Kind of Strange

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This was one of the first things I made in design school way back in 2003 or 2004. Isn't it weird? But it has so many things I love! I think about it all the time. These are my favorite parts - the checkerboard photoshop clip art thing, the butterfly, the hand-drawn/collaged horse, the drawn hands of the blue boys the landscape in the background drawn with the computer mouse, and the edge of the paper in the top left with the drawing going over top....

Even though it is a bit strange and is maybe not totally pulled together - I think there are so many good ideas! And I like the mix of mediums...anyway...I hope I haven't lost my more experimental, arty-weird edge after design school, I will have to practice getting some of it back again...

The blue boy hands remind me of the hands in this video by Sofie Hannibal...

This video is great too...(the head kind of reminds me of the heads I drew and posted about here...)

Happy lazy Saturday!

Lino Printing Is So Cool

Remember how I was talking about that fun project I was doing the other weekend? Well, I have been wanting to make lino prints for the longest time! After staring longingly at the little rubber blocks, the tiny roller, and the cutting tool forever in the art store off and on for years waiting for an excuse to buy them, I finally broke down and spent the lousy $20 bucks it took to have them in my very own hands - and it was totally worth it! So easy and so fun and it totally took care of my printmaking jones I have had since graduating out of my first degree as a printmaking major. I really love the woodcut look of the textured background. I am totally inspired! I have the next design all planned out already. I think I might try doing some handsewing on top these cards still, maybe some designs on the hands or something - kind of Mehndi style maybe...I can't wait to see how it looks!

Oh ya - and thanks so much to Love Forever for adding me to her links list! How exciting! Thank you.

Tuesdays Are Just O.K.

So these were two killed cover tries for Worn Journal Issue #3 that I did almost exactly a year ago - probably to the day! I did them *for real* sitting on the edge of our "bed" in a windowless room no bigger than a small bathroom with our desktop computer on an upside down box about 2 inches away from my knees - we lived that way for our first month here in New York. I think they turned out pretty good considering! I was inspired in the first one by the scratchy graffiti that is always on the subway windows here - and it weirdly kind of goes with the barn-y look to the cover photograph (I am sorry I don't know who took this great photograph!! I will try to find out and get back to you...).

For the second one I was trying to doctor up some kind of hand-made-but-with-the-computer looking type - which I think looks kind of interesting here - except maybe the "O" needs a little help (too tall!!), and I am still not totally sure about the mix of classy old-school (the words "Fashion Journal") and the wacky disco-metal feeling the bigger type has. It works in the top design - but maybe not so much in the bottom one. But hey?? Fun to experiment right??

World of Interiors Sometimes Makes My Knees Go Weak

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Can you believe the styling in these photos?? So great!! They are from this issue of the World of Interiors magazine. I did go through a phase many many moons ago where I was buying this magazine monthly - but it seems as I have gotten older - my pockets have gotten smaller - so I am much more reluctant to shell out the $10 every time. HOWEVER - there are certain situations - bad day at work, fight with P, general malaise and bummed-outedness - where I allow myself to splurge. And this issue was totally worth it! I already posted about it before...

I left out my favorite spread because the picture was kind of blurry - but check it out - an amazing chair by the amazing Campana brothers (aptly named the Sushi Diamond) (here is their portfolio site - it is flashy and a little slow to load), the modular buy-a-set-and-connect-them-all-together to build a WALL or some sort of TEXTILE-Y thing awesomeness that is Algues by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (here is an interview with them at designboom) for Vitra, and there are even some Swarovski crystals thrown in there for good measure. Not to mention ANGEL HEADS WITH WINGS, a creepy EYE in a PYRAMID, and trompe l'oeil painted cardboard. Phew! I am impressed to say the least. How did they manage to cram in all my favorite things into one picture?? I will never know...

Oh yea - and here is the lead-in to the photo spreads:

'STAGE DIRECTIONS'
"The Monticelli family of Ravenna has been an important dynasty in the world of puppetry for five generations, so its historic collection of glove characters, marionettes and painted scenery creates a suitably dramatic setting for the stars from the Milan Furniture Fair. Casting director Jessica Hayns selects the performers that look like they're going places. Production assistant: Maria Yiannikkou. Photography: Bill Batten"

Now - what is there not to love??

Anna Bhushan Illustrations

I really like the work of Anna Bhushan. So feminine and emotional, with beautiful colours and lines. Here is a little more information on her if you are interested...

Have a great weekend! I might try to do a post or two this weekend...cross your fingers!

Tauba Auerbach is Pretty Awesome

I really liked these type experiments by Tauba Auerbach - so cool and interesting looking! I found them thanks to the blog Happy Cavalier. She also has a book out that I think was published in conjunction to her show at Deitch Projects and there is a review of that show by Roberta Smith from the New York Times here.

Some Fun at G's House

I went to my friend G's house this Saturday and it was full of such bounty! She had just been to the farmer's market and had brought home all these beautiful vegetables and flowers. I couldn't help but take photos. We were working on a little project that I will show you hopefully later on this week - I am really excited about it!

Anyway - here are some links to help start off the week...

...Reference Library via Fine Little Day - what a great idea for a blog...
...Lukas who I met this summer and who is really nice is having a show...
...fatman's photos via Dear Ada...

Talk soon!

Cilla Ramnek Patterns and Some of My Own

I was looking through the new Ikea catalog today and I really liked these textile prints by Cilla Ramnek. She has also done these great floor mosaics (images below) AND this book Sticka & Virka (...which translates to Knitting & Crochet in English - the book goes by the name Knitprovisation over here...) which looks really cool. The blog Smarts & Crafts posted some photos of it and gave it a good review. I will have to try and find it in the bookshop!




These colours and shapes also remind me alot of these textile patterns I designed in the spring for my good friend Clayton over at Complex Geometries. We haven't figured out where and when to use them yet but I have several ideas! I will keep you posted on where they end up...!

New York Interiors

(...the caption for the above photo reads: "Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, 1980, in the kitchen of their West 58th Street apartment"...)

I have been hanging on to these images for almost a whole year now! I think they are so interesting. I got them all from this issue of New York Magazine which actually had 4 different cover versions - check out the link - the covers are all really cool too (with Bob, Andy, MADONNA and one other person whose name I can't remember).

I love seeing how everyone lives - especially cultural icons in their New York city apartments! All the photos feel really intimate - and I love how the decor says so much about who they are.

Harper's Bazaar Cover Illustrations by A.M. Cassandre

(...all images from here - and look around the site - there are so many other great finds!...)

I found these stunning 1930s cover illustrations for Harper's Bazzar magazine. They are all done by A.M. Cassandre who is most famous for these iconic posters (click on the underlined A.M. Cassandre on the first page, then again on the second page, then go down to the "gallery" link - the first in the list of underlined white links...).

I think they are just TO DIE FOR. So amazing.