illustrations

just makin' up words

in my family, we make up words like they're going out of style (i guess technically they are, but.... that's a different story). my dad even has his own language which his friends have dubbed 'chopenese' (with the nickname 'chop' you can really begin to have many things named after you).
needless to say, anyone who embraces made up words, is my hero. a lifetime of being mocked for words i truly thought existed causes some sensitivity. rinee shah is doing exactly what i would hope - embracing and illustrating words that people share with their families. giving ME more material. the made up words project. best.
gretzky; futsydutsy; lonely otter; yo yeggs

art is best served free

in rereading some older posts, i re-stumbled onto these golden beauties.... jen wallace, in an attempt to mitigate mid recession blues, began a project called feed your soul. and it's free art. no gimmicks, no sign ups, nothing sleazy going on behind the scenes. legitimately free art. she invited artists to contribute, and artist sent in art, that people could then download for free. seriously. i know. 

 as jen says, "I love art and I know you do too. I also know that when people start to tighten up the purse strings they tend not spend money on things that aren’t necessary for survival, things like books, magazines and art. But, art is important for your soul. It helps rejuvenate, it’s thought-provoking, offers inspiration and can generally brighten an otherwise dreary day among other things."


this is an older project now, but all the art is still there for the downloading. it seems to me that artists are no longer uploading art.... but nevertheless, it's all there for you.
i simply love this concept. art as it should be. art for all. art should not be a thing that is inaccessible... it should be the opposite. thank you jen wallace, for thinking this as well, and making art something that all of us (with the internet) can have.

stuff i'm digging.... (day 2)

it's friday. friday the thirteenth. however, as luck would have it, i'm in van, having a pretty cool and important meeting during the day, and if all goes according to plan, heading to whistler for the weekend. so, today, i will leave you with a friday collection of maps. steph - this one's for you.
in the spirit of my travels, finding this gem was perfection. a series of illustrated maps by marisa seguin, in stunning colour palets..... starting with van.
(via my pinterest - and originally via design | work | life)
and dudes - her other work is totally dope. check out her etsy.

no self respect - waiting for an email all day (refresh, refresh, refresh)

i'm so in love with this illustrated journal, started by lizzy stewart, from the UK.
lizzy's work is fantastic - she's an illustrator, based in London, who creates work partially inspired by folk culture, music, and places. combined with her motivation to portray things in a story, makes for great work.
now, this journal, is just amazing pieces of her own life. that seem to be true reflections of my own? maybe awkward is just cross cultural. nevertheless... her reflections on life are outstanding and hilarious.
i'm in love. maybe because she reminds me, of me, but either way. check her journal, and then website, out.