how ink is made

beautifully shot video piece on how ink is made.

ok. so it is a promo piece for an ink company. and it is a little cheesy*... but the processes involved couldn't be explained in any clearer way!

(thanks robert, one of my students at shillington, for this link...)

*is that an instrumental version from west side story of there's a place for us? really?

hand-painted…

wow - type-lovers should visit typarchive... an online gallery and resource of hand-generated type, vernacular signage...

this style of type is definitely having its moment in the sun (again) at the moment... and there is a load of inspiration here.

(via its nice that)

hero: charley harper

the late charley harper is represented by a beautiful online collection of work - some prints and pieces are for sale. there has been a big resurgence lately in popularity of harper.

i admire his ability to abstract forms... he uses the simplest geometry convey character and personality in animals and nature.

rich, layered shapes and colours... appealing to little and big kids alike!

ninety nine percent perspiration

oh gosh at some point i would love to get to the 99% conference in new york. for now, the website is pretty fantastic as a resource.

the true adage, that creative endeavour is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration (thomas edison), is the basis of the event. so the conference isn't about how to generate ideas, its how to push them in to the real world.

(and the event creators - behance and cool hunting - would know, methinks).

in your place

another great ongoing source: the selby, photographer james selby's work depicting the homes of creatives. the photographs are colourful, dynamic and portrait-like in their detail and quantity.

selby also has a book, the selby is in your place.

left: detail image from philippe and jasmine starck at home in paris

sartorialist

an ongoing source of inspiration for me is the sartorialist, scott schumans photographic blog of people on the street.

his book published last year is on my wishlist.

left: spring st., soho, may 10 2010

magculture

excellent resource: mag culture is a blog by renowned magazine designer jeremy leslie.

i remember being shown a copy of a magazine years ago... as leslie notes, the magazine is still going, however under the name of a magazine curated by. the latest issue is curated by proenzer schouler...

the site for this magazine is a great resource in itself. images of the current issue are stunning.

in summary: plonked squarely in my happy place!

research: off-runway

outside-the-catwalk fashion makes for an interesting subject matter.

masterpieces

masterpieces from paris at the national gallery of australia is almost the most successful exhibition seen yet in australia... enduring an extended season, a one-off 32hr opening and lengthy queues that the gallery has never seen.

i visited yesterday, and it was worth the drive, the cost, and the wait!

paintings that particularly caused me to pause:
Van Gogh's Eugène Boch Le poète, 1888 (detail shown left)
Cezanne's Portrait of Madame Cézanne, 1885-1890
Toulouse-Lautrec's Redhead (bathing), 1889
Sérusier's Still-life: the artist's studio, 1891

hero: alexander mcqueen (part II)

just noticed that the mcqueen website has been updated now with an experience section, where you can view an archive of the late designer's runway shows... plus interviews... etc.

such an inspiring resource.

when lady gaga tweeted that her latest song was debuting during plato's atlantis (2010), the online demand to watch the live stream crashed the showstudio site!

the footage of that show, in particular, is spectacular!