Twitter Influencer: Brie Harrison

Brie Harrison is the queen of whimsical botanical illustration. At age 12, she set out on a path toward fashion design and as time passed, she found herself equally interested in textiles and printing. She went on to study Fashion Textile Design at Brighton University.

Harrison was asked to design a range of greetings cards and wrapping papers for the stationery company Art Angels in 2008. The project inspired her to become a freelancer and pursue her love of Illustration. Her work has appeared in Anthropologie, WGSN, Amelia’s Magazine, Blue Q and was recently featured in Mike Perry’s Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand Drawn Patterns as well as Charlotte River’s I Love Stationary, among others. Her inquisitive, charming and engaging personality shines on twitter, where she happily shares her inspiration and adventures while conversing with friends and fellow art lovers.

Additional information via Brown Paper Bag

May 25, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: The Printmaking Bible

Ever popular, printmaking has been enjoying a vibrant contemporary resurgence and yet there has been no comprehensive up-to-date manual on the subject. With over 400 pages packed with 1,000 full-color photos and illustrations, The Printmaking Bible is out to remedy the plight of the printmaking book hunter and serve as the definitive resource to the ins-and-outs of every variety of serious printmaking technique practiced today.

In-depth instructions are accompanied by profiles that show how working artists create their prints. Historical information, troubleshooting tips, and an extensive resource section provide more invaluable tools. Perfect for students, artists, print aficionados, and collectors, this is truly the ultimate volume for anyone involved in this creative and influential art form.

Imagery via Buy Olympia

May 24, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: The Shape of Design

We were impressed with designer, writer and teacher Frank Chimero and his kickstarter campaign last year to fund the book, The Shape of Design. Chimero wanted to create not another text-book, but rather a book that focuses on the Why instead of the How and to investigate the creative processes behind design. After many hours of labor, the book’s been released and the design world is abuzz. In his own words, Chimero describes his book:

What is the primary quality of great design? It moves. It moves us emotionally, travels from person to person, and takes us toward something better. Designers connect and build bridges that lead us to new places and expand what is possible. We tell productive untruths, then toil to make them reality. The practice shifts like a shadow and moves the target. When it does so, the products of design achieve a resonance. They get passed on like a story and turn into a gift.

May 10, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: folding techniques for designers

Many designers incorporate folding into their design repertoire to breathe life to two-dimensional materials. Folding Techniques for Designers explains the key techniques of folding, such as pleated surfaces, curved folding and crumpling. An elegant, practical handbook, it covers over 70 techniques explained by clear step-by-step drawings, crease pattern drawings, and specially commissioned photography.

Author Paul Jackson has been a professional paper folder and paper artist since 1982 and has created 30 books on paper arts and crafts in addition to teaching more than 150 university-level design courses. It’s a testament to his skill as a teacher that his tutorials and directions are clear and easy to follow as his directions guide readers from the basics through advanced techniques. For a taste of his teaching style, check out these videos of introductory techniques.

May 3, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Terry Rosen: On the Street Where You Live

A native New Yorker, Terry Rosen began painting and drawing formally at the 92nd Street Y when she was six. Her professional career took shape first as an advertising illustrator for Bloomingdales and Macy’s then transitioned into textile design, where she honed her knack for bringing life to the inanimate. She designed prints for Oleg Cassini and was the creator of Nicole Miller’s iconic “conversational print” that depicted familiar and found items such as food labels, fortune cookies, and personal ads which sparked a huge trend.

Recently, however, Rosen has turned her attention to developing collages. The contents of her quilt-like compositions are collected from the artist’s travels throughout Hudson NY, the neighborhoods of Manhattan, North Adams, Great Barrington, Dutchess County, and “somewhere between Portland and Portsmouth.” Scouring the ground, Rosen has scooped up the many discarded artifacts of commerce and daily life such as ticket stubs, sales receipts, and fast-food wrappers for her collection.

Her well-honed artistic skill and fascination with “post-consumer behavior, puns and colorful lingo in the deluge of marketing messages, and their connections to real locations and times” informs her work, as she carefully assembles the pieces. Fascinating to behold, each layout looks like a visual poem.

May 1, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Lisa Romero

Lisa Romero is a talented freelance illustrator and designer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. An avid thriftier with a penchant for repurposing and reusing objects, Lisa is a firm believer in finding the beauty in everyday things. Her colorful work is clearly created with love and is incredibly versatile with a portfolio filled with everything from distinct patterns to flowing hand-lettering and beautifully crafted artworks