Thursday, 24 February 2011

More Pop Art Meets DIY Crochet Craft!

Twinkie Chan - a True Pop Star!

Wow, wow,wow!  I love colour, I love crochet, I love contemporary culture, I love fun design, I love scarves, I love food, so you can imagine how delighted I was to discover the colourful world of Ms Chan, whose work happens to collide with all of these! If you like fun then check out her creations, if you don't do cheerful, don't bother! Thank-you Ms Chan for making the world a more colourful and enjoyable place to be in with your turkey leg scarves and popcorn gloves! check out her brilliant website at:












Howie Who? - Howie Woo, that's who!




Welcome to the playful and surreal world of Howie Woo, where art and life are inseparable! I've been checking out his blog: http://www.woowork.blogspot.com, and have come to the conclusion that he sounds like one of the nicest human beings on the planet. He creates crochet accompinements to his life experiences, including some very touching memorials to his father as well as fun little friends.


Howie and Woomi enjoy a movie together!



Howie and his amazing carrot jetpack!



Some of Howie's characters: 


Meet the Trouble Sisters

MJ takes flight!

Robots tip Poorly!
It's raining cats and dogs in Vancouver, Canada!


Ralph and Ruth


Check out photo's of his work at: http://flickr.com/photos/woowork


Watch out - Crochet's taking over the world, if Agata Olek has anything to do with it!

Born in Poland, but later moving to America after university, Olek is an artist who has taken working with wool to a whole new level. This is a lady who uses crochet to create installations and sculptures that allow her to transform the world through colour and pattern. Read all about her and her artist's statement, as well as see her work at;
 http://agataolek.com


The only time I've found a stock market bull interesting!

I want that car!


Installation with 'actors' in costume

street art in NYC

A collaboration piece.


How to make deserted buildings less grim!


Sunday, 6 February 2011

Feminine Art & Illustration

Beauty for Beauty's Sake




work by Stina Persson

Ok, I admit it, I am an eye-candy junkie. I love beauty, in it's many different forms, and I spend a large part of my day to day existence searching it out, or trying to create it. My family are my life, but beauty is my daily fuel that allows me to look after that life, and without it I feel like I would dry up, with nothing left to give my nearest and dearest. It's what drives me to perfect my art skills, and there really is little I enjoy more than drawing the human form. Having been a disillusioned art school (and university) drop out, I've had to find my own creative path very slowly, gradually arriving at an understanding of what it is I really want and love to do.
After leaving fine art for several years, I rediscovered my love for traditional media, in particular drawing, while pregnant with my second son, when the only creative thing I could do that didn't make me want to puke was straight drawing. And that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship! Simultaneously, I bought a new computer and discovered the phenomenon that is Photoshop. Very soon after that discovery I stumbled across a discipline that I have come to treasure, the world of contemporary fashion illustration, where I saw creative innovation and exploration of the human form in ways I'd never seen before. 
I started buying books on the subject, and discovered a growing world of art and design which is now flourishing.
I've bought many of my favourite books from a shop called Magma.
It's the best resource for current and cutting edge art and design books and magazines I have come across, everything from graphic design to street art to illustration;


This is a small collection of the kind of books available at Magma;






Feminine Drawing

My most recent book, a Christmas present bought for me from Magma, and now one of my most treasured possessions, is this:




Already worn and much loved! This book has provided me with much inspiration and fuelled my obsession with drawing. I'm going to endeavour to list work by some of my favourite artists as seen in here:

Coco Pit

Elegant and refined, combining contemporary approaches to layered and collaged elements with a strong emphasis on quality drawing and sophisticated style, with a touch of fantasy and surrealism.






                               
Chinatsu Higashi

Japanese artist and illustrator, whose work is deliciously fresh and pretty. This is what girley is all about!
http://chinatsuhigashi.com









Wendy Plovmand




An artist, illustrator and designer. I love her use of combined media, drawings in pencil and pen which are then digitally coloured and manipulated. Recently shortlisted as a finalist for the Celeste Art Prize, and selected for the Images35 showcase of the best of British contemporary illustration. I'm also drawn to her uninhibited use of colour with a touch pop sensibility in her figuritive illustrations. Find more of her work and latest news at: http://wendyplovmad.com




work selected for new book by Dopress - WallArt

Magazine cover for Eurowoman

Tenna Hansen


 Striking line and shape dominated drawings by this illustrator/graphic designer.
http://tennahansen.dk