A Little Bit of Elegance

I came across the portfolio of Amy Borrell today and thought I would pass it along. Her work is very soft and romantic and I found it very endearing. It was a nice change from the bold, sarcastic illustrators I've been admiring lately. Take a look!

She has lots of work on her website so check it out at cakewithgiants.com.

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

My New Plan

Earlier today (technically yesterday) I was talking to one of my very best friends, Brandon Hunter about jobs, moving, art and all kinds of other fun stuff. During our conversation he brought up several designers who have committed to designing something everyday. I've seen a few blogs of designers who do this and I have always thought it was a great project just not one I was going to take on myself. Well, Mr.Hunter has inspired me (once again) to take on this project. He is one of the most passionate people I know and his love for design is contagious. So starting today I'm going to design/create/produce something new everyday. This doesn't include any work I do for my job or a client, this is strictly personal artwork that I want to make. You want to hear the best news? I'm going to post it all on this lovely blog of mine for your viewing pleasure. Are you excited? Because I am.

For today's little piece of artwork I did a simple little drawing in my sketch book, but I like it. My plan is to add a little bit to this drawing everyday and see how it evolves, Layer Tennis style. I figure it's a good way to ease me into this new project, plus I think it could turn out really crazy and cool. Once I'm done or bored with this drawing I'll move on to something new. So without further delay, I give you design numero uno:

I know, it's not much now but I already have plans tumbling around in my head that will make it super awesome, so make sure you stay tuned!

Oh and don't forget to check out Brandon's very spectacular blog, White Spase. He always has great posts about all different kinds of artists and insightful musings on what is going on in today's art world!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

Platinum in the Rough

The other day I came across the photography of  Michael Massaia and felt I had to share it with you. The New Jersey native (just like me!) takes large format, black and white photos of places in New Jersey and New York. I was blown away when I first saw his work, his images literally glow. It turns out they are platinum prints, something that I have been very unfamiliar with till now. The special printing process is VERY archival, has a vast tonal range and as I mentioned before, appears to glow. 

One of the things I like the most about Massaia's work, in addition to his stunning compositions, is that the majority of his photo are taken at night. The dark photos really make the glowing lights of his subject matter work perfectly with the platinum prints. The Final Throes, Chinatown Nights and Afterlife are my three favorite series. Check it out-

Afterlife-02

Afterlife-12

Afterlife-06

In the Final Throes-New Jersey-3

In the Final Throes-New Jersey-8

In the Final Throes-New Jersey-1

The Bayard Building-Chinatown

Nice One Bakery-Chinatown

Chinatown Finge

Chinatown-6am

He has a ton more photos on his website so check it out!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Afterlife images from michaelmassaiaphotography.com

The Final Throes images from beautifuldecay.com

Chinatown Nights images from luminous-lint.com)

More than just a hobby

Sumbleupon has done it for me again! This time in the form of John Kenn. Kenn is a writer and director for kids shows but in his free time he transforms into an illustrator of epic proportions. His subject matter is mainly monsters of all shapes and sizes. His media? Pen and ink and, drum roll please... Post-It's. Yep that's right, he creates beautiful drawings that would be amazing enough as is but to top it off he does them on little squares of 3x3 yellow paper. His work immediately brings to mind the illustrations of Maurice Sendak, another favorite of mine. His drawings are detailed and have wonderful textures that make them come to life.

I also love that this is just a hobby for him. There is no pressure for him to create a new piece of artwork and no deadlines for him to meet. It's easy as a graphic designer to get caught up with projects and clients and forget to create work just for yourself. Kenn has been doing just that and lucky enough for us has been kind enough to let us join him in his little Post-It worlds. I definitely am going to set some time aside to do more personal work and maybe I'll start posting it up here too!

He adds new work to his blog about every week so make sure you check it out!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Images from johnkenn.blogspot.com)

Time to deal out the cards

I found this while doing my usual rounds on Etsy. They're a fun and quirky shop called Able and Game that makes fun and quirky cards. Simplistic drawings combined with funny little sayings make me a very happy customer!

These cards are a great way to tell someone how you feel in a unique and unconventional way and they are always good for a laugh. Keep up the good work Able and Game!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Images from Able and Game's Etsy Shop)

Simplicity is key

I'm alive, I promise! I know my posts have become few and far between but I'm still here and I'll try and do better. No promises though.

Today I was wandering around the good old internet using StumbleUpon and came across this image:

It made me laugh so I looked up Marc Johns and found a bunch of similar drawings. Voila, I have a new second favorite illustrator (Jon Klassen is and will alway be number one). His illustrations themselves are very basic but that's one of the reasons I like them so much. He picks a lot of common objects to draw but adds an unexpected element to them and there is always a little statement underneath. They are just so random and have a childish quality to them that not many artists have anymore. His blog will definitly be added to my list of daily reads and I have a feeling that my days will be a bit brighter because of it. Here are a few more drawings from his website:

I would love some of these prints to hang up in my room, hmmm, I'm thinking Christmas list!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Images from marcjohns.com)

For a Cloudy Day

The other day I was trying to find some inspiration for a website I'm working on for my internship when I came across these lovely folks. The Cloudy Collection was started by David Huyck who one day decided to invite some friends and colleagues to make a collection of letterpress prints. The results are beautiful prints that show off each designers unique talents but still work as a cohesive group as they all follow a theme and they have the same color pallet. They currently have 7 collections out with an average of  7 or 8 prints per set. They also are super eco-friendly when it comes to printing which is something that I think is very important this day in age. 


I admire anyone who reaches out to other designers and artists to create something beautiful and exciting. I think that in the creative field it is so important to have other creative people around you to both inspire and support you. I know that I have my group of people that I always look to when I have designer's block or just want to bounce around a few ideas. I currently have two side projects with two different sets of friends that I'm hoping are going to take off soon. They are both really different projects but are each so much fun because I get to work with other designers who are also really close friends of mine. I think that sometimes working in a group can be really difficult but is usually worth it when everyone's best ideas come together to make a great finished product. I'm purposefully not giving away any specifics but as soon as there is something concrete to share you'll be hearing it first, I promise!


In the meantime here are some of the prints from the Cloudy Collection. 

I definitely think that my favorite theme is "The Scarlet Lettering" (Vol. 1 Issue 3). Make sure you check them all out at their website, cloudycollection.com. They come out quarterly so there should be a new "issue" in a few months. Enjoy!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Images from cloudycollection.com)

Can someone help me, please?!?

I am absolutely dying to learn how to print color photos in the darkroom. I've heard that it's complicated and hard but I don't care, I've wanted to learn for a while now. Color photography skills in the darkroom creates so many new possibilities. I keep on trying to find a class on color photography but so many people are switching to digital now that the classes that are in the darkroom are mostly on the basics. I've taken three photography classes now and want to learn something completely new. Does anyone out there know of a color photography class (in Boston) or know themselves and want to teach me? I'm getting pretty desperate here.

My other problem is that I don't have a darkroom so I can't even teach myself (which believe me would be very entertaining for all of you). The wonderful thing about being in college is that everything is right at your fingertips. I've been realizing since graduation exactly how much I depended on the school's resources. Let me tell you, I was VERY dependent. And now it is all gone just like that. I honestly haven't looked at all for a public darkroom in Boston but I did look when I was in Virginia and found nada so I'm a little pessimistic. Although that was Virginia and this is Boston so I probably should give it a chance. Even if I can't learn to print color photos I would still love a darkroom to play around in. I love darkrooms, they always feel comforting and safe. Oh why can't the real world be more like college? Tons and tons of art resources for everyone!

Well while I continue my search for a darkroom and color photography class here are some photographers who use color film (at least I'm pretty positive they do, either way they're all worth checking out):

Rineke Dijkstra

Beach Portraits
(Imgs: www.vincentborrelli.com )

William Eggleston

Los Alamos

(Imgs: www.egglestontrust.com)

Joakim Eskitdsen

The Roma Journeys

(Imgs: www.joakimeskildsen.com)

I hope you enjoyed! I found all of these artists on this website. It's a great resource for finding both classic and contemporary artists.You should definitely spend some time there, it's where I always go when looking for photographic inspiration!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

A Burst of Inspiration

I think that it is about time I dedicate a post to my all time favorite illustrator, the absolutely amazing Jon Klassen!  His quirky style and use of textures really make him stand out as an artist. His work usually has an almost childlike simplicity to it yet also has an edge of  dark humor. Check it out...

This is one of my favorites if I was forced to choose.
There is definitely that dark humor that I mentioned.

Beautiful!!! Great illustration of isolation, it's kinda sad and sweet at the same time.

This is so amazing!!!!! I want all of his prints!

Oh and did I mention that he did artwork for Coraline? Because he did. I know know, how much are you in love with him? I want to post all of his prints but I'll let you look for yourself. Also check out the image he used for his about me page. I think I might have to still that idea, it's too cute!

May X never mark just one spot!

Kim

(Images from burstofbeaden.com)