Wednesday, April 20, 2011

New tee design for Takara Gallery Japan

Good morning lovely folk,
What a wonderful surprise to wake up to - news that my new t-shirt design for the amazing Takara Gallery Japan has been screen printed, photographed, uploaded and ready for sale! I'm quite chuffed at how they turned out - the Kamimuras sure are a talented bunch!




The entire summer collection is truly awesome and I am super proud to be a part of such a talented bunch of creatives. Head over to the Takara Gallery website to see more!

Tiff xx

Monday, April 18, 2011

Thanks Sportsgirl... [new illustration!]

Morning! ...yeah I am aware that this title is very 'Woman's Day' in the sense that the headline sucks you into thinking I have somehow scored a gig designing for the wonderful store that is Sportsgirl. "Bec Cartwright's separation anxiety!"... turns out Leighton's just off down the shops for some milk. Or going on a tennis tour or something. No such luck on the Sportsgirl gig (yet...) however they did, without knowing it, help create my latest illustration.

I was shopping there with my dear bud Raigan, (who has acted as my muse on more than one occasion. She tends to appear in a lot of my illustrations. She is a very lovely thing indeed and I am quite lucky to have her as a pal), and I was browsing the nail polishes. Probably fed up with people testing the colours on their tables, Sportsgirl have kindly started to provide a note pad where you can test them. Being a huge fan of whimsical inky wisps and splashes of paint and delightful things like that, I was instantly drawn to the careless flicks of bold colour. I tore off the page and told Raigan I was going to keep it and scan it (I don't think it's stealing if it would go in the bin at the end of the day anyway, right?) Anyone else I'm sure would have looked at me a little strangely but the girl who is somewhat accustomed to my antics (and has many of her own) thought it was a brilliant idea.


A few days later and a bit of wacom magic and my latest tidbit was born. I used the black nail polish wisps on her arms and bolder leg, and the green one at her side. Her bold headpiece and purse are created from the circular sticker. The rest was created using photoshop and a wacom tablet. Such fun... I love turning random snippets into something a little bit spesh.


I hope you all enjoy the finished result! Prints are available in my online store.

Tiff xx

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Things I Love About Tokyo...

People often ask me why I am so drawn to Tokyo. I can never really offer any real explanation, leading me to believe that perhaps I was a geisha (or perhaps a squarky old Japanese fisherman's wife) in a previous life.

This got me thinking though, to at least a few things that made me adore living there. Here's a little drawing I did today whilst in front of the telly, half-watching macguyver and trying to eat a banana/apple/cinnamon/almond/sultana muffin without getting any on the paper. Hours of fun.
(Click image below to see a larger version!)


Psst, if you really like it, you can grab a print or postcard online!

Tiff xx

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Reflection & gratitude... with a hint of pastel!


Love my Ma's backyard - perfect for BBQs and ciders in the warm evening breeze!

Although I wasn't away for very long in the greater scheme of life, living in Tokyo taught me so much ~ there really was an exciting surprise around every corner... (and a few less than desirable surprises too - I'm talking to YOU, March 11!) Since being back on the coast of Australia, I keep stumbling upon little things I love about living back here. I have a new found fascination with the Aussie accent, which is odd - it's not like I lost mine while away, or even that I didn't hear any in Tokyo, I had a few Aussie friends there.. But I think it's also the way in which we communicate with strangers too, everyone's 'up for a chat' here. I asked a lady standing next to me at the post office the other day, how much stamps were these days (60c if you were wondering)... 15 mins later we were chatting about her son, her cats and our annoyance at the council trying to cancel a popular local music event. This is something I missed about my hometown.

This morning I was missing Tokyo. Usually on Thursday mornings I'd head down to my fave cafe just a few blocks from my apartment. I'd get a 400yen panini and coffee deal and do some sketching and people watching in the morning sun. So I've decided tomorrow I'm going to do the same at a little cafe here by the beach.

I'm getting to the point where I can more easily look back on my time in Tokyo with gratitude and fond reflection instead of tainted with pangs of uneasiness about it all being abruptly cut short. I had so much fun there everyday and have so many amazing memories and awesome inspiration to bring home with me!

It's taken about a month to start finding my groove again here but things are looking up, I'm getting my inspiration back and starting to build my design career again here. When you open your mind to new possibilities, opportunities come knocking. I was lucky to have continued to have a hand in design here as I was still working for an amazing company based here during my time overseas. Thanks Buzz gals!

On a completely different note, I have always loved pastels, but lately I am obsessing over the pastel blue and pastel pink combo. It started in the laundry aisle of coles... Omo has a new washing liquid out and the packaging is pastel blue and pink. Despite understanding marketing, it doesn't stop me from being a victim.. I know it's happening but I still succumb! At the last minute, I happened to read the label and it's for 'baby'. I guess that means poopy nappies and soiled bibs... but the thought of how cute the bottle would look in my laundry took over and let's just say my clothes are going to be smelling as fresh as a baby's bot bot!

Then my obsession was re-ignited by this glorious vogue cover (March 2011 issue). Love her or hate her, this is an incredibly striking shot of Gaga and the colours are just amazing.


Here are some more tidbits fueling my love of the pastel pink/blue combo!
 

These gorgeous little mouth organs are available from Amazon Japan! (Ok so this one is a little on the green side but it's still super spesh!) 


These super cute earrings by Lola & Bailey are completely delicious!

 




The Movie 'Marie Antoinette' (2006) is an indulgent visual feast for a pastel lover. The costuming is just amazing and is a constant inspiration in my work!


I even decided to rework my latest tee design in these colours. Lovin it!

Tiff xx
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