Okay, I gave it a go.

I said I would try my hand at making a paper dress up doll. Well, here she is. I'm quite pleased with her. She's drawn and cut out of beautiful handmade Japanese paper. I like to use this paper for a lot of my work and books. I am going to extended sketchbook weekend to sketchbook week because no-one wants to show me their sketchbook, apparently. If you have a picture to show, please let me know. I'll post some of mine up later, to get the ball rolling. The paper doll will be in my Etsy shop any moment now.

More Paper Dolls

I have been doing a spot of paper doll research today and look what I found! Quirky Paper Doll Prints from Egg Press. I think my next shop item will be something paper doll related.

Remember these?

Oh... I used to love these. I think I might make some this weekend. I will post the results. There are some amazing ones on Lulu's Vintage Blog.

Sketchbook...

I have been feeling a bit stuck with my work lately. I'm not sure whether I'm stuck or I've been avoiding doing it subconsciously. Well, after seeing some of John Copeland's journals on the beautful blog Aesthetic Outburst I have decided to focus on my sketchbook/journal. I think i will buy a nice new Moleskine and be sure to carry it around with me and work into it. Soho in the spring is the perfect place to be! Well, no one can ever say that my intentions weren't good.

I know what! I'll make this sketchbook/journal weekend. I'll blog about some more, please send me some pictures of yours too, I'd love to see them!

Enjoy the beautiful weather today, London!

Ugh... Hayfever...

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as regularly, I have been so busy over the past few weeks. Anyway, here I am. The weather in London is glorious at the moment and I am not going to let the fact that I look like some kind of hayfeverish horror movie creature spoil it for me. So, in keeping with the subject I want to draw your attention to 'Pollen from Pine' by Wolfgang Leib which was exhibited at the Art gallery of New South Wales in 2005. He spends the spring collecting the pollen for the pieces.

“I was facinated with what pollen is in itself. Pollen has incredible colours,
which you never could paint, but it is not a pigment and its colour is only one
quality out of many, like a hand has a colour, or blood is red but it is not a
red liquid, and milk is white, but it is not a white liquid. It is the difference
between a blue pigment and the sky.”

“Milk or pollen are extremely beautiful - like the sun or the sky. And why be
afraid of beauty? Recently so many artists, especially German artist, seem to
think it has to be as ugly and as brutal as possible. Beauty is bourgeois
what a strange idea. I tried to participate in beautiful things…and this is
my great fortune.” - From 'Light Seed' catalog 1991

Robyn - Cobrastyle

Oh my goodness... this is totally off the subject but I HAVE to post this. Robyn's cover of Cobrastyle by the Teddybears. Don't worry, I'm not going to start blogging about music.

Etsy Seller: Haru

I stumbled across Haru today on Etsy. The paper wreaths are just gorgeous.

Olivier Gondry

Beringer Wine - Vineyard TV Commercial

Beautiful televion advert by Olivier Gondry for Beringer wine.

The making of the advert.

Paper Wedding Dress

I am getting married soon and I'm looking for dresses. I am completely crazy about Stephanie James Couture tea length dresses, particularly the "Audrey" style dress. I am desperate to buy it and I think I might cry if i don't have it. Anyway, a paper one would be quite fitting and these are some of my favourites.

I'm back!

I haven't posted for a while because I've just moved back to London and started a new job. It's good to be home, but I miss my girlfriend, and all my friends in Atlanta. I had an amazing time starting my Etsy shop and my blog, getting some new work on the go, discovering cupcake shops and generally having a good time. On the subject of my shop, it was always the intention for it to be a joint venture between my best friend Kasia and I. She has been very busy recently but this weekend she moved to Wales (lucky her) and so she will soon be adding some of her own, stunning beautiful, work to the shop. I think she's working on some photograms at the moment. Anyway, be sure to check the shop out soon. As for me, I have been making some new 'luxury gift cards'. I'm having some trouble photographing them at the moment, but here are a few of the good ones. See you again soon!

Amazing list...

Yuken Teruya
Virginia Rose Kane
Rob Ryan
Hideo Iwasaki
Chris Gilmour

I came across this amazing list of paper cutting artists on Beatrice Coron's website today. These are a few of the images I particularly like.

DIY Paper Dresses

Learn how to make these lovely dresses here.

Oooo! Etsy seller...

I was getting carried away looking through blogs today and I found THIS! Isn't it wonderful and hilarious? Kate (the artist) writes a blog, little doodles and has a lovely etsy shop.

Painting in progress.

I have just over a week before I move home from Atlanta to London. I am trying to finish this canvas during that time. I don't know what I'll do with it since I can't fit it in my suitcase, ha! (If you want it, I'll send it to you.) At the moment I'm just working on the surface with layers of paper, book pages, magazine pages, varnish and acrylic paint. I usually use oils but I don't have time right now.

New Canvas

I have just finished a simple canvas piece which I feel might be the start of a new series. I found that pages of old, delicate books become translucent when soaked in varnish. Layering the pieces of paper creates an interesting effect. I have so many ideas about what I can do with this technique - making use of the layers of text, manipulating and cutting the pages, colours, building up the paper. Oh! The possibilities are endless. What do you think of it?