About

Blanket is an online PDF magazine that uncovers art + design + photography from the talented people who create it.

Bec Brown – Editor / Art Director / Designer / Publisher
At age 5, Bec art directed, designed and produced a limited edition book titled ‘A Picha Book’ that captured the hearts and minds of her teacher and fellow kindergarten classmates. Although her editing skills needed some work she was hooked after this first foray into independent publishing. After studying photography, magazine publishing, graphic design and barista training, Bec combined these skills to start Blanket Magazine. Inside its pages she indulges her inquisitive nature and her love of beautiful objects by collecting stories, interviews and pretty pictures. She recently relocated from one wonderful city – Melbourne, Australia – to another, Manchester, UK. She also runs a freelance design business called sixheads.

Email: editor {at} blanketmagazine.com

The Blanketeers!

Bec has put together a talented team of Blanketeers, dotted all over the world, who help her create a beautiful magazine each and every issue with their contributions of artist interviews, cheeky and humorous stories, craft, cartoons and, of course, beautiful art, design and photography.

John Fry – Web Guru / Moral support
John Fry is the long suffering partner of Bec. He’s the most talented person she knows.
www.sixheads.com

Jonathan Hulme – Feature Writer
Jonathan Hulme lives in Sydney and doesn’t know what he wants to be if he grows up.

David Self – Writer/Designer
Selfy is a guy who knows a little bit about pretty much everything. Ask people what he does, and they would call him a Graphic Designer, Photographer, Musician or Writer. In truth he is only one of these things, but we’re not quite sure which. A self-confessed “Internaut”, he revels in the geeky and is most comfortable when there’s a Firefox window open in front of him. If you feel like forwarding him a funny email that’s going around, chances are he saw it before you were born. Why not ask him about web comics instead?

Jessica Wilson – Craft Writer & Photographer
Jessica Wilson is the Crafty-mad Scientist behind jek in the box, scrumdillydilly and scrumdilly-do! She lives a short hop away from Hollywood with her sock crafty husbandman, their evil kitty and a mob of sock monkeys. She favours stripey socks and never leaves home without her camera.
www.scrumdillydilly.blogspot.com

Jeff Stephens – Blanket ‘Pik Shaws’ Comic Illustrator
I work for an encyclopedic art museum. I move art all day. People come to me and they say, “That must be exciting! moving art all day… touching 4000 year old stone purses, going nose to nose with La Gioconda…” and here they drift off and their eyes get foggy. Nah, the glamor wears off in a week or so, Nydia is just a really heavy hunk of rock, and Weeping Coconuts is starting to flake. So, I litter the world with my own stuff when I get the chance.
picshaws.blogspot.com

Nicola Rowlands – Illustrator
Nicola is an illustrator and designer currently living in South Manchester. Having recently graduated in 2009, she is still finding her feet but has been lucky to get commissions from the BBC, Plus1 magazine and Sideburn magazine, and recently had 80k of her poster designs distributed with Don’t Panic packs. Nicola has also designed a range of off-the-wall greeting cards which are stocked at galleries and shops as well as on the internet. She works part time at a web design studio in Manchester, part time from her desk in Didsbury and part time drinking tea with Bec at Blanket HQ!

James Cotton – Designer
James has always had a big interest in drawing and art. He studied Art & Design through school, college and foundation but it was only at University when he was studying Contemporary Fine Art, that he realised his passion was for design. He graduated in July and undertook a brilliant three month graphic design course to fill in all those gaps which he couldn’t figure out for himself.
www.somethingandsomethingelse.com

Gwendoline Watson – Blanket Writer
Gwendoline has written all sorts, from a column in mX newspaper, to a dating page in New Woman, but her faves are the independent magazines with a bit of chutzpah. Her main loves are travelling, and saying yes ‘for the story’. When combined they get her into all sorts of pickles. Olive oil massage in a backstreet Syrian restaurant anyone?
www.sogwendoline.blogspot.com

Alison Richards – Designer
Alison Richards is a Sydney-based graphic designer and illustrator who simply loves being creative designing, drawing, sewing and drinking tea. She is seeking help for her addictions.
www.alisonrichards.net

PAST BLANKET CONTRIBUTORS

Tanya Ruxton (nee McKay) – One of the Original Blanket Founders
Tanya was one of the original Editors of Blanket magazine and although she left Blanket in November 2007 her influence is still present in the pages of Blanket. You can now find her at www.rumpusdesign.com

Caitlin Gahan – Assistant Editor / Designer / Writer
Caitlin Gahan is a Graphic Designer and Writer who never learnt to ride a bike or do maths of any kind. She loves being a Graphic Designer for two reasons:
- She can Photoshop photos of herself and
- She gets to be involved in Blanket and remain in a constant state of schoolgirl awe of the talent of the artists and designers she interviews. When she is not near her beloved Mac called “Velvet”, she likes to read every book and magazine in sight. Then, her fingers get too itchy and she has to get back to her desk.

Melissa Gardner – Designer
In her spare time, Mel likes to paint ‘Nushka Dolls’, look at pretty pictures in design books, go to nice places for coffee with her boy, dabble on the guitar, laugh loudly, collect Moleskin journals (and dream of one day writing in them without ruining them!) and she loves finding new artists to inspire her. Check out Mel’s cute hand-painted Nushka dolls:
www.nushkadolls.com
www.nushkadolls.etsy.com

Drew Fellows – Designer
Drew was recently diagnosed by a doctor as being a creative compulsive. Medical tests showed that if Drew was to go a day without creating something new or working on an ongoing project, the results could be fatal. Under doctors recommendations, Drew now fills his days with photography, graphic design, drawing in moleskins, making badges, music production, performing, a hint of creative writing and countless blogs, websites and online communities.
flickr.com/photos/drewfellows/
www.26theband.com

If you would like to be a contributing writer or blogger then send Bec and email at editor (at) blanketmagazine.com with a brief outline of what you think you could bring to the Blanketeer team!