printed material: July 2010

Saturday, 31 July 2010

Where did the time go?

It's been a busy few weeks. I've been working on a freelance project for a past employer and also finishing off the last pieces in a collaborative project I've been doing with some friends. I have just about managed to keep up with reading posts on my favourite blogs and leaving my comments which is perhaps why I am so taken by this great design by Susanna Hertrich. The Chrono-Shredder is a cross between a clock and a calendar which shreds itself every single day in real time.

What a visual way to see time passing. The pile on the floor represents the past few weeks of my life I think.!

Monday, 19 July 2010

How inventive

This piano was invented in Britain in 1935 for people who were confined to bed. I can't imagine how it worked without the pedals but the ingenuity of some inventors never fails to amaze me. Here are a few gems I particularly like....

Hamblin glasses developed in Britian in 1936 for reading in bed

Mask for protection from snowstorms developed in Canada 1939

A Gas Mask pram from the UK 1938

There are more of these great inter war year inventions to be seen at the link below.

Via Bored Panda

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Illustration Magazine

I tried to alter the comments setting on Blogger the other day and I seem to have cut people off in their prime. I will resolve this but just quickly wanted to respond to the comments that Cathy and Jane both made yesterday about the work of Emanuele Luzatti and its similarity to Brian Wildsmith. Quite by coincidence I happen to have recently received my latest copy of Illustration magazine, complete with a major article about this wonderful artist, so thought I would quickly mention it.

If you are interested in book illustrators then please take a look at the magazine here. I've subscribed for a few years and it is always a fascinating read looking at famous past and contemporary artists. The latest edition also has pictures of the scrapbooks of the talented Edward Bawden, one of my very favourite artists ever, plus up to date work from Sarah Young and Jonny Hannah. I picked out the picture above by Brian Wildsmith. It does indeed have a strong resemblance to the style of yesterday's post. Well spotted girls!

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

The Thieving Magpie

Emanuele Luzatti was an Italian theatre and set designer, illustrator and animator. I came across this on the blog of Eleanora Arroyo . She makes wonderful tiny theatres in matchboxes . Toy theatres and puppets are something I have always found fascinating. Having seen this I've watched all the videos and searched all the images I can find with his work on. I love illustrations like this so much. They are very redolent of the 60's and 70's to me yet also seem right bang up to date.

Monday, 12 July 2010

Happy Birthday Andy

Listening to the radio this morning I heard that Andy Pandy was 60 years old today. I think he's worn better than I have! When I heard that signature tune I went all the way back to my childhood. I can still remember 'Watch with Mother' on the television. Monday was 'Picture Book'. Andy Pandy was on Tuesday followed by 'Bill and Ben' on Wednesday. Next up was 'Rag, Tag and Bobtail' with the 'Woodentops' rounding off the week on Friday. Halcyon days. Hard to think that Andy is now eligible for a bus pass! He hasn't aged a bit....whereas I..... enough said.

Monday, 5 July 2010

First flight

I thought that the swallows who nest in our pig cott had a brood which fledged a week or so ago because there have been so many of them flying in and out, but I saw another group of them take to the wing for the first time yesterday morning. I was up very early and saw these young swallows really struggling to get themselves airborne. The effort seemed to exhaust them and they dropped to a perch in the little cherry tree outside my kitchen door where they stayed for about 20 minutes. As swallows rarely perch in trees it was a real treat to watch these babies close up.

They then flew off and disappeared for the main part of the day which is the norm. I always suppose they are out hawking for flies or having a siesta, getting themselves prepared for the 'fly-fest' that always happens in the early evening. Around 6pm they were back, sitting in the same tree and basking in the sunlight. There are four of them in this brood and if the weather stays warm it would not surprise me if the parents don't manage a second lot. Should it rain as it did at the same time last year, then that will not happen.

Taking photos through your kitchen window is not to be recommended if you want clarity but there was no way I was going to frighten them off. In the afternoon I did go outside with the camera and they were not spooked at all but the sun was so bright that the camera couldn't pick up anything other than blurry shapes. I just stood there for about 30 minutes or so just watching the parents come and go feeding them, alerted to their arrival by a group of screaming youngsters with open beaks. If you blinked you missed it! They come in so fast, feed and then take off, barely resting on the tree branch at all. They are wondrous things. Along with swifts, they are my favourite bird and they are are already out again early this morning. Yet again, I have a grandstand seat. Lucky me.

Friday, 2 July 2010

What are you doing with that fish?

I have had a hectic couple of days. I spent Wednesday on an 'Elemental Drawing' day in Shropshire, literally drawing with the elements - using stones from the ground, flowers from the garden and smoke from candles to create amazing marks. No photos I'm afraid because I was so 'into' what I was doing I forgot to take any! Not so, yesterday though when a friend and I went up to St Davids for a short workshop on Gyotaku printing run by American artist (now Pembrokeshire based) Deborah Withey.

Gyo taku originated in Japan where fisherman used to print their catch as proof of what they had caught. It is an ancient tradition but our fish came from Morrisons so were just printing for fun. Debbie has made some amazing prints from all different kinds of fish but she demonstrated the technique with plaice and sole. We started with a fresh fish which we had to pat until we had made it quite dry. This takes quite a bit of time and the first few prints do not work that well. It's only when the ink builds up and the fish dries out that the detail of the print comes through.

Using a roller and some water based printing ink the fish is rolled up in the same way as a lino cut - except , of course, it is not flat so you have to try and roll around corners. The eyes are a bit off putting and you have to stuff the gills to pad them out as well but you have to get over that part! A brush is used to paint the fins and eliminate the marks from the roller. Many on the course also added dots and blobs of acrylic colour onto their fish but I'm a bit of a plain and simple type. I like one colour and I like to see the texture and pattern in things so here is one of my 'unvarnished' prints. The detail is not bad . The fish had been printed about 5 or 6 times before it became as clear as this.

This print is on rice paper but we also used wallpaper lining paper. There is no printing press involved and the paper is placed over the fish and you just start rubbing away. It feels quite odd moulding the paper around the fish but I will definitely do it again. As ever, you start to think of fish in a whole new light. Morrisons fish counter better look out!