Emilio Santoyo
Posted by Amy on Thursday January 28, 2010
Emilio Santoyo seems to be having lots of fun, and this shows through in his work. He dabbles in lots of things – editorial, comics, and even sewing. Take a look at his screen-printed pocket pouches. YOWZA! His website is a treat, so make sure you head over and take in all the happy vibe.
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Giveaway #17: Gemma Correll's tote bag
Posted by Amy on Wednesday September 30, 2009
No one can ever have enough of tote bags, especially if they are as zippy as Gemma Correll’s! Also, dogs on tandem bikes. Who would have thought?
Comment here by 6th October and the winner will be notified via email!
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And here’s another giveaway that’s happening right now: i.itch illustration’s grand grand illustration pack!
UPDATE: Commenting has now closed, thanks for participating!
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Cornelia O'Donovan
Posted by Amy on Tuesday September 8, 2009
Ooooh, I think I’m in love. Cornelia O’Donovan’s work has a playful and light-hearted personality that draws me in instantly!
*From her profile:*
Just having fun with paper, pens, glue and scissors, the flow of images of character faces and figures, animals birds, flowers and abstract patterns her exploring artistry makes a poetic mix from technique and narrative.
In short, plain awesome!
You can hop into her Etsy shop while it’s still open, but she’s slowly moving her stuff into her new Bigcartel shop.
{Discovered via Lena Corwin’s blog}
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Gemma Latimer
Posted by Amy on Sunday August 30, 2009
Loving the works of Gemma Latimer who is based in Nottingham. Central to her works is an assortment of strange creatures and characters; images of which were collected at flea markets and charity shops lovingly put together and revealed with the aid of a photocopier.
Read up on her blog for her latest news & works, and also take a peek into her online portfolio while waiting for her website to be ready.
{Thanks for the intro, Amy!}
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Mogutakahashi
Posted by Amy on Thursday August 27, 2009
Mogutakahashi is an illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan. I love the fact that her characters have a squishy-like quality to them, and also, I love the cheery color palette!
Her work reminds me of Doinky Doodles, whom I absolutely love – so much silliness and generally happy goods that will brighten up your life that little bit more.
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Aitch
Posted by Amy on Saturday June 20, 2009
Loving the items in Aitch’s shop who is on the front page of Dawanda at the moment. Not much information about her though, except that she’s in Berlin, Germany and there’s lots of things in the shop that I would want for myself, like her bags, prints, buttons, t-shirts and oh, just about EVERYTHING. But have you seen those adorable brooches of hers? I wish I could snap them all up and hang them on the wall instead of pinning them onto something — they look like exotic masks from a modern, foreign land.
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Eep bag
Posted by Amy on Friday June 12, 2009
No other post today except for letting you know about Heather Moore of Skinny Laminx’s gorgeous shopping bag with her Eep print. I love bags, particularly roomy ones. And if it has an adorable illustration out front, well, say no more.
See her massive range of screenprinted tea towels and more at her Etsy shop.
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Artist Interview: Xin of Doinky Doodles
Posted by Amy on Sunday March 29, 2009
Ever since I stumbled onto the fabulous work of Xin of Doinky Doodles (previously of Maki Squarepatch), I was hooked. I am amazed at what she does — she draws, illustrates and sews, and to top it all off, she has a little brick and mortar shop of her own in sunny Singapore. Her philosophy of using recycled materials is fabulous, as is her knack of mixing found fabrics to create awesome creatures! I think her custom creations are RAD (I kid you not. See her flickr stream to see why.) Read on about why the name change to Doinky Doodles, and how she names her creations!
Name: Pixin
Location: Singapore
Website/Shop: www.doinkydoodles.com
Blog: www.doinkyupdates.blogspot.com
Illustration media: sewing & painting
Tell us a little more about yourself!
Hello! My name is Pixin and I am the workaholic behind Doinky Doodles, shop of handmade madness. During my final year in art college , I was cutting up found infant and toddler clothing (party dresses, school uniforms, even an old Christening gown) and reconstruct them into dolls. I fell in love with using these reclaimed clothing as they had so much possible histories and stories in each of them. That final year project really kickstarted my interest in creating colorful, happier objects using recycled clothing and fabric scraps.
So how is it like living in Singapore?
Living in Singapore is good in that- it is small and resources are limited. So it forces you to work within limitations in order to come up with something as interesting as someone else who has more choices/resources to tap from.
How did you get your start in illustration?
Hmm, I think I begin to illustrate a lot more when I started making zines or illustrated journals, and these zines were made to document feelings of absolute failure after a break-up. I think I started illustrating more intensely and constantly when I got dumped. Gee, I must really thank that guy for dumping me:D
I remember that your art was sold as Maki Squarepatch, until a while back when it became Doinky Doodles instead. Could you tell us why the name change?
Maki Squarepatch was a label started by my elder sister and I. She was working as a marketing person behind the label while I designed and created the pieces. After two years working together, there came a point I felt I could be doing a lot more if I am on my own. So Maki Squarepatch had to go. Like a breakup, the name leaves a not-so-feel-goodness in the mind. So I opted for a name change in order to start anew.
How did you manage the aftermath of the name change? (I know it’s not easy to transfer to another business name while Maki Squarepatch was already very well-known in the craft circle.) Was it difficult for you emotionally?
To be honest, I had been really lucky. The name change only made sending information to the media confusing as they would think Doinky Doodles is trying to do a pirated-version of Maki Squarepatch. I had been lucky in that, the shops that I place my goods at still support my work, whether it be named Dinky, Poinky, or Wonky. Curators whom I’ve worked with to provide exhibition-pieces for their shows in the past are still keen to showcase what I do. So I learn to be hopeful and just keep on creating because that is ultimately the more important part of my task.
So what’s the biggest difference between Maki Squarepatch and Doinky Doodles?
The biggest difference is the freedom to decide on what I want to work on next.
Past customers had been wanting to buy gifts for their male friends and couldn’t find a thing at the shop as most of the things I made for Maki Squarepatch was more suited for girls & women. With Doinky, the first goal was to include something for male customers. One day, an artist/friend whom I admire and respect a lot, Kelvin Tan, showed me his sketchbooks filled with drawings of strange mutants and creatures. These drawings would soon become our collaborative effort in broadening the product range with printed mutant-t-shirts, buttons, postcards, as well as soft toys made based on his mutant drawings.
Could you tell us more about your thought process when you start a piece?
It seems to often start with an strange story, character or scenario. For instance, I recently made a set of 10 handmade toys for a friend’s wonderful floral boutique/shop. I was imagining a man buying flowers for his lady and that he may like a toy that represents him to go along with the flowers. So I made these characters and gave them names like ‘Pink Nick’, ‘Brocolli Boy’, ‘Mr Privacy’… Okay, it makes not much sense now…but back when I was preparing the toys for her flower shop, it was this scenario that was the thought process.
Do you keep a journal/sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek? (a couple or a few images would be good, if you can manage!)
Yeah here’s a sketch in my book!
What or who inspires you?
Mostly what I find funny or absurd inspires me.
What keeps you motivated?
Maybe it is a self-indulgent obsession- I really do create to be happy. Nothing beats completing a toy that makes absolute senselessness so fun to hold, pinch, squeeze and give it super names.
What’s your favourite tool?
Color markers.
Are you a full-time artist?
Aye eye!
What advice would you like to give people who are interested in being an artist full-time?
You have to be sincere and have real love for it, because that itself will keep you constantly on the move to create. You’ll never worry about having blocks, because you love what you do. Don’t become an artist just because you like the idea of yourself being a mystery to others- not cool!
Where do you see yourself within the next few years?
Would be great to have more overseas galleries showcasing my toys, while collaborating on more exciting new projects with artists/friends.
What message do you want to send out to people about your work?
Each Doinky Doodles creation is handmade using recycled clothing and fabric scraps. No two Doinky creation is alike as no rulers or templates are used in creating the pieces. Individuality, Colors and Absurdity are elements that prevail in every piece of creation.
Tell us something random about yourself!
I am a bread freak like my dad. We both get absolute thrill just looking at bakery shelves filled with bread.
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{Thank you Xin!}
On another note, I will be away from tomorrow until Thursday, 2nd of April. I won’t have internet connection or my laptop with me, but I’ve already prepared some posts for you to enjoy along the week but the email replies will be a tad slower (not that it’s lightning speed anyway when I am here… oh well, I’m working on that!)
As well, I’m hoping I won’t go bonkers from being totally cut off! See you all soon!
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Sanna Annukka's new prints
Posted by Amy on Tuesday December 9, 2008
It’s been a while since Sanna released any prints, but fans will be happy to know that this time she released two screenprints and totebags too! My favourite is The Call of the Cuckoo — it’s limited to 75 pieces, and I love the goldfoil detail on the top right corner. If you love her work but can’t dig deep, then have a go at her tote bags instead!
+ Last call for the PikaPackage Project giveaway! Have a lookie here!
+ Thank you for the wonderful birthday greetings for my birthday! I had a fabulous time with Mr T — we basically spent much needed time together and just enjoyed by being adventurous during mealtimes!
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Bridget Davies
Posted by Amy on Thursday October 23, 2008
I’m loving the work of Ms Bridget Davies who makes these beautiful, personalized textile creations like this silk bon voyage passport holder. All her work are produced by using free-hand machine embroidered and made entirely by hand, using silks, suede and leather, and other natural fabrics. You can see more of her work via her portfolio.
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+ If you like Grain Edit, then you’ll love So Much Pileup — lots of inspired vintage illustrations, packaging and graphic design from the 1960s to 1980s.
+ Have a read at Harry Malt’s blog, and a have a laugh! He also covered the walls of the new McCann Ericsson building in UK, so that’s totally rad. And if I’m not mistaken, he’s also the on behind the illustrations for the new Nokia ads.
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Thank you so much for all your comments everyone for the October PikaPackage Project! The winners will be announced tomorrow morning! :)
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