Google Reader to the rescue yet again. Although I already have a bike and a multitude of accessories for her…I still frequent the Bobbin Bicycles website, perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment. Way too many beautiful bikes that I want to rehome, yet no where to put them. I had a bit of a surprise last time I visited their website, in the form of quirky little illustrations and thought ‘wow, I wish I knew who did these, they’re great…”
Enter google reader and the form fifty five blog, who happened to feature the talented illustrator Zoë Barker, the sketcher behind Bobbin’s new look! The website is still a work in progress, but already I see some great little touches of men in bowler hats (uh oh, I think I might be starting to build up a reputation) and other British icons. Note to anyone who hasn’t been to England before…the wonky tudor building is not drawn by way of artistic license–there are a lot of buildings like that! In my English ‘hometown’ of Colchester, a lot of the restaurants are in wonky buildings like that. Crazy juxtaposition of being in a chain restaurant eating the same pizza served in its other thousand establishments, but your table won’t sit still because the floor is at a 25 degree angle!
Photos/illustrations via zoebarkerdraws.com
Six years ago today, I stepped onto London’s pavements for the first time, who knew it would now be home? It was a week after entering the country with two friends (Hi Lauren!) to study design in England for half a year. We were located outside of London, and used our first free day to go ‘touring’. I remember it like it was yesterday… it was raining (shocking), cold (also shocking) and we got stuck in traffic for hours. So all in all a pretty accurate representation of life here! We did a bus tour (with some crazy driver yelling ‘giddyup terry!’ everytime we put the bus in motion) and got to see loads of London…or so we thought. It’s strange now to think back to the sights, but from a different perspective. I walk by many of those places on a daily basis now! In celebration, here are some painstakingly rendered london maps (one cut, the other penned) from the very patient Karen of Studiokmo. Happy 6th anniversary United Kingdom, thanks for having me!
London handcut map $375 USD
london, in pen and paper, 24″ x 18″ $400 USD
london, in pen and paper, 11″ x 14″ $140 USD
NOTE… Karen also has some amazing cuts/renderings of other worldwide cities worth checking out! Of course those maps wouldn’t show the street on which I live, which may prove to be a problem for some. Others, probably not so much.
After Friday’s post about contrasting old photos to new surroundings, I went on a search for vintage London pictures. I was thwarted by the Library’s local studies section ludicrious opening hours, and couldn’t find what I wanted in my own collection. I did however revisit one of my favorite London books, “London Sketchbook, A City Observed“. Good old fashioned watercolour sketches are one of those arts that one day (when fifty hour days become standard) I can improve on. After the 3rd straight holiday of packing up my itty bitty supplies and never unpacking them, I attempted last year when we were travelling through Europe…and although I completely loved the attempt- the final result wasn’t what I had in mind.
This book is a fabulous ’souvenir book’ of London–so much better than a picture based book because all the ugly bits are removed–and also sums up the effect I’d love to have in my sketchbook. Illustrated by Graham Byfield, the paintings have a fabulous economy of stroke and paint, something I am horrible at. Reworking something to death is pretty much my signature. Look at those fabulous bleeding trees! One swash and done? Ba-rilliant. Plus the book is printed on fantastic watercolour-esque paper and the handwriting was done so convincingly I nearly took my book back to the shop because I thought someone had written in it. Durr.
I picked these shots specifically because they all are ‘local’ to us, whether its near our current flat (images 1-3), our old flat (image 4) or near where I work (image above). I love how colourful and even dare I say, tropical, these pictures look. Which I definitely would never have imagined ‘prim and proper’ London being before I moved here. I can’t believe I had to move closer to the artic to find palm trees!
I don’t know where to start. Do I even have to tell you what is so great about these photos/outfits? Gorgeous. Fairy Tale. Magical. Ambient. Drool…All from Elin J., 19 year old self professed blogger and day dreamer from Skåne (southern Sweden). Stinking Scandinavian water making everyone so clever gorgeous and talented.This should just about take care of my wardrobe moodboard for the year.
I am in love with the yellow peter pan collar dress at the top (remarkably like the TBA dress I posted here)…plus the pops of grey and red. I hate mustard/ketchup colours and yet so perfect here? Maybe I’ve been hypnotized…? While I battle the happy feeling I get from these, what are your favorites? I vote for 1. yellow peter pan collar dress 2. umbrella photo and 3. walking into the forest. You?
Little known fact about me: I wish I was a mermaid. I don’t know what it is, but anything mermaid related has me all excited, like lagoons. *slurp* The name, the visions of teal and turquoise and beautiful hair (it’s a prerequisite I heard). Sadly, unlike the related trend (and by related I mean, water based?) of Sailor, mermaids get no love in the fashion world. In fact, nearly everything mermaid based is visually shocking. Seriously, these sci fi gradient mermaid pictures give me the heebie jeebies. BUT lookie here, these fabulous mermaid tattoo tights, are fab-u-lous. I suppose it’s the roughened sailor style feel that make them cool. Which is quite odd, because little known fact number 2 is that I hate tattoos. Go figure.
Saylor Tights made in Scotland by bebaroque £39.95
To all the new visitors arriving from wordpress ‘freshly pressed’…welcome! This is Pillar Box Post, a collection of inspiration, as well as a few bits of my own. This post features some amazing photography from the flickr group, ‘Looking into the Past’. You can see more about the individual photographers via the links, or feel free to explore… Thanks for stopping by!
image by Bu Yourself
image by jasonepowell
image by 4Durt
Warning, nerd alert. How great is this flickr group called ‘looking into the past’? When I was a kid, I spent way too much time with my nose in a book of vintage postcards from my hometown. I think it was in commemoration of 200 years and it was full of black and white postcards/pictures from around our town. They also threw in a few big events, like when their was a parade with elephants in the early 1900’s. I looooooved looking at a building, seeing where it was taken and then figuring out where it was in town. It was pretty much fifty/fifty that either I paid more attention to some gorgeous old building I’d walked by nearly every day without notice (but now knew there was a tunnel that connected it to another building…) or I’d pass by the ugly 70’s building, knowing that there had been a beautiful mansion there but it was destroyed by a fire a hundred years ago or something…
image by jasonepowell
image by Ben Dayhoe
image by jasonepowell
image by Tinflower
image by jasonepowell
I actually find normal black and white postcards relatively boring, but when you know an area and can compare the two I think it’s amazing. Who wouldn’t want to notice the bars on the third story windows of your local pizzeria ( because it used to be a prison…) or develop a deep loathing for the sixties government who tore down fabulous churches to put up concrete monstrocities….ewwwwww. So, with that in mind who wants to love this flickr group with me? And by love I mean go to the library and spend all my pocket money on postcards so I can submit some of my own?!
Oh goodie another source of cultural stereotypes…I’m such a sucker! I don’t know how to describe this style, but it reminds me of these great towels that we had as a kid that were from the sixties (Mom, I need some verification/information on the towel that featured a gangly man jumping into an already crowded swimming pool of ladies wearing swimming caps !) While I’m working on that, I’ll just add this onto my list of Japanese illustrator love & vintage illustrations and posters that I can’t have…someone please fulfill my desires! I Loooove the lady in the big white hat down by South America, the colour palette and of course the giant Palace Guard…
World Map poster from Monocle, designed by Japanese illustrator Satoshi Hashimoto.
Gold foil detail and only 500 printed £95
Like stereotypical illustrations? Check out the Englishmen here.
Like the look of Monocle?…you should it’s fabulous. Check out more here.
Or check out Nomoco, another fine illustrator from Japan, here.
As you’ve probably noticed, for a city girl, I seem to spend quite a bit of time in wellies. I’ve had a pair for years, but they ughm, had frog eyes and mouth. Don’t ask…Then we got the puppy and were heading off into the park exactly 78 times a day, and coming back each and every time with soaked socks and trainers because it’s London and as everybody knows it rains everyday.
Top of the list of wellies were Ilse Jacobsens beautiful rain boots and I very nearly convinced myself that £100 for a pair of rainboots was reasonable…but then I woke up. So I settled for a pair of festival Hunter Wellies lace ups on sale in dark Olive green. Still feeling like they had something to give, I picked up a pair of tan round shoelaces this weekend and changed it up a bit, as you can see at the top? A bit better, no?
Ahhh another ‘why didn’t I think of that idea?’ This goes perfectly with my recent outfit watch! The Croquis is a personalized fashion illustration boutique…creating fashion portraits in graphite or gouache. You can even choose whether your sketch will have a face or balance lines or if you just want their clothing on its own. The final result is set in a white matte in a 16×20” black or white studio frame.
Personally I love the graphite drawings (loooooove the picture of the shirt hanging on a hanger!), and can see this perfectly as a gift for the girl who has everything…What a fabulous idea to commemorate your wedding dress or as a ’souvenir’ with a special holiday outfit. They aren’t the cheapest ( might be a bit of a joint gift between you and a small countries army), but in terms of original artwork (and custom at that) I think its a good result. A single black and white illustration with graphite pencil and/or fine point pen is $150 USD, while for $250 USD you can have a single color, gouache (opaque watercolor) illustration. And, if that isn’t enough, their website is very cute with fabulous watercolour backdrops…my only complaint is that I want more examples!!!
My mom is a very talented fashion illustrator…sadly I didn’t get much of that talent. However, what I did get was a slew of drawings on the backs of scrap paper featuring various dresses that she spotted in thrift stores or she envisioned in her head. We designed my wedding dress together (or should I say I found two dresses that I liked, and drew a concoction of the two. I sent that off and she sent me back a drawing of what it really would look like). I love the drawing and still have it, and have now realized that is basically what you have here. Except mine is on scrap paper folded up and in a notebook in my storage area. Ouch. Perhaps a frame is in order?
Oh, and P.S. since I only learned this today, I thought I would share. A Croquis drawing is quick and sketchy drawing of a live model. Croquis drawings are usually made in a few minutes, after which the model changes pose and another croquis is drawn. Thank you wikipedia for giving a term to something that before remained nameless in my dull life.
Eek…this isn’t easy but in true January effort, I”m trying to fulfill number 9 on my ‘ten commandments for 2010‘…and showing the world what I’ve been wearing. And by world I mean the itty bitty sub section that view this blog (don’t make it sound easier than it is)… And I’ve joined the bloganista group on flickr to boot. So here is to at least two outfits a week on full display. Now, question is do I just show them there or here as well?
*Excuse the weird blurred faces…there are rules that I’m just becoming aware of for the flickr group.
After I created this post, I stumbled upon some old picture folders on my computer and I realized how great these self archiving photos can be…regardless of the fact I think most of my outfits/haicuts/smiles are ridiculous I just lost an hour to perusing through old shots of me through the last five years and going omigosh, I should never do that again, or wow…maybe my hair wasn’t so bad then. If you want a peek at some of my disasters or triumphs (and to see details of what I’m wearing above, read more…
