Twitter

Yep we’ve just joined Twitter! Now you can get instant updates from us on what’s happening in Blanket land!

No Comments / Jul 02.09 / Blanket, News/Exhibitions / by bec

Bobbin Talk {Blanket sponsor}

Blanket sponsor Aneta Genova is the author behind fashion blog Bobbin Talk. When Aneta’s not writing on her blog she is also an accessories designer and a fashion instructor passing on her skills and knowledge to emerging fashion graduates…

You run Bobbin Talk – what lovely things do you feature on your blog?
I feature the work of emerging fashion and accessory designers. A lot of young designers are extremely talented but have limited resources and for them it is hard to get noticed. I started the blog because I wanted to promote the collections of my students in Parsons School of Design in NYC and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but it became a platform for a variety of designers from all over the world!

{Recent Graduate: Bessie Afnaim}

Bobbin Talk is such a cute, quirky name – how did you come up with it?
Ha! It is so hard to find a new name that is not already taken and registered online. I sat down one night and thought really hard about what I wanted this blog to be. I knew I wanted to “talk” about “fashion”, but the words fashion, design and style are overused in domain names and titles. I think it took me a whole evening of just blabbering and writing words on a piece of paper and then it hit me as I was staring at my sewing machine: “Bobbin!” The bobbin is an essential part of the sewing process, so I called it “BobbinTalk” .

{Recent Graduate: Eri Wakayama}

Tell us about your life as a designer in the fashion industry – is it as glamorous as we think it is?
LOL! I think it is much more glamorous to imagine being a designer than actually being one. I’ve worked for small and large companies and had my own brand and the work everywhere is grueling. The research, sketching and designing part is about 20% of the whole process, and the rest is getting it made and bringing it to the customer. For me the fun part is seeing your products being worn or carried by people and to seeing them enjoy your creations!

{Recent Graduate: (left) Desiree Neman (right) Jonathan Cohen}

You also started your own luxury leather goods company – what important lessons did you learn when starting your own business?
I learned that to be a designer and a visionary is not enough. You need to also be a business-man/woman and find people you trust to do the tasks that you are not good at. That would be finance, accounting, marketing, PR, production. I learned that you need to delegate so you can have time to be a designer.

{Recent Graduate: Anna Zwick}

You now give back to the industry by helping young designers – what inspires you about these up and coming talents?
I love being around young designers. They are so full of hope and unbridled enthusiasm. It is contagious! For them the sky is the limit. I love that!

What are you currently working on?
I am currently writing an Accessory Design Textbook with Conde Nast/Fairchild Publications geared towards the fashion colleges. It covers the design process from inspiration and design to manufacturing. I am interviewing designers of all calibers, from young independent creative types to large brand companies so I can show the true process of creativity. For me personally this means I have two outlets to work with designers, my textbook and my blog. Feel free to email me if you’d like your work featured in either one!

No Comments / Jul 02.09 / Artist Interviews, Blogs, Guest Blogger / by bec

Fifi Lapin

To say Fifi Lapin is an extremely stylish rabbit is an understatement. She wears the latest fashions – straight from the catwalk (or should that be rabbitwalk?)

Apparently Fifi’s life hasn’t always been so glamorous after a particularly tough childhood (or should that be rabbithood… ok enough!). She is now an only rabbit (and a spoilt one at that!) after her 257 brothers and sisters sadly died after an outbreak of myxomatosis. Oh well at least she has important questions such as “What will I wear today?” to keep her busy!

2 Comments / Jul 01.09 / Art, Blogs, Illustration / by bec

Nottingham Castle {inspiration}

I spent last weekend in Nottingham and on Sunday we went to Nottingham Castle (that’s the view overhead) where they have a lovely Museum and Art Gallery. There were two particular photos in the Gallery which I keep thinking about as they both explore the concept of ‘portrait’ – but in two very different ways. As the current issue of Blanket also explores the theme  ‘Portrait’ I thought it was interesting to compare how two leading artists have also explored this theme…

Photographer: Shizuka Yokomizo ‘Stranger’

This was just one of a series titled ‘Stranger’ which shows a person standing at their window. Surprisingly the artist has never met the people she photographed. She randomly selected addresses and then wrote letters to the occupants asking them to stand at their window on a certain day at a certain time of night so she could photograph them from the street. She promised she would be there waiting.

Photographer: Sam Taylor-Woods ‘Escape Artist’

This photograph is a self-portrait of the artist suspended from the air by ropes. The ropes were then digitally removed to give the illusion of the balloons lifting her up. The artist has recently divorced and survived cancer twice so the title of the work ‘Escape Artist’  seems appropriate.

No Comments / Jul 01.09 / Art, Inspiration, Photography / by bec

Have your say! {Issue 16 – The Consumer Issue}

At Blanket, we have been having a debate about art and consumerism…

As the cliche goes ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. But beauty, increasingly, comes at a price, as art is increasingly seen as an investment. We wanted to explore this topic further and from the different perspectives of consumers and artists. What is art? Is it “art” when an artist creates a work, or is the point of art to be viewed and enjoyed?

So we thought we would open up this debate to our Blanket readers and see what you think. Please join in the debate and send us your thoughts! {We’ll even publish an edited selection of the best responses in our consumer issue!}

Just email me your thoughts at: editor@blanketmagazine.com
Make sure you include in your emails your:
Name {just first name is fine if you would prefer that}
Occupation

So here’s a few questions we want you to help us answer…

AS A CONSUMER

1. What considerations do you make before you purchase art? (ie do you look at the scale/size of the work, the number of hours put in to produce it, the style of the work, the complexity of the work, the ‘name’ of the artist etc)

2. Would you pay the same amount for an illustration/painting as a photograph? Why/why not?

3. Do you prefer to buy art online or in a gallery? Why?

4. Would you buy a piece of art simply because of the ‘name’ of the artist who produced it or because you had an emotional response to it?

AS AN ARTIST

1. When working with a client or selling your work, how do you decide on the price and how do you justify it? Do you need to justify the price?

2. When working for a client, or an art director do you still consider what you produce as ‘art’?

3. Have you – and would you – ever work for free? Why/Why not?

4. When did you feel confident enough to refer to yourself as an artist? After your first ’sale’ or before?

It’s an interesting topic so we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject!

No Comments / Jun 29.09 / Art, Blanket, Inspiration / by bec

I love Arthur’s Circus!

Looking at the Arthur’s Circus website always reminds me of happy days visiting my Grandad’s house so their tagline ‘nostalgia ain’t what it used to be’ rings true in my ears. Run by the lovely Natalie Jeffcott and her partner Nicholas Fitzgerald it’s a shop and gallery in Melbourne specialising in vintage toys and collectables, photography, artwork, handmade and quirky new finds. They also have an online shop too for the rest of us! Yay!

No Comments / Jun 29.09 / Design, Inspiration, Product / by bec

Michael Gillette Bond Covers

Michael Gillette’s beautiful illustration and typography for the covers of the 2008 editions of Ian Fleming’s James Bond series by Penguin. Also included in his blog post is a link to a great interview about the covers.

1 Comment / Jun 29.09 / Art / by Selfy

Studio Violet

Studio Violet is a collaboration between Camilla Engman and Elisabeth Dunker. There are so many good things to look at in their shop… prints, stamps, wall stickers, porcelain crockery…

3 Comments / Jun 29.09 / Design, Product / by bec

Karol Lasia

Selected photogaphy from the portfolio site of Karol Lasia.

No Comments / Jun 28.09 / Photography / by bec

Claire Scully

The online portfolio site of Claire Scully is amazing! You can also see more of Claire’s work over at Wanderlust 333 where you can buy one of her prints (or one of the other 32 artsist involved!)

No Comments / Jun 27.09 / Art, Design, Illustration, Typography / by bec