Zach Montoya‘s illustrations have a definitive theme, one of heroines who seem to be constantly looking over their shoulder in anticipation of something malicious. The events often take place outdoors, with the subjects hiding in caves, crouching in the woods, or boating on a foggy lake. Perfect fodder for mystery!
The School of Hard Blocks is a tongue-in-cheek set of twelve concrete alphabet blocks depicting the hardships of life. In a spoof of the wooden alphabet blocks from your childhood, these feature the kinds of terrible, real things we all go through as adults – like divorce, dentists, hangovers, genocidal dictators, etc. Check out their Kickstarter campaign and let’s make this the real deal!
Oh my goodness – can you even begin to imagine coming upon Nagato Iwasaki‘s Torso sculptures in the middle of the forest?! Talk about an unexpected surprise. Each faceless figure is created from twisted, bleached driftwood that’s scavenged, then assembled to mimic the human form complete with musculature and organs. Iwasaki uses nothing but wooden stakes to hold his creations together.
I’m 100% certain that if Jenna Andersen‘s illustrations had been in any of my books growing up that they would have been my favorites. I love the way her work invites you into each story without a word, and how the faceless figures jump out from the brambly backgrounds.
If There’s Love in a House by The Bee & The Fox
Make Your Own Luck by Vincent Cousteau
Lyrical Embrace by Lynne Douglas
No Fun In Perfection by Jasmine Dowling
Solar System by Valhalla Studios
Mouth No.33 by Lisa Krannichfeld
Whether his subjects are turned away or buried under their own manes, Daniel Coves‘ paintings straddle the line between beautiful and mysterious exceptionally well. The Spanish artist draws much of his inspiration from cinema and I’d say that comes through most with the lighting he often depicts.
A Book That Takes Its Time is one I’ve been waiting to get my hands on since the start of the year when I first learned of its upcoming existence. Finally today, thanks to the team at Workman Publishing, I’m able to share it with you on its release date!
Flow is a magazine celebrating creativity, imperfection, and life’s little pleasures and this is its first companion book. It also embraces the physical qualities of paper – its weight, texture, the way it takes color – and the formats and ways in which it can be delivered. Articles in the magazine mingle with bound-in or fold-out posters, stickers, pre-printed thank you cards from noted illustrators, and other “goodies.” In short, Flow has created a magazine best enjoyed in print form and A Book That Takes Its Time follows closely in its successful footsteps.
A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness (the full title) was penned by the co-founders and creative directors of Flow, Irene Smit and Astrid Van der Hulst. At it’s heart this tome is about doing, about experience, and about intention. It’s a book both about mindfulness and a book that literally inspires mindfulness while reminding readers to slow down, breathe deeply, and be present.
I don’t know about you, but I’m forever struggling to be more in tune with the now – maybe this year more than ever before. This book turned out to be a much needed balm, right from Chapter 1, that I can turn to when the days are especially trying or I just need a moment to regroup and regain focus. Make your way through its pages in order or skip around depending on what you need and when you need it.
Learn to appreciate and savor moments both large and small by punching out pages of decorative memory cards to fill out and save in a mason jar so you can revisit them when you need an emotional lift. Read about the benefits of clearing your mind and letting your hands lead the way, then use the provided images and words to create a personal collage. Snip, arrange, and paste them onto the fold-out blank canvas and see where your subconscious takes you.
Read about the advantages of slowing down, then put those lessons into practice with the removable Joy of One Thing at a Time Notebook. Tear out a postcard and snail mail it to a friend. Make a list to clear your mind and refocus.
There are lessons on how to shift your focus away from what you don’t have and focus on what you do have. On stepping back from your phone to take just one photo with a camera – and then let the gaps in an album tell the story. Even tips for breaking old habits that will get your wheels turning.
Not every page is an activity or lesson, some are simply filled with inspiring words that you may not have known you needed to read. Do you get it? It’s the kind of book that makes you take your time, one that you can’t just hurry through so like so many other things in life. It’s a book that makes you stop to savor, play with, and appreciate all the lovely and interesting detours that hands-on activities provide.
Readers will have the chance to learn hand-lettering, the basics of collaging, even how to meditate while running. There’s something for everyone, which is what I love most about this book that mixes reading, learning, and doing. It’s part creative therapy, part teacher, part self-help, part workshop.
This post sponsored by Workman Publishing. All words and opinions are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush creating fresh content!
Posted In behind the scenes, create, living, make it, paper, read up, sponsored post
Japanese artist Kosuke Ajiro paints and sculpts diorama scenes that immediately sucked me into the details. I love how loose his painting style is and all of the quirky imagery that comes off the end of each brush.
As we did last October, this month Design Crush will highlight art that swerves a little left of ordinary and leans more towards eerie. We’re starting off both the week and the month with the oil paintings of Andy Denzler, whose works might make you think of paused video or part of a horror flick. His style blends photorealism with the abstract through alternating bands of imagery.
