Mid Week Mix 6
Since about 2008, I’ve been collecting images from the internet that have caught my eye. Way back then, I wasn’t so diligent in keeping records as to where images came from, or who had painted, photographed, illustrated or indeed created the artwork in the image. So I apologise in advance for their lack of referencing, but to be honest, it was purely about seeing groups of imagery together, that for whatever reason, I enjoyed.
As I have managed to amass quite a few of these ‘collaged sheets’, I thought I would share them with you, in the hope that they may also provide some inspiration to you the readers, from their shape, colour, texture or out and out randomness : )
Do let me know your thoughts and which images catch your eye for whatever reason. Enjoy !
Mark Rowney Flights into leather engraving
Mark Rowney was born in 1962, amongst the hayfields and moors of Northern England. He was educated at St Martins School of Art, London, and went on to work for many publishers, creating illustrated art work for Penguin Books, the Radio Times, Homes and Gardens and various BBC publications. He moved to New York and lived in very small apartments, producing work for the New York Times, Time Magazine and Travel and Leisure. There he became interested in leather work and started producing products for the fashion designer Paul Smith.
His paintings reveal his love of nature and the countryside, living now in the lovely Durham dales back in the UK. I was intrigued to discover more about this work and his love for carving leather, (which you will see more of below). So I tracked him down and he happily agreed to be featured on Fishink and tell us more.
Mark says “I’ve been painting since I was a child. I always had a love of nature but especially the small creatures that scurried around unseen. I trained as an illustrator and worked for editorial publications and design companies, but after many years in the commercial industry I rediscovered my interest in Nature. I moved back from NY to our family farmhouse in the Durham Dales and started to paint as I had once dreamt of when I was a small boy. Imaginary adventures and semi-surreal stories of the insects, birds and plant life that surrounded me here. These diminutive creatures are so full of beauty and endeavour, its only when we come across an old nest or dew laden cobweb that we appreciated their struggle. The Painting ‘The Strange effect of light’ portrays the moment in which we see clearly how wonderful the Moths that surround us on the darkest night really are! I walk at night and I once saw the open door of a generator shed emit the light of a single bulb through the Fog. It attracted hundreds of moths, lacewings and Crane flies. A grand ariel dance. I made sketches the next day and spent the next 3 1/2 months painting the picture. ”
How did you first get into carving on leather and would you say that this is quite a rare profession ?
In the 1970’s my parents owned and ran a Country and Western venue in the North of England and also imported many leather goods from Arizona and Texas. As a child we would go and visit the suppliers and stay on ranches and Indian Reservations. It was during these visits that I became interested in the wonderful carving on leather that I saw. It wasn’t however until I moved to NY to work as an illustrator in the 80’s that I started to carve myself. In Britain it is a very rare craft, one that was once, I suppose, quite common place, but is now relatively forgotten.
Some of Mark’s work involves leather carving and painted illustration combined.
What do you most like about the process ?
I love the tactile nature of working with leather. It has so many practical uses and will accept decorative and artistic design to great effect. Leather also allows one to be as creative as the tool one picks up…it marks very easily (which can be difficult sometimes) … so anything that can make an interesting mark can be used. It’s immensely satisfying to start a project with a piece of raw hide and end up with an elaborately carved journal, pouch or sculptural piece.
Which other designers / artists work do you most admire and why ?
Wow there are so many….Working in so many fields of artistic and creative endeavour. I tend to like individual pieces of work rather than an artist completely. However I love the paintings of Stanley Spencer, the Films of Michael Powell, the photos of James Ravillious (Eric Ravillious’s Son). Also the designs of William Morris, the cartoons of Tex Avery, the illustrative simplicity of the ‘Ladybird’ artist John Leigh Pemberton and the sublime wood carving of Grinling Gibbons. I could list thousands of individual pieces of work that have inspired me, but I guess that I love the profound, Hans Holbeins, ‘The Body of the dead Christ’ and the humorist, Ronald Searle. Most of all, I love work that best exposes the individual and their need to create something memorable and lasting.
What first gave you the idea of incorporating painting onto the carvings too ?
For me it was an natural progression. I love painting and also leather carving. It seemed the right thing to do. Most of the great crafts, incorporate a wide range of talents. I did however realise that most leather work I was seeing, relied heavily on the purely decorative. I wanted to create pictures and small stories. At first, I tried this idea out by carving mounts or borders in leather around my paintings, so they became a part of the image. I then carried the painting onto the mount and saw the possibilities for a different kind of leather work.
Do you have any plans for new items to add to your range of products this year ?
Yes…I always make plans for new work. I will be making a range of completely useless leather cutlery for my own amusement ! On a more serious level I would like to move into a more ‘Interior-based’ set of products. I am working on interesting lighting sconce’s and what I call ‘Story Doors’, in which the wooden panels of doors, will be replaced by carved, leather panels, each depicting an ‘image-frame’ of a simple story. I would also like to work on some ‘time’ pieces as well
To give you an idea of the work involved, I asked Mark to describe the process.
” Each Journal cover I make/carve is unique. I start by making a small drawing of the design, I then cut out the leather for the cover and the inside inserts. The leather is then soaked in water and I start to ‘draw up’ the design on the damp leather. Once the design is drawn I use a ‘Swivel Knife’ to cut or make a ‘plough line’ around the design. After which I then hammer down along the cut line with a ‘Beveller’, ( much like taking a 1/4″ for a ten mile walk). This creates the raised effect of the design. Once completed I then mark the leather with all and any tools that make an interesting imprint. I then paint all the background inks and cover with a protective coat. When dry I start painting ( I mix my own colours with acrylics and inks) all the detail of the birds or butterflies … another protective coat. I then start on all the un-carved spaces, mixing the main background colour of the journal and painting with tiny brushes. Another protective coat. At this point I work on soft surfaces as I don’t want the journal marked. The individual pieces are then hole punched, ready for stitching. A final protective coat is applied and once dried the journal is named, numbered, catalogued and placed in its presentation box. An A4 Journal can take upwards of 120 hours to complete ! ”
Wow how impressive ! There is such a beauty and delicacy to these pieces, that I’m imagining what a steady hand and the amount of patient hours of work that go into each piece. You can purchase a print or an original book cover over on Mark’s Etsy site and discover more about his nature inspired work, here on his Blog.
Many thanks Mark, for sharing your secrets and passions about your rare and beautiful craft with us.
Nancy Wolff Designer for the young at heart
Nancy Wolff graduated from Skidmore College in the USA, where she studied fine art and majored in painting, she now designs textiles and lives in New York City. Apart from her own business, Nancy has established ‘Loboloup’ where she creates wallpapers, cushions and fabric. She has also designed several fabric collections for Kokka. One of their distributors is Nunoya Textiles, a Japanese company who sells fabrics online and from their shop in Barcelona. I caught up with Nancy last week, to ask a few questions about her role as a designer.
When and why did you first start to design in repeat ?
My first job right out of college was at a textile company. I was a fine arts major and my job seeking portfolio only served to show I had no real marketable skills. It was a miracle they let me in the door, and why they hired me, remains a mystery. I got hooked on pattern by the end of week one. A few months in, I started creating my own designs at night, with the idea of freelancing once I had a suitably sized portfolio. Oddly enough, I never did the actual repeat when I had a bona fide job. It was someone else’s responsibility to put my faux repeat into a repeat that worked. Once I was out on my own, I had to buy a how-to book and teach myself. I love designing in repeat. It’s a wonderfully complicated puzzle. You start out with a general idea, weave together the various elements until a form takes shape, and eventually all the pieces fit. Now that I’m designing wallpaper, the challenge is considering not only how the pattern looks repeated a few times, but how it will look repeated over and over on several walls.
Let’s start with these fifties inspired geometric designs.
With regards to modern textile design, what styles/elements do you see becoming more popular in the next couple of years ?
I think it’s the approach a designer takes that makes a style relevant. I take notice of forecasts about color and style, but try not to get too caught up. When designing for home furnishings, you have to take into account that your customer has to live with the choices they make for more than one season. If you’re continually creating new designs, and keeping up with what’s going on in your field, you automatically get a sense of what looks fresh and what feels stale.
What part of your job gives you the most / least pleasure and why ?
I love that I’ve picked up a lot of skills over the years and can rely on myself to get things done. I function as designer, painter, photoshopper, colorist, contract negotiator, and agent. It’s also what I hate the most. The creative side of my brain is often at odds with the business side.
Some cool and very stylish florals.
Nancy is also the author and illustrator of two children’s books, Tallulah In The Kitchen and It’s Time For School With Tallulah, both published by Henry Holt. In addition, she illustrated This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners, by Kathryn Madeline Allen. Her work has also appeared in numerous magazines.
Your children’s characters are both fresh and quirky. What inspires you design-wise to maintain that fun side to your work ?
The characters inspire me. I start out drawing the general form of whatever animal I’ve picked for a new character, then deconstruct it into various components — snout, ears, etc., and piece it back together, weaving in pattern and collage elements. It’s probably the same puzzle thing that draws me to repeats. Somewhere in the middle of the process, a personality reveals itself and I just go with it. It’s a happy undertaking.
Which other artists work do you most admire ?
I was a kid in the sixties, and it’s a hard decade to shake. I’m drawn to clean lines, pops of color, text, and lots of pattern and texture. At this moment in time, I’d say I’m influenced by the work of Stuart Davis, Alexander Girard, and Sonia Delaunay. I also appreciate the playfulness found in the work of Saul Steinburg and Maira Kalman.
Most of all, I love her cheeky characters.
The Penguins, Dachshunds and Forest Folk are fabulous … such expressions !
Boats and planes never fail to please and these newspapery elephants … Wow !
A little magic and we’re off to the Circus !
Do you have plans for more products that you would like to create designs for ?
I always have plans. I’m co-founder and do all the designing at Loboloup. We started out with hand-screened wallpaper and recently added pillows and fabric to the mix. Lately, I’m obsessed with the idea of making rugs. The various textures and effects that can be achieved using wool, silk and other yarns are amazing. I’ve been working on a collection of designs and although I still haven’t figured out a way to make it happen, it would be a thrill to see this dream realized one day.
Loboloup is a design company Nancy founded with her niece, specialising in fun and funky patterns for the modern family. By combining pattern, texture, and typography in a fresh and edgy manner. Designed by Nancy Wolff in New York City, Loboloup is committed to creating child and eco-friendly products. It’s unique and bold designs are painted by hand then silk-screened using water-based inks and sustainable paper. Loboloup is committed to bringing the highest standards of design and patterns to interior environments.
Anything else that you would like to say to inspire or encourage people who want to draw repeat designs ?
The only advice I can offer is what works for me. Sit down and design. One design inspires the idea for the next, and so on. Design in groups and color stories. Build collections around ideas. Doodle a lot. I’m not a big sketchbook person, because I’m less apt to commit the thread of an idea to paper if I know there’s a degree of permanence. I scribble and scratch whatever comes to mind for my eyes only, then save the scraps that have potential for further examination on days when ideas aren’t forthcoming. Take some risks and do whatever it takes to get your work noticed. Above all, have fun. If you enjoy what you’re doing, it will show in your work.
Which shows would you recommend attending either to view or exhibit at ?
Exhibiting is a great way to get your work noticed by the right people, especially when you’re just starting out. I’ve exhibited at Surtex, The Licensing Show (when it was in NYC), and ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Show). Surtex is good for making connections in the fabric, stationery and giftware industry. If you have characters, The Licensing Show is worth considering. ICFF is the right show if you have product (e.g., furniture, lighting, floor or wall coverings) you’d like to get in front of interior designers, architects and retailers. Surtex, ICFF and the Stationery show take place at the same time and in the same venue, so you can participate in one show and get a feel for the others, or just walk all three.
Nancy’s clients include Acme Studios, Barnes and Noble, Galison, Great Arrow Graphics, Klutz Press, Kokka, Mattel, Nickelodeon, Oopsy Daisy, Peaceable Kingdom Press, Pleasant Company, Robert Kauffman, Santa Cruz Organics and UNICEF.
Such a stylish mix of lovely artwork here. Many thanks to Nancy for letting me share them with you and for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Now … who feels inspired ?
Mid Week Mix 5
Since about 2008, I’ve been collecting images from the internet that have caught my eye. Way back then, I wasn’t so diligent in keeping records as to where images came from, or who had painted, photographed, illustrated or indeed created the artwork in the image. So I apologise in advance for their lack of referencing, but to be honest, it was purely about seeing groups of imagery together, that for whatever reason, I enjoyed.
As I have managed to amass quite a few of these ‘collaged sheets’, I thought I would share them with you, in the hope that they may also provide some inspiration to you the readers, from their shape, colour, texture or out and out randomness : )
Pennington Flash Nature reserve and a Flying Dog !
We we’re sooo lucky to have a great day out last week at the beautiful Pennington Flash.
Pennington Flash Country Park is a 200-hectare (490-acre) country park located between Lowton and Pennington, Leigh in Greater Manchester. The flash is a 70-hectare (170-acre) lake created at the turn of the 20th century by coal mining subsidence, mainly from Bickershaw Colliery, and flooding. We spotted this kingfisher (from quite a distance away) who contrasted brilliantly from his red Dogwood surrounds. Pity it was too far to get a decent shot.
There are quite a number of hides scattered around the edges of the flash. Ideal lookouts to see all kinds of birdlife.
A sample of the local feathered friends we found there.
Pennington Flash Country Park is nationally renowned for its birdlife and is a classic example of natural regeneration. A variety of well-maintained paths cater to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Apparently over 230 bird species have been recorded on site including: Black-faced Bunting, Nightingale, Marsh Harrier, Spoonbill and Leach’s Storm-petrel. Additionally, a wide variety of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies can be spotted in the area too. Perhaps when it’s a little warmer !
A small collection of natural fungi and lichens.
Of course wherever there’s a chance of free seeds, the squirrels will be there.
It wasn’t just the birds who enjoyed their day out, here’s a little photographic proof that we have a very excitable flying dog !
The light was strong and sharp, good for detail and highlighting.
I rather liked this little hide warden, he reminded me of some of the Brazilian graffiti I’ve talked about previously.
A great day out for man and dog alike … ladies too : ) The evening gave us a wonderful colour show.
I didn’t see many of these critters today but really enjoyed creating them. More on my Fishink Site.
Hannah Waldron Designs for Laurence King Publishing
Illustrator and designer Hannah Waldron has created a wonderful game in the form of this Space Travel Dice set for Laurence King Publishing that has just been released. I’ve not seen one of these storytelling dice games before, so I thought it would be kind of fun to have a go. The instructions are fairly straight forward.
First roll all eight story dice, keeping the red dice for later. Then using the handy ‘what’s what’ guide to help identify all the images, you begin to link together your very own space-themed tale, using the illustrations on the tops of the dice you have rolled. You can play this on your own or if you have a few more friends who might be up for a little story telling, you can make a bigger group, perhaps even passing the story around the group to make it more fun. More twists and turns along the way.
Hey and if you’re not into space, then there’s even a Pirate Adventure Dice Set you can go a swash-buckling on the high seas with !
Hannah‘s textile work often explores the textures, patterns, forms and structures of her surroundings, and has an interest in the development of landscape over time. Here’s a few of her amazing Furoshki designs. (A Furoshiki is a Traditional Japanese multi-functional wrapping cloth ).
Hannah also weaves, runs workshops and has a shop over on Bigcartel. She is currently based between Stockholm, SWE and London, UK.
Right then, it’s time for my adventure in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE ! (Rolls Dice).
I was a boy astronaut 
on a mission with my faithful robot 
Bertie. The previous week we had a battle with a group of unfriendly 
Cyborgs. I had had to use my light sabre 
twice in order to survive and with a few tweeks on my giant computer 
we had managed (this time), to avoid the gravitational pull of their planet. By good fortune we had also been helped by some friendly aliens 
and I’d managed to throw the lucky time travel dice 
, which meant we could hop back in our rocket 
and make it home 
in time to watch Star Wars for the 45th time on T.V. … Yay !!! What would your story be ?
Mid Week Mix 4
Welcome to week four of a feature called the ‘mid week mix’.
Since about 2008, I’ve been collecting images from the internet that have caught my eye. Way back then, I wasn’t so diligent in keeping records as to where images came from, or who had painted, photographed, illustrated or indeed created the artwork in the image. So I apologise in advance for their lack of referencing, but to be honest, it was purely about seeing groups of imagery together, that for whatever reason, I enjoyed.
As I have managed to amass quite a few of these ‘collaged sheets’, I thought I would share them with you, in the hope that they may also provide some inspiration to you the readers, from their shape, colour, texture or out and out randomness : )
Do let me know your thoughts and which images catch your eye for whatever reason. Enjoy !
Cindy Funk Guest Post about Textile designer Lois Long
In November of last year, I wrote a post about the vintage revival on Etsy and included Neatokeen. This business is owned by Cindy Funk (what a fab name), an American, midwestern mother of four, who sells tea towels/ handkerchiefs and ephemera from the 50’s and 60’s. Cindy also has a degree in art history and has graciously agreed to be (… drum roll), Fishink Blog’s first ever guest post writer. She has chosen to write about Lois Long who is one of the designers who’s work she sells and greatly admires. I’ll let Cindy begin …
I have been collecting vintage tea towels from the Mid Century for over a decade. As others were in hot pursuit of designs by the well-known textile designer Tammis Keefe, I was snapping up towels by the equally talented Lois Long. The first towel that I found with her printed cursive signature in the corner depicts a blackbird on a clothesline. However, instead of wet laundry drying on the line, there are ceramic dishes hung with wooden clothespins. My first thought was that this artist has a quirky sense of humor and I wanted to find more of her work.
Barbara Dziadosz Illustrating with a smile
I stumbled across the wonderful work of Barbara Dziadosz recently and was immediately bowled over by it’s wit, charm and friendly figures. Originally from a little town in northern Poland, Barbara is presently finishing up her studies in Hamburg. Over the years she has specialized in printmaking and character design. I contacted Barbara to find out a little more.
If I’m not mistaken, I can see wonderful influences from the likes of Tin Tin, the film Hugo, Jacques Tati and that era of animation and art in your work. Have these or any other films indeed been inspirational to you ?
How did you first get interested in screen printing, and do you have a preference between printing and digital means of producing an illustration ?
I started screen printing some years ago as a workshop at my school. It was hard to get in this workshop, as there is a very limited number of participants. When I finally got in, I printed as if there was no tomorrow. I printed a series about love in Morocco, which gave me the opportunity to learn everything about screen printing and its possibilties. As I began, I printed with even layers, as I didn’t know better. After this project, I decided to limit myself to just three colours and to make them semi transparent, to achieve more varieties. Nowadays I mainly work digitally, as screen printing takes too long. I’m finishing up my studies and won’t have access to the screen printing studio anymore, so I decided to learn to do my illos digitally. Before that, I did all of my illustrations with classic printing techniques such as lino and wood cut, etching and lithography.
Can you describe the process you take when creating a new piece of artwork ?
I always start with some sketches and write down whatever comes to my mind by thinking about this project. When I have done that I search for some reference and so some rough sketches. When I’m satisfied with them, I take a picture of my scans and proceed digitally. I rearrange the sketches to one illustration and print it out, to add some hand drawn element. I colour it digitally, add the hand drawn element and voila !
How much time is spent using sketchbooks and doodling for you, do you think this is an important part of your creating ?
I always do sketches when I have some free time. This is very useful for me, as I can reference to them, when having another project. I like to keep myself busy all the time and to try out new things, just to improve my illustrations each time.
You have a lovely collection of similarly coloured illustrations. Did you use the same colours because you would then screen print them, to give your work some sense of collectiveness or for another reason ?
As I sad before, I started my first screen prints with seven layers, which is a lot for a beginner. After that I just used three semi transparent colours to achieve a similar look. When I started working more and more with the computer I just kept this habit. It forces me to stay clean and simple and not to overdo my illustrations.
I wonder where your love of spy glasses, binoculars and telescopes have derived from.. is it the inner explorer in you lol ?
He he, this is a good question. I haven’t thought about that before. Maybe it’s just because I wear glasses and have some issues with my eyes. Maybe it’s because I was working on some Darwin related illustrations and I always imagine how he was wandering in the jungle with his binoculars.
Any plans for the future in terms of your art ?
I’m planning a cook book right now. This is fun for me, because I can combine two great things, illustration and food. Maybe this will be my long overdue final project in Uni. I recently refreshed my book-binding skills, so that I can do the whole book from the beginning to the end all by myself.
Quite an achievement I’d say and I’ll very much look forward to seeing how Barbara’s work develops. A beautiful style and collection of Illustrations to date, wouldn’t you agree and please Barbara, don’t loose that quirky edge either : ) Many thanks for allowing the Fishink readers to discover a little more about your work. You can also purchase a print that’s guaranteed to bring out a smile here and more illustrations here.
Mid Week Mix 3
Welcome to week three of a new feature that I’ve decided to regularly add on a Wednesday. I’ve called it….. the ‘mid week mix’.
Since about 2008, I’ve been collecting images from the internet that have caught my eye. Way back then, I wasn’t so diligent in keeping records as to where images came from, or who had painted, photographed, illustrated or indeed created the artwork in the image. So I apologise in advance for their lack of referencing, but to be honest, it was purely about seeing groups of imagery together, that for whatever reason, I enjoyed.
As I have managed to amass quite a few of these ‘collaged sheets’, I thought I would share them with you, in the hope that they may also provide some inspiration to you the readers, from their shape, colour, texture or out and out randomness : )
Do let me know your thoughts and which images catch your eye for whatever reason. Enjoy !
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