Painting to Music with Jeroen Erosie

The other day I got an email from Jeroen of Erosie and was pleasantly surprised when I hit play. A friend of Oliver Kosta Thefaine, an artist we featured in relation to burnt beauty, it’s easy to see why they’re friends.

No surface is spared when either of them get to work. In Jeroen’s case, his freestyle wall painting occurs in an underground club in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. Using just 15 liters of black paint and and a handful of paint rollers, the installation took 7 days to complete. This series is part of the Horror Vacui Project, where the grotesque nature of excessive pattern decoration is explored.

February 3, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Pattern Magic

If you’re interested in fashion design, at some point you’ve probably pulled apart clothing from a fancy department store trying to figure out how it was made. Once you start to understand the fascinating process of pattern making, all the separate pieces required to create a garment start to make sense.

You can look at a piece of clothing and mentally visualize how it was created. Sometimes, though, even the best pattern makers are stumped by fantastical avant-garde manipulations. This is where Pattern Magic can give you a hand. Created by Tomoko Nakamichi, a professor at Japan’s Bunka Fashion College, the book has gained a cult following with its detailed instructions on how to create extremely intimidating designs.

Whether you’re interested in the technical processes or simply getting a glimpse at the “magic” behind some mind-bending designs, this book is sure to be a treasured piece for any fashion devotee, especially now that its being produced in English.

February 2, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Evening Projections

After returning from the Alt Design Summit, it was fairly evident that incorporating ‘surprising’ touches into your party planning is a very big deal. I’m no stranger to this concept, as I’m often hired to design content for branded activities, however the DIY spirit was in full effect, reminding me to keep a few things off the adobe punch list.

Using digital technology, projections and a starry night theme, all of the imagery above overlaps in one way or another. Casting gem-like projections on back-lit silhouettes, this party, from the pages of Elle Decor proves that subtlety can be elegant and luxurious. Keeping with the color scheme of blue and white, Sofitel, the luxury hotel chain evokes a Peter Pan-like mood with floating pillows. Applying this concept to an enormous symphony hall ceiling, Departures Magazine shares a the stunning results of a concert fueled video projection.

February 1, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Artist Profile: Marta Cerda Alimabau

Upon first seeing Marta Cerda‘s incredible breath of work, we immediate felt like it was an interesting mash-up of vectorfunk meets a feminine hand. Much like Marian Banjes, a true typographic master, Barcelona-based Alimabau creates one-of-a-kind illustrations incorporating unique fonts and fantastical scenes. Much of her work uses geometry, from the ever popular mosaic in her Nike campaign to her angular gradients for Penguin and Wired Magazine. It’s easy to see that her influences are crisp, varied and a beautiful variation of fun mathematics.

February 1, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Friday Quick Links!

1. Stunning public art from This is Limbo via Empty Kingdom
2. Bang Yao recreated Shanghai in plastic bins, boxes and assorted materials via Sweet Station
3. A fun and punchy look at yellow and orange via krisatomic
4. Jovi Schnell’s new public floral outdoor mural via My Love for You
5. Smitten with this fun bubble skirt confection in Ban.Do’s lookbook via OhJoy!
6. Julien David’s quirky bicycle themed silk scarf collection for spring via weareselecters
7. Love this hilarious and cheeky tea set from Esther Horcher via Designers Block
8. Great DIY rug idea – painting foam tiles via sarah.wandering
9. Peter Mendelsund redesigned Kafka’s book covers via designworklife
10. H&M upcycles the remnants of their Lanvin collaboration into a limited edition line via ecoterre
11. Fantastic use color and shape in Erin O’Keefe’s still life photographs via The Jealous Curator
12. Abundantly charming paper dolls by Amy Earles via OkGreat

Coverage by: Emily Gup

January 28, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Disruptive Pattern Material

When most of us think of camouflage, our minds immediately drift to military or military-inspired designs. As pattern enthusiasts, however, we know there’s more to the story than meets they eye.

Hardy Blechman took it upon himself to delve into the vast world of camouflage – charting the pattern’s history from its roots in nature, through to its adoption by the military and on to its current popularity and use within modern civilian culture. Over 6 years, he’s gathered over 5,000 images and interviewed an extensive cast of consultants. From the expected military uses to art, biology, music and fashion, Disruptive Pattern Material comprehensively examines the art and science of camouflage with a little something for everyone. Click here to purchase.