Recently, Roanne Adams, asked me to whip up an illustration for an organic beauty line called Tata Harper. She’s an ex-classmate of mine from Parsons , now working as an art director and sharing a studio with Refinery29. Pretty cool.

I rarely use Adobe Illustrator, and when I do I just convert my hand drawn files into vector, but I like how this graphic flat color direction turned out.

INITIAL SKETCH MASKED OUT WITH COLORS

FINISHED PIECE

David recently created this poster for the Focus Feature documentary “Without A Home.”

One of his designs incorporated my drawings. Unfortunately, the client will likely go with a vector illustration version. Oh well. I like how his poster turned out, so I colored it in and am posting it anyway.

A few months ago I moved studios. I no longer share with Rebecca Turbow and her growing fashion entourage. No hate, just sayin. Now, when I’m not at Brand New School, I’m a few blocks away above one of my favorite vintage stores, 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas and near Union Pool (which I never seem to go to anymore).

I’m sharing with Chris Palazzo, whom most days I actually see at BNS, not the studio. He’s a motion graphics art directing wizard of sorts. Here is an homage to his wackiness. Soon I’ll post photos of our huge new digs.

art. avec lots of pyramids:

(MISSING IMAGE - BLAME FLICKR!!!)

This illustration is part of a series of storyboards I’m working on for a client. The theme is invention, and this panel depicts Thomas Edison’s big idea. The work was supposed to recall the patterning of Klimt, Japanese woodblock printing techniques, 2-d puppets, and take the historical references into a contempory language.

I’ve been thinking about illustration as 3-dimensional object a lot recently. Not just art on products, but art on wooden shapes, paintings on toys, Calder’s circus, illustrator and painter as sculptor. Below are some images by the 60s pop artist Marisol. I like how her figures are relatively simple arrangements of cubes and, what appears to be found objects, combined with faces and clothing painted on flat surfaces. Very simple, childlike, playful, dada.

(MISSING IMAGE. BLAME FLICKR!!!)

Has anyone ever played the Playstation game Loco Roco? I just stumbled upon some screenshots of it while looking for something completely different. Reminds me of Kure Kure Takora, Yo Gabba Gabba, low fi claymation, and, um, funnnnnn.

(MISSING IMAGE. BLAME FLICKR!!!)

I recently wrapped up my very first pitch at Brand New School. The finished image we ended up submitting looks very different, so I think it’s ok to post my work in progress.

David, recently asked me to supply some drawings for an upcoming documentary, entitled “Without A Home.” The film explores the lives of several homeless individuals that live in, and around, LA’s Skid Row. Here are some drawings of individuals who appear in the film. They’re not colored in the way they’ll finally look (maybe watercolor? textures? who knows) nor positioned the way the dvd and poster will look, but it’s a start.

Louis Wain was a dude who drew a lot of cats and over the years went totally bonkers. As he increasingly lost his mind his anthropomorphic depictions of cats began to look more menacing, more abstracted, and eventually look like total drugs. Psychedelic fractals. Insanity personified? Or what a particular someone thinks your visions look like while on DMT. I haven’t done such a thing, so I can’t really confirm.

Louis Wain Flickr Group

I love the Hamburglar, Adolf Wolfli’s masked figures, the original sneak (Where’s Waldo), the original sneaky animal (obviously, a Raccoon).

Recently I discovered my newest friend.. THE RED PANDA. Omg. I think this is the cutest animal ever. I am in LOVE.

Then I realized in Super Mario 3, when Mario finds a feather (or is a leaf?) he turns into a Red Panda and flies. It all makes sense!

THE OG I CAN HAZ CHEESEBURGER

WHAT’S GOING ON, JUST WEARING A MASK AND HANGIN IN MY CRAZY FLOWER PETALS

PLZ NOTE: WALDO LOOKS LIKE ALL MY EXBOYFRIENDZ

CUTE!

UM. EVEN CUTER!!!

NUM NUM CUTE SNEAK

SLEEPY SNEAK!

I’m making a concerted effort to find more women designers, photographers, and motion graphics wunderkinds. Today I discovered the really beautiful work of photographer Anna Wolf. I especially like that she had a “little book” section on her portfolio. Oh zines, I have forsaken you. I really should do another one. It’s been…oh, a decade.

Judging by her portfolio Anna seems to often shoot for Urban Outfitters, Free People, Quicksilver, and Domino. Makes sense, her portraits are flattering, the natural lighting is dreamy, and her locations “I want to go to there.”

These photos, shot by James, are from the second of my three tour events. Instead of posting up at Nordstroms along the West Coast (like June’s events) these were at various Vans stores. Way cooler kids, way cooler environment, way cooler soundtrack.

This painting was created by drawing the graphic on one side and painting on the reverse. It’s a technique I don’t usually use (enamel, gouache, and silkscreen is my default). But it was a good solution for viewers; it’s more interesting than sitting at a table or seeing the backside of a slab of wood. I like the way it turned out, so I may use this technique more often.

Oh, and the paint is totally opaque when it’s against a wall or lit from the front. I couldn’t figure out a way to iron out that kink.

There has been a whole lot of crafternooning and craft discussions going on in these parts. I think the dour economy is inspiring my friends and encouraging us to stay home, make something with ones hands, hang with friends and not have to spend a million dollars going out to bars and screaming loudly. Andddddd be indoors where it is warm.

My last few craft-attempts have involved covering things in punk studs. A leather handbag, black wool coat, cashmere scarf. I bought a Bedazzler recently and I’m going to try and see how that goes.

This weekend there is likely another crafting session on the horizon. If it’s not punk studs perhaps I will make an edible craft? A craft using wood slabs and string art? Something with tissue paper (notecards? a picture frame?) Or weird dolls?

Here are some inspiring 1970s craft images from flickr and Martha Stewart. (links below)

From Flickr
Some images from Of Color and Lines
Pin Pals
Heath and the BLT Boys
Amy Honey
String Art from here and bymanu

From Martha Stewart
Monster Pops
No Knit Scarf

This just appeared in the new issue of Nylon

My sneak! Two pages. And my name isn’t teeny weeny itsy bitsy this time. yesssssssss

So, for the last week I’ve been on tour for Vans promoting my second signature sneaker.

I guess I should have announced it, but I was swamped before leaving! I spent the night before my flight whipping up a new piece to paint for each event. I ended up at events in Denver, San Francisco and Phoenix shilling my wares, painting inside each store window, signing things.

Halfway done with the piece already, Denver

Here’s the digital sketch I whipped up

The best part of the trip was going on road trip along PCH to Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur and a night on the beach in Santa Cruz. Hello! Epic. We took lots of photos and I’ll post them soon.

There are some really cool art projects on the horizon and things are all snowy and white in NYC which feels so bizarre because, literally, yesterday I was hanging out in 78 degree sunny Arizona.

thanks James for the photo!

Last night my friend and old studio mate, Rebecca Turbow, had her Fall 09 presentation. It was her biggest collection to date and the event was a total success, building on the momentum from last season’s Bowery Electric showing.

Usually I’m in the thick of all the preparations, the fittings, the drama; but now that I’ve moved out of our hectic studio, I got to experience everything like the rest of the audience. It was so nice to see her collection as a total surprise.

She’s showed a lot of party dresses in rich fabrics, grey and black (yessss!) blouses, wool coats and swingy capes, well-tailored slacks, menswear, and some interesting jewelry and distinctive hair accessories. Super wearable, very cute, I will own a few most definitely.

It all took place at the Moeller Snow gallery, on Bond street. Totally packed full of friends and really cute kids. Unfortunately my camera’s battery died, so I only have documentation by other people.

That is some epic chain headgear ala Yokoo. Although, I’m certain Rebecca has no clue who she is.

Unfortunately, the boys’ looks are lost over there in the corner

Oh, look who it is. That’s Andrew next to me, thinking, “halp! don’t do this to me!”

Dude. It was Packed the entire time! I am so proud.

First two photos from Best thing today, more photos here and others by Rachel

So, Valentine’s Day, surprisingly, was not a fail. James worked on the Benjamin Bixby shoot on the official day (hanging out with Andre from Outkast till 2 am, pretty lucky). Check this out:

So, instead we celebrated on the 13th. Friday I came back from BNS and low and behold, the apartment was sparkling clean, there was the bf sitting on my couch, suit and tie, with a bouquet of flowers and a box all wrapped up in twine containing (my) rose gold ring from 1875. Now engraved with “lil sneak.” Sorry if this makes you barf, but it was so cute. We had dinner at the newly opened Williamsburg-outpost of Caracas. It was deliciousssss.

The next day I trekked to Dashwood Books, across the street from Oak and soon-to-be-opened The Smile. Dashwood is awesome. They sell only a well curated selection of fancy photography books and have employees that grill you about what your boyfriend looks like, if he’s a sicko for liking Araki, how you two met, and what he bought you for V-day. Weirdness!

I figured a book coupled with fancy treats from Something Sweet would do the trick. Unfortunately, I had a hard time figuring out which photographer’s book to purchase; Araki? Shore? Eggelston? I finally selected “A Message for You” by Guy Bourdin, published by Steidl. Luckily, he loved it.

image from hong kong hustle

So, due to shitty economy, I’m diversifying. First it was at Hush and now I’m at Brand New School working on an illustration-based project (maybe I’m not allowed to say for whom? Or post my drawings?)

I’ve spent the past week drawing cars and Double Decker buses, bedroom and bathroom furnishings, buildings and cobblestone bridges, patterns (plaids, delicate florals, kooky textiles), and creating a whole hand-drawn world soon to be populated with cute girls. Then it becomes a commercial airing all over the UK. Very cool.

Tonight I’m teaching myself how to mask things out and make crazy patterns with overlays. Pretty bananas that I’ve been using Photoshop for years but never really used the mask tool. I fail. But not for long-I expect to be an After Effects, CS4, motion graphics wizard in the coming weeks!

James took some photos of my place this afternoon. His photographs really put my previous attempts to shame, so even though this is a tad redundant, I’m posting them. Plus, we finally bought some plants and a rug for the bedroom. Looks much more… healthy with some green.

I used some old rope to tie back my curtains. I like how they play against my straw hat.

In my last apartment all the picture frames were painted to match my bedroom’s super graphic stripe and filled with sixties photographs and advertisements. I am not sure if it’s laziness, but I like them “open.” You can call it “After Hang Up” by Eva Hesse.

The print is by Igor Pantuhoff. The little bowl I saved from Morocco.

The chalk portrait of the boy matches his sister. I found both upstate for a song. They remind me of Don and Betty’s kids in Mad Men. I have that show on the brain lately. Did you see Hamm on 30 Rock? “I want to go to there.” Best. Moment. Ever.

Oh, and this little owl is a 60′s transistor Radio. Very Clash of The Titans, no?

The pastel portrait we also found upstate. I wouldn’t have put him there, but he hides an ugly converter box. Theodore’s quite a patriot; enjoys staring at our flag all day.

My wall of necklaces. Having them displayed encourages me to change them up.
The dream catcher I don’t wear, but he’s cute.

My kitchen’s floors are all distressed, but I like that.
We use the magnetic letters to create impromptu menus when we have friends over.

Metal Peacock feathers, James’ copy of Nirvana’s Bleach

I never sit here and read, because mostly I just internet. 2009 goal: books.

more photos of my place on le blog de james.