beautiful tacky

On a sticky afternoon while wandering around the Cais de Sodré area, the idea of cool, cucumbery gin and tonics seemed like just the thing. We headed to the Pensão Amor, a brothel turned kitschy bar, decorated in all the things one would expect from such a place: leopard prints, velvet, lots of red, sequined burlesque bra tops, and naughty figurines. It's pretty awesome (and much quieter in the afternoon than at night), but what really impresses me are the fantastic illustrations on the walls of the stairwell:



I'm crazy about the brushy linework, colour combinations and typography— it's something I'd like to somehow incorporate into my own work someday. Just look at that cotton candy pink, magenta, turquoise and green:



After we had enjoyed our drinks and were ready to face the fading sun, we stumbled upon this brilliant poster on a wall nearby:



Had this poster not been behind glass, it would have made its way back to Rabat in my handbag and onto the wall opposite my front door. Look at the teeth! The stubble! The layering of leaves!

the benevolent postcard society

I am lucky and thrilled to have been squeezed into the 257 member Benevolent Postcard Society, a marvellous art project founded by Canadian illustrator Lori Langille, whose blog automatism, is a constant read of mine. The goal of The Society is "to bring a smile to its members through the random exchange of postcards from September 2009 to September 2010." Every month, each member mails off a handmade or store-bought postcard to another randomly selected member, with words and images of kindness and inspiration. Once the year is up, all the postcards will be collected and published as a book.

I chose to draw the above postcard for my person, whom I have never met or communicated with, which is quite a funny thing. I used Micron Pigma pens, gouache and Turkish tea on thick watercolour paper. I hope it is enjoyed. I can't wait to get mine in the mail— I haven't a clue who is sending it and where they are— pretty exciting!

Please click on the image to see it larger.

hairy

Two ways to rid yourself of ink— I went through about five Micron Pigma pens on these ladies. Hopefully I can score some more soon, because I feel a series coming on.

Please click on the images to see them larger.

illustrations

That's a very tired and frustrated Sleeping Beauty and Dracula. I did these for the very cool advertising agency that is Medina Turgul DDB. When the ads are finished, I'll post them along with the third illustration so you can see how they were used.

Tonight I am taking off for a few days to Kapadokya, also known unphonetically in the West as Cappadocia, which is in central Anatolia. I haven't been since I was eight or so, and I'm terribly excited. I'm not sure what to pack, as I'll be doing a lot of walking and I don't know what the weather will be like.

Kapadokya is a land unlike any I have seen, I remember it feeling like I was on another planet with all its caves and bizarre rock formations. Of course, this was over 20 years ago, and it has become a major tourist attraction, so I doubt it feels as desolate as I remember it. I'm taking three sketchbooks, my camera and loads of pens. I doubt the little bed and breakfast I'll be staying in has internet accesibility, so I'll be posting all the sketches and pictures when I come back later next week. In the meantime, if you are curious, you can read about Kapadokya on Wiki.