You'll Love This Book! BANG by Leo Timmers

Apologies to my regular readers for the infrequent posts; I need to focus my energy on my health and my family at the moment. I expect it some time before I have time to resume a regular schedule, so please bear with me!
Today I am delighted to bring you a very special find from Gecko Press:

BANG by Leo Timmers is an extraordinary book; it is original, clever, funny, and expertly illustrated. Leo Timmers' illustrations have a beautiful painterly quality and are enormously detailed. Quirky characters and vintage-style elements add charm, while humour is carried throughout the story and subtly in the details. 

Perfectly described as 'a big, happy accident', the story follows one hapless driver after another and their hilarious collisions:

As each new character enters the fray, there is a hilarious new twist to the chaotic chain of prangs and mix-ups. Young and old will enjoy spotting the very funny results of each collision, told through pictures alone.

At the climax of the book the pages fold out so that the entire scene and happy conclusion can be appreciated with maximum impact. It is quite simply the most beautiful and delightful book I have seen this year. Well worth the extra investment for hard back, this stunning picture book makes a superb gift for pre-schoolers; you'll find it over at Gecko Press.

BANG by Leo Timmers

Published by Gecko Press

Ages 3+

228 x 258mm 48 pages

IBSN: 978-1-877579-18-9 (Hardback)

IBSN:978-1-877579-17-2 (Paperback)

Published 17 May, 2013

About the Author/Illustrator

Leo Timmers was born in 1970, in Belgium. At the age of 12 he started drawing comics. Trained in Graphic Design, he illustrates for Belgian magazines and papers as well as illustrating picture books.

Two Talented Ladies: Laura Escalante Mora and Trina Esquivelzeta

I've been unwell lately and I feel like I have completely lost my mojo! I need a lift, so I have the work here of two talented ladies that I recently worked through The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design with. With these inspiring images I hope to kick-start some of that wonderful creative energy that I had before I got sick. Thank you Laura Escalante Mora and Trina Esquivelzeta for being a source of inspiration!

Laura Escalante Mora

Trina Esquivelzeta (Surface Hug)

 These ladies are just two of the wonderful, supportive and talented friends I made during the course. The network of girls that I have linked with and shared work and resources with was one of the many highlights of the online course, and probably the most surprising. It is the obvious place for me to start in my search for inspiration this week. Thank you girls!

Be sure to check out more of Laura's beautiful work at her Behance site, and you'll find more of Trina's stunning florals over at the Surface Hug blog.

Super-cute Dress-Up-Dolls by Adolie Day

Thanks to Nataly at Chocovenyl for sharing these super-cute Dress-Up-Doll wall stickers with me. They are by Adolie Day - a French artist who has designed for Kenzo and Catmini, published books, exhibited in Bon Marche Paris, Galeries Lafayettte and more. 

Dress-up Dolls Wall Stickers by Adolie Day

Dress-up Dolls Wall Stickers by Adolie Day

The Dress-up-dolls can work like a puzzle - swap heads and legs, mix them up and match the pieces. There are eight dolls in total: Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Fairy, Ballerina, Princess, Cat Girl, Mouse Girl and of course Super Girl! You'll find them at Chocovenyl, You may also like to visit Adolie Day's blog to see more of her work, or learn more about her via her US agent Lilla Rogers.

Exquisite Stationery by Amy Butler

This morning I am excited by these stunning stationery items designed by Amy Butler. Amy's designs are a constant source of inspiration for me; the colour and detail in her work shows incredible skill and talent. 

Cameo Stationery Set by Amy Butler

Sticky Note and To-Do List Set + Eco Journal, by Amy Butler

Journal made with recycled paper, by Amy Butler

Stationery Set featuring note cards and envelopes, by Amy Butler

Portfolio of sticky notes, sticky flags, and to-do lists; by Amy Butler

These items are available to pre-order at Chronicle Books and Amazon. Indulge yourself!

Get Creative With Barcodes! Artist Steve Simpson Shows Us How

My inspiration today comes from illustrator Steve Simpson whose creativity is apparent in every detail, right down to barcodes.

"Barcodes grace almost every product we sell. Considering how much package real estate they command, why shouldn't they be more fun?" he says. 

Too right! Steve's examples of illustrated bar codes certainly add character and sophistication to the overall product packaging design:

Snappy Flossers

Snappy Flossers

Chilly Moo frozen yogurt

Chilly Moo frozen yogurt

Chilly Moo frozen yogurt

Mic's Chilli BBQ Sauce

Mic's Chilli Sweet Chilli Sauce

Whitebeam album (CD)

Whitebeam album (CD)

  

From WIP VooDoo Pets

If this idea appeals to you, Steve has generously given away some tips on how to achieve the best result when illustrating a barcode. You'll find those tips and more images of Steve's work over at his Behance portfolio.

Originally from Manchester, England but now firmly based in Ireland, Steve Simpson is a freelance illustrative designer working in the areas of packaging design, illustration and art for children’s books. 

Texitura Advanced Print Trends for S/S14: Featuring Veronica Galbraith

Kicking off again (following a short break) with some enormously inspiring images courtesy of surface pattern designer Veronica Galbraith. Twelve of her designs have been featured in Texitura, the print design trend magazine.

Texitura Printing Design Magazine, Issue 49

Texitura is well established with a history of over thirty years of publications in pattern trend prediction. It is created by a group of trend forecasters based in Spain, with two issues a year - in January and July.
Surface pattern designer Veronica Galbraith is one of the artists featured in the most recent edition, and she has kindly allowed me to share these images with you. Veronica's designs are featured under three key print trends - the first: Bloom Bloom (big florals in vibrant colours.)

 The second: UFO-ture (alien nature environments.)

 

And lastly: Re-Play (reuse and recycle.)

Texitura  features the contributions of designers from all around the world. It also includes palettes and Pantone references, and a CD-rom with over 200 vector files. Visit the Texitura website to purchase a copy of this issue, or visit Veronica Galbraith's blog Pitter Pattern to learn more about this talented designer.

Back on Monday April 1

I'm enjoying a break from blogging at the moment; some quiet time to focus on family. I'll be back from Monday 1st April.

P.S Love the fabulous Orla Kiely Spring Summer 2013 collection! 

Come Fly With Me Scarf 

Orla Kiely Spring Summer 2013

I'm Taking A Break. I'll Be Back Soon (ish!)

Hello friends and fellow designers!
If you regularly visit Kitty as a Picture or my other blog Go Benny Go, you will have noticed that I have not been posting much in the last few weeks. There are many reasons why: I have had client work to do, I have been working my way through module three of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, I have young children to care for, and I have also been very unwell. Being ill has made me realise that I need to spend more time with my family and not let this precious time with my little ones and my wonderful partner slip by. I want to savour every precious moment.

"Let Us Enjoy This Fleeting Moment" Omar Khayyam

Illustration by gobennygo, Copyright gobennygo 2013

The image above is part of a mini-collection I did while working on the Ecourse. Those who have followed my blog will have seen the artwork before; I have just changed the colour to Emerald- the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2013. If you are considering doing Beth and Rachael's surface pattern course I can tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was worth every cent and more! I loved it and have made some very dear friends and learnt a heap. I am very grateful to Beth and Rachael for the wonderful artistic journey it has been for me.  

 I am going to take a break from Kitty as a Picture now and spent some precious time with my family. I know I will be back because I am inspired by so much in life and I absolutely love to share it. I just don't know how long I will be away; It may be days, it may be weeks, or it may be months. But I will be back, I promise! Please, treasure the people you love, and treasure every fleeting moment with them.

Love Brenda X