Happy Halloween Weekend!

Are you guys up to anything fun for Halloween? I have a ton of work to do, so Mister and I might just hunker down and watch a bunch of scary movies. I must admit have a particular affinity for bad horror movies from the eighties. Some hold up surprisingly well, others not so much. Here are some of my favorite spooky posts from around the web. . .

Oh, Martha. Surprisingly adorable zombie pumpkins.

Yum, yum, yum. Pumpkin cupcakes!

Even though I am not getting dressed up this year, I would seriously consider wearing these.

This is my favorite costume!

What a nice jack-o-lantern.

Really fun family costume ideas. (isn't the Max and the Wild Things one amazing!?)

Have a spooky scary Halloween weekend!

Tiny Tuesday: Halloween Edition

How adorable is this tiny pumpkin! I'm such a sucker for needle felted items. There is just something about the material that I find so delicate and sweet. The pumpkin, found in the Global Knits Etsy shop, is just 1" tall and is for sale here.

Inspiration Monday

I always listen to music when I'm in the studio. I usually go for either bopping along top tapping getting lots of work done or soft rambling patiently focused and kind of reflective. Which translates roughly into oldies or singer-song writers, depending.

I have an ever changing group of artists/playlists but Tom Waits is always a go to for me. I've been a fan of his since forever and his albums really cover the whole spectrum. Which brings me to his new album, Bad As Me, which is my new favorite album to play while I'm working. Holy cow, it's amazing!

It's funny to think about, but music is such a part of my process that certain paintings/drawings have become linked in my mind to whatever I was listening to when I made them. Does that ever happen to you? What do you like to listen to when you work?

Happy Birthday Mary Blair!

Yay, Google! Way to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Mary Blair with this sweet Google Doodle! It's got me thinking about Mary Blair again. I pulled out this wonderful book, and flipped through. I've shared before about how amazing and inspiring I find her work for Disney, but I am finding myself really attracted to some of her more personal pieces. Her website is an amazing source of information and imagery, and did you know you could buy prints!? Oh, boy. Here are some of my current favorites.

How sweet is this plate? I love the colors!

I absolutely love how the string spells out her name,
and again the colors are stunning. And maybe this is weird,
but I really love the teeth on the littlest boy!

I really like the different line qualities used and how elegantly
they come together to create a visually unified piece.

Hello Boston

Two Happy Apples has moved to Boston! Boston is one of my very favorite cities and I am thrilled to once again call it home. It feels great to be back!

Now that we are all settled I am excited to start posting again regularly. And I am hoping to whip up some Boston inspired illustrations in the not too distant future! 

Inspiration Monday

Today's inspiration comes from Mary Blair. Mister gave me a book of her work a few years ago, and I was in awe. Her style is so distinct. And it seems that no matter what she was working on, she stayed true to herself.
It's fun to see her Disney concept drawings, but her books are great too. I find a lot of inspiration in her treatment of space. She does great things with pattern as well. I mean how great is that donkey! I'm also impressed with how well her work has stood the test of time, it still feels so fresh. Mary Blair, you are the bee's knees!

Tiny Tuesday

How magical are these pieces by french artist Anastassia Elias. They are made inside of cardboard toilet paper rolls! I'm so impressed that she uses a completely mundane item and turns it into such a beautiful piece of art. So small, so unexpected!

Inspiration Monday (on Tuesday)

Today's inspiration comes from Erin Tyner's  photo series, Half Awake. She takes household items and natural objects to create an environment and then places miniature scale model train figures into the scene. It has such an amazing balance of magic and loneliness. This series is so narrative and existential, I love it! It reminds me of this wonderful painting.

Tiny Tuesday

image © Sarah Neuburger, 2011.

How funny are these tiny mustaches over at The Small Object. If I had a pet and/or baby, I'd be taking some pretty hilarious photos with these little mustachios!

Inspiration Monday

I watched Suzie Templeton's Peter and the Wolf over the weekend. It was so good! The color palette was beautiful, and the lighting was gorgeous. It was so lonely, still, and full of danger. Plus, I have a penchant for purely visual storytelling so I was really tickled by the absence of dialogue.

I was so inspired by watching this movie that I made a Peter and the Wolf illustration. The original is for sale here, and prints are available here.

Button Sets

The first ever Two Happy Apples button set is now available in the shop!

Tiny Tuesday

Today's Tiny Tuesday is 'Dot. The world's smallest animation' from Sumo Science at Aardman Animations. It's a  microscopic stop-motion film that totally reminds me of Little Big Planet. I have so much respect for the artists who create stop-motion animation, it is truly a labor of love. (it took these guys an entire day to make 4 seconds of animation!) The technology they used is nuts. It's a Nokia phone with a microscope attached to it! You can see a making of video here.


I found out about 'Dot.' from my friend and fellow artist Maria Scavullo. You can check out here work here.

Inspiration Monday

 

I get really inspired by the art of children. It's so honest and unselfconscious.  I love the way they deal with space, and how they figure out how to communicate visually.  There is a great chart covering the phases of artistic development in children here.

I'm not the only one who is inspired by children's art. The people over at Aminals make adorable stuffed animals based on children's doodles. I think small bayer is my favorite, but they are all so gosh darn cute!

Tiny Tuesday

 

images © Chet and Dot, 2011.

I've always thought tiny things were especially cute. But I think its taken on a whole new dimension since I started working tiny myself. (on these little guys) I'm getting obsessed with itty bitties, and I think the best way to channel that is to share what I find here. So, Tuesdays are about to get real small in a segment appropriately entitled Tiny Tuesday. 

The inaugural Tiny Tuesday features the wee treasures over at Chet and Dot. Jenn makes such sweet work and her felted creations just make my heart jump. I completely lost it when I saw her apple! And I think her snail is just about the best ever. So small, so cute.

Inspiration Monday (on Tuesday)

image © Belle and Boo, 2011.

Today's inspiration comes from Mandy Sutcliffe of Belle and Boo. Not only has she created a wildly successful business, she makes some of the most precious illustrations around.

I love her vintage-turn-of-the-century-children's-illustration vibe. I'm so inspired by how she captures the wonder and adventure of childhood. And her colors are gorgeous! So, thanks Mandy, for keeping us connected to the sweetness of youth.

tiny custom portraits!

I'm super excited to announce that I am now offering custom portraits in my shop!

I have wanted to do portraits for a while so when I found these miniature canvases, I knew this was it. They are only 2"x 2" and can fit in the palm of your hand! I had a blast working on them & hope to have more portraits to paint soon.

Inspiration Monday: Adora Svitak

I recently watched Adora Svitak's TED talk and found it really inspiring. I'm someone who gets an idea for a project and immediately afterward finds a million reasons why it's not such a good idea after all. So, I loved hearing Adora talk about why children have such creative minds. They dream big, she says, because they aren't burdened by the notions of failure or practicality. What a free way of thinking! Her words have encouraged me be less restrained and just let those ideas flow. Thanks, Adora!

Illustration Friday: Sweater

big kitty + tiny sweater = one unhappy cat

the fall

Mister and I watched the sweetest movie recently, The Fall directed by Tarsem Singh. It is about the unlikely friendship that develops between a stuntman and a little girl who are both patients at the same hospital. He tells her an epic tale of revenge & redemption, and the line between fantasy and reality quickly becomes blurred. 

The cinematography is stunning and reminded me of this gorgeous movie. The actress who plays the little girl is so natural and charming. She completely melted my heart.

inspiration monday

Leçons de choses by Deyrolle and Louis Albert de Broglie has been the source of much inspiration as of late. It is a marvelous book that we picked up while vacationing in Paris. The colors in this book are amazing! The illustrations are simple and beautiful. It's a lot like a visual dictionary. There are chapters on human anatomy, plants, animals, industry, and domestic life.

Plus, it has a vintage grammar school feel to it that I find irresistible. It was a great find, I feel lucky to have stumbled upon it!

I'm back. . .

photos  © Nael Nacer, 2011.

. . . from the land of delicious cheese, wine, and pain au chocolat. Mister and I were in Paris over New Year's to celebrate the holidays with our friends and family. It's always wonderful to see everyone we love and I find the city so energizing. We did, however, come down with the flu for the last leg of our trip. It was a real drag, we missed seeing the Basquiat exhibit that I was so excited for. But we got over it just in time to have one last dinner with family before heading back to Brooklyn.
 
Now we are back, and I am feeling so inspired! 2010 was an exciting time, since it marked the launch of Two Happy Apples. Thanks to everyone who helped make 2010 such a special year.  I'm happy to say that there are a lot of big changes and new projects lined up for 2011.

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone!