Pikaland

Sophie Blackall

I love Sophie Blackall’s work – especially the expressions on her subject’s faces and the way she could illustrate emotions with their eyes and lips. I was reminded of her work when I was critiquing a student’s work (for our Making Your Mark class) and just discovered that she just came out with her first book for adults! Titled Missed Connections the book is about love and I’m sure it will be amazing, given the few samples that she already has up on her blog (you can also buy prints from the book via her Etsy shop).

From her publisher, Workman Publishing:
Missed Connections is a collection of illustrated love stories. There’s “We Shared a Bear Suit.” “If Not for Your Noisy Tambourine.” “Hairy Bearded Swimmer.” Each is told in the shorthand of a “missed connection,” and then illustrated in Chinese ink and watercolor.

I look forward seeing the expression of her characters in the book, and hearing about all those missed connections. I have a silly little obsession about these things. (Here’s another book that I love.)

Let your inner child go wild

Whenever I have decisions to make, I always have this one crazy thought that would jump out at me first. And then when you think a little more about it, your initial vision gets a little blurry. Throw in some rational thought, weighing the pros and cons, and even perhaps throw in a little bit of guilt and you’ll end up making a totally different decision altogether.

We think too much sometimes.

So nowadays I focus more on that first thought because it’s unfiltered, uncut and it’s what I would have wanted in the first place. Why beat around the bush when you can get there the first time?

Let loose and go wild this week folks — happy Monday!

{ Out of the Box print by Heidi Burton }

Studio work

We’re very pleased to announce that Pikaland will be offering studio services.

We’re based in South East Asia and our studio will be representing artists and illustrators from all over the world, as well as working with them to bring concepts and ideas to life for select clients.

If you’re a client and would love to add flair to your campaigns and products, please don’t hesitate to contact Amy directly at studio@pikaland.com.

If you’re an illustrator/artist who is interested in sending your portfolio for consideration for future projects, do drop us a note at studio@pikaland.com.

More to come soon — head over to the Studio page for updates!