Inspiration Exploration: Florals in your face!

Kirra Jameson

It finally seems like spring is here to stay! Judging by the looks of my portfolio, I may have a slight obsession with spring and summer. There’s outdoor travel themed images, nature themed images, watermelons, veggie gardens…and the floral! I have lots of bright, enthusiastic florals. I’ve been seeing large scale fun florals on a lot of art and products recently, and I thought it was a perfect theme for me. I especially love the intersection of pop art and nature. Naturally I have a lot of photos of great actual flowers from my travels (I never get tired of taking photos of flowers and nature) so that made it even better!

 

 

 

Inspiration Exploration: Tropical Rainforest

One of the most visually inspiring experiences I’ve had is visiting the Amazon rainforest. There’s so many new shapes, colors and textures to be inspired by and I definitely brought home a lot of ideas for illustrations and patterns in my sketchbook. Serendipitously, I started noticing a lot of beautiful new jungle-inspired products out for spring and summer this year. The bright color, elegant movement and lush atmosphere that these images have really makes products stand out.

courtesy of joss and main, mystic membrane, and plankton art co., respectively

Naturally, I couldn’t resist creating my own collection of jungle-inspired patterns! Here’s a taste of the Jungle Retreat collection which can be viewed at my newly overhauled website. You can also see more of my jungle inspiration at my pinterest page. Happy weekend everyone!

 

Inspiration: Pattern Envy in the Andes

 

Let the Sun Shine In: My Quest for a Stronger Creative Vision

© Leah Hoelscher 2013

 

OK, so its been almost two months since my time as a free ‘n easy traveler in South America came to an end. Basking in the sun in the beaches of Chile and Peru, surfing, mountain biking down the Andes in Bolivia, these are all but sweet sweet memories now.

It’s so easy for me to feel inspired on the road, with the constant supply of new things to ooh and awe at. Maybe just as importantly, it’s easier to feel confident when I’m out there taking on the world when simple things like border crossings and making coherent small talk in Spanish feel like big accomplishments.

Traveling makes me feel connected to a bigger world, a bigger adventure, a bigger sense of purpose. I think this is why my sketchbooks really boom on all my trips – it just seems more important to make time to draw. Also, I just feel so great when I’m on a trip, naturally. When I travel, I get a good amount of sleep. When I travel, I read fiction books. When I travel, I breath fresh air and get a tan.

So this is my challenge: I’m not traveling now. I’m working, building my licensing business from the ground up. In some ways, its the most exciting and risky thing I’ve ever done. But, to do this I need to spend a lot of time in my studio. Indoors. In winter. In Kansas. I do not have a tan.

At least I can still hold on to the strong vision I felt while on the trip – for my life and for my work and business. For me, feeling the bigger vision is like feeling the sun shine on my skin. Some days its a struggle, but this time I’m deliberately keeping the images and memories of the trip with me to save that vision from fading (like my tan). Let the Sun Shine In!

Also, I’d love to hear about YOUR creative vision – where you got it, how you keep it. Have you had any experiences that really defined a vision for your work?

Inspiration Roundup: Korean Stationery

Lately, I’ve been pining for Seoul. One of favorite guilty pleasures in Seoul was to while away the hours (and won!) in stores like MMMG, Kosney, Hot Tracks, and Art Box, coveting cute things. Here’s a few favorites I found on my latest online trip to my old stationery store haunts:

please note: Images in this post are courtesy of the noted stores.

from ARTBOX:

from MORNING GLORY:

from MMMG:

from ANTENNASHOP:

from 꿈비:

from INDIGO:

from UNMINUTO:

from KITTYBUNNYPONY:

Inspiration: Interactive Window Display at ZNP Creative, Seoul

 

Later on today, I’m going to post about all the ways that I get inspired by the stationery culture of South Korea. For now, I just want to share this video. I love the colors, sounds and graceful movements of it combined with the subtle snarkyness of the bags themselves. I’m lucky enough to own one of these treasures!

 

Inspiration Roundup

I’m that person that always has to sort my M&M’s by color, arrange things into harmonious color groups, and buy things purely because they happen to be my fetish color of the moment. (Most recent indulgence? Mint green nail polish.) As a color nerd leaning toward the obsessive, the Pantone color system holds a special place in my heart. Now, there’s a wonderful book out celebrating the color palettes of the 20th century, helpfully referenced with Pantone numbers. Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color explores color palettes as diverse as Bakelite and Miami Vice, Tiffany glass and anime, art deco and disco. It’s great fun.

Also this week, I got a chance to rewatch Gary Hustwit’s documentary Objectified. Here’s a few gems from industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa:

“Design needs to be plugged into human behavior. Design dissolves in behavior.”

“We designers have been working to stimulate people’s souls and minds.”

Lastly, a tribute to Ray Bradbury. I heard this quote on a rebroadcast of his interview on NPR’s Fresh Air:

“We insure the future by doing it.”

 

Japan always gets me thinking…

Naturally, I saw a lot of inspiring things in Japan, from Ukiyo-e prints to cellphone charms. Here’s a sampling.

Illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki

Raak textile design

Ukiyo-e by Kuniyoshi

textile designer Takashi Hiroko

pandaful summer advertisement from Ecute in Ueno, Tokyo

Umbrellas by Cocila Elle

Inspiration: Kim Joon

I spied Kim Joon’s video, Blue Fish, on a huge outdoor art display near Gangnam station.

I love the colors, and the drawing, and the bodypaint, and the weirdness. Most of all, I love that I can see the weirdness from the bus everyday in the middle of Seoul.

Inspiration: Kate T. Williamson

My folks sent me Kate T. Williamson’s book, A Year in Japan.  Reading it has made me want to do more ‘travel diary’ type sketchbook entries (and really, I’m surprised I hadn’t though of that already). I’ve been in Seoul for about 17 months, and I have about 7 left. Before I leave, I hope to record some of my experiences through drawing.