Joanna Rutter
Posted by Amy on Wednesday January 11, 2012
Love the new wooden brooches and necklaces that British jewelry designer Joanna Rutter (featured previously) has in her Etsy shop. In fact, all the items in her store is a personal favorite – they’re modern, refreshingly simple and girly without being overly cute (something that’s easier said than done!)
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Semi by Francesco Zorzi
Posted by Amy on Monday January 2, 2012
Happy new year folks!
For the first post of the year, I’m thrilled to share these series of acrylic paintings done by Francesco Zorzi, who created them for use in his master thesis in product design. Called SEMI, which is an Italian word that carries the meaning of ‘seeds’, ‘half’, and ‘partial’, Francesco has successfully brought meaning to the concept by evoking a sense of incompleteness through a combination of elements within each piece.
For me, I personally love each one. He has strived to make his thesis book much like a magazine, and in turn, these illustrations are very editorial in design. You can see more over at his portfolio.
Mark Giglio / PencilPencilStencil
Posted by Amy on Thursday December 22, 2011
Love the work of Mark Giglio, a designer, illustrator and photographer living in Portland. He recently had an exhibition at the Curiosity Shoppe, which just ended not too long ago.
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Review: Let's Make Some Great Art
Posted by Amy on Friday November 18, 2011
So I have a confession to make.
When I first saw Marion Deuchars’ book Let’s Make Some Great Art, I was originally looking for a creative gift for a friend’s kid. But the more I flipped the pages, I was hooked. I wanted one all for myself. Besides, why should kids have all the fun?
Title: Let’s Make Some Great Art by Marion Deuchars
Paperback 224 pages
I don’t have any children (not yet anyway!) and I’ve always been amused when I see parents pack an activity kit for their kids to take along for trips – be it a vacation or even a short jaunt to the mall. Because I’m just like that as well – only I pack for myself. I make sure I have a notepad or a sketchbook and a pen ready for when inspiration strikes, a book if I find myself in situations where my attention is at large, and if nothing else, there’s always my iPhone (that acts as a digital sketchbook and notepad, more often than not).
The thing is, I would totally carry Marion’s book with me, if only I didn’t raise eyebrows while I try to paint a smile onto Mona Lisa or ink my thumbs to create little animals between its pages when I’m waiting at the checkout line. Created by Marion for her kids, the book is a fascinating one, veering of being part history book and lots of art-making techniques and tips in between. I find the most wonderful of all though is the creative spirit and energy that is in the book, brought alive by Marion’s free-spirited drawings and lively tone.
From Pablo Picasso to Mondrian, Leonardo Da Vinci and Andy Warhol, Marion’s quick, breezy explanations (save for the one of Van Gogh, which I thought was rather bizarre!) along with her beautiful illustrations add lots of meat to the book. Page turning exercises, invitations to make your mark on the page and even a useful guide on what materials you can gather to use on the book makes this THE activity kit for artists of all ages.
It also depends on how you look at it, but I find that I learned new things while I went through the book. While I always kept an open mind when I went through books for children, Marion’s book just blew me away by how “grown up” and yet relaxed it is. Already I see things in a new light, and this in turn helps me think creatively – a skill that I have learned (and am reminded) from time to time that can be applied in many areas of my life.
And if indulging in my creative side does manage to raise some eyebrows? I say bring on the crayons.
You can get a copy of Let’s Make Some Great Art by Marion Deuchars over at Amazon.
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If you like reading my book reviews, you can see more over here. And with that, have a lovely weekend folks! :)
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