California-based illustrator Mel Tow explores a darker side of life through characters created in a limited palette of colors. Each one seems to be fighting his or her own battle, leaving us to wonder just what lies behind their troubled expressions.
I’m forever on the lookout for products that are not only well made and look great, but that give something back. ESPEROS does just that. When you purchase one of their amazingly well-designed bags they give 10% to to fund education initiatives – in fact, every single ESPEROS bag sold helps fund one year of education for a child in the developing world.
But they go even further with total transparency concerning their factory and workers in Shenzhen, China, where the bags are manufactured after being designed in Austin, TX. Average age? 33. Average work week? 45 hours. ESPEROS provides these workers with three meals a day as well as free housing and full benefits.
Oh, and the bags are waterproof, stain resistant, machine washable, and made with durable, fine-aging canvas. Now that’s a purchase you can feel solid about making.
Layla Holzer‘s illustrations make me suck in my breath a bit. The Cardiff-based illustrator specializes in themes of fairy tale, gender conflict, the uncanny, the monstrous-feminine, and morality.
Ultimately, I seek to inspire and encourage people to question the mistakes of our world and adopt wiser moral judgment, through use of cautionary tales and uncanny punishment.
Australian artist Monica Rohan is the star of her own portrait series, perpetually rifling through and searching for the unknown. With her painted face forever hidden, Rohan depends on the figures’ body language to express emotion.
Alessio Sabbadini‘s flat graphic style is just my cup of tea. The Milan-based communication designer is fantastic, each project perfectly muted and better than the last. (And of course, totally informative.)
I’m taking the day off to celebrate Orthodox Christmas with my Mom’s side of the family, like every January 7th. We’ll be back tomorrow with some regularly scheduled programing. Merry Christmas to those of celebrating along with me!
Posted In christmas, create, holidays, illustration, living
Lauren Herzak-Bauman‘s porcelain ceramics blur the lines between function, design, and sculpture. Herzak-Bauman also uses earthenware and stoneware clays frequently when creating her abstract geometric pieces, each inspired by forms found in both urban and rural environments.
Alexandra Valenti accomplishes some amazing things with color in her work, both in manipulated photography and my favorite: watercolors. While some look intentional, other takes on a nearly microbial appearance.
The Stitch is part of Speak Your Silence, a nonprofit on a mission to conquer the stigma of child sexual abuse. Founder Matt Pipkin was abused by a family friend as a kid and is now doing his best to transform lives and protect future generations. The Stitch is a zigzag symbolizing your unique voice frequency. By wearing it, you become a voice that can help move the issue of child sexual abuse from a taboo to a cause people love and support. When you wear it each conversation you spark carries the power to transform the life of someone you love and break the stigma of child sexual abuse. You can purchase a sewing kit to add The Stitch to your clothing or purchase a t-shirt with it already embroidered and support Speak Your Silence‘s mission in the process.
Antique Bird Illustration by The Black Vinyl // Banana Bread Recipe by Drunk Girl Designs // Create Something Today by Words Brand // Hanging Pink Moon by Fybur // I Don’t Believe in Magic by Jolie Marche
Make It With Your Hands by Half Hazard Press // Moonrise by Beth Hoeckel Collage & Design // Neighborhood Patterns City Maps by 42 Pressed // Torched by Kaydi Bishop // Virginia Woolf Dreams by Laurel Canyon Dreaming
Posted In create, graphics, illustration, mixed media, painting, paper goods, prints