^.^ Adventures In Technicolour ^.^

tin & ed

2010-09-06T10:56:00.003+10:00

I really love this illustration by Melbourne design and illustration team tin & ed of fashion peeps. How many can you name?

Produced for the Myer Emporium magazine and found via Jacky Winter.

I went along to the opening the Jacky Winter's new Lamington Drive head quarters last thursday in Collingwood. it is HUGE!

johngreen.

2010-08-23T08:58:00.003+10:00

Using off cuts of the rocking stool to minimise waste, John Green created these customised hangers to become part of his 'designing with waste range'.

Very noice.

Noma Bar

2010-08-21T13:11:00.006+10:00

Illustrations by Israel born, London based illustrator Noma Bar for IBM, check out the rest here

Jordan Crane

2010-08-18T09:14:00.004+10:00

Bottom Image from: Atomic Book blog

The new McSweeney's arrived in the mail yesterday and the most exciting aspect of it (for me) is the Jordan Crane cover. Allira blogged about Jordan Crane here and his awesome multi layered cover he did for Michael Chabon. I really love how Jordan uses colour, flat and almost fluoro. this McSweeney's cover includes invisible ink which makes it twice as exciting! I had no idea how the ink disappeared until it came in contact with a warm hand. I can't make it totally disappear as our apartment is freezing and no amount of breathing hot air on it will work. DAMN YOU WINTER!

Vintage posters

2010-08-17T10:36:00.004+10:00

Original travel posters from the 50's and 60's as found on Present & Correct facebook page. These are great for colour and pattern reference!

Tron

2010-08-17T09:36:00.004+10:00

Last night I saw the 1982 movie Tron. We were blown away by the look of the film, there is something awesome about the look of neon computer graphics that don't seem to date. It seems a pretty odd Disney film as it is quite a dark sci fi feel and the look reminds me of Blade Runner. Plus Jeff Bridges is in it and he's kinda cute! So anyway we watched it because we are pretty excited about the new one, Tron Legacy, especially because Daft Punk have done the sound track. Apparently Daft Punk created the soundtrack on set in a DJ booth whilst they were filming the movie, cool!

FoodMarketo

2010-07-30T16:34:00.003+10:00

Quirky objects at FoodMarketo

I like it, I like it a lot.

Sasha Hearts Paper

2010-07-28T21:53:00.004+10:00

Type and illustration exploration by Sasha Prood.

See more of her work here :)

Guy Bourdin

2010-07-28T10:36:00.002+10:00

I missed out on seeing French photographer Guy Bourdin's exhibition at the NGV in 2003 (i think..?). I really wish I had seen it, his photographs are AMAZING. I love the use of saturated colour and the sinister themes.

Bicycle Portraits

2010-07-27T12:45:00.005+10:00

Bicycle Portraits is Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler's project investigating South African bicycle culture.

They are raising funds to turn the project into a self-published photographic book, with the long term goal to assist the underprivileged cycling community.

Clare Owen

2010-07-26T18:43:00.002+10:00

How cute is uk artist Clare Owen's illustrations!? She was in the recent Frankie Magazine with her Mend & Make Do pull out poster, you can see it on her blog here.

I have been in Adelaide for the past week (ish). Hence the lack of blog posts. It's been great, if a little quite, but nice to get away from the crazyness of Melbourne and more specifically St Kilda. I will tell you that vintage designer shopping in Adelaide is WAY BETTER than Melbourne, so cheap and awesome that I went a bit too crazy and bought quite a lot :S

While in radtown, I also met up with a nice chap called Spencer, see his awesome work here.

Four legs good, two legs bad!

2010-07-22T12:38:00.003+10:00

Mikey Burton's illustrative reinterpretation of some classic books such as Animal Farm and To Kill a Mockingbird.

found via mustard and sage

KHUAN + KTRON

2010-07-21T12:43:00.003+10:00

I found these on the Grain Edit website. I love maps, especially illustrated ones, and these are sooo beautiful.

This series of covers for Weekend Knack Magazine are Designed by KHUAN + KTRON a Belgian based design firm.

Hair Hats by Nagi Noda

2010-07-20T14:53:00.004+10:00

Wow!

These hair hats by Nagi Noda are awe-inspiring!

Kia Neill

2010-07-19T17:23:00.004+10:00

Sculptures and installations by Kia Neill.

Made from an array of materials including (but not limited to) paper-mache, wood, CDs, joint compound, glitter, tinsel, foam and blinking lights.

the.

2010-07-18T13:08:00.004+10:00

Clever and humourous products, including anti-theft lunch bags and a large pocket shirt, designed by Sherwood Forlee and Mihoko Ouchi, of the.

Jacket+Bookmark

2010-07-16T15:31:00.002+10:00

Clever concept by Icoeye (Igor “Rogix” Udushlivy)

Book By It's Cover

2010-07-15T12:31:00.006+10:00

Book By Its Cover is curated by one of my idols, Julia Rothman an illustrator and pattern designer based in Brooklyn, New York. The site shares books she has collected over the years, and what a lovely collection of books and publications she has. She also has guest writers such as her Mum and Dad, Lisa Congdon, Ray Fenwick and many more, sharing their all time favourites too.

The Small Object

2010-07-13T15:38:00.006+10:00

Cuteness personified by Sarah Neuburger of The Small Object.

I have been admiring Sarah's work for quite some time now, she has been making limited edition objects and art since 2004, and in 2008 opened up a shop for super cute wedding toppers called 'Together Forever'.

Her colourful blog features more of her work, and some very cool tutorials and free downloads... hours and hours of fun!

Claire Nereim

2010-07-12T17:21:00.003+10:00

Calendars by Claire Nereim, available from her etsy store

Heisuke Kitazawa

2010-07-11T09:03:00.002+10:00

I love this print called 'A New Morning', especially the little raccoon with the pantaloon legs in the bottom left!

Available from the PCP Store

Megan Harrison

2010-07-07T19:08:00.015+10:00

This is the work of the very talented Megan Harrison, a makeup artist from Melbourne, Australia.

I met Megan back in 2003 when we were both working part-time in our hospitality jobs during University. Since then, she has made a gutsy career move from journalism to the ever-hard-to-break-into makeup industry, but Megan's enthusiastic, proactive nature and her ability to hit the ground running has definitely paid off, with a makeup artist career in full swing now, and a portfolio of work including brands such as Arabella Ramsay (new season SS2011, check it out!!), Violet and I and I Love Lenko, 2010 has much more installed for Megan and her creativeness, with more fashion shoots and jet-setting adventures about to begin!!

1. What made you decide to venture into the makeup/fashion industry?

I did a journalism degree, with wide eyed aspirations of being a big time writer, changing the world. It was definitely a subject where studying it takes the shine off, and you discover that writing for publications is a lot more formulaic than creative so I thought I'd try my hand at something that I'd always been good at, in a field where I was willing to fight my way to the top. Writing the obituaries wasn't for me ;)

2. You've just come back from fashion shoots overseas, where were you and what did you get up to while you were over there?

I travelled to Europe with my favourite photographer She Is Frank to shoot some European gals. We did three shoots in Paris over a week, with two Parisian models and one homegrown model then I went to Lourdes in the south of France for a week before meeting up with Frank in Copenhagen to shoot two Danish models with some fabulous designer vintage glasses and Danish drinks. I'm being a jetsetter this year and will be off to the US for a month in mid-October.

3. Where do you find your inspiration from? and who are your idols?

I find my inspiration from world-class makeup artists Streeters, Jed Root, Inc., fashion blogs like Fashion Gone Rogue, all the trends from different Fashion Weeks around the world and the different kinds of faces that I get to work with. Sometimes I'll have a look planned out and I'll see the model's face and the idea will completely change. I readily admit I'm not good at just making stuff up so I have a reference folder on my computer filled with thousands and thousands of fashion and beauty images and I pull different pieces of several photos together for a shoot. My makeup idols are Lisa Eldridge, Alice Ghendrih and Lottie Stannard.

4. Who would be your dream person to do makeup for and why?

My dream person to make up would be either Diane Kruger, Kristen Stewart or Rihanna. They are always wearing amazing clothes (in Kristen's case, only to red carpet shindigs...) and experimenting with makeup and colour without looking costume-y.

5. What's next on the agenda for you?

I'm off to Sydney on the 12th of July to work for a few months, then off to the US for a month. I've got a lot of exciting work coming up, including 3 editorial spreads in great mags and hopefully you'll be seeing some of the shoots I did in Europe in print too ;)

You can get in touch with Megan and see more of her fabulous work through her website. She has also just opened up a new online store Fred Darling stocking beautiful French skincare.

Keep an eye out for her work in some very prestigious magazines in the very near future.

Thanks Megan and all the best!

JeezVanilla!

2010-07-07T10:57:00.003+10:00

More ceramic-ky goodness by Adriana from JeezVanilla!

Molly Hatch

2010-07-06T08:41:00.003+10:00

My eyes are doing cartwheels, forward rolls and David Bowie's magic dance for Molly Hatch's ceramic work...

^.^

Animal Poetry

2010-07-01T13:34:00.005+10:00

Animal Poetry by Hong Kong designer Furze Chan.

Furze started the brand in 2009, a collection of papery-goodness including these beautiful paper puppets, my favourite is the Albino Wallaby.

BibliOdyssey

2010-06-29T15:51:00.003+10:00

An incredible collection of rare illustrations on BibliOdyssey.

'What can you do Punchinello little fellow?

What can you do Punchinello little you?'

Letterpress goodness

2010-06-28T19:28:00.003+10:00

I found these letterpress goodies on the Studio on Fire blog Beast Pieces (found via Krisatomic's tumbler). there is some awesome stuff on here that will make your eyes water over the beautiful impressions in think cushiony paper. YUM. The top business card for Studio 150 was designed by Evan Nagan. Studio 150 reinvent their identity every 150 days! Middle wedding invite was designed by the groom himself Scott Peiffer. And Last is a promo piece designed by Studio on Fire. I love the barely visible yetis in the background.

Tooth Artist

2010-06-28T13:07:00.006+10:00

Tattoos for teeth... the David Letterman one cracks me up!

found via hot child in the city

Séverin Millet

2010-06-24T20:36:00.007+10:00

These illustrations by Séverin Millet are incredible!

With my extremely limited french speaking skills... parlez-vous anglais? I've just realised some of his illustrations in his gallery section are available for purchase by contacting him directly... YEAH! You must check out the books he's illustrated and the editorial work he's created for numerous newspapers and press, and while you're at it, you should check out his blog too.

NICE.

Voodoo Queens

2010-06-23T18:15:00.003+10:00

by Nina Chakrabarti

3 x Prints = Nice

2010-06-23T09:21:00.003+10:00

From top to bottom: Guitar Lessons by Maxim Dalton, Owl Print by Kareena Zerefos and Identical Twins by Judy Kaufmann.

Stacey Rozich

2010-06-22T11:45:00.005+10:00

How do I describe Stacey Rozich's folk art in one word? umm... Brilliant!

Brian Rea

2010-06-21T14:19:00.003+10:00

This is the work of Los Angeles based artist and illustrator Brian Rea.

I am quite envious of his list making abilities, which you can see here. He also illustrated the book 'Drunk: The Definitive Drinker's Dictionary' by Paul Dickson, which includes more than 3000 synonyms for 'drunk'. The first image is one of his drawings from the book.

^.^

Oh, FRIG!

2010-06-18T10:25:00.005+10:00

ZOMG!

This is the work of Ryan Abegglen.

See more of his work here or here and buy it here

Pen Pencil Stencil

2010-06-18T10:03:00.002+10:00

Pen Pencil Stencil by Mark Giglio

^.^

Ornamental Conifer

2010-06-17T10:10:00.006+10:00

Nicolai Sclater is an East London Signwriter.

A fantastic collection of his screenprints, lino prints and traditional signs can be found on his blog.

^.^

Stipontwerpt

2010-06-16T09:05:00.003+10:00

A materialistic self-portrait by Stipontwerpt

^.^

Harvest

2010-06-15T10:28:00.010+10:00

The new Harvest winter 2010 is out now and features a cover by the great Dawn Tan and includes stories, non-fiction and interviews.

I was commissioned to illustrate the poetry section curated by the VERY talented (and our next door neighbour) Josephine Rowe.

The poetry focus was on Nandi Chinna, whose poems of horses rushing into the sea, micro organisms and nature evoked the theme of flotsam and jetsam, of tiny things you find washed up on the beach; bones, feathers and seaweed.

I also did the Literopoly game board (A literary version of Monopoly).

You can buy Harvest at Borders, Readings and Magnation.

New Things

2010-06-11T10:23:00.003+10:00

bottom images by Nobrow

I recently purchased some products by two artists who I respect immensely; the concertina artist book by Micah Lidberg from Nobrow and the lion brooch by Verity Keniger from her Etsy shop. I cannot stress how beautiful these both are and that they make me sooo happy just to stare at them (I better stop doing that and get back to work). Next I want to buy Verity's lion print, I need a bit of bright yellow colour, here in melbourne, its so grey and wintery.

The Morae River

2010-06-11T08:06:00.005+10:00

The Morae River Project is the fantastical work of Brynn Metheney, an Oakland-based freelance illustrator.

Brynn has created the incredibly detailed and ever evolving, fictional Morae River along with it's inhabitants. She classifies each flora and fauna species to give the reader/viewer a true representation of the world she's created.

Quite amazing really.

p.s. If you haven't already done so, please vote for Eirian's design for the Kit Design Awards 2010! Yippee!

Rui Tenreiro

2010-06-09T12:46:00.007+10:00

Amazing illustrations by Rui Tenreiro.

Born in Mozambique, he now lives in Stockholm, Sweden. As well as having worked with textiles, ceramics, writing, curating, advertising and film, he also runs a small publishing company called Soyfriends

See more of his work on his News Log or read a very interesting interview he did with Anna from Pencil and Pipette

Kit Design Award

2010-06-09T10:34:00.005+10:00

I'm pretty excited to be included as one of the top 20 finalists in the Kit Design Award 2010. This years theme was Taking Shape and like Australian Idol you can vote for my design here. YAY

The Bazaarium

2010-06-04T07:46:00.010+10:00

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre

The Dollar Dreadful Family

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre is the work of Wilhelm Staehle, who describes himself as 'horribly disfigured'. A man who 'spends many hours in seclusion, fingers bleeding from the arduous task of paper-cutting and hunched over with the burden of his twisted sense of humour.' You had me at 'horribly disfigured'. These humourous silhouettes are backed with witty statements, take a look at them all.

He also founded The Dollar Dreadful Family Library with T.D. Rio who is described as Wilhelm Staehle's 'perennial beauty', in the other room 'T.D. Rio gazes though a lace curtain as she crafts stories of flight and fancy, leaving only in order to exercise the crows, or to trim Wilhelm's long hair when it becomes unruly'. These are adventurous short stories in beautifully designed black and white booklets, which on their own are a work of art. Check out those covers! You can preview the stories here and you can purchase them for $2 here. The design reminds me of those information booklets you could get in primary school on the Gold Rush.

They're also constantly on the lookout for writers!

Don't forget to visit the blog too. So much to look at, me likey! :D

Book City Jackets

2010-06-03T08:40:00.005+10:00

Book City Jackets was founded in 2008 by Emma Gaines-Ross and Jeremy Schwartz, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They can turn any book into an affordable work of art, with their fold-to-fit, recycled kraft paper book covers, printed with original works by some very talented artists and illustrators from around the globe. (phew! that was a long sentence)

The Artists Edition No.1 which featured the works of Eveline Tarunadjaja, Matthew Caputo and Morgan Blair sold out (forever) in December 2009, but you can still get your mitts on the 2nd and 3rd editions, with a buy 2 get free shipping deal, nice!

Oh! and they're currently accepting submissions for future Artist Editions.

So... get crackin'! Get in touch with them: jeremy [at] bookcityjackets.com

Kirstie Edmunds

2010-06-01T19:06:00.005+10:00

Beautiful illustrations by Kirstie Edmunds

See more loveliness on her website or blog

i heart.

Anastassia Elias

2010-06-01T08:42:00.003+10:00

"I cut the small paper shapes that I stick inside the toilet paper rolls. I use tweezers to manipulate the paper shapes. I selecte the paper of the same color as the roll. It gives the illusion that the paper figures make part of the roll. I need few hours to make one piece." – Anastassia Elias

Awesome!

Zoologie

2010-05-31T09:40:00.002+10:00

George Haughton and Bonita Francis are the designers and makers behind Zoologie, A Melbourne based clothing label of quirky wearable pieces for men and women. They have just opened their first shop in Manchester Lane, Melbourne (YAY) as well as launching their winter range 'A New World'. They also have an online shop full of goodies. Check 'em out!

Happy Journey Collective

2010-05-30T08:39:00.004+10:00

Happy Journey Collective is the brainchild of Thereza Rowe, Lesley Barnes and Abi Daker, showcasing coffin artworks by illustrators and artists from around the world. They select submissions regularly to feature on their site, so you can download the brief and submit your ideal final destination box too! :D

The Pencil Factory

2010-05-28T10:42:00.003+10:00

15 Uses for Newsprint by The Pencil Factory

A poster zine by The Pencil Factory illustrators and designers.

Poster artworks by: Kim Bost, Josh Cochran, Gilbert Ford, Jessica Hische, Grady McFerrin, Ted McGrath, Alex Eben Meyer, Chris Silas Neal, Zacharia O'Hora, Leif Parsons, Rachel Salomon, Joel Speasmaker, Jillian Tamaki, Sam Weber and Jennifer Daniel

Available in Jennifer Daniel's store

p.s. see if you can find the insect wandering around on her site :D

Red Ink like Blood

2010-05-25T14:17:00.004+10:00

Work of Jordan Crane: a comic artist, illustrator, art director, editor and designer.

His work is available through his site: Red Ink like blood, stocking limited edition prints and books, including his quarterly comic: 'Uptight' as well as the Extra Fancy version of 'The Clouds Above' which features a beautifully hand pulled dustjacket, only available on his site.

Above is Jordan Crane's 3 layer dustjacket for 'Maps and Legends' book by Michael Chabon

Found via: design:related

Cool...

Kiosk

2010-05-24T11:26:00.003+10:00

Based in SoHo, New York, Kiosk offers a collection of items sourced from around the world. These items are featured in exhibition format for 4-6 months, with some as 'on-going' collections which you can purchase from their online shop. If you're a sweet tooth, you'll like their current collection: Icelandic Candy

"We consider the items we show to be humble, straightforward and beautiful in their simplicity and directness. Often they are traditional goods that have developed over generations or anonymous design found in general or hardware stores. We feature the things that generally go unnoticed, products created by not one personality but objects that are the result of local aesthetics and needs. Their value is sometimes hard to see in today’s market; our motivation to start Kiosk was to shed some light on these anonymous objects and support independent producers."

^.^

Serrote Publishing

2010-05-22T09:48:00.002+10:00

Projects by Serrote Publishing based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Check out the cool animated gifs on their first serrote book (Minho), drawn entirely with pixels!

Keepa Studio

2010-05-20T17:05:00.004+10:00

Colourful illustration font by Keepa studio based in Lviv, Ukraine.

Keepa is the collaboration of Irena Zablotska and Eugene Rudyy.

The above font is available for download at Font Soup!

Isotype

2010-05-19T09:43:00.003+10:00

"The International System Of Typographic Picture Education was developed by the Viennese social scientist and philosopher Otto Neurath (1882-1945) as a method for visual statistics. Gerd Arntz was the designer tasked with making Isotype’s pictograms and visual signs. He designed around 4000 signs, which symbolized key data from industry, demographics, politics and economy, for the visual language Isotype" Read and view more about the history of Isotype by Max Bruinsma on the great The Gerd Arntz web archive. Many of these symbols are still relevant today.

Mari Funaki 1950 – 2010

2010-05-18T12:47:00.004+10:00

Mari Funaki sadly passed away last Thursday. A sculptor, jeweler and gallery owner, Mari supported local talent and enriched the arts scene in Melbourne.

"My main interest is to explore form and space, constructing the forms and details between the space with flat plain surfaces of metal. Blackened mild steel creates shadow and mystery. I work with evocative forms based on nature and the everyday environment. They might remind you of something familiar or something from your memory. I like to make my forms stir people’s emotions or imagination" Mari Funaki

via NGV

Sycamore Street Press

2010-05-16T10:53:00.005+10:00

Images from top to bottom: Letterpress Whiskers Poster, The Sea Freak Cries for Help Letterpress Print by Eva Jorgensen, Forest Friends Letterpress Print by Michéle Brummer-Everett, Weasel & Woodpecker Letterpress Print by Roxy Marj, A Gathering of Great Poets print by Jean Richardson.

Letterpress printing by Sycamore Street Press.

Established in 2007 in the dining room of Kirk and Eva Jorgensen, Sycamore Street Press has now grown into a full-time family business. Printing everything from greeting cards, posters, invitations, business cards and other paper goods on their beloved hand-cranked letterpress. Each month they collaborate with different artists to create 'The Sycamore Club' limited edition prints. Available in their shop or through etsy.

Sally Nencini

2010-05-15T09:55:00.003+10:00

Beautifully upholstered and hand embroidered vintage chairs and knitted pieces by Sally Nencini

Nicholas Di Genova

2010-05-13T11:32:00.003+10:00

Sketches and ink on paper artworks by Nicholas Di Genova.

Wowee!

^.^

Blanca Gómez

2010-05-12T10:44:00.002+10:00

Blanca is a illustrator and graphic designer living in Madrid. Her illustration graced the cover of the first UPPERCASE magazine and she sells her gocco prints on her Etsy site. She also has a great blog. CHECK IT OUT!

Patrick Draws Things

2010-05-12T10:17:00.002+10:00

Awesome work by Patrick Hruby. See more of his work on his blog!

^.^

Melinda Josie

2010-05-11T14:00:00.004+10:00

Top to bottom: Kitty Buds Fabric, Kittenwillows Giclée Print, Kitty Buds Fabric (Delft Blue), Springtime Tea Party Silkscreen Print

Melinda Josie is a freelance illustrator currently living and working in Toronto. She has worked on children's books, editorials and textiles. I love her kitty buds fabric and the kittenwillow print, so cute!

^.^

Eleni Kalorkoti

2010-05-09T14:26:00.002+10:00

Illustrations by Eleni Kalorkoti

^.^

Chloe Fleury

2010-05-05T20:28:00.007+10:00

Chloe Fleury, originally from France, now lives and works in San Francisco. A jack-of-all-trades, she's a designer, illustrator and animator. A lot of her work involves papery goodness! I especially love these poster installations that represent her favourite areas of San Francisco! Be sure to check out her King Kong animation which won 1st prize in the Be Kind, Rewind competition.

found via: Design for Mankind

^.^

Czarodziejska Kura

2010-05-05T11:03:00.003+10:00

Designed in Warsaw, Czarodziejska Kura is a Polish kids magazine that is so beautifully designed, 'grown-ups' will end up buying it and framing the covers. Each issue is full of patterns, illustrations and games. They have an even cuter website and blog, now all you need to do is learn Polish! Designed by Robert Czajka. The mag is sold through Present&Correct.

Jim Tierney

2010-05-02T18:23:00.003+10:00

These wonderful Jules Verne book cover designs are by Jim Tierney. You can view the rest of the series on his website. They are painfully beautiful.

ZEROPERZERO

2010-04-29T09:41:00.003+10:00

Top to bottom: Hokkaido Railway, New York City Railway, Barcelona Railway and Seoul Railway

I love maps! maps! maps! maps!

When I look at these maps it makes me feel satisfyingly organised. Everything is so neat and colour-coded, geometric and symmetric. I love how characteristics of each city influenced the design of the maps. From Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona to Milton Glaser's I♥NY logo. These maps are super neat!!

They are designed by Zero Per Zero, a design duo made up of Kim Ji-Hwan and Jin Sol from Seoul, Republic of Korea. AND you can buy the maps through their website! Yep. Awesome.

^.^

Chewed by Tuesday

2010-04-27T19:07:00.005+10:00

I remember watching my last favourite pen in high school (a cheap, but nothing less than awesome, Blue BIC Fine Biro [they don't sell these anymore]) being lent to a notorious pen chewer and watching (as if in slow motion and in the third person) it enter their mouth into the black abyss of oblivion... Goodbye BIC! it was great while it lasted but... "no really, that's ok, you keep it..."

These fantastically clever necklaces by Melbourne Designer Vivienne Gibson from Chewed by Tuesday, will definitely separate the non-chewers from the chewers... and now let's see chewers, if you can bite off more than you can chew... HA!

Found via Design Fetish

^.^

Chris Ware

2010-04-26T10:23:00.002+10:00

After Chip Kid twittered about Chris Ware's rejected Fortune 500 cover (which is awesome by the way), I remembered this gem of a book that I bought last year in Collingwood (again) at one of those discount book shops (when I found it I nearly started frothing at the mouth). The ACME Novelty Library is full of large colour 'comics', stories, faux 1950's advertisements, instructional paper cut-out toys and the tiniest drawings that make you go blind looking at them. It is one of the most beautiful books I own because it has gold foil stamping, embossing and my favourite is the celestial map, which has glow-in-the-dark UV ink printed on the stars and delicate line work. WOW.

Hattie Newman

2010-04-23T10:56:00.004+10:00

Images: Free Range Birds, Venus Fly Trap, The Fedrigoni Mountains, Home is where your stuff is.

Colourful set designs and installations by Hattie Newman makes me happy :D

^.^

Voiceworks

2010-04-22T09:48:00.004+10:00

The latest issue of Australian youth magazine Voiceworks is out now, it is also my last issue as I am now officially too old to submit (25 being the cut off age). This issues theme is Missionary and I have illustrated 8 of the columns using this religions theme. If you are under 25 and you write, draw or make comics I highly recommend you submit. They also list all the places you can buy Voiceworks in Australia.

Nomono

2010-04-21T10:09:00.005+10:00

Images clockwise from top left: illustrations for Hommu, illustrations for Sant Jordi, Poster for Festa Major Sant Pere Gava & Kein Schöner Land

Nomono is Cristóbal Schmal, a Chilean graphic designer who now lives and works as a freelance illustrator in Berlin. Nice bold illustrations, above are just a few from his selected works. But do check out his 'others' links for very cool Drawing Jams videos.

...thanks Paul for sending me the link!

^.^

Scale 1:1

2010-04-20T18:34:00.004+10:00

A series of some of the world's smallest birds intricately screen printed to scale by Fanny Shorter, an illustrator and printer maker who is inspired by anatomy and botany. Teeny tiny goodness!

^.^

Welcome back, Kotter (if I may say so myself)

2010-04-19T07:50:00.011+10:00

Peru and Galapagos images from top to bottom:

Llamas at Machu Picchu; cheeky goat watching Easter celebrations in Cusco; Lady with alpaca and lamb on the way to Ollantaytambo; Locals on the way to Puno... and lucky last, Galapagos Hawk that was hovering a couple of metres above my head at Isabela Island (Galapagos Islands)... cool.

Sea lions, tortoises, iguanas, hawks, llamas and alpacas...

what more could a girl want?

^.^

Charles Burns

2010-04-18T12:37:00.003+10:00

Charles burns is one of my favourite graphic artists, if you only read one graphic novel make sure it is Black Hole. It will blow your mind. The above photos are of a collection of comics of his that we found (without a cover) at a second hand store in Collingwood last year. It's about a grumpy mexican wrestler detective called El Borbah and all the freaky stuff he uncovers. It's a great and funny read, highly recommend checking this out at Fantagraphics.

Beci Orpin

2010-04-15T11:37:00.002+10:00

Beci Orpin's solo show is opening at Lamington Drive tonight. She's one of my favourite illustrators EVER! Above is a selection of what she will be exhibiting entitled The Infinite Shape of Rainbows.

I had a Beci Orpin tote bag in 1st year Uni that had dancing green skeletons on it. I loved it so much I wore down the handle. Make sure if you're in Melbourne that you get down and check it out, it should be rad.

Sad eyes

2010-04-11T20:10:00.003+10:00

Images from top: Eirian Chapman. Bottom: Double Parlour

Maissa Toulet

2010-04-11T17:23:00.004+10:00

I have been obsessed with looking through op shops to find something wonderful like human teeth or a taxidermy bird, alas seems like a lot of other people have the same idea. Ever since I bought The Selby book the desire to fill our apartment with random crap is pretty strong. Must resist hoarder urge. Then I found Maissa Toulet's site. She has the wonderful ability to arrange beautifully delicate objects in cabinets to create great colour combinations. LOVE IT.

O is for Awesome

2010-04-10T11:22:00.002+10:00

Yesterday I picked up my Jessica Hische 'O' print from Lamington Drive. I love the embossed monogram at the bottom right of the print, it's a bit hard to see in the photo but it's a silhouette of her profile. Now to get it framed!

Covered up

2010-04-08T13:42:00.002+10:00

Images from top left: Image found in Style Bubble , Lu Flux, unknown (please contact me if you know the origins of this great image!), Sibling London.

The Selby is in your place

2010-04-06T12:38:00.002+10:00

I had a very exciting morning when mr mailman came and delivered The Selby Is In Your Place book by Todd Selby (A portrait, interiors, fashion photographer and ILLUSTRATOR! is there anything he can't do?). I really love snooping through peoples houses on house inspection days so this book is great as you get access to some of the worlds most creative people in their homes without getting arrested. bonus. Buy it here at Amazon it even comes with stickers!

Stardust

2010-04-06T12:16:00.006+10:00

Thanks to the St Kilda library for the free wireless, I'm blogging again! life is hard with limited internet access so I'm going to pump you full of blog posts starting with these beautiful images from Simon Ekrelius's A/W 10-11 collection. I found these images via my fav fashion blog Kingdom of Style.

The President

2010-03-29T10:04:00.004+11:00

A collection of work by The President

My friend is over in South Africa at the moment (cage diving with great white sharks!) and it got me thinking of my two favourite magazines that come out of SA: Afro Magazine and MK Bruce Lee, both published and designed by The President (run by Peet Pienaar and Hannerie Visser). MK Bruce Lee is a magazine commissioned by South African music channel DStv. There are two versions; Bruce for boys and Lee for girls. I love the patterns and graphic elements and I'm a sucker for magazines that are filled with little paper collectables and fold out posters. I managed to find the Afro Magazine Issue 2 at Shweshwe (a shop on Brunswick St, Melbourne that has now shut down damn it!). Getting a hold of these magazines is truly hard but at least The President site has all the goodies up for our viewing pleasure.

^.^

Coco

2010-03-24T10:43:00.005+11:00

I found Coco's digitally printed silk scarfs on the Colette website and freaked out at the colours, sooo beautiful!

The above scarfs are from her label Forget Me Not which feature her feminine drawings, she says:

"I tend to start my work by experimenting with old-school processes such as painting, drawing and ceramics, before designing the final image digitally. I like to mix several techniques but aim for restraint and minimalism in the finished work as I like the results achieved from combining these two approaches."

Faded type

2010-03-23T09:58:00.002+11:00

Images from Jules Vernacular

Today Oh Joy! twittered about some beautiful wire type from the Jules Vernacular site and I couldn't resist posting some more images from their awesome photographic archive of outdoor typography.

Deanne Cheuk

2010-03-22T09:09:00.003+11:00

Top: Type design for Tokion Magazine. Bottom: invite, fabric pattern and tad design for Sue Stemp.

Deanne Cheuk is pretty awesome. So awesome that at age 19 her first job was as a magazine art director...WOW. Now based in New York, (she is originally from Perth, Western Australia) Deanne is a typographer, illustrator, designer, pattern maker and many other things not yet defined. My favourite work of hers is her experimental typefaces created for Tokion magazine. Deanne's independant zine Neomu inspired me to make Crafty Magazine when I was in my final year of uni. In 2005 She released her own book The Mushroom Girls Virus, full of girls and mushrooms and the melting universe.

Micah Lidberg

2010-03-18T17:34:00.006+11:00

Top: TWO HEADED LAVA WORM DELIGHT.

Bottom: AND ON THE 8^th DAY GOD CREATED DINOSAURS, BUT CALLED IT QUITS BEFORE LUNCH | WE ARE SPACEMEN FROM DIFFERENT PLANETS, RENDEZVOUSING ON THE MOON

The America artist Micah Lidberg has been one of my favourite artists for quite some time. His work has so much detail and intense colour its hard to look away. His work feels inky, slippery and even soft and pillowy. He has designed some fabric patterns that are sold through HUGO & MARIE (who also represent aussies Fontain Anderson and Deanne Cheuk). Check out his website for the panoramic adventures with dinosaurs and wild flora and fauna.

^.^

Bu (and bye for now)

2010-03-18T09:41:00.005+11:00

Above are the brightly-coloured, beautiful textile and fashion designs by Bu, from Argentina. Bu has been exhibiting since the age of 15, and has since been illustrating for books and magazines, worked on prints, clothes and accessories. Impressive!

Today is my last post for a month, I'm off to the land of South America. I leave you in the trusty hands of my fellow technicoloured-adventurer-comrade, Eirian Chapman. Adiós!

^.^

Camilla Engman

2010-03-17T11:36:00.004+11:00

I have just received in the post the UPPERCASE Suitcase Series on Camilla Engman. YAY. It is beautifully packaged and designed by Janine Vangool and stuffed full of illustrations, paintings and objects by the Swedish artist Camilla. It features photos of her work space and interviews with fellow collaborators as well as her famous pooch Morran. Please buy it, it will make you soooo very happy.

Talking about happy things, I met the lovely Jessica Hische last night at the Lamington Drive exhibition of her work in Melbourne. The exhibition is up until April 10 so if you are in Melbourne check it out. It features prints of her Drop Cap series and posters, I wanted to buy all of them...maybe I will...

ChrisRann by Rannie Balias

2010-03-17T08:40:00.004+11:00

From top to bottom: Chest Armor, Gorgo Necklace and Cleo Chain

Rannie Balias is the maker of ChrisRann jewellery

I love her unique style and use of colourful leatherette combined with metal.

^.^

A Collection a Day, 2010

2010-03-16T09:37:00.004+11:00

Pictured: Some of the collections, so far...

Lisa Congdon is an artist and illustrator living in San Francisco. I love the amount of colour and the combinations she uses in her artwork, it makes me happy.

At the start of 2010, she started the blog A Collection a Day, 2010 which will showcase on each day (all 365 days!!) an illustration, photograph or painting of one collection. If you're obsessed with organising and arranging things which Lisa describes herself to be (and I can 100% relate to) you will love these collections.

^.^

Niessen & De Vries

2010-03-15T09:57:00.004+11:00

Top: photo of TM – City, a traveling exhibition. Work by Niessen & De Vries. Bottom: 'Chaufont' A series of four fanciful proofprints (Tartan, File Sharing, Constellation and In Progress).

Following on from Marian Bantjes patterned work I thought I would post about Richard Niessen. A designer based in Amsterdam, he runs Niessen & De Vries with wife Esther De Vries. Their work is complicated and layered like the grid system of a city. I found Richard Niessen's work in Nico magazine summer 2008 #02 where there is a great interview with him by Emily King.

Tou

2010-03-15T09:55:00.002+11:00

Cuteness by Tou!

Available here :D

^.^

Jocomomola by Sybilla

2010-03-14T11:33:00.010+11:00

WOAH! The most amazing clothing by Sybilla!

As Queen once famously said: I want it all! I want it all! I want it all... and I want it now!

^.^

Marian Bantjes

2010-03-13T12:26:00.003+11:00

Top image: A poster for the Academy of American Poets, promoting April as National Poetry Month.

Bottom: Images of the Fox River Paper promotion of Bantjes work.

I love typographer/illustrator Marian Bantjes work. It makes me uber excited! Her attention to detail, her use of sugar, flowers or fur to create type, her calligraphy oh the curves! and I love her website because she explains in depth the creative process. I first discovered her when Fox River Paper sent out a paper promotion filled with her work with fancy printing techniques (the sugar type in the bottom right pic is embossed to feel like real sugar!). Check out her website for her Valentine 2010 cards, bea-ortiful.

Rebound Books

2010-03-13T12:22:00.004+11:00

A little bit of Melbourne love!

Natalie and Ben Mason are the brains behind Rebound books. They upcycle old, unloved books and record covers and create awesome notebooks, cards, sketchbooks, bookmarks and diaries! Everything is made by hand which means each book is completely unique! We heart.

^.^