Inspiration: Beautiful handwritten Type

I got an assignment for a poster full of handlettered type today so have begun the process of gathering inspiration.
Found this beautiful hand written note from a site which highlights some of Jane Campion's documentation from the making of her film Bright Star. I love the crease of the envelope, and the big H and the d curling back on Hampstead... but most of all I like the ink blobs on the E.

Coco Avant Chanel

Tonight I'm going to a screening of Coco Avant Chanel courtesy of Elle magazine.
I know I'll be very inspired as Coco Chanel is such a fantastic icon for creative woman. Audrey Tantou is also very inspirational to watch - with her perfect gamine looks. Have attached a sketch of her from years ago when I first saw Amelie. I wanted her hair cut and ALL her clothes.

My new neighbour: Karyn Valino + The Workroom

The Workroom Store front

Owner Karyn Valino with gorgeous fabric in background

Beautiful Denyse Schmidt fabric

Happy crafter Karen

Happy Crafters Michelle and Karen again

My A pillow - almost done.

Starting today I'll be posting about some of my favorite spots in my new neighbourhood Parkdale/West Queen West. First up is a space I consider a major highlight of the hood: The Workroom at 1340 Queen St. West.

The Workroom is a "sew & craft by the hour" space run by former colour consultant Karyn Valino. It's a big, beautiful space equipped with sewing machines, sergers, work tables and a comfy couch! It's also stocked with books, patterns, and an absolutely gorgeous selection of fabrics - including several by my favorite Denyse Schmidt! Quite sigh worthy. The workroom offers classes in clothing, quilting, beginner upholstery, pattern drafting and even canning (!) plus it hosts a Stitch 'n Bitch evening the first Tuesday of each month.
I attended last Tuesday's Stitch n' Bitch and had a great time chatting with Karyn + fellow crafters while working on my A pillow. Dresses and ties were made and much fun was had by all. (Note the bottle of wine in the photo!) Thanks Karyn!

The Workroom
1340 Queen St.West
Highly recommended

Peggy Kurtin 1932- 2009

With sadness I announce that my wonderful landlady Peggy Kurtin passed away this past Monday. Peggy was incredibly active in the community: once described in the Globe and Mail as "the redoubtable force of Cabbagetown".
She served on the board of the Toronto Historical Association, the Cabbagetown Preservation Association and was a member of the Ontario Heritage Board. She received many awards for her heritage and community work including the Lieutenant Governor 's award and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
She was a true inspiration and will be dearly missed.

Stockholm

wow.

Very graphic street cover thingies. Loved them.

Hand lettering at my hotel.
(lots of art on walls in general yay)



Home of Josef Frank textiles.

I seemed very keen so they gave me a catalogue.




Museum of Medieval History.
Stained glass and woodcuts were enlarged and printed on fabric. Very striking.


Textiles by Stig Lindberg.

Stockholm Design highlights:
Hand lettering on the wall around the door entrances in my hotel
*Josef Frank textiles at Svenskt Tenn*
Stig Lindberg pottery + textiles
Olle Eksell illustrations (seen in National museum)
Numbers on doorways
Everything in Gamla Stan
The people! Everyone so beautiful, healthy looking and riding a bike. wow
Note: Am interested in researching more about Estrid Erikson: founder of Svenskt Tenn. I have a feeling she's a guide.

Inspiration: Marc Jacobs

Watched this documentary on Marc Jacobs AGAIN on the wknd. Directed by Loic Prigent and originally shot for french TV.
It's a great window into his creative mind and process which includes really interesting inspiration boards + lots of panic, self doubt and cigarettes.
j'adore marc jacobs.

NYC Day 6 John Derian

Today visited one of my all time favorite shops in NYC: John Derian Dry Goods.
John Derian is a decoupage artist who makes wonderous pieces out of very quirky ephemera. My favorite is his "relationship series" of plates which were made from some poignant correspondence he found in the Algonquin Hotel.
I just love the note : "Sorry to appear insistant but I must have my trinkets. This is the last chance." Hilarious and very quirky.

The store also carries linocuts by the artist Hugo Guiness.
They are displayed to maximum effect in a variety of frames made of different colours and shapes. The effect is fantastic and is inspiration for my next show.

NYC Day 4: DUMBO Flea market (+Paul Rand+ Bob Gill)

Whoo! This ship is upside down!! I thought a good metaphor for the economy right now.

Went to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) today for the weekend Flea Market.
Amongst the "wares" I saw noticed a strong 'circus aesthetic' going on: lots of very ornate letters, and Victorian images with lots of swirlys. Here are 2 examples: the Brooklyn Flea bag and turned over ship tshirt both from Loyalty and Blood.

Also loved the very witty tshirts made by Brooklyn based Miss Wit.

Attached is my fave design:
(The expression is more LA than NYC but still quite great!)



Afterwards went wandering through a wonderful book shop on York St.
where the huge selection of kid's books were clearly chosen with their hipster designer parents in mind. Here are pics of two of my faves: I know alot of things by Paul Rand and
A balloon for Blunderbuss by Bob Gill. I love both these books. The illustrations are exceptional: simple yet very sophisticated.




Love this ship!

NYC Day 3: Lotta Jansdotter Workshop

Took part in a surface printing workshop today in Brooklyn with well known textile designer Lotta Jansdotter. Lotta is originally from Aland a small island near Sweden but now lives in Boreum Hill in Brooklyn. I have long admired her economical designs and wonderful colour combinations. She was a fantastic teacher and very fun.


Lotta talking about her inspiration.



Lotta's "Tang' design.



The pear apron I made using a stencil technique.
One of the biggest lessons I took from the workshop was that simple shapes can look very sophisticated when repeated.

Paula Scher: Make it Bigger

Am currently reading Make it Bigger by Paula Scher. Is fantastic.
I particularly enjoy her diagrams, charts and whimsical genealogy trees. As she explains at a certain point in her career ( around 1985) the act of concocting complicated systems of useless information became an important and personal part of her design vocabulary.
For me she is the Queen of Data Visualization.

ps. glass o wine, apartment in nyc and paula scher.
doesnt get much better than that.

The aesthetic of Kate + Andy (Jack) Spade

Always inspiring. I love the contrast of the aged + yellowed book covers against the perfect white background. Reminds me of M Sasek.

Press: Swiss Miss Blog

Very happy to report that Tina Eisenberg of Swiss Miss posted one of my illustrations today.
Thanks Tina!
Am going to have a glass of wine now.

Inspiration: Paula Scher

Fantastic Ted talk by Paula Scher.
She differentiates between Serious and Solemn work and then goes on to outline the conditions which are present when she produces her best (Serious) work.
She explains that she is usually underqualified for the job and involved in serious play.
When this work becomes perfected (therefore Solemn) - and copied by other designers!- it's time to move on to a new challenge.
I love her chart above which outlines this creative pattern.

One of my top five for inspiration: Hillman Curtis

Recently I re-listened to Debbie Millman's interview with Filmmaker/Designer /Author Hillman Curtis.
It's available from the website of her radio show Design Matters.
I had first listened to it after I heard him speak at the 2007 Design Thinkers conference. His soulfulness emanated from the stage that day -corny but true! - and I was compelled to learn more about him.
His story of going from work that had become uninspired and routine to work that was very meaningful for him was really inspirational. (And incredibly similiar to the path Frank Gehry outlined in the documentary Sketches of Frank Gehrey.. but I digress)
I loved how Hillman encouraged artists to be vulnerable and keep themselves open. My favorite line from the interview was "When I do work that feels really true... I feel closer to God.
Great guy.