heysusy

COLOR ME SOFTLY {brights with subtle detail}

So...like I said a couple of days ago, it's been pretty busy around here! A little blog mention on Design*Sponge, and a little product feature on the newly re-designed decor8, and products selling out on See Jane Work have me going a little bit nutty...seeing as I'm not the best at focusing, I've been jumping from task to task, like a spastic office girl. Nutty in a good way.

Still- I have had a couple of moments of focus...some of them spent looking at these beautifully colored, leathery, sketchy objects. I guess I'm enjoying the expressive line meeting the soft and comfortable...the bright color...with sophisticated and complicated forms...Sorta feels like how I'm living. Oh Exuberance!

In greater detail...

Perforated Men's Laceless by Common Projects   via Seeking Designers (I am in love with their shoes)
Illustration (so lovely!) by My Girl Charlie
Fuchsia gloves-- I can't get enough of this color by Ines Glove
Soft suede booties..with a little retro heel (!) at Coclico
And, last but definitely not least...this GREAT nest drawing (love the blues and tans with that dark charcoal...by Groundwork.

Enjoy! And a big hello to anyone who is arriving via any of the links I wrote about up above. Hello! 

JUST A LITTLE {a smidge of inspiration}

Hey all! So very sorry in advance for the short lil' post today...but, I just thougt I'd pop in and out just to make a note of these pictures up above, since I'm very busy today, and trying to get lots of things done. I'm hoping that I will have time for a post tomorrrow, but that is shaping up to be busy as well, so I will have to see. But-- a huge thank you to all who have chimed in on the Search for a Reasonably Decent Press Kit Photo.

Anyway, hpefully you'll enjoy looking at these yummy tidbits as much as I do....I guess I'm just enjoying seeing a little variation in texture, color, shape, size...today, and each of these images seemed memorable to me, enough to post them here.

In greater detail...
Particularly loving these excellent rings, cuffs and other vintage button and leather adornments  by greenbelts
and the Spoonflower-made Button Fabric by diskant...which I found on flickr. Incidentally, I can't wait to find out more about  Spoonflower, which is a new service that prints small batches of custom fabric to order (hello, ingeniuses!)
This lovely group of buttons at top was found on Reference Library, a blog I really enjoy.
And, I can't recall where these beautiful leaf sketches are from...so if anyone knows, kindly let me know! They're beautiful.

I JUST LOOK LIKE ONE {picking a portrait!?}

I'm awfully unphotogenic....but, I don't really mind these.

Normally, I can't stand it when people post tons of posed portrait shots of themselves on their blogs. So, I promise not to do this often. But, I do think it's nice to see what people whose blogs I'm reading actually look like-- so in that spirit, I thought it was okay to post these.

Anyway, I need to pick a photo to start sending out with my press kit, and here are some that I have so far. I'm going for creative person...pleasant person...real person...not too....weird looking. I guess I like these because they look sort of posed, but not overly photoshoppy. These were taken in my workroom.

Although I'm leaning to the one at the top right with the arms up, I really like the one at the bottom right too-- I look kind of goofy, but that is probably the closest to how I really see myself. So, I might try and take another set with that one as the beginning idea-- just to explore it a little further. I like the idea of the hands being in the shot-- because my collection wouldnt' be possible without em. Maybe I could use both the arms up and the turquoise bracelet and just switch them when appropriate.

So...hopefully this doesn't seem overly self-obsessed. But, I have been trying to pick one of these and I feel like I've been staring at them too long and now I don't know if I look half decent, or like a recently escaped mental patient. Quick! Get the straightjacket!

INSPIRED BY...{well made stuff that lasts}

I'm starting to toss around ideas for the products and patterns I'm going to be designing for susyjack*s next collection, and I thought I'd share some of the items/designers I'm finding inspiring at the moment...Also, it's kind of nice to put these things together and see just what *is* rolling around in my head.

While things get really ruffly in fashion, I'm turning away from that.. I'm finding myself really drawn to simple, chunky, well-made and durable items, large knits and solid shapes. I'm loving neutral colors...tans, greys, metallics and oatmeals. I like the cozy, stable feel of these colors.

I'm personally experiencing the need to ground myself-- in what I'm eating, what I'm doing, and as my life is taking a new, self-made turn, I feel like I should really take stock of how I'm living. I'm asking myself...'What *is* the good life?" and the answers that are coming to me are: good food, satisfaction, health, friends, family, full experiences, stability, trust. Things like that. Stuff that lasts.

People/Items that I feel really embody this, and whose work I keep returning to are:
Built By Wendy (DON'T MISS-- her interview video interview with etsy-- it's great.)
Moop (who, incidentally has a new online store that looks great!)
Fringe (my favorite are the basic cowls and neck cozies)
Terra Plana (those boots are from a couple of seasons ago-- I wish I could get a pair now!)

I hope you'll forgive me for putting one of my own sketches in, up there-- but hey, it's my blog and I do what I want around here. : ) And, I thought it was interesting to see how all this stuff is shaping things around here lately.

Enjoy your weekends, all. I am off to the lake with Kurt, to see my family and hopefully, do a little swimming! A big thank you to all who visited heysusy* this week! xx sus

HELLO WORLD! {nss series part 2: during the show}

As promised, it's the second segment in my stationery show series. It took a while to pull this together, because I've been so busy lately, and I wanted to make sure this was organized and thougtful. Hopefully, you'll find this as informative as the last one-- feel free to leave any questions on things I may not have mentioned in the comments section, and I'll try and get back to that topic in more detail!

Again, keep in mind I am in no means an expert, this was just my first year. But, I learned a great deal by participating and I hope it might be helpful to others.

SELF COMPOSURE {lillianna pereira collage}

Okay, so I *promise* not to turn heysusy into an illustration-heavy blog-- but when lillianna pereira added me as a flickr contact, I just couldn't resist doing a quick post about her excellent collage work.

I'm a big fan of surrealist collage-- it has this really considered, yet completely accidental quality, which I adore. Anyway-- Lillianna's work is at once delicate and dark...and I love the way you can see how each one is created-- the layers are left rough and often, the edges are left jagged, and not squared off.

Many of her pieces are named for Greek myths, including Persephone, Ariadne, Theseus and the MInotaur. In a way, they remind me of constellations-- images that we see in other things...as Lilliana herself says of her myth series, 'The personal becomes collective and conscious once the stories start to emerge."

To see more of Lillianna's work, visit her Flickr Page. There is also a post from February about her work at Nahcotta over at design*sponge. She will also have work in Uppercase's 'Old School.' Which I can't wait to see.

HIT IT {illustrator daisy fletcher}

Happy Monday Everybody! I am back from a little 3 day hiatus up at the Lake, all refreshed and ready to go.

I wanted to write a little post about Daisy Fletcher, an illustrator I think is one to watch. I came across her work on fffound, and was instantly intrigued by her bright-meets-graphite botanical illustrations.

After looking at her archives compared to her current portfolio, it's pretty clear to me that she's really hitting her stride. Her past work  has an untrained, doodly look to it, and some of the drawings aren't as technically accurate as her current work (faces, hands, line quality, details). This past work is conceptually very, very strong...hair turning into fences, lips feasting on flowers...ink spots covering and uncovering the narrative...

That being said,  I am really impressed with the tweaks and concentration she's added to her newest work. She's clearly now focused on combining her rendering skills with her strong dreamlike mixture of conceptual references, with beautiful results. For me, this works best when she combines them into a pseudo-realistic scenario, like on the (autobiographical?) portrait up here on the top left. There's just so much to look at and wonder about...not to mention, the rendering is excellent. I, for one, can't wait to see what Daisy does next.

In other news...

On another illustrator note-- Lesa Leeva, who I posted about in here in March, now has her wonderful, contemporary work including those incredible Siamese-Twin Olsens, Terri Nunn, and Lydia Hearst prints up for sale in her new shop.

Also-- I'll be posting Part 2 of the NSS series this week...so stay tuned for that! xx

OUT OF THE WOODS {rough natural textures + tones}

Things have been looking a little pastel around this blog lately-- so, I thought I'd switch up with a post about some great, textural inspirations that I've been gathering. I'm absolutely loving the combination of red and purple, mixed in with oranges and graphite-y grays and blacks...not to mention a sort of Russian-Orthodox-Folk-Forest-Fantasy (ROFFF for short) brown and roughened up line quality. Sort of a wood-blocky look.

Anyway-- I got an email from UK artist Lizzy Stewart about her newly available book, I am the Friction...a collaborative effort with designer Jez Burrows of Evening Tweed. I went to check out her work...and looooky what I found. I'm so in love with that bear up there. Lizzy's got a great, raw style that really works for me...and I love how in certain drawings, she uses sepias an browns instead of black. It creates a totally different look. That church illustration up there wouldn't be half as evocative in black...somehow, the brown just gives it a mood....

Here are the links-- seriously, the textures in these picks are even better, larger, so definitely take a look!
Pagan blouse at Vivre
Ninilchik Church Illustration by Lizzy Stewart
Coin Purse by Kate Sheridan
Packaging/Idenitity work for Revive Cafe at Graphic Thought Facility
Grizzly Bear by Lizzy Stewart
Leaf Key Chains for Stoke Place (LOVE these!) by Graphic Thought Facility
Scratch Vases at Habitat

CLASSIC, REINTERPRETED {gold and silver}

While this post was originally  inspired by the trend of gray and yellow...which I hope stays around forever, I realized that as I assembled the pictures, my colors were trending more towards chartreuse, gold and silver...I love the way that each of these items uses color in such a subtle way...and in that way, they help the forms and patterns to take on a richer life.

I'm especially loving the play between the lights and darks in the 22 Gala Wallband Wallpaper strip  and the glowing tonalities in this Lemon Petal ring at Poppi.

Clockwise from top left...
22 Gala Wallband Wallpaper strip at Design Public
Mother of Pearl Necklace at Pfeifer Studio
Lights Up Pendant Lamp also at Design Public
Hand Painted Retro Lampshades at  Schoolhouse Electric 
The wonderful reclaimed fabric and textile work of  Luisa Cevese and her Reidizione Line
Lemon Yellow Ring at Poppi
and Rich Gold fan Earrings at Polli (if you like this jewelry, also check out their gorgeous Mobiles)
and lovely Leafy Pillows at Viva Terra

THE FINER THINGS {food, photography and recipes!}

I've been trying to find the perfect time to post about the wonderful food and photography blog  Bread and Honey  by Summer Allen-Gibson of Design is Mine and photographer Alice Lynn Carrier ...anyway, I found a reason serendipitously, when I was looking up new work by photographer Francine Zaslow to show here, today.

Long story short, I have worked with Francine... and she was one of our favorite photographers to work with, a pioneer of the soft, luminescent product photography that was later made so popular by the likes of Martha Stewart and Pottery Barn. I always loved her work in which food...organic farming, local cuisine, and culinary delight were frequent themes.

So, while I was searching, I came upon another post about her work over at Design is Mine, and I realized that Summer is a fan of Francine's, as well. So...here they are together...small world!

Visit the amazing photography that Francine shares on her site, then head on over to Bread and Honey to see real action in the kitchen and get some great recipes, with beautiful step by step photography...and personal insights into the making and enjoying of food...I owe my boyfriend Cheese Fondue...and I'd also like to take a second to thank Bread and Honey for giving me some new ideas of what to dip in it...other than bread! Enjoy!