It's easy to see amazing work done by others and brush it off saying that they've always been talented in some way or another. That it's not possible to be as good as they are. Drawing and illustration take a whole lot of hard work. I'm learning that now. After seeing the before and afters of these illustrations really shows you the importance of practice. Pick up your pen and start . . .
Coffee Faces
Happy Friday! Here's a fun post to celebrate the coming of the weekend. Backbone Branding design studio from Armenia created a coffee cup with some serious personality. They're not only incredibly adorable (and kinda cheeky), they're also customisable allowing the drinker to change the mood of their coffee cup according to how they're feeling that day. Clever? Yes, I think so. Via . . .
Paper Rides
"Drawing with a knife" - that's what Hong Kong artist Bovee Lee does with much skill and patience. Instead of channeling her feelings about moving cross-country into nervousness or frustration, she created these intricate hand-cut paper rollercoasters. Talk about a good method of diversion... "In these works, I also draw parallels between one’s romantic relationship and our relationship . . .
Santa Off Duty
IT'S CHRISTMAS WEEK! Post 7/7 A different side of Santa & his little helpers you've never seen before. And perhaps wish you'd never seen. Check out this Medium Post to see who created each of these. This signals the end of Christmas week - it was a fun one and I'm glad that I spent it with you. . . .
Panda Hunting
IT'S CHRISTMAS WEEK! DAY 3/7 Today, I have a game for you - SPOT THE PANDA. Loving this little festive puzzle by Gergely Dudás, via @Picame. Put your hands up and boast about it in the comments section once you've found the little guy. Edit: My mistake, the illustration is created by Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás and not Càl Fox as originally written. This has apparently turned into . . .
B&W Is My Colour
My colour explosion on Instagram, showcasing inspiration revolving around a single colour. Or two in this case. BLACK & WHITE Featuring: Salavat Fidai | Living Diviani | NITCH | Adrian Dominguez | Marcin Ryczek | Motoi Yamamoto | HAM | Alvaro Martínez | Limi Yamamoto . . .
Quintuple Colouration
Although my wardrobe consists of every shade of black, my eyes seem to hover every time I see a burst of colour in a brand's identity. Here's some letterpress goodness from Don't Try Studio. "Though they are 5-color letterpressed, white-foiled, and triplexed, Designer Quentin Monge’s playful, self-promotional business cards still don’t appear to be trying too hard." — KELLY CREE Via Under . . .
Paper Art Magic
If you're talking about dedication to one's craft...Calvin Nicholls is your man. Some of his pieces can take a couple of weeks to create, and the more elaborate pieces sometimes take a year to complete! This amazingly detailed work is carefully formed from an initial hand-drawn template, with the haut-relief effect being achieved through a meticulous process involving X-ACTO knives, . . .
Scrabble Typography
Being a fan of both Scrabble and Typography, I've gotten a bit obsessed with this new edition of the game. Andrew Capener has selected 12 great new fonts for the letters to be featured on the solid wood Scrabble tiles. Who else wants to get their hands on a set? Via Toyland . . .
Wishes in a Bottle
These caught my eye as it brought me back to the time when I used to collect bottles and place in them little keepsakes - sand, a feather, a note to myself. Now if I could bottle anything, it would be hope, dreams, and the wish that there would be more love and less hate. More happiness and less sorrow. More acceptance and less fingers pointed. Something needs to change in the world that we . . .