Here are some prints that I did over the weekend. I wish I could have done more, I'm still learning how to make fail-proof Gocco prints. This weekend I learned that I should let a print-out sit for a few hours before exposing a screen, and have extra batteries available at home in case they die, the life-span of the C batteries are so unpredictable and you want to make sure they have enough power to properly expose the screen.
I was in heaven! Yesterday I made a trip to Lever House to see Tom Sachs' giant Hello Kitty and Miffy fountains in bronze (but treated to look white), there's also a My Melody (the first bunny) who was my childhood fave. They are super cute, the biggest Kitty is about 3 stories tall! Inside the lobby, I also found a couple of chicklets, and some really cool mini urban objects in bronze. I read that Tom Sach didn't get permission from Sanrio- Kitty and Melody's licensor, but I can't imagine that they are not flattered by this homage to our pop icons! Click on pictures for enlargement.
Every week I get really excited when I get my Five Whats answers back from artists/designers that I've been a fan of, and this week I give you APAK! from Portland, Oregon. When they are not busy working as illustrators, Ayumi and Aaron like to create cute paintings together. APAK! also sell their prints on Etsy, some of them are Gocco prints (yay!) Here are the Five Whats:
What are your inspirations?
What is your all-time favorite piece of artwork by Apak?
What fun projects are you working on?
(bonus what) What are your hobbies?
This week I am proud to present Five Whats with the Founder and President of Kidrobot, Paul Budnitz. Paul is the man with the vision and courage to popularize the urban toy industry, within 6 years Kidrobot became one of the most successful urban toy/apparel stores in the country. I wanted to know what it's like to be Paul and as you read the answers you'll find him a very grounded and energetic person with a balanced life between work and play (you should also visit his blog). Here are the Five Whats: 
What is your favorite product that Kidrobot has ever made? 
I'm so excited that this week I have Portland's favorite bird, Amy Ruppel for my Five Whats segment. Her next wildly popular online sale is on Monday 2.25 at 10am (Pacific Time, 1pm Eastern Time), so make sure to check out her very affordable and super cute paintings!
images: Rare Device & Tiny Showcase
But people call it G.O.D. in Hong Kong, in Cantonese these three letters phonetically sound like "To Live Better". It is a place that I must go every time I'm in HK. For tourists it's a good place to get hip Chinese-themed gifts. For someone like me, who is only familiar with the 70's-80's Hong Kong, this is a good store to get all kinds of products that borrow elements from that era but made with a humorous twist. It's a kitschy store, and I'm not a fan of their clothing and furniture, but they really make some good housewares and textiles. 
Here are some of my faves, I especially LOVE the plastic camera case that is made to look like a piece of jade carving, and the "HK British passport" journal reminds me of the one I had that really confused my identity when I was little.
I was reading IDN Saturday at a newsstand and saw these amazing illustrations for Keane's album covers and I immediately came home and did a search on the artist. Her name is Sanna Annukka, she's half Finnish and half English who lives in Brighton, England. 
She was commissioned to do illustrations for Keane's album right after she graduated from college a couple years ago! I love that she does her artworks digitally but always silk screen her prints because she likes the vibrant quality of the inks, I agree with that. 
Her style reminds me of folksy Scandinavian art but she's definitely original by adding contemporary elements to the nostalgic style. You can read about her here, and you can purchase her prints at her online shop! I really want that silk screen print in metallic gold! I am now officially a big fan of Sanna's and I cannot wait to see more great things from her!!!
images: Keanemusic.com and sanna-annukka.com
Tadahiro Uesugi is definitely one of my all time favorite illustrators. He is a master of perspective drawing and he combines ink drawing with Photoshop to create beautiful light effects (and sometimes reflections). His website showcases over a hundred of his works over the past 10 years. I started out as a fashion/modern lifestyle illustrator, and I wish I had half the talent of Mr. Uesugi! Fortunately he updates his website frequently so us fans are always updated on his recent projects.
Just wanted to post a few pictures from the Boadrum concert and a view of Jersey from my Staten Island Ferry ride, the clouds were so spectacular!!!
I've blogged about my good friend Siu Yin Chau before, and I can't tell you how much I love wearing her knits this winter. I am psyched that she has just posted her new Fall/Winter 2008-09 collection online. I love the scarf with shawl collar and pockets for its multi-functional design, the primary color would really brighten a dark winter wardrobe! The hat/scarf in raspberry below is also very practical and pretty (the picture doesn't do it justice!) 
But the best pieces in the collection has to be the mixed color wool pieces (last picture shown below), I've seen the yarn in person and it is really soft and beautiful, I must have the pink hat with ties and the purple/gray scarf!!! Too bad I'll have to wait about 10 months before I get to wear them (Note: this was written in February of 08, this collections is available NOW) ! You can check out her current line at Opening Ceremony, who is also her showroom agent.
images: siuyinchau.com
I am proud that I am from Hong Kong and there are a lot of things about it to be proud of, like stamp graphics! I know you must be laughing right now, it is nerdy but I have a father who's been collecting stamps ever since he was young. 
I think the graphics of the stamps are often cutting edge instead of traditional and cutesy, like US stamps tend to be. I found these stamps from my favorite Flickr group Hong Kong Nostalgia, I recognized them and brought me smiles because I used to take out dad's stamp albums just to admire these designs.
I am so excited to post this because I hate to write about people that you have already seen in other blogs. Today I introduce you Deborah van der Schaaf from Rotterdam, Holland. I met her through Etsy, she was going to buy my print but ended up trading our portfolios and infos. 
She graduated from Willem de Kooning Academy 5 years ago and has been doing some really beautiful editorial works. I like how she is highly skilled in different media and her illustrations are cleverly conceptual, and cute. 
The flies illustration comes from a Dutch expression "to make an elephant out of a fly", meaning to make a big deal of something unimportant, it was used for an article on gossip news. Click on the picture for a larger image, connect the red dots (with your eyes) and you will see the silhouette of an elephant!
If you haven't heard already The Boredoms is having an 88 minute performance with 88 drummers (featuring the Gang Gang Dance) on 8.8.08 at 8pm! This free concert will be held at Williamsburg Waterfront at East River State Park. Get your free tickets at Other Music and Sound Fix Records. I went to the one last year in Dumbo (7.7.07 with 77 drummers) and it was such a powerful performance with the beautiful Manhattan skyline as the backdrop. This year may be a little different since it is sponsored by Nike, perhaps it will have even more turn outs and a big fancy stage?
