Sponsor giveaway: KLT:Works
Posted by Amy on Tuesday August 3, 2010
Kristin Loffer Theiss runs KLT:Works with the help of her husband and her boy, Sayer, who is now her muse and also the label’s star model! Kristin is also a trained artist /painter who holds a MFA in Fine Art from The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Her artistic background allowed her to approach her creations with a painter’s eye — she’s pays a lot of attention to working with color, texture, and form.
Though Kristin makes a range of products, my favorite has to be her free-motion sewed illustrations, which you can now hang on your wall! Consisting of three letterpress prints, the set is made up of a pair of owls (a bride and a groom) plus a little nest to tie it all together. Just comment by the 10th of August to be in the running!
UPDATE: Commenting has now closed, thanks so much for participating. The winner of this giveaway is Piper, as generated by random.org.
Comments [38]
Sponsor giveaway: Enthos
Posted by Amy on Wednesday April 21, 2010
Not loving that shirt on your back lately? Well it’s about time you got a new one, and I’ve got the perfect solution for you this week. Enthos is a t-shirt design company, and if it’s one thing they have, it’s illustrated tees.
They’re giving away ONE ultra-soft poly cotton blend t-shirt (sweat-shop free, of course) to ONE lucky commentor on Pikaland. Just leave a comment on this post by 27th April to be in the running. Keep those shirts on till then!
UPDATE: Commenting has now closed, thanks so much for participating. The winner of this giveaway is Laura.
Comments [55]
Rand Renfrow
Posted by Amy on Wednesday March 3, 2010
Quirky illustrations, zines and posters from Rand Renfrow. He hit the nail on the head with It Seems Like It’s Missing Something — an illustrated book of quotes collected from people’s humorous encounters with outsiders to the design and art world; a collaboration with Shaun Fox. I bet the designer who has these sort of clients are tearing their hair out instead of laughing when told the same thing!
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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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Giveaway #4: Milk & Eggs Co. T-shirt
Posted by Amy on Wednesday August 12, 2009
Ahh. Another Tuesday, and another giveaway here on the blog! Today we’re giving away ONE t-shirt from Milk & Eggs Co. worth USD$20 plus free shipping! Milk & Eggs Co. is a t-shirt company started by Ade and Dave in February 2009 based in Burbank California.
My favourite t-shirt is this one, but if you’re the lucky winner, you get the pick of the litter! Just comment below to be in the running.
Giveaway ends on 18th August, and the winner will be notified via email.
UPDATE: Commenting has now closed, thanks for participating!
Comments [76]
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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Little Paper Planes in June
Posted by Amy on Saturday June 6, 2009
Lot of beautiful, cheery new goods in Little Paper Planes, just in time for spring! Love the look of the newest zine from Cafe Royal called Tight Fit — this issue was designed by the fabulous duo called Crayonlegs.
Comments [1]
Artist Interview: Susie Ghahremani / boygirlparty
Posted by Amy on Thursday May 28, 2009
I’ve known about Susie’s illustrations since 2003, which was when I was first introduced to the handmade community. Since then I’ve seen countless shops closed down which made me very sad, but Susie is going strong and growing like there’s no tomorrow. Needless to say, she’s one of my heroes and is also a big reason why I love illustration (although I never quite put a finger on it back then!)
Name: Susie Ghahremani
Location: my sofa, my house, Normal Heights, San Diego, CA, USA, world, universe
Websites:
www.boygirlparty.com (website)
shop.boygirlparty.com (shop)
boygirlparty.etsy.com (other shop)
boygirlparty.livejournal.com
www.boygirlparty.com/wordpress
Illustration media: gouache usually. and sometimes ink, and sometimes Y
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I’m a painter of tiny paintings and keeper of tiny pet finches. I’m from chicago originally, and miss the flatness of the midwest. i also miss being bored and feeling like summers & vacations are too long, instead of too short as i do now.
Could you tell us what is your daily schedule like?
It truly depends on my level of motivation. sometimes I hop out of bed, put on a pot of coffee and do nothing but paint from 7am – 1am. some days, not so much. I’ve been trying to go with the flow more lately, instead of forcing myself to work, sweatshop-style, as i have in the past. Some days I wake up and go exercise for a couple hours, just so i can remember what it feels like to move. And then I paint, or respond to the insurmountable email pile, or excitedly design new products for my shop, or maybe read a chapter in a book, or watch a documentary about pale male…. the benefit to being self-employed is that you get to make your own schedule! but the downfall is that at some point, inevitably, you have to become that sweatshop i referred to earlier.
How did you get your start in illustration?
I played music in a few bands, and used to book a few shows around Providence, RI (my former home) and so I would illustrate posters, t-shirts, pinback buttons… I built a website to share my work back around 2001 or so, and word of mouth brought me some commercial work.
Could you tell us more about your thought process when you start a piece?
Depends on the piece, if it’s just for fun, i usually start by mixing colors. a certain color can remind you of a time, a place, a memory, and give you a foundation for an imagined world.
For commercial work, i always seem to start with reading: reading the article, reading the book, or reading the art director’s brief, and moving from there to many rounds of sketching, and from there, to a careful, calculated final piece in which i already know where every line and every color is going to be.
Such different processes!
Do you keep a journal/sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?
I try to throw a mini-sketchbook in all my bags so i always have one on hand. i don’t think of them as anything worth seeing, usually i just draw whatever’s around, like salt and pepper shakers on the table at a restaurant – and i often lose and misplace them. sometimes i find the book format restricting and end up tearing pages out (see attached photo). sometimes i just draw on computer paper. and when i write, i do so in my owl journal that chronicle books published (and i illustrated)
What or who inspires you?
Nature is always inspiring to me: whether it’s a walk in the woods, or watching close-up as a ladybug purposefully climbs around a leaf. i always feel a surge of inspiration after spending time outdoors, especially if it’s a place i’ve never been before where i can tune in surprised at everything i see. i recommend going out on a rowboat on a quiet lake for a few hours and see if you don’t agree!
also: polaroids and analog photography! the colors are always so unexpected. i could look at & enjoy photography (like lomography & cross-processed photos) for hours, days, years. also: vintage children’s books, letters from penpals, old timey cartoons (like ‘flip the frog’),…
What keeps you motivated?
An exciting idea i can’t wait to execute, or fresh art supplies! new supplies always make me want to use them, and if i’m having a hard time getting started on a project i have to do, sometimes the greatest remedy is to get a new paintbrush or a fresh block of wood to paint on so i become excited again about the act of painting.
lately i’ve been struggling a lot with motivation, and it’s helped me as well to just play with my work: doodle a little or a lot for no reason at all, motivation to get started on something i ‘have’ to do comes naturally once i’m on a roll!
What’s your favourite tool?
Opposable thumbs, or a 10/0 liner paintbrush, or the internet – the internet is the reason why i get to be a painter instead of, like, a video store clerk. (no diss to video store clerks intended)
Are you a full-time artist?
Yes!
What advice would you like to give people who are interested in being an artist full-time?
Know who you are & what your work feels like before you jump in! i see many young artists trying to follow in other established artists styles and what not, and it’s just very sad to see for all involved. also, be very good at managing your time! being self-employed requires extreme commitment and self-motivation and managing your time is the key to all that i think.
Where do you see yourself within the next few years?
Honestly, i’m not sure! i’d like to be more free: traveling some (my last vacation was for a week in 2007) and painting just to paint, not for a deadline or show in mind… i’m getting married this october, so i guess within the next few years, i will be living the probably-not-any-different-than-my-life-now married life!
You’ve been doing this for a long time now – are there any issues in the crafting/art community that you feel strongly about?
Be yourself!
Artists hurt each other and their community by failing to be creative, original and personal. art is all about offering a piece of yourself to the world, not what you think could make you successful…right?
What message do you want to send out to people about your work?
A website that wrote about my work a while ago (i forget which one) said this about my work & what they think i must think & i agree:
“‘sup, ma: i love the environment!”
Tell us something random about yourself!
I’m 5’2” and ate only pb&j for all meals during my childhood.
{Thanks Susie!}
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Susie is now running a special promotion in both her shops to celebrate her birthday! Orders placed now through Friday, May 29th will be entered in a raffle to win a $25 gift certificate, and the winner will be notified by Sunday, May 31st which is her birthday!
She’ll also be in Marichelle of Heart Handmade’s Shop Live 30-Minute Sale on Thursday 28th at 7pm EST. I’ll be popping in to see what I can snap up, so I hope to see you there! ;)
Comments [10]
Super Deluxe 2009
Posted by Amy on Thursday April 9, 2009
Loving the preppy Superdeluxe limited edition T-shirts and totebags from Bosque — two talented graphic artists and designers Bolsadeosos and Maybe, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Email them if you are interested in purchasing their stuff!
Maryink
Posted by Amy on Tuesday March 24, 2009
Love these tees from Maryink. And what’s more, Etsy happened to stroll by Mary Helt and Chris Sittel’s little silk-screen design operation and here’s the video of their process and their story — watch it right here!
Comments [10]