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!

Illustration Rally

My latest illustration, Little Bea and the Yeti, can be seen over at  Illustration Rally.

Illustration Rally is a wonderful illustration blog. They spotlight the work of many great artists, and also share news & events. But, the rallies are at the heart of the blog featuring illustrations which are linked thematically. You can read more about the rallies here.

A big thanks to Illustration Rally for including my work in their Christmas Rally!