Friday freebie...

A little desktop wallpaper freebie for you all today.

Happy Friday!

Click here to download desktop wallpaper

(image above © Louise | Love Print Studio)

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Colour crush...

Well I hope everyone enjoyed the glorious sunshine we had over the easter weekend.
The UK truly came up trumps. We can usually always depend on good old British bank holiday weather to be a complete and utter write off with downpours, clouds and miserable grey skies, but not this weekend.
No siree! Woooooo!

Here's a little sunshiney colour crush to start the week...

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Etsy shop finds...a chat with Laura Bird.

This months etsy interview is with London based ceramicist Laura Bird.

With a background in illustration, her pieces have a strong narrative focus with character and beautiful pattern featuring heavily.

Her inspirations are clear in her work; ancient arts and stories from medieval, greek and roman times,  yet her ceramics and illustrations feel modern and fresh with wonderful colour palettes.

You can see what Lauras getting up to and have a nosey into her processes over on her instagram account.

Lets get to know Laura shall we...

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

I studied illustration at Kingston University, graduating in 2009. 

It wasn’t until after uni that I considered working with clay and started an evening course at my local college.

I instantly loved the material and it opened up a whole new world for me to explore! 

It’s highly addictive and it was exciting to make pieces of art that could also be useful objects.

I love how endless the possibilities are!

I started selling my work on Etsy about two years later.

2. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?

I have some big books on ancient art of Mexico, medieval drawings and Celtic art that are always inspiring to me.

I don’t often buy magazines but I love interior design magazines such as The World of Interiors, Apartamento, Elle decoration.

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

I usually start by doing any computer admin and email replying at home and try to get to my studio around 10am.

It’s in a big railway arch in Hoxton which I share with friends.

Each day is different but I will spend the day making, painting, packing orders.

I work until around 6 but usually later until I’ve finished my tasks for the day.

4. How would you describe your work?

My work is colourful, playful, illustrative, characterful.  I like the term “ceramic illustrations”.

5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

Whenever a new idea pops into my head I try to get it down on paper as soon as possible.

I get a lot of ideas when I’m working on something else so I will stop what I’m doing and make a little drawing.

It only takes a second and will be an extremely rough sketch but it’s there so I can remember it later.  I tend to draw out ideas on scraps of paper rather than keep a sketchbook, so I have a pile of them in my studio to look through when I need inspiration. 

My ideas usually begin as one very rough sketch and then the making process is trying to realise it!  The idea can sometimes change and develop during this time but often the pieces come out looking like the tiny drawing. 

I usually have ideas for decoration when I can see the finished shape.

6. What are you currently passionate about or fascinated by and how is it inspiring your work?

I’m very into my garden at the moment and spending more time outdoors! I love nature and flowers which are often used in my work.

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

Dorothy Annan, Roger Capron, Lucie Rie, Ken Price, Stephen Bird, Anni Albers...there are so many!!  There are also loads of amazing people I follow on Instagram that keep me inspired.

8. What’s the most rewarding thing about being an illustrator/ceramicist?

Definitely when I meet people who own my work and selling directly to people.  It always amazes me that people want to buy my pieces!

9. What five things could you not live without?

Family, friends, my garden, nice food, my kiln.

10. What makes you laugh?

My friends! I have some very funny friends and we always laugh a lot. 

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Thanks to Laura for taking the time to be part of the etsy interviews and sharing an insight into her world!

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Giant Pansy...

Alina Tang is an artist from Perth, Western Australia, and currently based in Amsterdam.

She works across printmaking, illustration and floriography for exhibitions, collaborative projects and commissions.

Her work, under the name Giant Pansy, is inspired by an ongoing curiosity and engagement with floral cultures, creating work that is bright, colourful, and full of joy.

She loves creating patterns, details and delicate compositions.

Alina is inspired by beautiful colour combinations, especially including pink!

She loves finding new music, well designed spaces, flower shops, travelling to new cities, meeting other artists and having great conversations, listening to other peoples love stories and seeing her friends pursue and fulfil their dreams.

Alina is currently completing an artists residence programme at Plantage Dok, a creative venue, community and meeting place located in the heart of Amsterdam;

'Every Flower in the Forest' new exhibition and collection.

Alina is exciting to be presenting a new body of work in a small exhibition, created during a four month residency programme in Lapua, Finland.

The work brings together elements of Finnish design philosophy, celebrating organic, simplified forms of flowers, mushrooms, branches, leaves and berries found during walks in the forest.

Real and imagined species are loosely gathered and arranged in simple formations.

Each of the works start as a small idea, turned into a pencil sketch, and brought to life using a bright palette of gouache.

The originals have been translated into a collection of paper goods, including limited edition art prints, postcards and greeting cards. The stationery collection has been produced locally in Amsterdam, ensuring that the quality of the paper and printing are just as bright and beautiful.

She is collaborating with artist run space De Week Winkel, a beautifully curated boutique, gallery and studio located in the historical street Czaar Peterstraat, Amsterdam.

The store is also home to Lian' Aelman's graphic design atelier 'Dare to Wander' where she always greets visitors with a smile and friendly conversation.

The sunny store is full of unique artworks, prints, illustrations, ceramics and other designed goods that are influenced by people, stories and places that Lian has gathered and finds special.

Alina and everyone involved in the event would love to extend a warm invitation to attend the exhibition opening and collection launch on Thursday 18th April 5pm - 7pm at De Week Winkel, Czaar Peterstraat 104, 1018 PS Amsterdam.

The exhibition will run till 4th May 2019.

If you cant make it to the event, why not head over to the Giant Pansy etsy shop and have little look at the gorgeous prints available, and keep up with the goings on with Giant Pansy over on Alina's instagram account.

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***Head over to my instagram where you'll find a super exciting giveaway...

The chance to win a bundle of goodies from Giant Pansy!***

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(photographs above © Mira Begova, illustrations above © Alina Tang/ Giant Pansy)

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Colour Crush...

I'm loving this bright, uplifting palette. You can never go wrong with a turquoise and pink combo in my opinion. Perfect for the spring days that are well and truly on their way!

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Lovely childrens books out soon!

The next few months sees some wonderful new releases in the childrens picture book world, including some favourites; Claudia Boldt with her gorgeous 'Animalicious' illustrations in a seriously silly ABC book full to bursting with imaginary animals. Richard Jones with what I'm sure will be yet another book filled with the most beautiful imagery in Paper Planes, following in the footsteps of Town Mouse Country Mouse, The Snow Lion and Feelings. 

And I cant wait to see Grace Eastons next book after falling totally in love with her first, Cannonball Coralie and the Lion.

Its a good few months for kids books! 

Animalicious written by Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan, and illustrated by Claudia Boldt - published 1st July (Penguin Workshop)

The Hideout written by Susanna Mattiangeli and illustrated by Felicita Sala - published 3rd June (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

Lottie & Walker written and illustrated by Anna Walker - published 1st July (Clarion Books)

My Tree and Me written by Jo With and illustrated by Christine Roussey - published 2nd April (Abrams Appleseed)

Paper Planes written by Jim Helmore and illustrated by Richard Jones - published 16th May (Simon & Schuster)

Duckworth the Difficult Child written by Michael Susan and illustrated by Julia Sarda - published 11th July (Atheneum Books for Younger Readers)

The Invisible Garden written by Valerie Picard and illustrated by Marianne Ferrer - published 9th April (Orca Book Publishers)

Good Dog Mc Tavish written by Meg Rosoff and illustrated by Grace Easton - published 6th April (Barrington Stoke)

 Alberts Quiet Quest written and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault - published 4th June (Random House Books)

Sadie and the Silver Shoes written by Jane Godwin and illustrated by Anna Walker - published 23rd April (Candlewick Press)

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Creative Quarters...Madison Herman

The next designer to be featured in Creative Quarters is Madison Herman aka Merrylittle Studio.

Merrylittle Studio is a design label by Madison Herman that focuses on surface design, illustration, and hand lettering for products.

The name, a play on her maiden name (Madison Lytle), represents all the things her brand aspires to be: sweet, small, approachable, and full of joy.

Based in Kansas City, Madison is a card designer by day at Hallmark, and by night she illustrates her own prints and patterns.

Her main creative tools are gouache, her iPad, and Photoshop. 

Madison loves utilising patterns and illustrations through products because it is a way to delight and connect with people through functional goods that become a part of someone’s life.

Her biggest hope is that her colourful, joyful images brighten someone’s day and help them appreciate the beauty in nature and travel.

Some of the key themes in her work include the carefree joy of childhood, exploration, discovery, and wanderlust.

This year, Madison is focusing on growing the Merrylittle Studio brand by participating in local craft shows and re-launching her Etsy shop with brand new work.

She plans to release a range of tote bags, silky scarves, hair ribbons, as well as archival art prints.

In the future, Madison dreams of developing more products for the baby and children’s market, women’s accessories and apparel, as well as textiles.

While her Etsy shop is being developed, you can find her work through Spoonflower and Society6!

Some of Madison's favourite things include flowers, sunshine, ice cream, her husband, her cat, dancing poorly to 90s hip hop, floating in lakes, hiking, and befriending all the animals. 

Below you will find links to her work:

Website: https://www.merrylittlestudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merrylittlestudio/ 

Spoonflower: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/merrylittlestudio

Society6: https://society6.com/madisonlytle

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I hope you've enjoyed reading a little about Madison,

and seeing a selection of her work.

If you're interested in working with Madison, or want to get in touch, 

please visit the links above.

If you missed the last Creative Quarters post featuring Camilla Carvalho, 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!

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Colour crush...

In the last of this weeks colour crush posts, we see beautiful blues and gorgeous greens with claret and brick tones, and that little pop of coral...

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Colour crush...

A gorgeous spring palette in todays colour crush...

(image credits clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Colour crush...

A brand new shiny week and we're gonna fill it with colour crush posts, yay!
First up is this lovely little number, which surprisingly for me, sees red as the main event once again.
It works so well here with the rich oranges, corals, gorgeous peachy pinks and ochres.

(image credits clockwise from top left)

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Something for the weekend...

My oh my, these look gooooood!

Head over to KJ and Company for the full details on these glorious caramel fudge brownies.

Surely a must for this weekends baking treat?

(image above ©KJ and Company)

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Etsy shop finds...a chat with Jenny Meilihove...

This months etsy interview is with illustrator Jenny Meilihove.

Jenny sells her beautiful art in her etsy shop 'Be Happy Now'.

You can purchase prints, original paintings, postcards and mobiles.

Her art is bold, colourful and full of gorgeous characters going about their business in their little worlds.

A few of my personal favourites below, but be sure to check out her website and shop for more!

Lets get to know a little about Jenny shall we...

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

Hi, my name is Jenny. I am an illustrator from Israel.
I have been drawing from a very young age - about 5 years old.
I studied in the illustration department of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem (2004-2008).

After the academy I worked in a design studio as a designer but I wasn't so good at it, so after that I wanted to concentrate only on illustration.
I already had my Etsy shop and I started to make much more art for this shop.
Later I created a corporation with my good friend Tali Yalonetzki

(https://www.facebook.com/TushTush-by-Tosya-423815397650169/), who is a great artist.

We sell our products together in Israeli shops. It’s very nice to combine pleasure and work.

We travel together to different shops, taking coffee breaks on the way.

It’s much easier to do this together. Most of our work is separate, we each create our own art, but we meet to create new products, or to get to know new shops and deliver our products to them.
These days I am also illustrating children’s books, games and magazines, and still making my own art for my Etsy shop.

2. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?

I have many children's books by illustrators I love. Some of them are for my son, but others are just for me. I’ve also had the book "Hygge" on my coffee table for a long time; I am enjoying reading it slowly.

3. Tell us about a typical day for you…

Well, every day is different. I just get really bored if my days look the same.
I always start with coffee :), then emails, instagram, facebook, news updates.
After that, if it’s a day in my studio, I decide what I will be working on: it can be a children’s book or something for my Etsy shop.
Other days I may have a walk to the printing house (making new prints or postcards etc..) or sometimes I’ll be meeting with Tali and going together to our shops with new products.
Some days I just go to a café with my sketchbook to think of new ideas.

4. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

Sometimes I make some sketches of the idea I have for the illustration - checking the composition and the character, or the idea for the illustration.
After that I paint it with acrylics on paper, then I scan it into my computer and, if needed, I make very small corrections. After that I share my new work with the internet world (facebook, instagram, etsy), and then I make prints or postcards of it.

5. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop?

And your personal favourite?

The most popular item is the yokoo portrait series:

My own favourite is this one with little children: 

6. How would you describe your work?

I make simple, colourful and naive illustrations.

7. What’s the most rewarding thing about being a designer/illustrator?

To hold the book I made in my hands and read it to my son :)

8. What are you currently passionate about or fascinated by and how is it inspiring your work?

Mobiles!
I just discovered the world of mobiles, and it is so magical, full of fantasy... and it flies :)
I found that "iclay" is a perfect fit for this, so I am making many dolls like this: some of them are dancers, or sometimes it’s a strong man from the circus. All of them look so charming in the air.

9. What makes you laugh?

My son! He is almost 3 years old. He has many funny ideas, and it is nice to see him trying to copy his father.

10. Where do you work? Describe your studio/work area...

My studio is in my home, and I like that I can do my work at any time of day. It’s very comfortable for me. I like that I have a window with a nice view in my studio.

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