My notecards at Type books

I took an inspirational trip to TYPE books on Queen West today and was happy to find my teNeues boxed notecards there. What a gorgeous home for them.
Felt inspired to post this photo - as I just love the colours plus the boy in the background immersed in his book is so cute. :-)

ps. If you live outside of Toronto you can also buy my cards online here. 

16 cards for only 10.95. USD. Dealio.

Photos from Spain Part 2: Barcelona

Our Hotel: The Hotel Praktik Rambla

Housed in a stunning 19 Century apartment building with modern furnishings.

Perfect combo of old and new.

Can't say enough about it. LOVED IT.

 The floors at Hotel Praktik. Love. #Tiles

The bathroom. Loved the green tiles.

 A fantastic bookstore in El Ravel.

Fantastic lunch at La Central with Luci Guiterrez' book.

 The ceiling at La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi.

 Visit with Luci Guiterrez. :-)

 Ricardo in his fantastic bookstore Abracadabra.

Gaudi's Park Guell.

Unfortunately over run with tourists and selfie sticks!

Book Love

Found this drawing of M reading on a book blog today.
Love the Raymond Carver which the author matched with it.
I often have an urge to stay in bed all day and read. :-) Especially on rainy days.

Thomas O'Brien + AERO

The book (which matches very well with my Kuba cloth I think!)

I'm reading this book right now and loving it.
Aero is both a studio and a shop founded by Thomas O'Brien and Bill Sofield (who went on to design the Soho Grand) It's been located in SOHO in various locations since 1992.

I just adore Thomas O Brien's interior design sense.
I love his warm palette, mix of vintage + modern - his use of elegant things in a very relaxed, non formal way and his layering.

His bedroom! So layered and lived in.

The aesthetic of Aero is a titch refined for my taste so for me the best photos in the book are intimate pics of the various apts Thomas has lived in over the years - such as his bedroom above.

Very juicy. Highly recommended. 

New Sketches

Two new sketches.

As I've mentioned a few times before... a person reading is one of my favourite things to draw.
I like the quietness of the subject matter - and the sense of one completely immersed in a book.

 My favourite part of both the sketches is the foot! I drew it too big but like the line of it.

Random Book notes!:

1. The subject in the drawing had just finished Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and highly recommends it.

2. I recently finished John Irving's A Widow for One Year and man did I love it. What a narrative! Is now on my fave novel top ten list. Highly recommended. (Am aware it came out 10 years ago. :-))

Autumn is such a cozy time to tuck into a book at night and be taken away....

Essentials packed

 

Sketchbook
J Crew Pineapple tank
John Irving A Widow for One Year
Shelia Bridges The Bald Mermaid
Stack of Elle Decor
Cape Cod Here I come!

Featured on Print and Pattern

Today I was featured on Print and Pattern - a very popular surface design blog created by UK based designer Marie Perkins. Marie has published 2 books on surface design: Print and Pattern 1 + 2 - both of which I highly recommend - and is soon to release a third: Print + Pattern The Kid edition!

You can read the full post here. 

Great reference Book: Print + Pattern 2

 

 I'm working on a new surface design project this week + for inspiration have been consulting Print + Pattern 2 by Bowie Style (aka Marie Perkins - who writes the very popular blog of the same name).

The book is great for getting ideas for new colour combinations to use in one's work.
I absolutely love the colour combos which Jessica Jones has used in her Calliope pattern above. Both colourways are sooo juicy.

The book includes some of my favourite illustrators and/or designers including Lab Partners, Donna Wilson,  Dwell Studio + the fabulous Rob Ryan above.
A great reference book and methinks essential for any surface designer's library.

Hillman Curtis 1961 - 2012

Shocked and deeply saddened to learn that Designer, Author, Filmmaker Hillman Curtis passed away on Wednesday. I wrote about him several times on this blog and was lucky enough to hear him speak in Toronto in 2007. He was one of my favourite creative thinkers. Incredibly generous with his ideas and so modest. He will be deeply missed.

Nora Young's new book

My friend Nora's book The Virtual Self came out last week.
Details of the book launch next week are above.
See you there.

If ya wanna know what's on my mind... check my Pinterest boards

I'm working on a bunch of illustration assignments this week so won't have much time to blog.
In the meantime if you wanna know what juicy things I'm thinking about you can always check out my Pinterest boards!
Here are a few faves this week.

Pinned onto "Books to Order":

The new tome on Alexander Girard by Todd Oldman.
Girard is best known for the bold colourful textiles that he created for Herman Miller - and he has long been a Total Mentor. Todd Oldman is a Mentor too. :-)


Pinned onto "Inspiration":


These adorable Stag + Hedgehog lampshades by UK based Lush Designs.
(Discovered thru Living Etc magazine)
Lush design = Marie Rodgers + Maria Livings. They seem like my kind o'women! Hilarious.

Pinned onto "Funny Writing":

Yep two.
I find this to be quite true...

See you in Pinland!

A Few Favourites of 2011

1. Favourite tool: My new iPhone.


LOVE.

2. Favourite Shop/ Rebrand: The Bay!

With CEO Bonnie Brooks at the helm (plus her staff - including the fabulous Arren Williams - yes editorial bias here!) the store has become the epitome of "Cozy Canadiana cool".
I just love all the new products inspired by the iconic striped blanket.

A new book on the Hudson's Bay Co book published by the very styley publisher Assouline.

A cute tee created in collaboration with Shared.

*The Bay's new Bannock restaurant + Foodwares market are also fantastic.*

This is the dining area in the new Foodwares market.
Love that Wall mural.
Again very Cozy Canadiana Cool.

3. Favourite new Style icon :
Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in the Girl with the Dragon tattoo.

Very kick ass.
I predict she will inspire the return of short hair.

4. Favourite novel: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.


5. Favourite design book: Fornasetti by Patrick Mauries


6. Favourite New Social media gizmo: Pinterest!
LOVE.


A fabulous way to categorize all the great stuff that comes flooding at us on a daily basis.
Their Alexa Rating is now at 209. (!!)
hmm might need to buy some stock when it goes public.... :-)
If you haven't discovered it yet check it out here.

I had lots more faves... will post in the weeks to come.
Happy New Year Everybody.

File under Books to read over Xmas

A collection from the Hand drawn Map association. - great website!

In a Gertrude Stein state o' mind

Last weekend I went to see Midnight in Paris with my dear friend Eric. I thought some of the dialogue + acting was appalling bad! (This was written by the same man who wrote Annie Hall?!)


However I loved the middle section where the Owen Wilson character is transported back to early 20th century Paris and hangs out with all the famous expats of the time.
Above Zelda + F.S Fitzgerald.


The Art director did a great job of recreating the look + feel Gertrude Stein's salon.

I'm very familiar with this group of artists + writers because several years ago I illustrated a book about Gertrude Stein + her famous circle called "Charmed Circle". (Below) The art director was Raquel Jaramillo and it was published by Henry Holt.


From left to right:
Matisse, Picasso, Getrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Zelda + F. Scott Fitzgerald, + Hemingway

Below are a few drawings from the sketch phase of the assignment.




If you're interested in this period I highly recommend the book.

Grace Bonney in Toronto December 7th

Connected to yesterday's post: Grace Bonney will be in Toronto December 7th for the launch of her book Design Sponge at Home.

My Head is full of Wallpaper

My livingroom yesterday.

Yesterday I began sketches on the wall mural I'm working on. In the research stage I hit my usual textile/pattern suspects: Lucienne Day, Josef Frank, Alexander Girard, + Piero Fornasetti* All amazing.
There are also so many new wallpaper designers cropping up. Lots of inspiration.

Here are a few images.

Raoul Dufy for Bianchini-Ferier
Did you know he did a lots of textile design in addition to painting?


Piero Fornasetti's Mediterranea for Cole & Son. So dense. Fantastic.
Would look wild in a bathroom!


Harlequin Boutique UK. Whimsical


Small whales by Geoff McFetridge - So fun + graphic!

I saved my images to my pattern + wallpaper boards on Pinterest so if you wanna see all of my faves just go there. I am finding Pinterest to be a very QUICK way to do research + store reference images. Am grateful to my lovely neighbour Valerie for introducing me to it.

ps. Read this book on Fornasetti last month - but too busy to write about it.
He definitely deserves his own post! Such an interesting character.