Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas, and like I say every year, and genuinely mean it once again, thank you for reading this little blog, and for all the follows, likes and comments on instagram, facebook, etc...
I am truly grateful that you enjoy the posts as much as I love curating and sharing them with you all.

So, there's only one more thing to say really....

x x x

Colour crush...

Forest green and emerald tones mixed with berry and dusky pinks...what a combo!

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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An Opulent Christmas...

Those beautiful baubles by 'Oh Wonder Calligraphy' inspired this opulent and luxurious Christmas palette and moodboard.
A little bit of luxe never goes a miss anytime of year, but during the festive period it's a must.
I mean really, who ever said you could have too much glitter and sparkle...?
Eeeerrr no-one I'd like to know anyway.

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2018 calendars!

Well, theres no getting away from it...it'll soon be 2018.

2017 will have disappeared in the blink of an eye, scary how time flies!

So, in preparation of a super organised start to the new year, I thought I'd share a selection of very nice 2018 calendars I've spotted on my internet travels recently...

Our Heiday

Nicola Rowlands

Studio Moook

Jane Ormes

Kate Pugsley

Hannah Peck

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Christmas colour crush...

Colourful, bright, and packed full of fun!

That's todays Christmas themed colour crush post.

A combo of red and pink is never a bad thing is it, and it sure packs a punch with mint greens, teals and beautiful blue shades, yummy!

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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A Crafted Christmas...

A festive post for you today, a crafted Christmas moodboard.
Beautiful palettes of pastel pinks with soft mints and greyed off blues, with plenty of ideas to keep you busy over the coming weeks...hand finished gifts, handmade decorations and beautiful scandinavic inspired wreaths, aswell as creating cozy nights in with candles and different ways to display them.
Love those candle bottles with foliage, such a simple idea but so beautiful and effective, and that wreath...gorgeous!

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Illustration Love... Perfect Pets

Whether you're a dog person or a cat person, there's plenty of lovely pet inspired illustration around at the moment...

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Colour crush...

It's December!
And that can only mean one thing...Christmassy moodboards and festive colour palettes will commence shortly, yay!
But for now, another lovely autumnal colour combo for you...

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Five creatives to follow on instagram...

Here's another five fabulous creative folk to follow along with on instagram.

Be sure to check out their accounts and hit that 'follow' button!
If you missed the last little round up, see it here.

@nynkelocher

@penelope_dullaghan

@natashadurley

@lillianfarag

@lucytiffney

x x x

Colour crush...

Today's colour crush palette has got autumn written all over it...

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Etsy shop finds... a chat with Coco Gigi Design

This months etsy interview is with Gina of Coco Gigi Designs.

Hong Kong based Gina recently opened her shiny, brand new shop where you can buy her art prints featuring lots of lovely cute characters.
She loves to draw all kinds of animals and flowers with bold colours, mixed with hand drawn textures.
Alongside the personal work in her etsy shop, Gina is a freelance designer with clients such as American Greetings, WHSmiths and Bloomsbury, and also has several books published, 'Rain Rain Go Away', 'Animal Magic' and 'Let's Play', amongst others.

**Gina is very kindly offering readers of Loveprintstudio 

a 25% discount code on orders in her shop**

Just enter 'LOVEPRINTSTUDIO' at checkout.

Enjoy!

So, lets get to know a little about the artist behind the shop shall we...

1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background?

Ever since I was very little I’ve been very creative, my Mum was always taking me to miscellaneous art and craft classes and we would also make plush toys and knit together. 

I never knew that drawing pictures could be a real job, so I studied architecture in Mexico and Colombia (where I’m from) and then did a Masters in Interior Design in Italy. 
It was while working in an interior design studio in Italy that I discovered my love for illustration, and decided to dust off my pencils and to start drawing. 
I moved to Hong Kong and kept on working as an interior designer whilst also working on developing my illustration skills and portfolio. 
In 2015 I decided that it was time to be brave and do what I really wanted to do, so I took the plunge and became a full time freelance illustrator. 
Ever since, I’ve been illustrating children’s books, greeting cards, wall art and much more. 
It was a bumpy road but I think that I finally am where I’m supposed to be!

2. Tell us about a typical day for you...

Something that I love about freelancing is that not every day is the same. 
It really depends on what I’m working on but I usually wake up early and feed my cats, check on my plants and have breakfast. 
I start working around 7:30, either replying to emails or creating personal work for my Instagram - I’m addicted to creating time-lapse videos-. 
I then spend the rest of the day working on commissions from my agency - mostly children’s books - doing sketches, revisions and/or colouring. 
I usually work on two projects at the same time to keep things interesting. 
I try not to work later than 6pm but if there’s a children’s book emergency I’ll work until I finish! 
A couple of days a week I do yoga and go out for lunch with my husband.

3. Can you give us an insight into your creative process...

Ideas come to me from very random sources but once I’ve seen or heard something that inspires me I do a very rough and small sketch in my sketchbook. 
When I’ve decided on the direction I want to go in, I’ll redo my sketch bigger and cleaner to trace and colour in illustrator; I then add textures in Photoshop. 

For my watercolour paintings I choose a colour palette before colouring and like to experiment with techniques. 

4. What's your favourite item listed for sale in your shop?

It’s difficult to choose only one because they all have stories behind them but I really like the colour palette I used for my print Bears, rabbits and the moon.

5. Tell us ten random facts about yourself...

I’m from Bogotá, Colombia

I speak 3 1/2 languages (I need to improve my french)

I co-host a charity event where we make sock toys to donate to children in need

I have lots of plush toys in my studio

I love pyjamas

I don’t like wearing socks

I played the viola for 7 years in a youth orchestra

I don’t speak any Chinese even though I’ve been living in HK for 5 years

I love travelling to see animals in their natural habitat

I have a travel and style blog gigiscupoftea.com

6. How would you describe your work?

I would say that my work is sweet, charming and colourful. 
Nature has always been my big source of inspiration; from big fuzzy bears to tiny little ladybirds, I love creating delightful designs with floral details that put a smile on people's faces. 

7. What books/magazines are you currently reading?

I love reading! 
I just finished The girl who takes an eye for an eye by David Lagercrantz - It’s the continuation of the Girl with the dragon tattoo series written by the late Stieg Larsson. Not design related at all but a great read. 

I also read The Aye aye and I by Gerald Durrell and now I feel so inspired to travel to Madagascar!

8. What makes you laugh?

Lots of things like memes, cat videos, puns and comics.

9. Who are your design heroes and what inspires you?

I have a really long list of people who inspire me. 
Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas for the colours and textures in their paintings, Yayoi Kusama for the boldness of her installations, Katie Daisy for her use of colour and lettering, Mirdinara for her attention to details and Mary Blair for her use of colours. 
I try to take elements of what I like in their art and mix it with my own point of view.

10. What's the most rewarding thing about being a designer/ illustrator?

I feel very fortunate to be able to do something that I love and to get paid for it. 
It’s so exciting to see my work for sale in products around the world. 
I love receiving emails and comments from people telling me how much they or their children love something I created with my very own hands. 

A big thanks to Gina for taking the time to be part of the etsy interview feature, and giving us an insight into her world.

You can follow Gina on various social media below...

website | etsy | instagram | facebook | pinterest

x x x

Creative Quarters...Anne Passchier

The next designer to be featured in Creative Quarters is Anne Passchier.

Anne Passchier is an illustrator and surface designer from The Netherlands, currently based in Cleveland, Ohio.

 Their passion for surface design began after attending a workshop at Ringling College of Art and Design, and around graduation, Anne was hired by American Greetings, and now creates designs for gift wrap and other gift packaging products year-round.

During evenings and weekends at home, Anne freelances for a variety of amazing clients in children’s publishing, and also works on expanding a personal portfolio of patterns.  

They have a whimsical and colourful design approach that combines graphic shapes, bold colour palettes and subtle textures.

A lot of inspiration comes from graphic artists such as Charley Harper, as well as Dutch illustrators from Anne’s childhood, such as Fiep Westendorp and Dick Bruna.  

 Anne likes to create work inspired by animals and nature, but also with a focus on fun everyday objects and activities, such as gardening, cooking and travelling. With a lovely, playful, hand-drawn quality, the designs lend themselves to children’s illustration as well as pattern collections.  

As an LGBT artist, Anne has more recently been trying to develop work focusing on gender identity for younger people, and hopes to one day collaborate on a project with an LGBT organisation. 

Anne’s work can be found at www.annepasschier.com, or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/annepasschierillustration

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I hope you've enjoyed reading a little about Anne,
and seeing a selection of their work.

To get in touch, please visit their website for details.

If you missed the last Creative Quarters post featuring Anna London, you can read it here.

And don't forget, if you'd like to be featured, 

please send examples of your work with links to website portfolios, 

and some info about you and your background, etc... 

to Louise at loveprintstudio@live.com 

Look forward to hearing from you!

x x x

Inspired by... Teresa Bellon

Teresa Bellon is a Spanish illustrator creating designs with lots of fun-loving bold characters.

I love the humorous elements to her work and not to mention the lovely colour palettes.

Her statement combinations of peaches, rich oranges, aqua and teal tones with lilac blues are just gorgeous!

Take a look at some of her work below and see more here...

(images above © Teresa Bellon)

x x x

Colour crush...

I'm obsessed with anything in this gorgeous shade of green that features in todays colour crush post, well, that and anything in berry/ aubergine tones anyway.
I blame the time of year, and just wanting to snuggle up in rich, cozy colours.

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Typography Love... Quote of the Day

We all need reminding occasionally...

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On my bookshelf...In the Darkness of the Night

I shared the lovely book 'A Dogs Day' by Emily Rand on the blog previously, and today I've got her lovely new book 'In the Darkness of the Night'.

Taking us on a journey through the night, with rhyming text throughout,
Emily's gorgeous illustrations give an insight into bed times, long days, night owls
and early morning risers.
People getting home late from work, parents tidying up after their children, friends heading out for a fun night out and birdsong as a new day begins.

Such a lovely book!

(Photographs above © Louise | Love Print Studio,

and illustrations featured in 'In the Darkness of the Night' are copyright of Emily Rand)

x x x