Artist interview: Laura McKellar
Posted by Melanie Maddison on Wednesday August 25, 2010
This week’s interview is with Laura McKellar, an artist living in Melbourne who has an amazing series of work – digital prints on fabric, which she then hand-embroiders. There’s more to this crafty lady than meets the eye, so read more about her in this interview with Melanie Maddison, our chief interviewer on Pikaland!
Website: lauramckellar.com
Blog: lauramckellar.blogspot.com/
Online Shop: www.lauramckellar.bigcartel.com/
Zine: iloveokay.com/
Zine blog: www.iloveokay.blogspot.com/
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/sirseven
Hi Laura, could you tell us a little about yourself, and what are you currently working on?
I am a freelance graphic designer living in Melbourne, Australia. I’m currently working on artwork for exhibitions, album artwork, illustrated ceramic brooches, some logos and thinking about my next issue of my zine Okay.
How long have you been creating art, embracing your creativity, and working towards developing your current style and output?
As a little girl I was encouraged to be creative. My sisters and I would spend a lot of time drawing and painting and using mum’s Derwents.
My uncle and grandfather were both photographers and I was influenced at an early age by them. I collect film cameras and use my photographs with illustrations. I am drawn to images I find in old 50s & 60s pattern books and have collected many which have had a significant effect on my work.
I studied graphic design for 5 years at college but I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember. Learning to use design programs on the computer has definitely influenced how I design my artwork.
How did you first learn to access your creative and artistic talents, and gain the confidence to make art your career?
I grew up in a very creative environment. My aunt is a professional illustrator so from a very early age I learned with a lot of hard work and dedication that it is possible to make art your career. I also learned at school that I could make a living from being creative and have since pursued it!
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Lizz Lunney
Posted by Amy on Tuesday August 10, 2010
We need more funny artists! Sure, we’ve already profiled a few – there’s Kate Beaton, Claire Murray, Mischief Champion, but here’s a new one to add to the list: Lizz Lunney, an illustrator from Birmingham who draws fun little comics about the most random things. Check out her daily drawings in a section of her website called The Daily Sushi filled with quirky characters acting out all sorts of antics — it’s a hoot!
And if you want to take them away, you can buy some of her comics over in her shop (international customers need to write to her first before purchasing for added postage!)
Comments [5]
The Go Travel! PikaPackage giveaway!
Posted by Amy on Thursday August 5, 2010
For this August, I thought that it would be fitting to have a package that is dedicated to traveling. Summertime has always been about going to different places to discover something new, and this year it’s been a little quieter than usual on the internet because of it.
Once the vacation is over (or for those who are stuck at home like me,) I think it would be fantastic to be able to collect a package that can remind you about how fantastic it is to go see the world — and this is the premise of the Go Travel! PikaPackage. I hope that this would also inspire you to go out and explore – no matter the season!
For this theme we have curated a total of 14 illustrators who submitted their work in the form of prints, zines, notebooks, stickers, buttons and paper toys (more would have participated, if it weren’t for the traveling season — a catch-22 indeed!):
1. Annie Galvin of 3 Fish Studios
2. Aileen Holmes
3. Alison Tang of Little Clouds
4. Angela Keoghan
5. Chum Mcleod
6. Donna McKenzie of Corella Design
7. Émilie Boudet
8. Emma Cowley
9. Gaia Cornwall
10. Ilaria Benedetti
11. Kitty Kilian
12. Laura Tarrish
13. Rachael Smith of Penelope and Pip
14. Suzanne L. Vinson
Best of all, you can read all about our participants in this little nifty Go Travel! PikaPackage zine – there’s a short little Q+A in there with each artist and you may just find a new favorite to love!
We have TWO 8-item Go Travel! PikaPackage for grabs (valued at about $70 each!), and TWO lucky winners will get to take home a large loot of lovely items in the mail! All you have to do is just head on to any of the websites above and tell us which one is your favorite artist & why. Drop your note in the comments section by 12th August and we’ll email the winners after!
For those who want to get a Go Travel! PikaPackage of your very own, you can head over to the shop to pick up a package!
{Although participation in the PikaPackage Project is by invitation only, you can notify me of your interest and read more about the project over at our galleria page.}
UPDATE: Commenting has now closed, thanks so much for participating. The winner of this giveaway is Kasey Ann & Hollie, as generated by random.org.
Comments [72]
Mr. Spoqui
Posted by Amy on Wednesday June 30, 2010
Mr. Spoqui is a blog run by four brothers; Amba (19 years old), B.B (14), Mi (17) and Ogait (11). I’ve been a fan of their lovely blog for a few weeks now and they’ve always managed to make me smile with their creations.
I think it’s beautiful how they support each others’ work – they seem to truly enjoy themselves, and they collaborate with each other too; and the results are fun experiments in art that they then document on the blog. They’ve just released their first family magazine for June and I can’t wait to see what’s inside!
How’s that for brotherly love and keeping it in the family?
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Review: The Green Bean
Posted by Amy on Saturday June 26, 2010
Katie Green’s work is no stranger here at Pikaland. She’s a lovely UK-based illustrator who produced a yummy vegan baking book and now she’s turned to making zines called the Green Bean!
Katie’s work never fails to make me smile – she has a way with words and her pretty illustrations will inspire you to pick up a pen and draw along with her. (That’s what I did really, because I’m going to be a guest star in her third issue!)
Printed in limited editions of 250 copies, this zine is chock full of stories, recipes and crafty patterns & instructions for you to sew up a storm. There’s book reviews in there (we share the same love of books!) poems, doodles and random tidbits too. She’s like a fun UK-based Martha Stewart, all printed in 100% recycled paper and wrapped with love! All in all, it’s a great read on a cool afternoon, best enjoyed with a cup of tea in hand.
Pick up a copy of the monthly Green Bean zine (or better yet, a subscription) at her Etsy shop and read about her adventures on her blog she goes through the process of drawing her first graphic novel!
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The Spring PikaPackage giveaway!
Posted by Amy on Thursday June 17, 2010
Ah, don’t you just love spring? The sound of birds chirping, the flowers are blooming, and also, the return of the PikaPackage Project – the Spring edition no less!
A year’s hiatus, plenty of emails and requests for the PikaPackage Project and I’m so happy to announce that we’re now on track to bring you more lovely items from our favourite illustrators and artists! For the newly initiated, the PikaPackage project is a fun marketing tool and swap meet for illustrators who are currently selling their wares online. There’s a giveaway (this post is it!), and also very limited edition packages for sale in the shop!
We have 23 participants in total, and here they are:
1. Allison Cole
2. Amy Blackwell
3. Angel D’Amico Bauer of AD Love
4. Carla Sonheim
5. Cloudery
6. Cristina Amodeo
7. Donna McKenzie of Corella Design
8. Fonfique
9. Jen Collins of Hellojenuine
10. Jordan Grace Owens
11. Jo Cheung
12. Juan Diego of Machintoy
13. Katie Green
14. Lucy Davidson of Peas & Needles
15. Lydia Nichols
16. Michelle Cavagliano of Myzoetrope
17. Nancy Mungcal of Pretty Little Thieves
18. Papirmasse
19. Roseau
20. Sam Wedelich of Dwell Deep
21. Samantha Battersby of Matou en peluche
22. Sarah Anderson of Petit Reve
23. Pamela Tobler of Zoetropa
Best of all, you can read all about our participants in this little nifty Spring PikaPackage zine – there’s a short little Q+A in there with each artist and you may just find a new favourite to love!
We have TWO 8-item Spring PikaPackage for grabs (valued at about $50 each!), and TWO lucky winners will get to take home a large loot of lovely items in the mail! All you have to do is just head on to any of the websites above and tell us which one is your favourite artist & why. Drop your note in the comments section by 23rd June and we’ll email the winners after!
For those who want to get a Spring PikaPackage of your very own, you can head over to the shop to pick up a package!
UPDATE: Commenting has closed and we’ll announce the winner on Monday!
Comments [134]
peculiar bliss
Posted by Racheal Anilyse on Tuesday May 11, 2010
Peculiar Bliss is a website dedicated to a continuous “stream of doodles and images, featuring creative, original works from sketchbooks and other mediums into one location, with the hope to inspire continued creative thinking.” I LIKE!
They have a new FREE magazine available for download. It was designed by Vaughn Fender and has a great interview (really enjoyable for those design nerds like me) with Chris Piascik. My fav (among the talent of artwork) is Seen and Heard; a section of creative goods from indie artists, and a mixtape of known and unknown musicians.
So. Contribute to Issue 2 here. Read Issue 1 here.
Review: Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?
Posted by Amy on Friday April 2, 2010
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Did you know that BUST started off as a zine, before being the big magazine that they are today? As a simple start off point for wannabe publishers, making a zine is surprisingly simple, yet effective. Staple together (or fold) a stack of papers with your idea in it and you can get your message across to any audience you wish!
As one who came from the glossy publishing world of magazines, I loved the smell of paper hot off the press. I loved flipping through pages of my hard work and seeing the eyes of others lit up as they consumed each page. As I struck out on my own however, I thought that would mean the end of publishing as I knew it.
Boy was I wrong.
Although I knew that zines already exist, I thought that it was only for the cool kids who wielded the pen masterfully, or for those who were stellar storytellers. Not true at all — it turns out that anyone can put together a zine. Even lil ol’ me!
And the book that changed all that? Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Mini-comics from Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson awakened the low-laying zinester within me!
CLICK HERE to read the full review!
Comments [13]
Newgiraffecity
Posted by Amy on Thursday April 1, 2010
Monsters, clouds and mountains dominate the work of New Giraffe City. The third picture above is part of a poignant short story that he did for Illustration Friday as well, and you can read the whole thing over here.
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Why Bother?
Posted by Amy on Tuesday March 23, 2010
These posters are a little NSFK (not safe for kids!)
Xin of Doinky Doodles is the maker of cheery, adorable recycled plush toys/bags/stationery (featured here and here ), but when it comes to putting down things onto paper, she certainly has a certain dark side, much to my delight!
Her zines, comics and posters are some of the things I snap up when I am in her shop. So if you’re those who are looking for a different perspective on things, hear Xin out — she just added these two new posters to her shop – one deals with growing up, and another is about being true to yourself. (Bonus tip: Read the I Heart Jacky zine and I guarantee you’ll bawl your eyes out, as I did.)
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