Voyages over Edinburgh

I'm on a little roll, show casing home grown talent...so...take a look at the illustrations of Edinburgh born Architecture student David Fleck. I spotted this print on a larger scale in the window at Curiouser and Curiouser on Broughton Street a while back and fell in love but didn't have time to stop in and get it.
What's not to like? Monochrome Edinburgh skyline with gloriously colourful hot air balloons floating over head.
Here's David's story behind it...


'In the winter of 1785 in Edinburgh, all the shops closed for a day and over 80,000 people gathered in the grounds of my old school, George Heriot’s, to watch the incredible spectacle of Vincenzo Lunardi taking one of the world's first ever balloon rides. The whole town caught balloon fever, with Scottish women even wearing large balloon shaped bonnets they named after the famous aeronaut.'

He's having a sale here for THIS WEEK ONLY so...I bought it. Now to work out wear to put it...

Wary Mears Wares

I've blogged about this creative couple before. Wary Mears are an upcycling phenomenon! Their projects are pretty awesome...
If you happen to find an old canoe or an Eames chair in a skip, why not give it a wee spruce up with a pattern, hand painted on, inspired by British textile designer, Celia Birtwell?
'Naturally', I hear you say...

...whatever you do to them you probably wouldn't expect them to look as cool as this...and you'd probably never think to hang them from the ceiling in you Portland apartment...well, I wouldn't anyway.
Found on Wary Mears' blog

Cate James

The lovely Cate James is a printmaker and illustrator based in Edinburgh. Last year she set herself a little project of (read: became slightly obsessed with) drawing the 'beautiful' faces of the guests on the popular daytime TV show, Jeremy Kyle.
Having just become a mother, and having been freelance for the last couple of years, I have to shamefully, admit to having become quite familiar with the show. For those of you who are not, it may help to know that I have to actively avoid it, regularly, as I feel myself losing all faith in human existense and becoming convinced that everyone in the world needs a DNA and lie detector test.
I love Cate's illustrations of the 'colourful' characters who grace Jeremy's stage. I can see how drawing them would get addictive. She has more than 6 sketch books full of them! Wouldn't they make an excellent exhibition?

You can see more of these gorgeous faces on Cate's blog. Cate is currently working on the illustrations for a new series of children's books along with many other projects on the run up to Christmas...keep a look out for her work at Paper Tiger stores.
Illustrations by Cate James

Sunday night, Monday morning...

Gorgeous printed pillow cases by Karin Åkesson. Everyone needs a message like this as their head hits the pillow...especially on a Sunday night.

I hope you have an excellent Monday! x

Teatime Upcycle

UK illustrator, Esther Coombs, upcylcles charity shop tableware finds with her pretty architectural ink drawings. The cake stands are piled high with pretty vintage glassware and a teacup on top.

Elevenses anyone...?

Laura Barnard

Check out these illustrations by Laura Barnard...i'm a sucker for architectural line drawings, cityscapes and looking up at the sky...
laurabarnard.co.uk

Cheeky Wallpaper

Hand-printed in Brighton by Dupenny, these wallpapers are inspired by all things vintage...but always with a sense of humour. Hang it in your 'downstairs loooo' and invite the mother-in-law round...


Housewives, Burlesque and Time for Tea available here

To Dry For

Dry dishes or frame it and put it on your wall?? There are some very cool printed tea towels out there and todryfor.com is where you can get them. This 'storm in a tea cup' print is my favourite...

but I 'm loving these retro scottish illustrations by Gillian Kyle...'Glasgow Breakfast', 'Tunnock's' and 'Spam'

availiable from todryfor.com

Edinburgh Fringe Festival Programme

Back in March of this year, the smart people* behind the Fringe Festival asked Scottish illustrator, Johanna Basford to sit in a room for 12 hrs (twice) and draw. They then asked the tweeting public what quirky sites they'd like to see at this year's Edinburgh Festival.

They set up a camera and a live internet link and Johanna picked out the most random suggestions as they piled in through the live feed. She drew 176 suggestions out of 1675; these make up the shape of the recognisable Fringe font.

If you are a fan of the festival or live in Edinburgh you'll realise the enormity of having your work on the cover of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival programme. Even though this particular festival only lasts for the month of August; every coffee table, hotel reception, shop counter, bar, restaurant, café, festival venue, and poster in the city will feature the artwork from now until the last firework pops in the late summer sky just over the barracks of Edinburgh Castle...

Personally, I'm a massive fan of this type of illustration. Every time you look at it you see something new. I wish I could doodle so well. You can see more of Johanna's work here including the graphics for independent Scottish brewers BrewDog.

Clever marketing huh? Commission local talent. Check. Interact with the public. Check. Use a very current media communication system. Check. Stream it live on the internet. check. Originally, Johanna had completed a couple of what she calls TwitterPictures as previous personal projects but kudos to the Fringe team for jumping on the bandwagon and spreading the word to the masses.

By the way, my suggestion was a bramble berry shaking a cocktail and can be seen in the top left hand corner of the 'g'...I was going for subliminal advertising for my husband's cocktail bar, Bramble...wonder if it'll work...

In the end they went for three different covers (below) with a stream of illustrations rather than the font but i'm hoping to see the illustrated type on other graphic bits and pieces around town (especially the g)...

They've also made a nice little video explaining how it was all done.

* turns out those smart people were whitespace!

all images from JohannaBasford.com

book your tickets at www.edfringe.com

Belles Jambes

Patterned tights are risky. Even a perfect pin can give the illusion of a bulbous knee or a 'cankle' when adorned with unconventional hosiery. However, like a clothes-eating moth to a fingerless cashmere mitten (I digress...bitterly), I can't resist a funky graphic!
These illustrated tights are by French company Les Queues de Sardines (Sardines' Tails). They're screen printed by hand in limited quantities so you have to be quick!
How cool are the raindrops and this nautical tattoo print?

La Palangre

Bonny

La Pluie

Manon in love

Joanna Austin

I saw these illustrations at the Edinburgh College of Art Degree show in 2007 and I still love them. There was another one of a drunken couple on a bike and a red shoe flying through the air!
Last I heard, Joanna was doing some travelling. Hoping she'll be back at some point as I love her work!

'I've been working on illustrations for fiction novels, F.Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Collected Short Stories' being one. These images are from a collection of ink drawings for this book from which I have made screen print editions.'

Joanna Austin

Unfortunately there are very few links for her online and her website is no longer running but she entered the V&A competition for 'Illustrator of the Year' in 1997 so if you contact them I'm sure they will pass on her email address.

Sorry about the lack of info folks, I just wanted to share her work with you...

UPDATE: Jo is on the Caymen Islands and her prints are available here