2012 Illustrated calendars part #5
Posted by Amy on Thursday December 15, 2011
Can you believe we’ve covered 40 illustrated calendars this year? Round five shows 8 more of my favorite calendars and I have to say that the talent this year is amazing! I wish I had more than 3 rooms though, because hanging a few calendars in one room sounds awfully silly.
For those who came a little late to our calendar party, here’s part #1, #2, #3, and #4 and I think it’s safe to say that you can slowly put 2011’s calendar aside and primp up that nook for your brand new calendar very soon. I can’t believe how time flies!
2012 Tea Towel Wall calendar by Cicada Daydream
Doodlers Anonymous 2012 calendar
(image art by Sretan Bor)
Nantucket Mermaid 2012 calendar
My Owlbarn’s free 2012 calendar printouts
(Image art by Christine Pym)
Leah Duncan’s 2012 Geometric wall calendar
2012 Calendar // 366 Days // 366 Drawings by Matt Hunsberger
Phew – I think I have just about covered it all this year! Thanks so much to everyone who sent links to their calendars this year — if you don’t see yours in this year’s list, don’t worry, there’s always the next! :D
Comments [4]
2012 Illustrated calendars part #3
Posted by Amy on Thursday November 17, 2011
We’re onto our third round of illustrated calendars for 2012, and I have to say that this round we have some of the most eclectic ones I’ve ever seen! Let’s see what we have uncovered this week:
Caitlin Keegan’s 2012 circular calendar
2012 Illustrated Mini Calendar by Milk & Cookies
Albertine Press’ tear off letterpress postcard 2012 calendar
Eireann Lorsung of Oh Bara’s 2012 wall calendar
Cloudy collection’s first ever 2012 calendar
Amy Marcella’s 2012 wall calendar
Did you miss out on our first few round-ups? See week #1 and week #2’s collection, and if you spot a calendar that you’d like to share, tell me about it!
Comments [4]
Loco for local: Oh & Ah
Posted by Amy on Thursday July 14, 2011
This week, I’m proud to present Oh & Ah, a collective of five artists, illustrators and designers who have been running their studio for the past 4 years right here in my neck of the woods – Malaysia. I’ve been a fan of theirs for some time now, and was happy to hear that they now have a dedicated space where they can show off all their wonderful things. Read on for more, and at the end of the interview, you’ll find a coupon code for use at their fun online shop!
Name: Oh&Ah
Location: Malaysia
Website/Shop: www.oh-and-ah.com/store
(physical shop) Cova Square, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Blog: www.oh-and-ah.com/blog
Illustration media: Mixed-media
Tell us a little more about yourself.
We are five playful Malaysians with different backgrounds who join forces to produce design items with an objective in utilizing our creativity to bring joy into our daily lives. Started out at the end of 2007, Oh&Ah is the place where we sell items we make + design + collect. We were inspired by the indie design scene in London, Taiwan and Bangkok thus found our interest to form Oh&Ah.
We produce delightful, eccentric everyday objects ranging from small to big scale, with a wide variety of products from fashionable accessories, tees, paper goods, stationery, toys to home décor. Our creations are inspired by Zakka, the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane-ness; with a touch of playfulness!
Oh&Ah’s online store is now up and running, along with a studio/shop that is located in Cova Square, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
You live in Malaysia. What stands out about living here, and what is your daily schedule like?
The opportunity to learn multiple languages and to experience the different culture here has given us plenty of advantages in understanding and exposing to how other designers/artists work in other parts of the world. While the contemporary handmade market is still considered new to our local community, interest has definitely been generated, so there has never been a more perfect moment for people like us to sow our seeds!
We work together every Saturday (yes, Saturday because each of us juggle a full-time job). There is no fixed schedule; we take that time to hold discussions, update each other on work-in-progress as that is the only time that we can congregate once a week. Also, we make use of that time in brainstorming, creating and photographing our products. Saturday is also a business day for us as our shop only opens on that day. On other days, our work is based solely online, like updating our Facebook page, our blog, online store as well as our Etsy page.
…and does being in Malaysia influence your art in any way?
Yes, definitely! We thought about our ‘Rojak’ culture! (Rojak is a local salad that incorporates a wide variety of fruits.) Being in Malaysia enables us to get along well with other races on a daily basis. We learned the art of respect as well as appreciation for all cultures present in our country. Just like the five of us-we come in different personalities, but we complement and complete each other as a whole. We are often excited by the curious hybrid of our creativity and design style and the endless possibilities it transpires. A huge part of our work comes from a joined effort as a team, and that usually makes the end result worthwhile.
As Malaysians, we are blessed with the advantage of our four main languages of the country: English, Malay, Chinese and Indian. And this has helped us in easy accessing to information on the internet, leading us to unbridled inspiration for our ideas and designs.
In malaysia, i find that the progress of the art & craft community has yet to catch on. What do you think can be done to increase awareness of art & craft locally?
A community for the exchange of ideas and resources! Also, we need more effort in changing the mindset of people’s perception towards handcrafted items as something traditional and old-fashioned. ‘Group power’! We would suggest that the art and craft community to work closely by supporting one another. We will be able to fashion a stronger identity and image of the value of art and craft to local community if we are presented in the form of alliance or group.
CLICK HERE to read Oh & Ah’s entire interview!
Comments [5]
Review: Behind the Zines
Posted by Amy on Friday June 24, 2011
So you know I love books.
And that I love zines.
So when there’s a book out about zines, well, you know how excited I can get. It’s by Gestalten too, and they make one of the finest books out there on art, architecture and craft, so my expectations were pretty high on this one.
Title: Behind the Zines: Self-Publishing Culture
240 pages, paperback
When I first unwrapped my package, I was a little perplexed. It seemed as though like someone had ripped off the hardcover (because the book is heavy!) and the book is now left with just the signatures bound together with superglue for the spine. Patterned superglue at that, mind you. But this was no accident, I realized afterwards; for the book looks as if it was a stack of zines lovingly bound together real tightly, which goes hand in hand with the concept and subject matter perfectly. I do wish it had a heavier cover though, as the edges of mine kept curling up due to the humidity!
Loosely divided into 5 different categories that range from experimental zines to best-sellers; the book covers short run publications from Europe and the USA; broadly covering topics of art, culture, politics, food, love, and everything in between. From major players like Nieves and a Pikaland favorite, Cafe Royal to smaller print houses that I’ve just recently discovered, like Shake Your Tree, the book is a treasure trove of zines, big and small.
I love that there are introductions to each zine publisher, and descriptions behind every zine – not to mention the generous photographs in full color that accompany each of them. Unlike some of the zines in here that are sometimes out of print, this book is priceless to me because it has captured many of them and froze them in time.
Like a secret club that’s open to those who knows its handshake, the world of zines is wide and ever reaching once you tip toe into its folds. Behind the Zines is a great first passport to discovering what the world of zines have to offer. Once you’re in, you might never get out.
You can purchase a copy of Behind the Zines over at Amazon!
P.S: And if you like reading about zines, perhaps you’d like to read my review of the Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine book that covers in detail on how to go about publishing your own zine!
————
Happy weekend everyone!