Exciting Happenings: New Job!

Very exciting news! I have a new job! :D And not a job working minimum wage in retail, exhausting myself on a daily basis with the constant 'I am better than this' running through my head, oh no. An actual real graduate job that I need my degree for! I'm so happy it's untrue, I've been despairing recently over my work/general life situation and now it's seems things are really looking up! It's a full time Junior graphic design position in London, which I'm so happy about because it's been my ambition to start my career in London. (It's the place to be, really, isn't it.)

is the company I am designing for, they are a small range of clothing companies such as Yumi and Uttam London. You've probably seen Yumi in House of Fraser.

Yumi clothing.

So my role is designing things like brochures and POS, and also helping out on pattern designs and illustrations on the clothes. Really exciting, and exactly the kind of thing I love doing. I start on monday!

So what does this mean for my personal and freelance illustration? Well, this is a full time job so I may not be able to undertake as many personal projects. However I am still (as always) available for commission for editorial and other work too. I will only ever take on what I know I can manage.

I will still of course continue blogging :) Maybe i'll invest in a netbook to make use of my commuting time. The joys of trains and tube at rush hour will now be mine! Ha.

So hopefully this is the beginning of a really great career for me. Sooo happy. There's hope for us recession graduates yet!

More ampersand-ery antics

After my initial Daily Ampersand Project post, I'm discovering more and more lovely ampersand-ery goodness.

The awesome Snakes and Suits have a pretty hefty range of ampersand related clothing and accessories, and all you need to feel a bit special and smug.

I love this, defo need it in my life. I used to have a Times new roman ampersand as an earring and I lost it :( argh.

I also really like this pattern being designed out of repeated ampersands, something to try myself I think.

Good stuff.

Also, the very talented Sophie Henson designed her own ampersand after being asked by Pitch Design Union in Chicago to be involved in a collaborative project. Read her blog post about it here, and take a look at what she created:

Credit to Sophie Henson, not me.

I really like what she came up with, really cute :) I'd like to see the rest of the collaborative project too.

I first mentioned Sophie Henson a while ago in a post all about pencil illustration, she's been up to some great stuff recently, including designing for USC's new Abandon range. I really want this hoodie:
the design is lovely, just shows what an amazing doodler she is. Christmas list!

Her recent work is giving me envy, I'm so itching to get in front of photoshop and spend days whacking new work out; I have so many ideas right now and it's killing me not being able to do it :( But I am still mac-less and there's no way this laptop can handle photoshop anymore. It's so frustrating. I can do hand drawn stuff all I like and that's fine, but I'm a layered kind of girl and I need layers. I need detail. I need the undo button, tbh.

Sketchbook Magazine

"Sketchbook is a new quarterly magazine that showcases established and emerging creative talents in fashion, design and culture with a focus on features, photography and illustration.

Featuring original sketchbook graphics, exclusive interviews with scientists in jelly and photographers in Africa, we present our finds in a raw and exposed fashion. In Sketchbook, itís not just about the product itself, but also about the beauty of the process of conceptualization, creation and appreciating the means to an end.

Sketchbook aims to provide an entrance into the minds of switched-on, aware and intelligent creatives and inspire those who wish to be part of such an innovative industry."

I came across this magazine a couple of weeks ago, through Style Bubble. The first issue has a feature on her, all about fashion bloggers, and that's a drawing of her on the cover. It seems like a really great new indie publication - I like the emphasis on original sketchbook drawings, illustration and photography.

I love the cover as well, detailed pencil drawings like that just always look so good. I can't find who did it, great work though.

I was talking about fashion blogging and illustration coming together the other day so this carries on from that - it's interesting to me that fashion is really starting to embrace illustration again. Without going into too much history, illustration originally played a key part in fashion; until photography came along, the fashion shoot was invented and fashion illustration dropped into the 'decoration' category, or was kept under lock and key in designer's concept sketches. It's only really David Downton who has kept the genre alive and as a contender to photography. So its good to see culture magazines like this coming along who don't feel that fashion can only be captured by photography.

Have a look at the Sketchbook Magazine site - it's still fairly new - there's images taken from the first issue and not much else yet really. There's all the contacts though and they're looking for contributors. So this is something I must do, definitely.

I don't think the first issue is out yet - at least I'm not sure where you can buy it from yet. I'll post when I know.

So I need to get back on top of doing outfit illustrations as well. Now that I'm home I can use my parent's scanner (joys) so expect sketches and such to be occuring again. Huzzah :)

Also, on the subject of clothes, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of unpacking I have to do - how is it possible that I own this many?? I have 2 chests of drawers, a wardrobe, all pretty much full, and I STILL have 2 massive suitcases of clothes that I haven't unpacked yet. And let's not even start on shoes. I think here lyeth 75% of my student loan over the 3 years, you know. Clothes, clothes, clothes. I even gave 2 massive bin bags to charity and I still have so many. But I can't part with most of them, it's always that 'oh but I might wear this one day...'

Such a hoarder, me.

Vintage Times - lipbalm and labels

I've just been catching up on my RSS subscriptions and generally surfing the mintynet and I've stumbled across some awesome vintage finds.

I know it's the latest thing to love everything vintage but I genuinely do; things that have a history, a feel of the old, like they've been places, are very exciting to me. It's also a great thing to keep old things and reuse them instead of always buying new - a great help to the environment and something we all need to start adjusting ourselves to doing, now that the recession is changing consumerism, and the way we see buying new commodities needs to change.

Anyway.

I came across Andrea Garland, who has an amazing range of handmade, organic and ethical lip balms, body balms, all kinds of things, that are all sold in old vintage one off tins and pill boxes! They are so cute and I desire one or many greatly.









Have a look at her online store, and gawp, stare and covet. They're on my birthday list.

I also came across this site as well, with lots of vintage sewn clothing tags.

There's something so pretty and delicate about these - you know they're all handmade and lovingly stitched onto clothing. I just love the old school italic type and 'made in..' you don't get that anymore. Unless it's made in oh holy topshop. And they look like they took time to design and actually make something of. Check out Kindra's Blog for more vintage yumminess and happy things.

Update on Penguin Design Award 2009

I got a letter today from Penguin.... saying that I hadn't won any of the prizes (boo) but that I am invited to the awards night in June for all the winners and people who've been shortlisted! I'm so excited! :D My mum had to open the letter for me and read it out over the phone, I was walking down the road with some friends and I was doing little hops haha. I can't wait!

See my entry in a previous post here.

Also, found out that me and a couple of classmates have been chosen by our tutors to exhibit at this year's D&AD New Blood exhibition, From 29th June to 1st July 09, which i'm also crazily excited about! :D Once I know more info I'll definitely post it up.

We've started putting together our degree show now, I've been taking photos so I'll post them tomorrow once all the painting is done! Us girls on the course suddenly realised we now have a pressing question - "What the hell do I wear do the private view??" Some of us hadn't thought about it, some (like me) consider my outfit as pretty much an extension of my work and who I am... er no pressure then. Do I buy a new dress? Do I go super dressed up? Do I do effortless and arty? Or crazy but awesome? These are all very pressing questions. Especially when I can't afford to buy anything new (although I saw some amazing pink heels in new look and I neeeeed them).

Basically, good times are abound.