The Bright Side

The Bright Side, established by illustrator and wordsmith Rachel Bright, has become my go to brand for cards and little gifts, for one very good reason. Their 'mantra' is on the back of each of the cards:

Be nice
Think happy thoughts
Champion silver linings
Love all things (not just cute things like babies and kittens)
And when you do love - love like they do in power ballads (you know like on a cliff with wind in your hair and your eyes shut, knowing you'll never know another love like this)
Watch out for dog poo
Smile at people - even grumpy ones
Be nice (oh I already said that)
Remember that anything is possible
And whatever you do always try to look on the bright side

...and really this is why they are awesome. They say things simply, how they really are and make people smile those little smiles. To me those little smiles are better than huge laughs because that funny thing will never be funny again but that smile will come back every time you see the thing that made you smile in the first place.

In addition to cards a local store (and Campus Gifts if you're an online shopper) now sell The Bright Side Gifts. At Christmas the women closest to me all got little stocking fillers from The Bright Side. Biscuit tin for my granny, sweet tins for my mom and my aunt (all filled of course) and my sister, the not-so-little-any-more monster, got a notebook proclaiming "evil plans and stuff" on the front.

My next purchases are a wedding planner for when my friend finally starts organising her "very big huge day" and some folders for me... Some things are difficult, some take a long time, some just really need doing and if this is the case I'm sure wrapping them in The Bright Side is the best way to do it.

Hermanos Inglesos: Wanderland

This music video appeared on The Cool Hunter this week and despite the fact the song is infectious it is the video itself that interested me.  It is quirky, unique and produced in the mixed material style I just love. The combination of photographs with illustrations works perfectly and reminds me of some of Darren Firth's work.


Hermanos Inglesos feat. MeMe - "Wanderland" from Michélé De Feudis on Vimeo.

Missing Garden

Dominik Smialowski's photography merges with Monika Prus' drawings to create the project 'Missing Garden' that utilises childlike chalkboard drawings to show allegories of childhood.

Smialowski says: "This work is a reflection of nostalgia for childhood, sentiment for light-hearted, idyllic kids life,  sorrow for something that maybe gone irretrievably.  It's also a modest rebellion against adults life and small glorification of being child."

They effectively remind me of aspects from my own childhood, particularly those below, whilst the contrast of the naive, carefree illustrations with the serious adults photographs reminds me that I will never again experience these things in the same way that a child can - with no worry or responsibility.

Mien Clothing

I love to stumble across new and unique brands...and it's even better when someone I know has started it.  Sarah Morton started Mien with her boyfriend Tom during the summer as a mini project.  Tom's graphic design makes for some quirky illustrations, whilst Sarah creates bold prints and photography orientated t-shirts.

Sarah's Godzilla and Tree Designs

Tom's Peekaboo and Zulu Designs

Each of their t-shirts is screen printed by hand and would make fantastic gifts.  They are currently hoping to rebrand so all Mien branded t-shirts are on sale from as little as £5...hand designed and hand printed for a fiver is a bargain I think, especially when you won't be seeing anyone else walking down the street wearing one. They're in the process of creating a website but currently sell via Facebook and sporadically eBay.  Simply email them on mienclothing@hotmail.com to say hello or to order.

Squelch, Squelch, Squelch

It's been one of those weeks...though I'm sure you guessed that by my lack of blogging.

I have felt poorly sick, lots of ASOS interview prep to do, my boss hung up on me for taking time off work for being poorly and then today it rains.  It rains on the first day I'm wearing pumps obviously and so my feet are all squelchy and shit.  Squelch, squelch, squelch I went, whilst Paolo Nutini's 'Ten Out of Ten' blared in my ears making me think of sunshine.  I got to a hill and attempted to move downwards and almost fell on my face with my feet slipping all over the place within my stupid black suede pom pom shoes.  Suede ballet pumps and rain...nightmare.  I need a holiday, I really do.

Of course, being in England it rains in the Midlands.  However, I honestly can't remember the last time I actually had to walk in it.  It reminded me of this illustration...

It's one of a series I produced to represent 'Where am I now?' in a Personal and Professional Development module at university.  The image, whilst illustrated by me, is not my own.  It's one of Azuzephre's Pon and Zi cartoons, I have only been creative enough to change the words.  Cutest little emo characters ever.

Anyway, I digress...this illustration summed up how I felt at the time.  I was beginning to feel trapped in Preston.  Well, that was silly.  It took me three years to get bored of Preston, which was only brought on by my continuing stress to be amazing at uni, and now 9 months at home and I wish I was back there.  Masters?  It's becoming more and more appealing.  Rain or no rain.

The grass is always greener isn't it...definitely need to just make the most of what I have.  Bugger.

Raphael Vincenzi: Come Home Little Soul

Fashion illustration seems to get a bit samey at times.  You see the same mixed media quite a lot, which seems to blur the line between illustrators.  Raphael Vincenzi at times reminds me of people I have mentioned previously mentioned, such as Nadia Flower and Darren Firth, with watercoloured looks and mixed media squared paper.  However, his latest Behance album, "Come Home Little Soul", makes Vincenzi stand out against the others.  There is a very artistic, delicate, considered use of media and typography.  Always beautiful, and at times moving, it's a lot more than typical fashion illustration.

Check out his website and full Behance portfolio.

Type Sex with Andrej Krahne

Andrej Krahne's got all creative with the latest Durex brief.  Communicating the joy with Durex, Krahne demonstrates Durex's part in sex by creating images with text.  His self entitled "type sex" with type showing "like X-ray the inner feelings during the act with Durex."

I love the fact that the text takes into context not only sexual feelings but emotions, body reactions and also surfaces.  From "wood" to "fatal error" Krahne mocks typical sexual issues, with a mans "brain matter" and judgement" placed firmly where his penis is.  It's been said before but it's still amusing to see it in print.  Sex and humour sells, and this has both.

Jamie Bennett: Playful Illustration

When I was a child I hated taking medicine.  It always came in awful flavours, from stickly strawberry to banana....particularly banana.  I hate banana's and everything banana flavoured.  I remember once when I was very young banana medicine made me sick.  I don't remember the conditions, but from then on I refused to take it.  I would fight, kick, scream and eventually be pinned down by at least both of my parents and my Granny.  Often more people would get involved.

This image reminds me of the panic I felt everytime my mom opened that cardboard box and took out the measuring spoon...

In fact, a lot of Jamie Bennett's imagery reminds me of my childhood.  And childhood in general.  There's a playful use of colours, fonts, textures and imagery that sends me back.  I adore it.  It is this that tugs on my heart string rather than her computer illustration.

Make sure you check out Bennett's Sign Painter's Daughter folder.  It tells a sweet little story and I didn't want to post random bits out of sequence.  However, here's some more that might interest you...

Jacqueline Bissett: The heart of fashion illustration

Illustration Ltd's website was always a fantastic source of inspiration for me whilst at university, there was one illustrator in particular that always got my 'right click' to store her imagery on my laptop...Jacqueline Bissett.  Every time I saw an image it reminded me of something time and time again.

Finally Illustration Ltd's blog enlightened me.  The Sunday Times' Style magazine is full of Bissett's work but sadly she has ended her four years of work for them.  This further intensifies the fact that I apparently pay little attention to names as long as I like the work.  This isn't really a problem until I get to an interview and get bombared witth questions about this designer and that illustrator.  Woops.

Not the only place I've seen Bisset's work though, there has been a time when I have recognised her work.  In a meeting with the Browns and Browns Focus head buyers I noticed some lovely ) hand drawn illustrations hung in Browns' offices.  If I wasn't assured by my own recognition Jacqueline Bisset's signature definitely highlighted that I was right!  It's not unheard of for Browns to have good taste though is it?  Looks like she's turning up everywhere...I am just so behing on the times.

I'm sure she'll be sadly missed at The Sunday Times' offices.  Check out some of Bisset's work yourself...she has her own dedicated area on Illustration Ltd!

Garance Doré: Illustrator and Blogger

Garance Doré's blog is one of my favourites.  She meets the people I want to meet, goes to all the important fashion events, swans around with 'The Sartorialist' for meet and greets with fans and lives in Paris.  She is French so I can accept that she can speak French and I can't but I would very much like to do the things she does.

Her blog is now three years old and it seems fans are happy to listen to whatever she has to say pretty much.  I agree.  She makes me laugh.  I always atempt to read what she has to say in French but always fail beyond my basic rusty GCSE knowledge and switch to English.  I love the little illustrations she throws in amongst her street style shots.

However....silly as I've been reading for months...I didn't realise that illustration was the start to it all.  I was happy to hear that as I prefer the illustrations to the photography, there's something so natural and easy to them.  I wish I could pick up a pencil and draw how she does.  I find myself stressing over what other ppl will think and believing they aren't good enough then throw them away.  Maybe I should follow Garance's lead and just go for it.  Because they are beautiful.

One female character appears again and again.  It reminds me of my friend Katie, whose own female character has a name, characteristics and a definite personality.  I wonder whether Garance's character is herself or is indeed, as Katie's, more a collection of her favourite things about people in general.  Her sisters hands, her best friends sense of humour, a celebrities hair....who knows?  All I know is that I love her.

L Filipe dos Santos: See. Saw

Portugease native L Filipe dos Santos (aka Corcoise), now based in Madrid, has captured my imagination...his sketches build on ink/paint spreads that every nursery gets children doing.  Drop the paint/ink on one side of the paper, fold it over and voila...a butterfly!

Or not.  His See. Saw portfolio shows another way of seeing things.  Look at the original splodges (for lack fo a better term) and what do you see?  Now look at what he sees....illustrated with the sketches he's built on top.  There's one in particular where I definitely see some form of monster/animal but no...there are some people.

Fascinating....see for yourself on his portfolio page.  I must say my favourites are the ones where the originals take up more of the page...where Corcoise builds on very little shapes and colour the sketches the amazement is not quite so great, though the resulting sketches are still wonderful.  What I love is the way he sees order in chaotic colours.

Nadia Flower: Fragile yet Striking

Nadia Flower's is, without doubt, an amazing illustrator. I discovered her a few years back whilst in my second year of university and keep coming back to her time and time again. I must admit to often being drawn to solely computerised illustration, possibly because that's the kind I do more than any other, however this makes me want to take out my pencil again.

The drawings are fluid, delicate, almost fragile...but there is something so striking about them. I think it's the way they are confident, strong in graphic style and absolutely wonderful in general.

See her portfolio at the Illustration website...where I first discovered her.

Kazuki Takamatsu: Ghostly Graphics

Kazuki Takamatsu takes ghostly to a new level with these beautiful, elegant graphics.  Ethereal and enticing they remind me of ice sculptures, perfectly formed and enticing.  According to Today and Tomorrow they are painted with gouache but other sites from Popwhore to Trendhunter don't seem to understand how exactly they've been done.  Guess Takamatsu won't be sharing any time soon if it's got all these people talking...

Anna Rusakova: My Moleskine

I discovered Ukranian illustrator Anna Rusakova on Behance and just fell in love with her sketchbook imagery.  Her portfolio of illustrations is brilliant but it was her "my moleskine" section that appealed to me most.  I loved seeing where and what had inspired her....from pressed flowers to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.  It's like seeing into someones creative soul.

It is what I always say I will do but don't.  Gadgets now lead what I do...my laptop and my iPhone would give you all the information you need about me...but there is something so distanced about that.  I long for the days that I would pick up a pencil and sit and draw...maybe if I'd carried on my illustrations would be better.

Rusakova's cute and quirky illustrations tap into everything from family trees to "small objects" where origami swans are contrasting with delicate sketchs of guns...

Here are some of her sketchbook images.  Be inspired...