andrea joseph drawings

beautiful pen, pencil and ink work from uk artist andrea joseph.

see what’s on her mind right now at her blog.

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anna higgie illustration: let’s chat!

i am straight up crazy about these illustrations from anna higgie. when i browse through her portfolio i feel like there’s something for everyone here: contemporary and vintage influences, notable technical skills and just the right combination of sensuality and emotion that make me want to scan the whole piece of paper with terminator-like precision, just to make sure i don’t miss any detail. there is grace, youth and style, bold graphic abstraction and honest curves on edges of eyes, shoulders and faces that celebrate the human form. let’s have a chat with anna and find out more!

q: where do you live, and where do you create your art?
a: i was born in australia, but currently i live in bristol, in the south west of england. at the moment I make my work at home. i draw on a small scale (A4 and A3), so using my house as a studio is not a problem. i am thinking of renting a bigger space soon though, so i can make bigger things and make more mess.

q: what is your background, and did you study art formally?
a: i grew up travelling around with my family. my father was a diplomat so we we would go back and forth between australia and europe. most of my memories from childhood are from living in vienna, where we spent four years. when i finished school i decided to go to study art at the national art school in sydney, australia. i spent three and a half years there studying painting, drawing and art history, and then moved to london with my family and studied design there for about a year.

q: can you tell us a little about the techniques you use?
a: i work from photos a lot. i had some incredible drawing teachers at art school that really tightened up my technique. of course it was all life drawing at school, no photos. four hours a week every week for three years. i learnt that drawing is more a state of mind than a technique though. it is about seeing more than anything else, and about being highly critical and objective.

at the moment i love to use a pacer, which is one of those pencils that you click lead through. i haven’t used a pencil sharpener for years. i also love pantone ink pens, and i have to have nice paper, with a good thickness, and not too white.

q: do you think your work has transformed since you started making art?
a: i still have my sketchbooks from when i first started really getting into drawing when i was about thirteen years old. i hope there has been a lot of development since then, but i know that fundamentally a few things have never really changed. i have always had a preoccupation with feminine beauty, and in a certain type of clean technique and use of materials. i think i have gained confidence and learnt a few tricks since then though.

q: what is the price range of your collection?
a: i sell drawings for 200 - 300 pounds and giclee prints for 60 - 80 pounds. i do commissions at varying rates. it depends how much the project interests me.

q: what is the inspiration behind your collection?
a: my inspiration is the possibility that i might one day make something truly beautiful.

q: do you have a favorite piece you have created or a favorite theme to work with?
a: my favourite theme: poetic beauty vs. hard edge graphics. here are two of my faves…

q: i find many of the images in your portfolio provocative, and even when your subjects are at rest there is still a very powerful feeling that comes through - something dynamic and alive. is there a specific message you are trying to send through these pieces?
a: i am not trying to send a message at all. i choose my subjects because of something intangible that speaks to me in a face or a gesture. i suppose it could be called beauty, but i think it is a melancholic sort of beauty.

q: where can we go to see your collection in person, and is there anything else meaningful you would like to include here?
a: i am trying to find the perfect time and place for a show right now. if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, i would love to hear them.

select pieces of anna’s work are available for purchase at nucleus. see anna’s website to view her complete collection, purchase other original works and contact her.

thank you anna!

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carambatack illustrations

(ed.note: hey, everybody! 500th post!)

i could get swept away in these illustrations from norwegian artist annette mangseth. i love the colors she uses and the serene tone she sets with her dreamy images.

she has a combination of original pieces, little one of a kind art cards and prints available. everything is clean lined and orderly, which makes it much easier to get lost in imagination, don’t you think?

purchase annette’s work at her etsy shop and see her flickr stream too for more lovely things.

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lilly piri illustrations

look at these beautiful colored pencil works by australian artist lilly piri. they are soft and gorgeous, surreal and familiar. some of the people in these victorian feeling floaty portraits can’t even look you in the eye.

lilly has a show coming up at the thinkspace gallery in los angeles from december 7th - december 23rd. you can purchase her original works on her website, and prints at thumbtack press. oh - and she writes a nifty blog too!

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jen stark art and sculpture

beautiful precise cut paper work by miami-based jen stark. these hypnotic pieces are hand cut and assembled from construction paper and card stock. her felt tip pen illustrations are equally captivating.

find more great work on her website.

via fabrica

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