Leilani Joy

Hi! It’s been a loooong time. evidently, consistency isn’t my strong point, for whatever reason.

A couple of days ago, Iwas randomly browsing through YouTube for photoshop tutorials and yet again, I serendipitously stumbled upon the video blog of Leilani Joy. She is a San Francisco based illustrator who, like me, is strongly influenced by fashion illustration and manga.

I really liked the bright colours, the large eyes, the whimsical patterns, the long necks and eye lashes and the wonderful drama of her work. And to make things even better, some of her stuff is quite dark which makes it even more awesome! Check it out!

“Ramona” from Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.

Alice

 

Chameleon

Here’s her Deviant Art page. Hope you liked it!

Yoko Furusho

I adore the fantasy-like, almost Alice in Wonderland-ish illustrations of Yoko Furusho. Her work almost seems to transport you to another world. I love her use of pattern and colour and the chaos that one can see in her illustrations. Each piece seems to have a story of its own which always holds me spellbound. Her work really inspires me…

When The Moon Cries

Spot Illustration, Zodiac Signs

the world inside my head 01

Bells and Whistles

Day at Dilli Haat

Before I say anything else, this post is quite different from what I’ve been posting so far. The reason is that when I started this blog, I wanted to explore my city, New Delhi, a lot more and record whatever arty stuff I could find. And what better place to start than Dilli Haat?

Dilli Haat is one of the most interesting places in Delhi as it hosts various fairs and events (the Comic Con was held here recently). Craftsmen from all over the country come here and set up stalls from where you can buy their crafts. Last time I went, I decided to take a few pictures, which is unusual for me because I’m not a very good photographer (please bear with me) but I wanted to share some of the lovely things I saw.

Apologizing in advance for my photography skills…

These were some necklaces hanging in one of the jewellery stalls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really liked the pattern these belts made hanging there together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw these small, cute iron bicycles.The shop I saw these in also had small wooden vintage cars but sadli, I couldn't get a proper picture of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cute weaver bird decorations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anklets in the Rajasthani nomadic stall. I love the colours against the red background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teapots at the Manipuri stall. I fell in love with these...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This shop fascinated me. It reminded me of some secret underground antique shop which probably had little pixies or genies lurking around... I wonder what it will look like at night...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earrings. I bought the black bell-shaped pairs (called 'jhumkas')

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you liked them!

Marcos Chin

I love the clean yet chaotic illustrations of Marcos Chin. It’s fun, edgy and dynamic. I love how some of his illustrations almost look like patterns but what makes them even cooler is that they’re more than just patterns. Almost like patterns which tell a story. I wonder if I’m making sense anymore…

Here are some of his works-

For Fiat

"The Big Ask"

I love the pattern the fish seem to make…

"My Pain, My Brain"

The Fashion Illustration of Garance Doré

My obsession with fashion illustration took me to one of the best fashion blogs ever! I actually found that rating here (see no. 8) but I had stumbled upon Garance Doré‘s site long time before I found that list (I feel so awesome).

I adore the minimalism of her illustrations and the simple use of colour and pattern. She uses them sparingly yet, manages to put them on all the right places so her illustrations still have a lot of impact.

And the girls are gorgeous. I almost with I was one of them.

Don’t you just love their pouts?

Rob Ryan

This was another Etsy.com Handmade Portraits video I watched and was moved by. Rob Ryan has some beautiful paper cut-outs. It’s refreshingly different from the mildly dark sort of art I usually like. He looks at the more beautiful things in life and celebrates the emotion of love in many of his works. After watching this video, I was overcome by a wonderful feeling of  optimism- the kind which almost makes you dance around the house smiling, as if you’re in love.

I especially loved one thing he says in the video-

“We’re all the same people that we were when we were children. We’re just bigger and pretend that we’re not.”

Amen.

Still haven’t downloaded the plugin to embedd a vimeo video so you can watch the video here.

Gorgeous, isn’t it? Check out his Etsy shop.

Cherri Wood

I simply adore Cherri Wood‘s (aka Fy Simone) work. Very powerful pieces that convey a great deal of emotion. I stumbled upon her work quite a while back and yet again, I was instantly inspired. Her drawings have an air of mystery- splashes of ink, sometimes hidden faces, the body language… it left me awestruck. Also, they have this dark edge which always gets me. These are some of my favorites.

The Fashion Illustration of Laura Laine

I don’t remember exactly how I came across Laura Laine’s site but it was quite serendipitous. Laura Laine is a Helsinki based fashion illustrator who has catered to some pretty big names including Vogue, Elle, Zara, The New York Times and so on.  I really like the extreme exaggeration in her work and wonderful stylization. What I like best is how the hair in her illustrations flows so beautifully and that you can see every strand of hair. The hair really adds motion to her illustrations.

The detailing done on the clothes is really cool too. I also really like how she draws hands.

Love the little red shoes...

Sophie Blackall

A couple of days back, My dad sent me and e-mail, as he often does, which had a vimeo video link in it. I opened the mail, and as I often do, I looked at the link, blinked and proceeded to waste some time. Fortunately, my dad has a tendency to nag, because had he not nagged me, I doubt I would have remembered to check out the link and I would have missed out on something beautiful. I was having trouble embedding the video but you can watch it here.

I found this video very inspiring because of Sophie Blackall‘s infectiously optimistic take on life, her love for her city and its reflection in her art. I love how she bases her characters on people she sees and how each of them has a story behind them. And just looking at the characters, you end up making up little stories for them in your head too!

This video also reminded me about something- Everybody you see has a story. And the best part is that you know nothing about them so you can imagine whatever you like! Maybe next time I’m using the public transport system, I too shall try to imagine a day in the life of the passenger sitting opposite me… now I have something to look forward to.

She has illustrated some very interesting projects. Take a look at her site when you can!

This picture is an illustration of one of the many adventures her father had. Fascinating little project, I've got to say.

Stella Latwinsky

One of the first artists I came across during the initial periods of my obsession with Illustration Friday was Stella Latwinsky. I spent ages skimming through all her work on her blog, being wonder-struck by the stories behind each of her characters and awed by her imagination. Her style inspired me almost immediately and I found my drawings getting influenced by certain aspects of her work without even meaning to, as often happens with me who hasn’t quite found her style yet. Somehow, her work sends my imagination spinning and I find myself involuntarily thinking about the secret lives of her characters…

Thirteen flowers and thirteen tattoos for the thirteen unlucky men who never made it to their wedding day.

Grace spends so much {time} on her hair and make-up, that when she is finally ready to go out, her friends have already gone to bed.

It seemed to be the bee's natural instinct to fly towards Sister Kiute. This made her very happy, for she always wanted to be accepted... even if only by a bee.

It’s fun to skim through her etsy shop too.