As I’ve been spending less time (read: no time) behind a cubicle, I’ve been illustrating a lot more. After a day’s work, post dinner, I’ve been pulling out the markers, illustrating, then throwing the designs into photoshop before bed.
Here’s last night’s project: Kangaroo Paws in a few favorite colorways.
Without color, pattern or texture, where would we be? In a black and white world, void of visuals (perhaps). Learning to use these elements to communicate a message is a skill Brad Woodward of Brave the Woods has honed rather successfully. In his recent Skillshare class, he’s opening the door to his studio to share some tricks of the trade. Learn how to convey moods, design for editorial and experiment illustratively. For a glimpse of the student projects to date, click here.
I’ve been living in Bushwick for almost 6 years now and one of my favorite things about the neighborhood is its constant artistic evolution. In the spring and summer, its not uncommon for me to take a detour from my daily path to explore the ever changing nooks and crannies of the neighborhood. Thursday afternoon I did just that, and found myself meandering down Grattan Street as I took a phone call.
I slowed when I spotted what appeared to be some sort of laser-cut polkadot design, piquing my curiosity. As I got closer and rounded around to the front, I quickly and giddily realized that the design was much more intricate than just some random series of dots. Naturally, I couldn’t reach fast enough to turn on my iPhone’s camera, snap a photo and Instagram the patterned prize.
Thus far, my internet sleuthing hasn’t led me to figure out what exactly this building holds, though sometimes it can be fun to leave things as a little mystery. And so, this building offering up “free things” exists not unlike a candy-covered gingerbread house for pattern lovers.
Coverage by Emily Gup
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
A DIY revolution has been sweeping over the blogosphere for a while now, creating a legion of crafting enthusiasts looking to make for themselves the things that they see in stores, or wish that they did. We’ve seen a lot of jewelry and accessory how-to’s, in addition to an abundance of home goods and gifts – but what about clothes? If you haven’t had much experience with sewing and patterns, the whole premise can be pretty intimidating. Rosie Martin’s book DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection will help you to conquer that confusion with simple, visual instructions and cool styling.
The DIY Couture collection is comprised of 10 stylish, easy to make pieces of clothing that you can recreate in your favorite fabrics, textures and colors. The book begins with a Useful Techniques section, followed by Collections: inspirational photographs of the pieces styled different ways.
Next, each of the 10 garments, from a Goddess dress to a cool romper suit and hoody, is clearly explained, including a spread showing all the variations (e.g. fastenings, necklines and hems) possible for each garment. Finally, clear step by step illustrations and photographs show you how each piece is made. With no complex sewing patterns, even sewing novices can make their own beautiful clothes. Pick up a copy and make your own mark on fashion.
Nate Williams is a designer who specializes in silkscreen illustration, hand lettering and art licensing. He values creativity, curiosity, inspiration, play and discovery. Working with wide variety of clients, his hand drawn lettering and illustration has touched a diverse spectrum of audiences throughout the globe. While presenting work as both himself and Alexander Blue, Nate also runs Illustration Mundo and Letter Playground, two popular illustration community portals. The award winning illustrator also works with the charity organization, Art With Heart and has contributed to the Truth Anti-Tobacco campaign.
Partial Client List: Coca Cola, Urban Outfitters, Converse Shoes, Cartoon Network, Dell Computers, The North Face, Harper Collins, Penguin Group, United Airlines, Microsoft, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Wired Magazine, Nick Jr., BETC PARIS, Draft FCB Toronto, Landor Associates, Leo Burnett, TBWA Chiat Day