Amelia’s Magazine | Review: Moniker Art Fair and The Other Art Fair at Truman Brewery 2013

Frederik Næblerød shark

Frederik Næblerød.

This year was my first visit to Moniker Art Fair, held at the Truman Brewery in conjunction with The Other Art Fair last weekend. Both fairs showcase contemporary artists operating just outside the mainstream art establishment, and many Moniker artists also have their roots in urban culture, particularly street art. Here’s what I liked:

New #artistrash monster on Hanbury Street

This Art is Trash monster was lurking against a tree just outside the gallery entrance on Hanbury Street: a deliberate situation, since he was showing as part of Moniker. I love these quirky monsters, which have been showing up with some regularity around the Brick Lane area: it’s great to see someone approaching street art from such a different perspective.

David shillinglaw - installation

Inside my favourite Moniker Art installation by far was by David Shillinglaw. This artist mixes tribal markings with modern iconography to construct complex narratives that take on a wonderful decorative form.

Crayola Folk by Dickon Drury at theotherartfair

Dickon Drury; a mad Eden featuring houses on stilts & crazy colour slides.

Over in The Other Art Fair I was captivated by colourful surreal works by Brixton based artist Dickon Drury. His Crayola folk are suitably odd, and his version of Eden features houses on stilts, out of which sprout crazy coloured slides.

Saucy and strange by Frederick Noeblerod

Frederik Næblerød really caught my attention with a wall of grotesque graphic pictures in neon colours. Saucily strange and full of a cheeky and irresistible energy.

Categories ,Art is Trash, ,Brick Lane, ,Brixton, ,Crayola, ,David Shillinglaw, ,Dickon Drury, ,Frederik Næblerød, ,Hanbury Street, ,Moniker Art Fair, ,The Other Art Fair, ,Truman Brewery

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Amelia’s Magazine | Review: Moniker Art Fair and The Other Art Fair at Truman Brewery 2013

Frederik Næblerød shark

Frederik Næblerød.

This year was my first visit to Moniker Art Fair, held at the Truman Brewery in conjunction with The Other Art Fair last weekend. Both fairs showcase contemporary artists operating just outside the mainstream art establishment, and many Moniker artists also have their roots in urban culture, particularly street art. Here’s what I liked:

New #artistrash monster on Hanbury Street

This Art is Trash monster was lurking against a tree just outside the gallery entrance on Hanbury Street: a deliberate situation, since he was showing as part of Moniker. I love these quirky monsters, which have been showing up with some regularity around the Brick Lane area: it’s great to see someone approaching street art from such a different perspective.

David shillinglaw - installation

Inside my favourite Moniker Art installation by far was by David Shillinglaw. This artist mixes tribal markings with modern iconography to construct complex narratives that take on a wonderful decorative form.

Crayola Folk by Dickon Drury at theotherartfair

Dickon Drury; a mad Eden featuring houses on stilts & crazy colour slides.

Over in The Other Art Fair I was captivated by colourful surreal works by Brixton based artist Dickon Drury. His Crayola folk are suitably odd, and his version of Eden features houses on stilts, out of which sprout crazy coloured slides.

Saucy and strange by Frederick Noeblerod

Frederik Næblerød really caught my attention with a wall of grotesque graphic pictures in neon colours. Saucily strange and full of a cheeky and irresistible energy.

Categories ,Art is Trash, ,Brick Lane, ,Brixton, ,Crayola, ,David Shillinglaw, ,Dickon Drury, ,Frederik Næblerød, ,Hanbury Street, ,Moniker Art Fair, ,The Other Art Fair, ,Truman Brewery

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Save Our Souls: Camberwell College of Arts Illustration Degree Show Review Part 2

For the launch of Amelia Gregory’s (Editor: Amelia’s Magazine) wonderful illustration anthology in which illustrators illustrated the range of alternative energy sources. The artists were asked to illustrate the walls of Concrete Hermit. Two of the participants Liv and Jess have subsequently formed an interesting project called Pencil Chit Chat in which their conversations happen entirely through their drawings. Culminating in an exhibition soon to occur at the Front Room in Cambridge. Liv and Jess will each have a side of the room in which to draw their conversations live. Part of the remit of the project is that in real life Liv and Jess have barely met and the illustrations arrive in the post.

Liv:It was at the drawing on the walls day at Concrete Hermit back in December. But I don’t think we even had an extensive chat at all. We were getting into the scribble zones. I was really impressed with Jess’ wall. It looked so bold and vibrant.

Jess: I remember Liv commented on my good use of type and I watched her slowly throughout the day and thought “wow”

How did you become to be involved in Amelia’s Anthology?

Jess: I’d already done some stuff for Amelia and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved in.

Liv: My local toon is intrinsically involved in environmental policies and it has positively rubbed onto me. I feel strongly about 4×4 vehicles. I have a pencil. I can draw stink lines.

Explain Pencil Chit Chat please…

Jess: I had the idea for a while and was just waiting for the right person to come along. I thought Liv’s type was different enough in style to mine but still had hand rendered qualities which helps fuse the project together.

Liv: It was Jess’ idea. I was bowled over and really excited by her email asking me to take part and be the other shoe to walk along a meandering little journey into scribbledom.

Where do you see Pencil Chit Chat developing?

Liv: Into print and to keep going. The whole idea of the Chit Chat is personal work but not self-indulgent. Maybe other illustrators could do the same. It’s like the Slow food movement, pilule pigeon post, back to the old writing desk days of yore.

Jess: Really I see it as a creative outlet where I can experiment and discover. I get many projects where people want a illustration which looks like a previous one. This is a chance for me to explore new techniques and avenues. Where do I see Pencil Chit Chat developing…….where it wants to really. Possibly I’d like a better website, but it have to be idiot proof for me and liv! Me and Liv where thinking we’d published the first years illustrations in a book by Christmas.

What are your plans?

Liv: Make a wee book, possibly in time for Crimbletime. Make up more words and infiltrate them into society. I’d like to see it passed onto others designers. Illustrators possibly sometimes feel like doodle hermits cooped up in their sheds or ships.

How did you become involved in front room?

Liv: This was also through Jess. As you can tell she is the brainchild of the operation- an extremely prolific and hardworking dude she is.

Jess: I came across there website whilst browsing on the internet. I got in touch! Originally I was going to do a solo exhibition. But I thought it be funnier and better with Liv.

How will the exhibition unfold? Will you take over the gallery walls again as at Concrete Hermit?

Jess: Pretty much! There going to be two different conversations unfolding, so we are both working all the time. “busy bees”

Liv: We will have two starting points i.e. two conversations will be underway, and we will swap over when one has finished their reply. It will be different I’m sure.

What is it that interests you about type, particularly hand rendered typography?

Liv: It’s really cathartic to draw letters and take your time over something that people do everyday, scribbling a note on a napkin or by the side of a crossword. It’s pure communication and you can be witty or stupid. I like like illustrations that educate you too. I was alwys pouring over my encyclopaedia when I wes a younger.

Jess I like the expression and extra meaning you can give to a word when its hand rendered type. I have always done it really it’s just natural.

What is your relationship between text and the illustration or is there no separation between the two?

Liv: Definitely the educational slant and informing an audience directly. I’d be more than happy to make versions in different languages, as that is a downside to hand rendered type if one doesn’t understand English. Maybe I should go and research in Japan..
I feel letterforms make my work look better! It’s an extra graphic detail, but it also has substance.

Jess: I see it as all part of my work. Sometimes the type can give extra meaning to the illustration

How did you develop as an illustrator?

Jess: I always really enjoyed drawing and being creative and it just seemed a natural progression for me. I like working to a brief also which is something illustrators seem to do often.

Liv: I decided it was the path for me when I realized it was in between fine art and graphic design. I didn’t want to be either of those. Illustration is for the people (as is Comic Sans- that’s a font for the people, but that’s another story) as it bridges gaps between understanding and informing one of a text or an idea, rather than alienating and putting something on a pedestal.

Favourite Illustrators?

Jess: Recently Cristina Guitian is doing brilliant stuff, and Adam Hayes. I really like the big shows that Le Gun put on. I saw there one at Pick Me Up I thought it was ace.

Liv: Old cookery books- the kitsch photography is joyous. Ren and Stimpy and other fifties-esque cartoons. Dirty edges and bits you get out of photocopiers, collaging Victorian style, Blists Hill museum, music pumping into my earlugs- plenty of textures and bleeps, Books books and more books. The music video ‘The Tain’.

In your interview in the Anthology your (Jess) use of Lightbox is mentioned, what and how does this work?

Liv: I hope this isn’t some new software everyone is in on. It’s a tracing cube with a switch and electricity, powered by a lemon battery used on the old spice ships to help sailors navigate in the lower decks. I think the Lumiere brothers invented it.

Jess: It’s a errrrrrrrr..(this is hard). Right!

It’s a box which you can draw on to copy the images underneath. So I draw all my roughs first, to get the alignments and proportions and then trace the images in color.

What were your thoughts about your respective technologies?

Jess: Why isn’t being used!

Liv: The sea serpent, The Anaconda- what a beast. It stays tethered to the seabed and gathers the power of the waves in its rubber body. A fantastical piece of engineering I want to see in our high seas.

For the launch of Amelia Gregory’s (Editor: Amelia’s Magazine) wonderful illustration anthology in which illustrators illustrated the range of alternative energy sources. The artists were asked to illustrate the walls of Concrete Hermit. Two of the participants Liv and Jess have subsequently formed an interesting project called Pencil Chit Chat in which their conversations happen entirely through their drawings. Culminating in an exhibition soon to occur at the Front Room in Cambridge. Liv and Jess will each have a side of the room in which to draw their conversations live. Part of the remit of the project is that in real life Liv and Jess have barely met and the illustrations arrive in the post.

Liv:It was at the drawing on the walls day at Concrete Hermit back in December. But I don’t think we even had an extensive chat at all. We were getting into the scribble zones. I was really impressed with Jess’ wall. It looked so bold and vibrant.

Jess: I remember Liv commented on my good use of type and I watched her slowly throughout the day and thought “wow”

How did you become to be involved in Amelia’s Anthology?

Jess: I’d already done some stuff for Amelia and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved in.

Liv: My local toon is intrinsically involved in environmental policies and it has positively rubbed onto me. I feel strongly about 4×4 vehicles. I have a pencil. I can draw stink lines.

Explain Pencil Chit Chat please…

Jess: I had the idea for a while and was just waiting for the right person to come along. I thought Liv’s type was different enough in style to mine but still had hand rendered qualities which helps fuse the project together.

Liv: It was Jess’ idea. I was bowled over and really excited by her email asking me to take part and be the other shoe to walk along a meandering little journey into scribbledom.

Where do you see Pencil Chit Chat developing?

Liv: Into print and to keep going. The whole idea of the Chit Chat is personal work but not self-indulgent. Maybe other illustrators could do the same. It’s like the Slow food movement, patient pigeon post, this back to the old writing desk days of yore.

Jess: Really I see it as a creative outlet where I can experiment and discover. I get many projects where people want a illustration which looks like a previous one. This is a chance for me to explore new techniques and avenues. Where do I see Pencil Chit Chat developing…….where it wants to really. Possibly I’d like a better website, pill but it have to be idiot proof for me and liv! Me and Liv where thinking we’d published the first years illustrations in a book by Christmas.

What are your plans?

Liv: Make a wee book, possibly in time for Crimbletime. Make up more words and infiltrate them into society. I’d like to see it passed onto others designers. Illustrators possibly sometimes feel like doodle hermits cooped up in their sheds or ships.

How did you become involved in front room?

Liv: This was also through Jess. As you can tell she is the brainchild of the operation- an extremely prolific and hardworking dude she is.

Jess: I came across there website whilst browsing on the internet. I got in touch! Originally I was going to do a solo exhibition. But I thought it be funnier and better with Liv.

How will the exhibition unfold? Will you take over the gallery walls again as at Concrete Hermit?

Jess: Pretty much! There going to be two different conversations unfolding, so we are both working all the time. “busy bees”

Liv: We will have two starting points i.e. two conversations will be underway, and we will swap over when one has finished their reply. It will be different I’m sure.

What is it that interests you about type, particularly hand rendered typography?

Liv: It’s really cathartic to draw letters and take your time over something that people do everyday, scribbling a note on a napkin or by the side of a crossword. It’s pure communication and you can be witty or stupid. I like like illustrations that educate you too. I was alwys pouring over my encyclopaedia when I wes a younger.

Jess I like the expression and extra meaning you can give to a word when its hand rendered type. I have always done it really it’s just natural.

What is your relationship between text and the illustration or is there no separation between the two?

Liv: Definitely the educational slant and informing an audience directly. I’d be more than happy to make versions in different languages, as that is a downside to hand rendered type if one doesn’t understand English. Maybe I should go and research in Japan..
I feel letterforms make my work look better! It’s an extra graphic detail, but it also has substance.

Jess: I see it as all part of my work. Sometimes the type can give extra meaning to the illustration

How did you develop as an illustrator?

Jess: I always really enjoyed drawing and being creative and it just seemed a natural progression for me. I like working to a brief also which is something illustrators seem to do often.

Liv: I decided it was the path for me when I realized it was in between fine art and graphic design. I didn’t want to be either of those. Illustration is for the people (as is Comic Sans- that’s a font for the people, but that’s another story) as it bridges gaps between understanding and informing one of a text or an idea, rather than alienating and putting something on a pedestal.

Favourite Illustrators?

Jess: Recently Cristina Guitian is doing brilliant stuff, and Adam Hayes. I really like the big shows that Le Gun put on. I saw there one at Pick Me Up I thought it was ace.

Liv: Old cookery books- the kitsch photography is joyous. Ren and Stimpy and other fifties-esque cartoons. Dirty edges and bits you get out of photocopiers, collaging Victorian style, Blists Hill museum, music pumping into my earlugs- plenty of textures and bleeps, Books books and more books. The music video ‘The Tain’.

In your interview in the Anthology your (Jess) use of Lightbox is mentioned, what and how does this work?

Liv: I hope this isn’t some new software everyone is in on. It’s a tracing cube with a switch and electricity, powered by a lemon battery used on the old spice ships to help sailors navigate in the lower decks. I think the Lumiere brothers invented it.

Jess: It’s a errrrrrrrr..(this is hard). Right!

It’s a box which you can draw on to copy the images underneath. So I draw all my roughs first, to get the alignments and proportions and then trace the images in color.

What were your thoughts about your respective technologies?

Jess: Why isn’t being used!

Liv: The sea serpent, The Anaconda- what a beast. It stays tethered to the seabed and gathers the power of the waves in its rubber body. A fantastical piece of engineering I want to see in our high seas.

I’ve already blogged about my absolute favourite illustrators from the Camberwell College of Arts Illustration Degree Show Save Our Souls, ask but because there was so much good stuff to see here is a compilation of my Best of the Rest: and apologies to any absolute wonders that somehow slipped from my gaze as I hurried around the exhibition.

Andrew Thorpe
I liked Andrew Thorpe‘s strange targets and squirrels etched onto wood.

Camberwell degree show2010Andrewthorpe

Jamie Peter Hall
Jamie Peter Hall‘s Germanscape used household paint on wood. His work has an appealing real fine art feel to it.

Jamie Peter Hall

Myrto Williams
For some reason I found this work from Myrto Williams extremely unsettling. But the combination of hyperreal style and unusual subject matter certainly drew me in.

Camberwell Degree2010 Myrto Williams

Nina Malysheva
This clever collaged paperwork to illustrate The Rime of the Ancient Mariner from Nina Malysheva had great appeal.

Nina Malysheva Mariner
Nina Malysheva

Paddy Jones
Paddy Jones takes cue from comic books, cure Andrew James Jones, prostate Modern Toss and ilk to produce fun characters, often with an accompanying storyline. I liked his large wooden cutouts.

Camberwell degree show2010Paddy Jones

Emily Brown
Does some very nice woodcut animals, but other than that I can tell you no more because she barely has an online presence. In fact this image was all I could find.

EMILY-BROWN

Imogen Kirk-Reynolds
Imogen Kirk-Reynolds played around with found imagery and type.

Imogen kirk reynolds

Rochu Chiu
A nice bit of nonsensical fun from Rochu Chiu, who had stuck a load of postcards spilling out of a fake letterbox onto the floor. Illustration or installation? You decide.

Camberwell Degree2010rochuchiu

Christie Corbally
I liked some of Christie Corbally‘s very trendy crystal influenced printed textile designs, but again, no website and no way to find more of her work. Even her link on the Save Our Souls website doesn’t work.

Camberwell degree show2010ChristieCorbally

Pete Willis
I liked Pete Willis‘s strange family portrait in coloured pencils and the similar scratchy pencil style of Feronia Parker-Thomas, who was reviewed in Matt Bramford’s earlier blog.

Pete Willis

On a bit of a tangent, I was most intrigued by the work of Sprouting 56… which appears to be a collective of “co-facilitators of edible related projects” that blurs into the Transition Town Brixton and Peckham food groups and takes into account a bit of guerilla gardening… quite what it has to do with illustration or any other artistic discipline I’m not sure, and will need further investigation. But it’s great to see artists tackling these kind of projects as part of their degree work. Very exciting stuff. With apologies for the shite photograph below but it’s all I have.

Camberwell Degree sprouting 56

Finally, I have to say that I continue to be massively surprised by the lack of online engagement from the majority of graduating illustrators. I suppose what irks me most is that I actually lectured most of these particular illustrators when I visited Camberwell during their second year, and I distinctly remember devoting a large part of my lecture to the importance of online networking – and especially the importance of being on Twitter. I’ve yet to find one of these illustrators proactively on there.

I suppose that what I take from this is that unless I actually sit down and spend significant amounts of time helping illustrators (or other artists and designers) to set up their online presence, then it simply goes straight over their heads. But then, that’s completely down to whether the art colleges will employ me to do so. I don’t think they can afford not to. Tutors, if you’re reading this, you know where to find me….

Categories ,Andrew Thorpe, ,Brixton, ,Camberwell College of, ,Christie Corbally, ,Emily Brown, ,Feronia Parker Thomas, ,Graduate Show, ,guerilla gardening, ,illustration, ,Imogen Kirk-Reynolds, ,Jamie Peter Hall, ,Myrto Williams, ,Nina Malysheva, ,Paddy Jones, ,Peckham, ,Pete Willis, ,Rochu Chiu, ,Save Our Souls, ,Sprouting 56, ,transition town

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Amelia’s Magazine | Save Our Souls: Camberwell College of Arts Illustration Degree Show Review Part 2

For the launch of Amelia Gregory’s (Editor: Amelia’s Magazine) wonderful illustration anthology in which illustrators illustrated the range of alternative energy sources. The artists were asked to illustrate the walls of Concrete Hermit. Two of the participants Liv and Jess have subsequently formed an interesting project called Pencil Chit Chat in which their conversations happen entirely through their drawings. Culminating in an exhibition soon to occur at the Front Room in Cambridge. Liv and Jess will each have a side of the room in which to draw their conversations live. Part of the remit of the project is that in real life Liv and Jess have barely met and the illustrations arrive in the post.

Liv:It was at the drawing on the walls day at Concrete Hermit back in December. But I don’t think we even had an extensive chat at all. We were getting into the scribble zones. I was really impressed with Jess’ wall. It looked so bold and vibrant.

Jess: I remember Liv commented on my good use of type and I watched her slowly throughout the day and thought “wow”

How did you become to be involved in Amelia’s Anthology?

Jess: I’d already done some stuff for Amelia and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved in.

Liv: My local toon is intrinsically involved in environmental policies and it has positively rubbed onto me. I feel strongly about 4×4 vehicles. I have a pencil. I can draw stink lines.

Explain Pencil Chit Chat please…

Jess: I had the idea for a while and was just waiting for the right person to come along. I thought Liv’s type was different enough in style to mine but still had hand rendered qualities which helps fuse the project together.

Liv: It was Jess’ idea. I was bowled over and really excited by her email asking me to take part and be the other shoe to walk along a meandering little journey into scribbledom.

Where do you see Pencil Chit Chat developing?

Liv: Into print and to keep going. The whole idea of the Chit Chat is personal work but not self-indulgent. Maybe other illustrators could do the same. It’s like the Slow food movement, pilule pigeon post, back to the old writing desk days of yore.

Jess: Really I see it as a creative outlet where I can experiment and discover. I get many projects where people want a illustration which looks like a previous one. This is a chance for me to explore new techniques and avenues. Where do I see Pencil Chit Chat developing…….where it wants to really. Possibly I’d like a better website, but it have to be idiot proof for me and liv! Me and Liv where thinking we’d published the first years illustrations in a book by Christmas.

What are your plans?

Liv: Make a wee book, possibly in time for Crimbletime. Make up more words and infiltrate them into society. I’d like to see it passed onto others designers. Illustrators possibly sometimes feel like doodle hermits cooped up in their sheds or ships.

How did you become involved in front room?

Liv: This was also through Jess. As you can tell she is the brainchild of the operation- an extremely prolific and hardworking dude she is.

Jess: I came across there website whilst browsing on the internet. I got in touch! Originally I was going to do a solo exhibition. But I thought it be funnier and better with Liv.

How will the exhibition unfold? Will you take over the gallery walls again as at Concrete Hermit?

Jess: Pretty much! There going to be two different conversations unfolding, so we are both working all the time. “busy bees”

Liv: We will have two starting points i.e. two conversations will be underway, and we will swap over when one has finished their reply. It will be different I’m sure.

What is it that interests you about type, particularly hand rendered typography?

Liv: It’s really cathartic to draw letters and take your time over something that people do everyday, scribbling a note on a napkin or by the side of a crossword. It’s pure communication and you can be witty or stupid. I like like illustrations that educate you too. I was alwys pouring over my encyclopaedia when I wes a younger.

Jess I like the expression and extra meaning you can give to a word when its hand rendered type. I have always done it really it’s just natural.

What is your relationship between text and the illustration or is there no separation between the two?

Liv: Definitely the educational slant and informing an audience directly. I’d be more than happy to make versions in different languages, as that is a downside to hand rendered type if one doesn’t understand English. Maybe I should go and research in Japan..
I feel letterforms make my work look better! It’s an extra graphic detail, but it also has substance.

Jess: I see it as all part of my work. Sometimes the type can give extra meaning to the illustration

How did you develop as an illustrator?

Jess: I always really enjoyed drawing and being creative and it just seemed a natural progression for me. I like working to a brief also which is something illustrators seem to do often.

Liv: I decided it was the path for me when I realized it was in between fine art and graphic design. I didn’t want to be either of those. Illustration is for the people (as is Comic Sans- that’s a font for the people, but that’s another story) as it bridges gaps between understanding and informing one of a text or an idea, rather than alienating and putting something on a pedestal.

Favourite Illustrators?

Jess: Recently Cristina Guitian is doing brilliant stuff, and Adam Hayes. I really like the big shows that Le Gun put on. I saw there one at Pick Me Up I thought it was ace.

Liv: Old cookery books- the kitsch photography is joyous. Ren and Stimpy and other fifties-esque cartoons. Dirty edges and bits you get out of photocopiers, collaging Victorian style, Blists Hill museum, music pumping into my earlugs- plenty of textures and bleeps, Books books and more books. The music video ‘The Tain’.

In your interview in the Anthology your (Jess) use of Lightbox is mentioned, what and how does this work?

Liv: I hope this isn’t some new software everyone is in on. It’s a tracing cube with a switch and electricity, powered by a lemon battery used on the old spice ships to help sailors navigate in the lower decks. I think the Lumiere brothers invented it.

Jess: It’s a errrrrrrrr..(this is hard). Right!

It’s a box which you can draw on to copy the images underneath. So I draw all my roughs first, to get the alignments and proportions and then trace the images in color.

What were your thoughts about your respective technologies?

Jess: Why isn’t being used!

Liv: The sea serpent, The Anaconda- what a beast. It stays tethered to the seabed and gathers the power of the waves in its rubber body. A fantastical piece of engineering I want to see in our high seas.

For the launch of Amelia Gregory’s (Editor: Amelia’s Magazine) wonderful illustration anthology in which illustrators illustrated the range of alternative energy sources. The artists were asked to illustrate the walls of Concrete Hermit. Two of the participants Liv and Jess have subsequently formed an interesting project called Pencil Chit Chat in which their conversations happen entirely through their drawings. Culminating in an exhibition soon to occur at the Front Room in Cambridge. Liv and Jess will each have a side of the room in which to draw their conversations live. Part of the remit of the project is that in real life Liv and Jess have barely met and the illustrations arrive in the post.

Liv:It was at the drawing on the walls day at Concrete Hermit back in December. But I don’t think we even had an extensive chat at all. We were getting into the scribble zones. I was really impressed with Jess’ wall. It looked so bold and vibrant.

Jess: I remember Liv commented on my good use of type and I watched her slowly throughout the day and thought “wow”

How did you become to be involved in Amelia’s Anthology?

Jess: I’d already done some stuff for Amelia and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved in.

Liv: My local toon is intrinsically involved in environmental policies and it has positively rubbed onto me. I feel strongly about 4×4 vehicles. I have a pencil. I can draw stink lines.

Explain Pencil Chit Chat please…

Jess: I had the idea for a while and was just waiting for the right person to come along. I thought Liv’s type was different enough in style to mine but still had hand rendered qualities which helps fuse the project together.

Liv: It was Jess’ idea. I was bowled over and really excited by her email asking me to take part and be the other shoe to walk along a meandering little journey into scribbledom.

Where do you see Pencil Chit Chat developing?

Liv: Into print and to keep going. The whole idea of the Chit Chat is personal work but not self-indulgent. Maybe other illustrators could do the same. It’s like the Slow food movement, patient pigeon post, this back to the old writing desk days of yore.

Jess: Really I see it as a creative outlet where I can experiment and discover. I get many projects where people want a illustration which looks like a previous one. This is a chance for me to explore new techniques and avenues. Where do I see Pencil Chit Chat developing…….where it wants to really. Possibly I’d like a better website, pill but it have to be idiot proof for me and liv! Me and Liv where thinking we’d published the first years illustrations in a book by Christmas.

What are your plans?

Liv: Make a wee book, possibly in time for Crimbletime. Make up more words and infiltrate them into society. I’d like to see it passed onto others designers. Illustrators possibly sometimes feel like doodle hermits cooped up in their sheds or ships.

How did you become involved in front room?

Liv: This was also through Jess. As you can tell she is the brainchild of the operation- an extremely prolific and hardworking dude she is.

Jess: I came across there website whilst browsing on the internet. I got in touch! Originally I was going to do a solo exhibition. But I thought it be funnier and better with Liv.

How will the exhibition unfold? Will you take over the gallery walls again as at Concrete Hermit?

Jess: Pretty much! There going to be two different conversations unfolding, so we are both working all the time. “busy bees”

Liv: We will have two starting points i.e. two conversations will be underway, and we will swap over when one has finished their reply. It will be different I’m sure.

What is it that interests you about type, particularly hand rendered typography?

Liv: It’s really cathartic to draw letters and take your time over something that people do everyday, scribbling a note on a napkin or by the side of a crossword. It’s pure communication and you can be witty or stupid. I like like illustrations that educate you too. I was alwys pouring over my encyclopaedia when I wes a younger.

Jess I like the expression and extra meaning you can give to a word when its hand rendered type. I have always done it really it’s just natural.

What is your relationship between text and the illustration or is there no separation between the two?

Liv: Definitely the educational slant and informing an audience directly. I’d be more than happy to make versions in different languages, as that is a downside to hand rendered type if one doesn’t understand English. Maybe I should go and research in Japan..
I feel letterforms make my work look better! It’s an extra graphic detail, but it also has substance.

Jess: I see it as all part of my work. Sometimes the type can give extra meaning to the illustration

How did you develop as an illustrator?

Jess: I always really enjoyed drawing and being creative and it just seemed a natural progression for me. I like working to a brief also which is something illustrators seem to do often.

Liv: I decided it was the path for me when I realized it was in between fine art and graphic design. I didn’t want to be either of those. Illustration is for the people (as is Comic Sans- that’s a font for the people, but that’s another story) as it bridges gaps between understanding and informing one of a text or an idea, rather than alienating and putting something on a pedestal.

Favourite Illustrators?

Jess: Recently Cristina Guitian is doing brilliant stuff, and Adam Hayes. I really like the big shows that Le Gun put on. I saw there one at Pick Me Up I thought it was ace.

Liv: Old cookery books- the kitsch photography is joyous. Ren and Stimpy and other fifties-esque cartoons. Dirty edges and bits you get out of photocopiers, collaging Victorian style, Blists Hill museum, music pumping into my earlugs- plenty of textures and bleeps, Books books and more books. The music video ‘The Tain’.

In your interview in the Anthology your (Jess) use of Lightbox is mentioned, what and how does this work?

Liv: I hope this isn’t some new software everyone is in on. It’s a tracing cube with a switch and electricity, powered by a lemon battery used on the old spice ships to help sailors navigate in the lower decks. I think the Lumiere brothers invented it.

Jess: It’s a errrrrrrrr..(this is hard). Right!

It’s a box which you can draw on to copy the images underneath. So I draw all my roughs first, to get the alignments and proportions and then trace the images in color.

What were your thoughts about your respective technologies?

Jess: Why isn’t being used!

Liv: The sea serpent, The Anaconda- what a beast. It stays tethered to the seabed and gathers the power of the waves in its rubber body. A fantastical piece of engineering I want to see in our high seas.

I’ve already blogged about my absolute favourite illustrators from the Camberwell College of Arts Illustration Degree Show Save Our Souls, ask but because there was so much good stuff to see here is a compilation of my Best of the Rest: and apologies to any absolute wonders that somehow slipped from my gaze as I hurried around the exhibition.

Andrew Thorpe
I liked Andrew Thorpe‘s strange targets and squirrels etched onto wood.

Camberwell degree show2010Andrewthorpe

Jamie Peter Hall
Jamie Peter Hall‘s Germanscape used household paint on wood. His work has an appealing real fine art feel to it.

Jamie Peter Hall

Myrto Williams
For some reason I found this work from Myrto Williams extremely unsettling. But the combination of hyperreal style and unusual subject matter certainly drew me in.

Camberwell Degree2010 Myrto Williams

Nina Malysheva
This clever collaged paperwork to illustrate The Rime of the Ancient Mariner from Nina Malysheva had great appeal.

Nina Malysheva Mariner
Nina Malysheva

Paddy Jones
Paddy Jones takes cue from comic books, cure Andrew James Jones, prostate Modern Toss and ilk to produce fun characters, often with an accompanying storyline. I liked his large wooden cutouts.

Camberwell degree show2010Paddy Jones

Emily Brown
Does some very nice woodcut animals, but other than that I can tell you no more because she barely has an online presence. In fact this image was all I could find.

EMILY-BROWN

Imogen Kirk-Reynolds
Imogen Kirk-Reynolds played around with found imagery and type.

Imogen kirk reynolds

Rochu Chiu
A nice bit of nonsensical fun from Rochu Chiu, who had stuck a load of postcards spilling out of a fake letterbox onto the floor. Illustration or installation? You decide.

Camberwell Degree2010rochuchiu

Christie Corbally
I liked some of Christie Corbally‘s very trendy crystal influenced printed textile designs, but again, no website and no way to find more of her work. Even her link on the Save Our Souls website doesn’t work.

Camberwell degree show2010ChristieCorbally

Pete Willis
I liked Pete Willis‘s strange family portrait in coloured pencils and the similar scratchy pencil style of Feronia Parker-Thomas, who was reviewed in Matt Bramford’s earlier blog.

Pete Willis

On a bit of a tangent, I was most intrigued by the work of Sprouting 56… which appears to be a collective of “co-facilitators of edible related projects” that blurs into the Transition Town Brixton and Peckham food groups and takes into account a bit of guerilla gardening… quite what it has to do with illustration or any other artistic discipline I’m not sure, and will need further investigation. But it’s great to see artists tackling these kind of projects as part of their degree work. Very exciting stuff. With apologies for the shite photograph below but it’s all I have.

Camberwell Degree sprouting 56

Finally, I have to say that I continue to be massively surprised by the lack of online engagement from the majority of graduating illustrators. I suppose what irks me most is that I actually lectured most of these particular illustrators when I visited Camberwell during their second year, and I distinctly remember devoting a large part of my lecture to the importance of online networking – and especially the importance of being on Twitter. I’ve yet to find one of these illustrators proactively on there.

I suppose that what I take from this is that unless I actually sit down and spend significant amounts of time helping illustrators (or other artists and designers) to set up their online presence, then it simply goes straight over their heads. But then, that’s completely down to whether the art colleges will employ me to do so. I don’t think they can afford not to. Tutors, if you’re reading this, you know where to find me….

Categories ,Andrew Thorpe, ,Brixton, ,Camberwell College of, ,Christie Corbally, ,Emily Brown, ,Feronia Parker Thomas, ,Graduate Show, ,guerilla gardening, ,illustration, ,Imogen Kirk-Reynolds, ,Jamie Peter Hall, ,Myrto Williams, ,Nina Malysheva, ,Paddy Jones, ,Peckham, ,Pete Willis, ,Rochu Chiu, ,Save Our Souls, ,Sprouting 56, ,transition town

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party photos: meet Liz Johnson-Artur

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of my ACOFI illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate a few of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Erica Sharp and Natsuki Otani (above) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, price buy but not on a table, treat oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are. Let me tell you, Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion)

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past many months

Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, medical but not on a table, viagra 100mg oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are. Let me tell you, Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion)

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past many months

Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, this web but not on a table, oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, viagra approved but not on a table, oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

You can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Please do buy a copy if you want to ensure this website keeps going… fer real.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, cheap but not on a table, pilule oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

You can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Please do buy a copy if you want to ensure this website keeps going strong to support both young creatives and people doing good in the world… fer real.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, information pills but not on a table, this site oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know.

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

You can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Please do buy a copy if you want to ensure this website keeps going strong to support both young creatives and people doing good in the world… fer real.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, medicine but not on a table, and oh no. On a head, where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know. (They appeared in issue 1 of Amelia’s Magazine a long time ago…)

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour. Voila, I introduce to you Alan and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though this wasn’t done from a party snap. She doesn’t appear in the book but if I’d met her earlier she almost certainly would have. Just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Amazing inspiring stuff, all of it. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

You can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Please do buy a copy if you want to ensure this website keeps going strong to support both young creatives and people doing good in the world… fer real.

6 day riot by Natsuki Otani
6 Day Riot‘s Tamara Schlesinger by Natsuki Otani.

There were so many amazing guests at my ACOFI launch who didn’t come down to the afternoon tea party that it seemed only natural to ask some of the illustrators who were also not present during the daytime to illustrate some of them. Which is how I wound up with this merry bunch of beautiful pictures.

A couple were unsurprisingly enamoured of 6 Day Riot: Natsuki Otani (above) and Erica Sharp (below) show just how differently illustrators can see things.

6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp
6 Day Riot by Erica Sharp.

ACOFI cake by Lesley Barnes
Lesley Barnes felt moved to illustrate the cake, and but not on a table, ask oh no. On a head, clinic where I feel it belongs rather nicely.

ACOFI-Launch Tim Adey-by-Yelena-Bryksenkova
Lovely Yelena Bryksenkova (who alas did not make it at the very last minute due to snowy conditions in New York) took up the challenge of illustrating my boyfriend Tim Adey… resplendent in Liberty print shirt and waving aloft a dainty teacup.

Amelia Gregory by Gemma Milly
Gemma Milly – also absent on a prolonged trip to Canada (the poor thing) illustrated the whole of my outfit, from Joanna Cave earrings, through Beautiful Soul cape, via Monsoon dress (ahem) down to Nina Dolcetti shoes. Splendid.

Gemma Milly-Courtney Blackman_ForwardPR
Gemma Milly also did this lovely illustration of Courtney Blackman from Forward PR.

Cleide Carina of Sketchbook at ACOFI launch by Abi Daker
Abigail Daker, stuck over in Cyprus, took on the challenge of capturing Cleide Carina of Sketchbook Mag. Love it!

emma_block_pipettes_ACOFI
You’ve already seen The Pipettes by Emma Block – but hell, it’s so good why not show it again?

Amelia Acofi by Faye West
Faye West as well took up the challenge of rendering me in all my illustratory glory.

Gareth A Hopkins Will From Mystery Jets
Gareth A Hopkins decided to illustrate the heart throb that is Will from the Mystery Jets… I feel he’s caught his tousled nature perfectly. He looks truly Byron-esque!

Jo Cheung Robots in Disguise
Jo Cheung fancied herself a bit of Robots in Disguise action. Love their hair. So changeable. But never ever boring. It’s been a long and beautiful relationship. Theirs, ours. You know. (They appeared in issue 1 of Amelia’s Magazine a long time ago…)

Kellie-Black-A-Goodone-Goodtime
Kellie Black illustrated one half of Goodone. Having a Goodtime.

Kellie-Black-Alan-&-Martin-Of-Principal-Colour
And then came back to render the lovely men who run Principal Colour in Kent. Voila, I introduce to you Alan Flack and Martin Darby, my printers extraordinaire. I’ve been working with them for seven years now and I will never stop telling people just how lovely they are… Amelia’s Magazine owes an awful lot to them. Hell, they even talk me through existential crises (Alan has found me in tears on more than one occasion).

ACOFI-launch-Liz-Johnson-Artur-byLisaStannard
Lisa Stannard did my parents Bruce and Ursula – who I barely even ran into over the entire night. But I hear they had fun which is all good.

ACOFIlaunch-Amelia+Nicola-by LisaStannard
And then she also did me together with Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, she who designed my wonderful shrug.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-ELLIE-LOUGHRAN
Natasha-Thompson-ACOFI-KORAL-WEBB
Natasha Thompson came up trumps with pictures of earth contributor Hannah Bullivant and bloggers Ellie Loughran and Koral Webb. Read Koral’s blog here: much kudos to her for asking her tutors if I can lecture at her University in March. Which I will be.

disney-roller-girl-katie-harnett2
I got wind that Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl had made it along to the launch although I didn’t get to meet her myself. I then found out that she “outed” herself just days later… there seems no better time to get her illustrated on the web. Here she is, by Katie Harnett.

cassius-katie-harnett
Who also could not resist a bit of Prince Cassius action. And why the hell not?

ACOFI cover by Ani Saunders
Ani Saunders of The Pipettes decided to create her own version of Andrea Peterson’s front cover for ACOFI. Just love it.

Amelia & Matt by Karina Yarv
Finally, Karina Yarv couldn’t resist herself a little bit of the action even though she wasn’t there, this wasn’t done from a party snap and she doesn’t appear in the book. Though doubtless she would have done if I’d met her earlier. Karina is just one of many illustrators who have done so much amazing work for Amelia’s Magazine in the past months. Thankyou so much, all of you, for being so so brilliant.

You can buy Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration here, with a special 10% if you use the discount code ACOFI LAUNCH up until the 28th February 2011. Please do buy a copy if you want to ensure this website keeps going strong to support both young creatives and people doing good in the world…

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Tamara Cincik and Amelia Gregory
Tamara Cincik and Amelia Gregory at the ACOFI launch by Liz Johnson-Artur.

Liz Johnson-Artur and myself go back a loooong way. In the days when I was interning at Arena Magazine (RIP) I accompanied her on shoots in Brixton as a fashion stylist’s assistant, troche and then when I became determined to become a photographer I began to assist her, memorably on a series of fashion shoots featuring posh girl models posing in posh country houses for the high society rag Tatler. They liked her quirkiness, and for us it was a great chance to see how the really rich live.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Prince Cassius
Prince Cassius.

Liz Johnson-Artur-Jonno Ovans, Matt Bramford & Sally Mumby-Croft
Jonno Ovans, Matt Bramford & Sally Mumby-Croft.

Liz was one of the few people who was willing to take me on at a time when I knew nothing about the technicalities of taking pictures – I still don’t know much to be fair, but that’s never hindered my love of photography. We’ve worked together many times since – she produced some wonderful early shoots for Amelia’s Magazine, then moved down to Brighton to bring her girl up in a more sedate environment than that surrounding the tower block in South London where she lived for many years.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Antonia Parker
ACOFI illustrator Antonia Parker.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Rachel de Ste. Croix drawing Susie Bubble
Rachel de Ste. Croix drawing Susie Bubble.

She’s the perfect person to bring along to a party because she so delights in capturing extravagant folk of all types, so, when I needed someone to shoot Pete Doherty and co at play for an editorial piece that I wrote for Fader Magazine right at the height of his mania who better to call on than Liz Johnson-Artur? And then in January I thought of her to capture my ACOFI launch party attendees. Luckily it was easy to persuade her to leave her south coast idyl and join us for the afternoon.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-6 Day Riot
6 Day Riot soundchecking.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Ballad Of
Claire from Ballad Of Magazine.

When putting this blog post together I decided to ask her to answer a few questions: read on and be inspired. It’s always a total pleasure to team up with Liz. Mwah.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Rosie and Harriet of Tatty Devine
Rosie and Harriet of Tatty Devine.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI

What was your favourite part of shooting the ACOFI launch?
The most amazing thing was to see what you are doing. I am one of those people who was there when you started, and seeing your energy prosper in such a creative and committed way, is for an old friend, to say the least… very nice.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Gabby Young
Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Gabby Young
Gabby Young.

Why do you still prefer to shoot on film? What does it add to an image that you can’t get on digital?
I love to have the negative as a starting point and I love being in the darkroom – I wouldn’t want to give it up for no easy ‘perfect photoshop’. My hands have a chance to touch negatives and this is part of what I want my photographs to transmit, the sense of being in touch with all our senses. I think this is an especially important thing in these times. Shooting on film gives you time between the taking and the having. For me photography is a sensual experience – it’s not about perfection or quick turn over, but the journey that it takes to see the photograph. I think that the limitation that film offers is also the creative and spiritual freedom, and it is worth preserving.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Andrea Peterson
Andrea Peterson at work.

You’ve got an amazing blog called Black Balloon Archive – what’s it all about?
My Black Balloon Archive started when I came to London and didn’t know much about the mix of the city. Growing up in Germany my access to black culture or communities was very much limited to black GIs, and standing in Brixton waiting for the bus I suddenly realised that I was in a place where all this could be explored. My camera was somehow a way of convincing people to let me in; there was never an aim or a strategy. All I wanted was to be let in – to look and learn.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Nina Dolcetti shoes
Nina Dolcetti shoes.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Amelia at 123
Running up and down the stairs at 123.

Starting in London I developed this hunger to find Afro/Caribbean communities to document wherever I could… in Portugal, Germany, the US, France and finally last year in Russia. Being of Ghanain/Russian descent myself this was personally an amazing trip. The Black Balloon Archive blog presents some of the images which I find in my archive – it enables me to retell some of the stories and revisit the faces that I have met on this journey…

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI
Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Johann Chan of Digital Arts
Johann Chan of Digital Arts.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Michelle Urvall Nyren and Naomi Law
Michelle Urvall Nyren and Naomi Law.

What will you be shooting next?
That depends on what will cross my path, but I guess that somehow it will be always be connected to people and their stories.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Courtney Blackman of Forward PR and Cate Sevilla of Bitch Buzz Buzz
Courtney Blackman of Forward PR and Cate Sevilla of Bitch Buzz.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Lily Vanilli having the Dr.Hauschka treatment
Lily Vanilli having the Dr.Hauschka treatment.

Liz, you tell those stories so very well… so I think it’s best to just let the pictures do the talking.

Don’t forget to visit the Black Ballon Archive on your way out.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Lesley Barnes
Illustrator Lesley Barnes.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-Susie Bubble
Susie Bubble.

Liz Johnson-Artur-ACOFI-illustrators
The illustrators gathered and ready to draw the guests.

Categories ,6 Day Riot, ,ACOFI, ,Afro/Caribbean, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Andrea Peterson, ,Antonia Parker, ,Arena Magazine, ,Ballad Of, ,Ballad Of Magazine, ,Bitch Buzz, ,brighton, ,Brixton, ,Cate Sevilla, ,Courtney Blackman, ,Digital Arts, ,Dr.Hauschka, ,Forward PR, ,gabby young, ,Ghanain, ,Johann Chan, ,Jonno Ovans, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Liz Johnson-Artur, ,Matt Bramford, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,Naomi Law, ,Nina Dolcetti, ,Prince Cassius, ,Rachel De Ste. Croix, ,Rosie and Harriet, ,Russian, ,Sally Mumby-Croft, ,Susie Bubble, ,Tamara Cincik, ,Tatler, ,Tatty Devine

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Eleanor Percival: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

eleanor percival atalanta 5
The delicate artwork of Eleanor Percival translates beautifully into her colouring book image of a heavily tattooed lady plucking a pear. Here she talks about her love of fiction, Renaissance paintings and good quality watercolours.

eleanor percival in studio
eleanor percival spread
What would be the story of your tattooed lady?
I think she’s a tattooist herself, but a bit of a psychic too. She can see her clients’ true natures and tattoos them with symbols of their characters, good or bad. She’s covered herself with images that represent who she is (I got very caught up in the meanings of tattoos while I was developing this piece, and even added in a couple that would mean something to me if I ever had the guts to get one). She would probably be very sought after, but would also get into trouble with those who didn’t like her representation of them.

eleanor percival fftmc
Who are your favourite writers and why?
I love strangeness in fiction, the uncanny – Roald Dahl’s short stories for adults seem to be set in the real world, then something knocks the story off-kilter and it feels like another universe. Virginia Woolf is always great but Orlando is, without doubt, my favourite of her books: the way the character moves through history (and genders) is written so cleverly that it barely seems odd at all.

eleanor percival poppies
Where did you do your BA and MA courses and what were the best things you learnt on them?
I did my BA at UCA Maidstone, which sadly has been closed down since. The course had been famously good since the sixties, so attracted wonderful staff. They really taught us to have clear motivations in our work – ‘Why have you used red here?’ ‘What does it symbolise?’ ‘What will viewers associate with it?’ Etc. They were also fantastic at driving home to us the practicalities of being an illustrator – how to promote ourselves, how to approach clients, even how to do our accounts. I loved it. I chose to do an MA at Camberwell because I wanted to free up a little, and to refine my style. I’m no Jackson Pollock, but my work has loosened up so much, and I’m more confident.

eleanor percival atalanta 1
Who is Atalanta and what attracted you to her story? (see also the opening image)
I knew from the beginning of my MA that I wanted to do a project around fairy tales or mythology, but I also wanted to champion a female character who wasn’t a feeble little princess or a conniving vamp. While I was researching endless Greek myths, a woman called Atalanta kept cropping up. She was always described as the strongest fighter and the fastest runner, and was featured in lots of famous stories, but I’d never heard of her before. So I did some more reading and amalgamated all of the bits I could find about her into my own narrative. She and her lover are turned into mountain lions in the end, but I made this into a happy-ever-after for them.

eleanor percival colouring in 1
What kind of references to art history can we expect to see in your art if we look closely?
The strange perspectives and proportions that I love are definitely influenced by Renaissance paintings. They used an obsessive mathematical approach that left a lot of imagery looking quite other-worldly and, though I don’t go anywhere near a ruler when I’m working out a composition, I try to recreate that slightly wonky effect. Indian Miniatures have crept in too – the space is very organised in most of my paintings, details are purposeful and sparse. And my figures often have very gestural poses too.

eleanor percival alicante
How do you arrange your workspace and what does typical work day look like?
My studio is a tiny spare room in the flat I share with my husband in Brixton. It’s absolutely crammed with books, old work and art materials, and my desk takes up about half the room. My working day is usually much the same: I’m at my desk with a cup of tea by nine but rarely start painting immediately; I look at artsy blogs, catch up on my e-mails and make to-do lists until I’m in the right mood. I’ll then work for the rest of the day (though I often find I’ve been staring out the window for ten minutes). At the end of a project I often find I need a day wandering around a museum or gallery to refresh.

eleanor percival atalanta 2
Why is it so important to you to embark on personal projects and what have you been doing most recently in this arena?
Every experienced illustrator I’ve ever met has underlined to me how important it is to do personal projects. It’s inevitable that when working with an art director, you find yourself doing little things that you wouldn’t do if left to your own devices. And that’s an important practice, but it’s also crucial that you do projects that are more essentially yours – things only you would think of doing in that particular way. I’ve been working on my own little colouring-in book recently. I wanted to have a break from working in colour, and also from doing projects with causes! It’s very simple, barely even a narrative, just an introduction to a character who lives in a cottage and loves gardening. I’m also putting together a line of greetings cards to sell in some local independent shops.

eleanor percival thank you card
Where will we be able to buy your greeting cards, and can you share a preview with us?
I’ve got a couple of designs for sale at Green & Stone on the Kings Road already, but I’m going to be approaching shops in Brixton Market.

eleanor percival ice-skaters
What is it that you particularly love about watercolour and where did you learn how to use it properly?
On my BA I didn’t have a clue about materials – I just grabbed whatever was close to hand – but after I graduated I got a part-time job in a beautiful old art supplies shop and learned all about the properties of watercolours, fine brushes and paper. With my discount I could afford to gradually build up a collection of really good quality paints and other materials. I use Schmincke and Daniel Smith paints mostly – they have really intense colours and granulate beautifully. I love that watercolour has a life of its own; you have a certain amount of control before you apply the brush, then the paint does whatever it wants – it just rolls around on the paper. But equally, it’s a lovely medium for creating delicate little details.

eleanor-percival-recipe1
Which cook’s recipes would you most like to illustrate and why?
Definitely my friend Milli Taylor’s, because I know how amazing her cooking is! I love the way she put ingredients together, and the flavours she creates. She’s brilliant at making her dishes look beautiful too – as she says in her book ‘we eat with our eyes’.

eleanor-percival-fruit-salad-recipe
Can you tell us anymore about your own colouring book plans?
I’m going to print a small edition to take to a few children’s book publishers and hopefully find someone who wants to sell it for me! My plan is that, over time, I can build up a series of stories about the same character that are fun to read as well as colour in.

eleanor percival colouring in 2
I love how every illustrator featured in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion creates such different work. Make sure you grab your copy of this limited edition colouring book once the campaign goes online on Kickstarter!

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Atalanta, ,Brixton, ,Camberwell College of Art, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,Daniel Smith, ,Eleanor Percival, ,Green & Stone, ,interview, ,Milli Taylor, ,Orlando, ,Roald Dahl, ,Schmincke, ,UCA Maidstone

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Amelia’s Magazine | Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen: Live Review

Beth Jeans Houghton by Gemma Cotterell

Beth Jeans Houghton by Gemma Cotterell

Squeezing past the punters at the bar, I could see that the box-like auditorium of Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen was already full in anticipation at the arrival of Beth Jeans Houghton. This was the last night of the tour supporting her new album, Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose, and, like her most recent appearance in the capital (Upstairs at the Garage), all tickets had long since gone.

YouTube Preview Image

I’d first discovered Beth Jeans Houghton a couple of years ago, playing a set at the Windmill in Brixton. At the time, the young Newcastle singer was a hotly tipped one-to-watch on the nu-folk scene (though she would probably consider herself more un-folk) following the release of the Hot Toast Volume One EP, before she seemingly dropped off the radar. Houghton resurfaced last year, having signed to Mute, and could be spotted playing at the Camden Crawl and, later on, at the Lexington (sporting a tiger stripe onesie, as you do). Gone are the wigs that she used to wear at gigs, the acoustic guitar (she’s now electric, you see) and the battered suitcase that doubled as a bass drum, but that amazing voice is still unchanged.

Beth Jeans Houghton by Sandra Jawad

Beth Jeans Houghton by Sandra Jawad

Taking to the stage with her band, the Hooves of Destiny, there was bit of a jokey keyboard and drums Also Sprach Zarathustra moment before things got underway. The set was basically a run through of tracks from the album, with a few added goodies thrown in. Houghton was very much centre stage, with a sparkly blue dress, bouffant blonde hair and bright red lipstick, and her voice soared through songs like Dodecahedron and Liliputt. Some Afrobeat-style guitar introduced Atlas, which I’m fairly sure had a few subtly altered lyrics, and old favourite I Will Return, I Promise was given a sprightly makeover.

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Houghton was more than capably backed by the band, featuring the imposing Findlay MacAskill on violin and backing vocal duties, Dav Shiel and his galloping drums, Ed Blazey swapping between trumpet, a very posh banjo and guitar and bass player Rory Gibson’s frighteningly loud trousers. It was pretty clear that everyone was enjoying themselves, and a broken string and dodgy guitar strap did little to dampen the onstage banter. Houghton was in impish mood, telling the audience what MacAskill (a doctor) had been doing during the day (repairing some poor unfortunate’s nether regions) before conducting a survey of what people’s favourite words were (“discombobulation” seemed to score quite highly). There was also a prize for “funkiest dancer” up for grabs.

Beth Jeans Houghton by Claire Kearns

Beth Jeans Houghton by Claire Kearns

The set closed with Houghton and the Hooves joined by the support band, Goodnight Lenin, for a fully choreographed rendition of (would you believe) Madonna’s Like A Prayer, before being urged back on stage by the crowd for an encore and ripping through the joyously punky coda to the album finale, Carousel.

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With her much anticipated album finally released (and very well received), and now apparently based full time in Los Angeles, it looks like Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny will be riding on to bigger and better things.

Categories ,afrobeat, ,beth jeans houghton, ,Brixton, ,Camden Crawl, ,folk, ,Goodnight Lenin, ,Hooves of Destiny, ,Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, ,Los Angeles, ,Madonna, ,Mute, ,Newcastle, ,The Garage, ,The Lexington, ,The Windmill

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Amelia’s Magazine | Caitlin Rose at the Windmill Brixton: Live Review

Find Your Feet-Bollywood
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson.

On Sunday 13th March Find Your Feet hosted an ethical fashion show at the Mint Leaf restaurant in the Haymarket. I was invited to donate a copy of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration for We Are What We Wear by the show stylist, abortion the lovely Zoe Robinson of Think Style – a women with many sustainable strings to her bow. She works as an actress, a writer (for Egg Mag) and an ethical image consultant.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia GregoryBollywood dancing by Jane Young
Bollywood dancing from Honey’s Dance Academy by Jane Young.

We were treated to some very energetic Bollywood dancing thanks to Honey’s Dance Academy, followed by two short catwalk shows which took place on walkways surrounding the sunken restaurant. Models included youngsters and a couple of more mature women from Close Models, which provided a really uplifting touch.

Junky Styling by YesGo IllustrationJunky Styling by YesGo Illustration
Junky Styling by YesGo Illustration.

Find Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Junky Styling. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Find Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia Gregory
People Tree.

Find Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Bhavna.

Find Your Feet Outsider. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Outsider.

During the first show we saw a fabulous multi layered pink maxi dress from ACOFI featured designer Junky Styling, cute dresses from People Tree, embellished bamboo dresses from Bhavna, and gorgeous silk classics from Outsider, who I discovered at Ecoluxe this season.

Find Your Feet- Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids.

As I had a bar ticket I was able to roam around, and between shows sat with Zoe, Amisha Ghadalli, Maria Papadimitriou of Slowly the Eggs/Plastic Seconds and Orsola de Castro of From Somewhere, who was entertaining her young daughter and her friend. We ate some yummy canapes and watched a magician bend forks, then a Find Your Feet ambassador described the work done by this charity, which includes helping to fund sustainable farming practices. Fittingly, she described how a group of women in rural India bandied together to make the most of the mint growing on local farms – they now have a successful essential oil business.

Find Your Feet-magician. Photography by Amelia Gregory
The magician entertains the kids.

Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Charley Speed and bottle top bag.

Then it was on to the auction, where any mention of my book was usurped by the lure of an Outsider dress, as worn by a celebrity – the presenter Charley Speed dashing maniacally around the room to squeeze as much money as possible out of the generous crowd. The whole lot (including a bottle top bag) went for £300, and I can only hope that the recipient appreciated my donation because he probably had no clue what it was.

Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Round two featured three Amelia’s Magazine favourites from ACOFI: off-cut drama courtesy of From Somewhere, amazing sculptural pieces from Ada Zanditon and colourful dresses with sunflower decorations from By Stamo. There was also some playful printed dresses from Love Phool.

From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins
From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins.

Find Your Feet-From Somewhere. Photography by Amelia Gregory
From Somewhere.

Find Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011.

Find Your Feet-Lovephool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Love Phool.

Find Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia Gregory
By Stamo A/W 2011.

A range of ethical accessories were used to style the show, amongst them some old favourites: LeJu, Nina Dolcetti and Joanna Cave… and some new discoveries: Meher Kakalia, who adapts ancient shoemaking techniques from her home town of Karachi to create modern footwear in Brixton, and Kumvana Gomani, who creates delicate jewellery out of plastic waste.

By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen SmithBy Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Exposing ethical design to more people and raising money for sustainable projects are good things to do, but We Aren’t JUST What We Wear, we are also What We Do in every aspect of life. On my return home I was somewhat saddened to read about a couple of other auction sponsors: it was also possible to win a test track experience with Jaguar or a BMW for the weekend. I know that money has to come from somewhere but there is a distinct lack of joined up thinking in ethical practice: a Mint Leaf waiter could not tell me whether the chicken they served us was freerange or organic.

We Are What We Wear was a massive success: raising over £10,000 to support sustainable weaving projects in India, but I wish that there was more recognition within the charity sector that sustainable practice involves more than donating money for dinner to support those less fortunate on the other side of the world, it’s about a holistic way of being. Within this world view I do not include hyping the desirability of extremely expensive energy guzzling cars. Needless to say, mine was the only bike tied up outside the Mint Leaf restaurant.

Caitlin Rose by Hayley Akins
Illustration by Hayley Akins.

Such had been the anticipation surrounding Caitlin Rose’s return to the UK, adiposity especially after the release of her acclaimed debut album, Own Side Now, that her shows in the capital soon sold out. Being the smallest of those venues, but organised by such thoughtful fellows, Brixton’s Windmill quickly arranged a special early evening show to cater for any disappointed punters. Needless to say, the tickets flew for that one as well.

CAITLINROSE_BY DONYATODD
Illustration by Donya Todd

I’d been caught out too many times by being lastminute.com when buying tickets in the past, so I’d got in sharpish and, as a result, I drew the straw for the late show. I arrived quite early (well, 9.00pm) and caught the support band, Treetop Flyers, limbering up for their second performance of the evening. A London based band, and purveyors of the finest Americana, tonight they were playing a more stripped back acoustic set. I’d never caught them before, but I liked what I heard. They set the mood nicely for the evening, even throwing in a Townes Van Zandt cover.

caitlin rose-stephanie thieullent
Illustration by Stephanie Thieullent

By the time Caitlin Rose took to the stage, the Windmill was pretty rammed. I’d seen her live a couple of times before (and all but once at the Windmill), though this was the first time with a full band (apparently they couldn’t afford to fly out the drummer from the US on the last tour). After having obviously enjoyed a few refreshments between sets, Rose cheerfully exclaimed “two of us haven’t slept!”, as the band launched into New York.

caitlin rose by mary ferfyri
Illustration by Mary Ferfiry

Own Side Now has seen Caitlin Rose expand on the fairly traditional country sound of her debut release, the Dead Flowers EP (as hinted at in an interview with Amelia’s Magazine last summer). The intimacy of the Windmill really lent itself to her songs (and especially that voice!), as we sampled such bittersweet treats as For The Rabbits and Learning To Ride.

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There was a particularly affecting rendition of Own Side, which brought a lump to the throat of even this old cynic. Answer In One Of These Bottles (from Dead Flowers) sparked a raucous sing-along, before everyone rocked out to Shanghai Cigarettes.

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Caitlin Rose by Ashley Fauguel
Illustration by Ashley Fauguel

Rose switched from acoustic guitar to electric and back again, there was plenty of banter, and there were all the hallmarks for a special night in place. After a couple more UK dates before a return to the US, and then a trip to the Antipodes, we’re not likely to see Ms Rose on these shores again before some festival appearances in the summer – given her current ascendency, one wonders whether we’ll ever see her play in such a venue as the Windmill again.

Caitlin Rose by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly the Eggs

Categories ,americana, ,Ashley Fauguel, ,Brixton, ,Caitlin Rose, ,country, ,Dead Flowers EP, ,Donya Todd, ,Hayley Akins, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Mary Ferfiry, ,Nashville, ,Own Side Now, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Stéphanie Thieullent, ,Townes van Zandt, ,Treetop Flyers, ,Windmill

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Amelia’s Magazine | Austra, Viv Albertine & Daughter at the Windmill: music review


Sarah Baardarani, search illustrated by Naomi Law

With Fashion Scout releasing their Ones to Watch for the coming season last week, it was only going to be a matter of fashion minutes before the British Fashion Council announced who was going to feature on the stands this A/W 2011 fashion week. And here they are!

I like the exhibitions a lot. You get to really get a feel for the collections – you can see them up close and touch them – hell, you can even smell them if that’s your bag. While a big-budget catwalk show has the atmosphere to accompany the clothes, I often miss many of the design quirks and fabric features because I’m just too damn busy photographing, tweeting and scribbling what will later become illegible notes. With the stands, you can see the colossal effort that a designer has put into their collection and often they’re hanging around, so you can EVEN chat to them too.

It’s also a great place to find up-an-coming design talent: fresh ideas and new ways of doing things. Sod the oldies on the catwalks. This year looks like it won’t disappoint. Here’s a round of the ‘Emerging Designers’ that the BFC has added to its roster:
austra by anko
Austra by Anko

It may have been a typically miserable Monday night in January, thumb but we were safe from the elements within the hallowed hall that is the Windmill in Brixton. This unassuming little pub just off the busy thoroughfare of Brixton Hill (and in the shadow of a real windmill, the only one remaining in London), has seen many upcoming bands and surprise appearances from old faces grace its stage over the years. My favourite music venue in London (and my second gig there in 48 hours), I’ve had a lot of nights at the Windmill that have been great (including my second New Year’s Eve in London), hazy (ditto) and just plain bizarre.

elena tonra by ellie sutton
Elena Tonra by Ellie Sutton.

The evening began with some haunting acoustica from Daughter, aka Elena Tonra. Plucking at an acoustic guitar, and backed by some subtle electric guitar washes, Tonra’s hushed vocals delivered some daintily dark lyrics that drew the onlookers in. As the Windmill began to fill up, Viv Albertine took to the stage with her new band, Limerence. Once the guitarist and co-songwriter with iconic punk band The Slits, Albertine had been off the music scene for over 20 years after pursuing a career in TV and film directing, but she recently made a return to the stage (indeed, her debut was here at the Windmill) and has gone on to release an EP on the label of Sonic Youth’s very own Thurston Moore.

Viv Albertine by Karina Yarv
Viv Albertine by Karina Yarv.

“Limerence” was a term coined to describe a near-obsessive form of romantic love, though Albertine joked that her songs were generally about pretty much the opposite. Limerence the band is a loose collective of musicians – I’d seen them play at the George Tavern in Stepney last year with pretty much a full compliment, but tonight it was just a pairing of violin and a combo of keyboard, guitar and ukulele. Musically, Albertine has moved on from the reggae infused sound of her old band, though her guitar is still as distinctive as it was on songs like Typical Girls. If anything, there’s a hint of Syd Barrett about songs like Fairytale and the twisted pop of Never Come, and the lyrics are as witty and spiky as you’d expect. Void references a darker part of her punk past, and was introduced with a few reminiscences of 1976. The paired down line-up actually gave an extra edge to Albertine’s songs, highlighted on the unsettling set closer, Confessions Of A Milf, which descended into a one-chord riff on suburban paranoia.

Canadian headliners Austra have been causing a bit of a buzz of late. Hailing from Toronto, and centred on vocalist Katie Stelmanis, with Maya Postepski on programming and Dorian Wolf on bass, they recently renamed themselves (having previously been going under Stelmanis’ moniker), signed to Domino and currently have a 12” single out, with an album in the pipeline for later this year.

Austra gig at The Windmill by Laura Godfrey
Austra gig at The Windmill by Laura Godfrey.

For the UK leg of a whistle-stop European tour, starting tonight, Stelmanis and co were joined by a drummer, keyboard player and two extra vocalists. There was a bit of a shaky start with a technical hitch before things got into their stride. It would be easy to make comparisons with Fever Ray and Glasser (especially as I’d seen both live fairly recently), and Austra do fall into that category of brooding female vocals over dark electronic beats. However, they’re not as dense as Fever Ray or as spectral as Glasser, especially live. I’d read somewhere that Austra were like “Fever Ray gone disco”, which actually isn’t a million miles off the mark. The single, Beat & the Pulse, is distinctly dance-friendly, and while Stelmanis’ vocal delivery may be reminiscent of Karin Dreijer Andersson, the general vibe is more akin to the early to mid 80’s indie-dance crossover. In the confined space of the Windmill, Austra’s songs become much more organic, with the live drums and bass giving an added kick. There was also plenty of theatricality, with Stelmanis and her sidekicks whirling and dipping during each song.

It was a typically great and varied mix of bands and styles tonight, another in a long line of great nights that I’ve experienced at the Windmill, and another one I’m sure that the venue’s legendary Roof Dog would approve of.

Categories ,acoustic, ,Anko, ,Austra, ,Brixton, ,dance, ,Daughter, ,domino, ,electronic, ,Elena Tonra, ,Ellie Sutton, ,Fever Ray, ,George Tavern, ,Glasser, ,Karin Dreijer Andersson, ,Karina Yarv, ,Laura Godfrey, ,Limerence, ,LJG Art, ,punk, ,reggae, ,Roof Dog, ,Sonic Youth, ,Stepney, ,Syd Barrett, ,the slits, ,Thurston Moore, ,Toronto, ,Typical Girls, ,viv albertine, ,Windmill

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Amelia’s Magazine | Shonen Knife at the Scala: Live Review

Shonen Knife by Sally Jane Thompson
Shonen Knife by Sally Jane Thompson

After a month long tour around Europe which kicked off in, information pills of all places, more about Brixton’s Windmill, viagra Shonen Knife arrived at the Scala for their 30th birthday bash. Originally formed in Osaka by sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano, along with their friend Michie Nakatani, and influenced as much by 1960’s girl groups as by punk bands (especially the Ramones), Shonen Knife created an energetic, upbeat, irresistibly catchy yet still underground sound (packaged in colourful, often homemade outfits). Their music made its way to the US alt-rock scene and they eventually found unlikely champions in such luminaries as Sonic Youth and, especially, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain (who invited Shonen Knife on a tour of the UK in the early 90’s). Now on their (at the last count) eighteenth studio album (a set of classic Ramones covers), Shonen Knife were back in town and ready to rock Kings Cross.

Shonen Knife by Fi Blog
Shonen Knife by Fi Blog

I’d first caught Shonen Knife at their Windmill gig in August (I think only their second or third in London in around 15 years) when they were in the guise of the Osaka Ramones, and it was an exhilarating run through of the Ramones’ finest. The Windmill was pretty rammed that night and, filing into the auditorium of this old cinema with our special Shonen Knife wristbands, I could see that the Scala was going to be pretty busy too.

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The trio cheerily took to the stage holding bright orange scarves aloft, and then we were underway. On lead vocals and guitar, Naoko is the only remaining founder member, but she is more than capably supported by the ever smiling Ritsuko Taneda on bass, and the band’s newest member, Emi Morimoto, is certainly no slouch on drums.

Shonen Knife by Claire Kearns
Shonen Knife by Claire Kearns

Kicking off with Konnichiwa and Twist Barbie, Shonen Knife started as they meant to continue – fast and frenetic. Their songs may be uncomplicated, they may be about such everyday things as candy or furry animals, but they’re played with such energy and delivered with such enthusiasm that even the biggest grump would find it hard not to enjoy them. Shonen Knife are all about fun!

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As well as assorted gems from their back catalogue, there were a couple of tracks from their more recent albums, such as Super Group, the reggae-ish and intensely catchy Capybara (about, yes, a furry animal) and Perfect Freedom (both from last year’s Free Time LP). Ritsuko took time between thrashing her bass for lead vocals on Devil House, whilst Emi was also on vocal duty for the very 1960’s sounding I Am A Cat. Naoko was not to be outdone by the youngsters as Shonen Knife properly rocked out at the end of the set with Economic Crisis (see, they don’t just sing about furry animals!), which had just a hint of Motörhead about it, and Cobra Vs Mongoose.

Shonen Knife by Louise Wright
Shonen Knife by Louise Wright

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To the particular delight of the mosh pit that had formed in front of Naoko, the band returned as their alter egos, the Osaka Ramones, and, with Ritsuko once again on lead vocals, launched into Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. Emi took over for The KKK Took My Baby Away before we headed, inevitably (and with the help of a stage diver), towards Blitzkrieg Bop. I’m pretty sure the whole of the Scala was shouting “hey ho, let’s go!” There was no rest for Shonen Knife, though, as they straight away headed to the foyer to sign autographs for the throng of ecstatic (and exhausted) fans afterwards.

Shonen Knife by Gabriel Ayala
Shonen Knife by Gabriel Ayala

As Shonen Knife return home to Japan for some more shows, and with the prospect of a US tour on the horizon, it certainly looks like the party isn’t over just yet!

Categories ,alt-rock, ,Brixton, ,Claire Kearns, ,Fi Blog, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Girl-Groups, ,japan, ,Kings Cross, ,Kurt Cobain, ,Louise Wright, ,Motörhead, ,nirvana, ,Osaka, ,Osaka Ramones, ,punk, ,Ramones, ,Sally Jane Thompson, ,Scala, ,Shonen Knife, ,Sonic Youth, ,underground, ,Windmill

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