go down the employee route, and I would be interested to know why.
Secondly, Nonconform look like an interesting company to work for. I noticed that they did a project for Manchester Camerata and the outcome has some roots in street art. Having recently been to the Street Art exhibition, it is something that I have been thinking about and I noticed that it is a trend that is popping up all over the place.

Ben Eine's work for Mother

For example, Mother, an advertising agency based in London recently employed graffiti artist Ben Eine to create a new art work. I'd be interested to know what anyone else has found.

I really enjoy keeping an eye on The Rifle Paper Co who describe themselves on their website as a "boutique stationery brand and design studio" and are based in Florida. Their stationery is really cute and they are always producing something new. I am inspired by how they manage to have such a wide selection of goods for sale and still stay true to their aesthetic.  As well as their website and shop they also have a blog which covers their current projects but also has some rather enjoyable "eye candy" posts - check it out!

amy marcella

I keep thinking how great it would be to design my own calender 2011, but I came across a lovely one by Amy Marcella which can be preordered now. I can feel a bit of retail therapy coming on!

the little friends of printmaking

PINK SKULL silkscreen print by the little friends of printmaking

I found the little friends of printmaking while having my usual wander around the internet. They have some really great prints for sale, some of which reminded me of the work at the Street Art exhibition.

carson ellis + the decemberists

I am a dedicated follower of Design Sponge and rarely a day goes by without me finding something inspirational on this fantastic blog. Today it was a post about Carson Ellis and the Decemberists, I love art and music so really enjoyed this post. Definately worth a visit if you, like me are are in awe of anyone who makes a living from illustration. Beautiful girl, beautiful work, and the music ain't half bad either!

street art

Today we had a college trip to "Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A" exhibition at the Herbert Gallery in Coventry.  Admittedly if I had been asked to pick any current exhibition in the UK to visit this would probably not have chosen this one, but how wrong can a girl be?

It was a really good intro to contemporary street art and I felt really inspired by the approach of the artists shown. Nowadays if you mention Banksy a lot of people will have a lot of opinions at the ready but I would seriously recommend this exhibition if you are open to having your horizons broadened. Some of my favourites from the exhibition include Deadbeat Donny's work (the image above forms part of the exhibition) and a stop motion animation by titled "Nowhere Near Here" by  pahnl . I am a complete novice at this stuff but it was a really great exhibition, possibly helped by its links to the V&A?

book arts

I am working on a book arts project  for college based around the phrase "Time is a dress maker specialising in alterations". We had a great day in the print workshop experimenting with typography and monoprinting (I'll upload some images of the results when I figure out how!). And now I am working on some layouts for the book.
Needless to say I got distracted when a email about Origin appeared in my inbox, and that is how I discovered Rebecca J Coles who describes herself as a paper artist. Well, I had to look didn't I? It is contextualisation after all!

ink and spindle

I have just found the most gorgeous blog called ink and spindle. I love their fabrics and seeing all the fantastic projects and events they get involved with.
And Auntie Maisie, if this is indicitive of Oz I can see why you love it so much out there!