Isher Dhiman – Page 3 – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Jewellery Designer Kate Sibley, talking about her ‘Future Jewellery’ Collection

Kate Sibley Jewellery by Laura Griffin

When I first looked at images of Kate Sibley’s stone ‘paper’ Future Jewellery I was reminded of a gorgeous book I fell in love with a few years ago called ‘The Paper Jewelry Collection: Easy to wear and ready to make pop out artwear’. It features beautiful patterns printed on variously shaped paper which you can remove from the book and fold in different ways to create eye catching jewellery pieces. I still have this book and, like Kate Sibley’s jewellery, find it hugely inspiring. Both push boundaries in terms of what form jewellery pieces can have and what materials they are made of – the latter being especially crucial at the moment in terms of sustainability. The limited edition pieces by Kate Sibley are transitory and deliberately have a short lifespan, agreeing with the fast fashion trend. Yet the jewellery, made from non-toxic stone ‘paper’, can be infinitely recycled or safely composted at the end of its life, leaving no negative imprint on the environment. Here Kate Sibley shares with us a little about the context, inspirations and processes behind her origami-like jewellery collection.

Kate Sibley Jewellery Necklaces group

You started out as a graphic designer, how did you become interested in jewellery design specifically and decide to do an MA at Central Saint Martins?
My undergraduate degree was in eco design and design studies at Goldsmiths College where my final piece was in fact a jewellery collection. The graphics route was purely by chance and a result of the experience I gained on work placements while still at university. It became a logical career path upon graduation as it gave me the opportunity to make money as a practicing designer. After several years of full time employment I took the step to become a freelance graphic designer which enabled me to focus more on other creative interests including my jewellery. I then applied to continue my studies at Central St Martins as it would provide me with a network of mentors and place me in a stimulating environment to further develop my ideas.

Kate Sibley Necklace

How does your graphic design background influence your jewellery collections?
My decision to work with paper for my latest collection was born out of my desire to question the fast fashion industry and explore sustainable materials and systems. After a year of intensive materials research the logical path took me to the stone paper I use today. Having a deep knowledge of graphics and print enabled me to really explore a unique approach to my jewellery where I had very few restrictions. I could explore, colour, tone, pattern and form in a way that you can’t with traditional jewellery making processes. It also had its problems as it makes it incredibly hard to make decisions when your options are endless so you need to be confident in your ideas and follow them through with conviction.

Kate Sibley Jewellery by Isher Dhiman

Could you tell us a bit more about the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ theory and closed loop systems and the influence they’ve had on your work?
The term Cradle to Cradle refers to a designed system where commercial productivity and sustainability can co-exist and benefit one another. This is achieved by ensuring that products and materials are designed to fit onto a biological and/or a technical system – closed loop. A biological system refers to materials that can harmlessly decompose and return to the earth providing nourishment rather than toxic landfill, whereas a technical system is one based on materials being reprocessed repeatedly without degradation or any loss in quality. Cradle to Cradle has influenced my work greatly. What I like is that it provides a rational and practical solution to a sustainable future whilst celebrating abundance and creativity. Rather than the consumer being half-heartedly encouraged to change their consumer behavior, the ball is firmly in the court of designers and manufacturers to design better products. It is a challenge, but designers like myself thrive on creative challenges.
My current collection is designed with materials that fit within both a biological and a technical cycle.

Kate Sibley Pin
Where do you source the paper from which your current collection is made?
I source the paper from a supplier in Europe as it is not available in the UK.

Kate Sibley Jewellery by Polly Stopforth

Where did you learn to fold so beautifully and by what process do you apply the eye catching patterns and colours on the pieces?
Strangely I’ve always had a fascination with folding paper. I think it’s something to do with pushing a material to its limits and really exploring it’s potential. The techniques and folds I’ve used to produce this collection have all been developed by myself as a way to overcome design issues and to form the shapes and structures I wanted. The colour and patterns are screen printed by myself.

Kate Sibley Necklace
You are the co-director of the design studio Sibley Grove with your husband Jeremy Grove. How do the other design disciplines the studio is involved in impact your jewellery work? Is working with diverse worlds helping your creative juices?
Running the design studio alongside developing my jewellery collections is hard work, but I enjoy it as I thrive on being busy and productive. We work across several disciplines, interior design, architecture, graphics and product, and I find all of these areas inspire my jewellery because they expose me to materials and processes I might not otherwise come across. The jewellery also positively influences the rest of the work our studio does, because it is a platform to be more experimental and try new things, but on a smaller scale.

Kate Sibley Future Jewellery Necklace by Shy Illustrations

In terms of fashion and jewellery design what are your inspirations?
My inspirations for this collection have mainly come from the art deco architecture of downtown Manhattan, where I am particularly attracted to the repeat patterns that are made with tiling, patterns cast into building facades and the forms made by railings and ironwork. In general though, my inspirations can come from anywhere, from the detailing on a train seat, to the beauty of an insects wing.

Kate Sibley Earrings

For your near future collections do you plan to explore more folding techniques and continue the use of ‘paper’ or can you reveal some more sustainable materials you have in mind using?
This collection of earrings will evolve into other shapes and colours, which will be released each fashion season, but all future pieces will fit into the universal earring clasp. I am interested in exploring other ways of printing on and texturing the surface of the paper material, and feel there is great potential to explore this further. I intend for the collection to grow and to release necklaces, bangles and brooches in the future. I am always researching new and interesting materials and have a growing collection which I will certainly experiment with in the future.

Kate Sibley Jewellery by Katie Allen

How could one become the owner of one of your beautiful pieces?
At the moment I am accepting commissions to produce bespoke pieces of any scale. This specific collection will be launched for sale in the new year and you will be able to buy pieces through a number of galleries and shops. You can contact us through our website www.sibleygrove.com, or at studio@sibleygrove.com to be added to our mailing list for further updates, or to talk about commissioning possibilities.

Written by Maria Papadimitriou on Sunday November 11th, 2012 10:08 pm

Categories ,Central Saint Martins, ,colour, ,Cradle to Cradle, ,Designer’s Block, ,Earrings, ,Eco-Design, ,fashion, ,Fast Fashion, ,Folding, ,geometric, ,Gold Leaf, ,goldsmiths, ,Graphic Design, ,Isher Dhiman, ,jewellery, ,Jewellery Collection, ,Kate Sibley, ,Katie Allen, ,Laura Griffin, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Necklaces, ,origami, ,paper, ,pattern, ,Polly Stopforth, ,Printing, ,screenprinting, ,Shy Illustrations, ,Sibley Grove, ,Stone Paper, ,Sustainable Fashion, ,Sustainable Materilas

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Kelly Moore, designer of Kelly Moore SLR Camera Handbags

kelly moore SLR camera handbag
I always head down to London Fashion Week with my SLR in a scraggy looking shoulder bag: partly because I want it to be inconspicuous, and partly because I don’t want to lug my ‘real’ camera bag around the shows. No more! A few weeks ago photographer and designer Kelly Moore sent me one of her stylish SLR camera handbags (above) to try out, and I can’t wait to hit A/W 2013 with it on my back.

kelly moore camera handbags portrait
Kelly Moore is a photographer who decided to create a bag range when she realised that there was a yawning great gap in the market. “We carry very expensive gear, we don’t want to say ‘Come steal me!’” she explains in this video interview. Photographers and bloggers in the USA have understandably gone crazy for the Kelly Moore range: from the capacious Libby bag to the more petite Posey there is something to please every kind of photographer, with even a style for men.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vimeo.com/45800207" rel="noopener">http://www.vimeo.com/45800207</a>
Here’s a video of Kelly Moore describing the design and functions of the Chapel bag that I shall be road-testing very soon. I absolutely love that she also explains how it can be used as a nappy changing bag as well: I plan to make full use of it’s multi function. You can view handy videos describing all of the camera handbags right here. I asked Kelly Moore a few questions:

I love your bag designs! What were you looking at as inspiration when you first started to design bags? I presume it was other designer handbags as well as the usual camera bags!
My original inspiration was the sheer fact that the product I wanted didn’t exist! As a photographer, I wanted to carry my gear with me, both on professional shoots as well as in my everyday life, and my only option was black and boring! From there, my inspiration came first from the function the bag had to serve, and then I designed a beautiful, stylish bag to fit that function. Of course, I look to my favorite handbag lines for inspiration, but it also comes from clothing, magazines, photography and nature. Inspiration is everywhere!

Kelly Moore Chapel Camera Handbag by Veronica Rowlands.

Your bags are made from very high quality man-made leather rather than real leather, what was the decision behind this?
I wanted our bags to be accessible to the everyday woman. As much as I love genuine leather, the price point would be double (or more) what our bags cost now, and I didn’t want to enter the marketplace being unattainable to the majority of people. Also, our manmade materials are low maintenance and water resistant. This is a definite plus when you are carrying around expensive gear!

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vimeo.com/12184907" rel="noopener">http://www.vimeo.com/12184907</a>
This atmospheric video was shot by film maker Joshua Smith, using glass shards held over the lens to give a vintage feel.

My Chapel bag contains a removable cushioned interior – what prompted this design detail?
This is a new feature that we’ve added in the last 6 months, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. There are several benefits to the removable basket. It makes our bags even more adaptable to someone who may not want to use it as a camera bag (although, I’ve found that even when I’m not carrying gear, I love the organization that the basket gives!) You can remove the basket and the interior of the bag has no velcro. It also makes it easier to load your gear or whatever you’d like to carry, and then insert it into the bag. The basket now allows you to have space on either side to store magazines, Ipad and other large objects.

Kelly Moore Camera Handbag 2 Sues
Kelly Moore 2 Sues Camera Handbag.

Where are the bags made, and how did you set about going into product production when you began your career in an entirely different area?
Our bags are designed here in the United States, manufactured in China, and our fulfillment warehouse is located here in the states as well. When I began the process of having these bags made, I was quite literally clueless. I was very fortunate to have come in contact with amazing people who where very familiar with this process to guide me along the way. Of course, when you begin something new like this, it’s always scary, and there are many learning curves along the way. I’ve made a lot of mistakes (very expensive ones!), but those mistakes have shaped who we are as a company today, and I’m thankful for the lessons learned through this whole process. We are always evolving to be a better company, from our customer service to the quality of our bags, and this is something you can learn only by experience.

Kelly Moore Riva Camera Handbag by Ap Bestari.

Your bags are named for your family: how do you juggle being a mother, a photographer and an entrepreneur? Any tips?
Very carefully!! I used to be a workaholic, but I can now happily say I’m in remission My family time and personal time are extremely important to me, so my priority begins there, and I make everything else work around that. If you do the opposite and make your family fit into your work life, your personal life always suffers. I think the secret that I’ve learned is that I have to trust other people to help me get things done. I can’t do it all myself, so I don’t even try! I’ve have a fabulous team of employes that make my life manageable. From customer service and product fulfillment to web design and managing bag production, I trust my team, and let them do what they are good at. Learning to delegate to others who are good at what they do has been the key to my life NOT being chaotic!

Kelly Moore B-Hobo Camera Handbag.

Have you been surprised by the reaction to your designs since you launched in 2009? What has been the highlight of creating Kelly Moore bags so far?
It’s hard to say if I’ve been surprised or not. Of course, when you begin any new venture, your hope is that people will love your product and it will succeed, but I knew there was no assurance of this. I think I can say that I’ve been overjoyed at the reception we have gotten in both the photography world and beyond. I’m thankful everyday for the success we are seeing around the globe, and I try to never take it for granted. As with anything, we are not promised tomorrow, so I enjoy every day, and hope and pray that we can continue to bring new and exciting products that our customers will love and that will keep them coming back!

Kelly Moore Camera Handbags by Isher Dhiman.

What next for Kelly Moore?
Who knows!! At this time, we are in the process of opening our Kelly Moore Bag offices and retail space here in my home town. We have run this business from our home for the past 3 years, so it’s very exciting to be moving into a beautiful new space. Of course, we have several new bags in the making, but that’s top secret, so I can’t tell you about that!

UK based customers can buy a Kelly More Camera Handbag here. Can’t wait to try mine out, thankyou Kelly!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday February 13th, 2013 1:13 pm

Categories ,Ap Bestari, ,Camera Bags, ,Camera Handbags, ,camerahandbags.co.uk, ,Chapel, ,China, ,Isher Dhiman, ,Joshua Smith, ,Kelly Moore, ,leather, ,Libby, ,London Fashion Week, ,Man-made Leather, ,Posey, ,SLR, ,United States, ,Veronica Rowlands

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Spanish fashion duo Animal Bandido

Illustration by Donna McKenzie

Regular readers of Amelia’s Magazine will know that we covered the Maison Martin Margiela 20 exhibition last March, story capsule when it showed in fashion capital Antwerp.

But, information pills since it’s moved to our very own fashion capital, we thought we’d have another look, and get some of our wonderful illustrators involved!

Somerset House is quickly becoming a fashion hot spot, with the rehoming of London Fashion Week and the recent SHOWstudio sessions. It’s clear why, too – it’s bloody beautiful.

This is the third outing for the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition, after seasons in Antwerp and Munich, so actually it’s the label’s 22nd anniversary this year, but who cares? I’ll use any excuse to have a poke around a fashion archive.

Illustration by Louise McLennan

The exhibition, set in Somerset House’s lower galleries and you’d be forgiven for believing, if this building wasn’t centuries old, that the space had been purpose-built for this nostalgic trip down Margiela memory lane.

All but a couple of the rooms are white-washed in typical Margiela fashion, and while the exhibition allows us to explore the history of this conceptual and inspirational label, it still give nothing away about the elusive man himself.

Illustration by Amy Martino

Instead of being a chronological or nostalgic display, the aim of this exhbition is to explore the key themes of Maison Martin Margiela, including the inspiration behind each collection and the techniques used.

So it is the quirks that have made this brand truly unique that are given most attention. We begin with a look at the anniversary catwalk show, amongst a lot of polystyrene models, whilst mooching along a row of rather battered Tabi shoes.

Illustration by Donna McKenzie

The bulk of the exhibition explores varying collections and what made them stand out alongside so many other fashion designers of the time. Flat-pack clothing, XXXL oversized pieces, painted garments, narrow tailoring, the trench coat, and the re-visioning of old garments. We also see the evolution of Margiela’s elusivity – first it was a slash of paint across a model’s face, then a blindfold, and then the infamous sunglasses (which I was so tempted to lift I had to walk around with my hands in my pockets. Damn I wish I’d bought them – what a collector’s item).

Illustration by Farzeen Jabbar

One room is devoted to archive footage, film and photographs from across the collections – the room is dark and has white lounge chairs for you to kick back and revel in some of the most iconic fashion images of the last two decades.

Illustration by Zarina Liew

Whether you like fashion or not, I’m entirely convinced that you will love this exhibition – it breaks the boundaries of typical gallery design and it is incredibly inspirational – Go See It!

You can read a full review of the Antwerp exhibition (which was exactly the same exhibition, I promise) here.

For the all important details, visit our listings section.

Illustration by Yelena Bryksenkova

Animal Bandido are a fashion label with a difference. They’re totally anti-establishment and detest the omniprescent multi-national fashion empires that exploit workers and fabrics, medical and are on a mission to create a renaissance for struggling manufacturers who cannot compete with the big boys.

Their collections range from the vibrant to the downright whacky; weird and wonderful creations which illustrate fruits and other objects make up there range, clinic which includes knitwear, side effects fabulous graphic prints and casual basics with a twist. Viewing their collections draws comparisons to Jean Charles de Castelbajac, nutty nu-raver Carri Mundane and knitwear brand Sibling. I caught up with Zosen and Claudia, aka Animal Bandido, to find out what’s behind this fresh new label…

What made you guys team up and create the street-wear label Animal Bandido?
Claudia: We started to talk about this project in September 2007. I finished studying fashion design a year before that. I was designing my own collections, doing super-limited editions that I sewed on my own.
At the beginning I was sceptical because I had collaborated on projects before, and most of the time it’s very difficult to agree with the ideas of other people. I thought I’d give this one a go because our backgrounds are different, each of us bringing different ideas and ways of working.
Zosen: I printed my designs on t-shirts for years and I collaborated with fashion designers, but I wanted to go forward producing other garments and control the process. Animal Bandido was born to make something in collaboration and use different techniques; Claudia brings her experience with the patterns and fashion design and I with the graphics and design in general.
But, day-to-day, we both take part in every process.

Spring/Summer 2009

What does the label represent for you?
The label represents other way to create pieces and to show our stuff to as many people possible.

Zosen, you are a well known urban artist in Barcelona. What made you move into fashion?
After the zero tolerance law against street art in Barcelona, I decided to use another techniques to spread the word. Using my graphics and colours on clothes, it’s another way to have a presence on the street and give the message to the street’s citizens.
Also, it’s interesting for me to experiment with other media and other people – it’s a great way to learn.

Autumn/Winter 2010

Claudia, tell us more about your background, in fashion?
I studied a degree in Fashion Design in Barcelona and then studied millinery at Central Saint Martins in London, followed by jewellery workshops at Casa Espiral, Barcelona.
I interned with Alberto Tous for his fashion show for Barcelona Fashion Week, and then began designing my own collections and selling them in little shops in Barcelona and Berlin.

What makes you different to big fashion corporations?
Well, there’s only two of us! There are no hierarchies; we work together and are both involved in everything, all the time. We produce everything locally, we pay worthy salaries, and we keep our manufacturing quantities reasonable to avoid waste.

Illustration by Natsuki Otani

Do you think your label is art or fashion led?
Our clothes are fashion, but treated as small pieces of art. We don’t follow the trends or encourage throwaway fashion, as the corporate giants do. We create and manufacture to order (for shops and customers) again to reduce waste.

Do you usually agree on everything? How easy is it to compromise when working as a creative partnership?
Claudia: It depends on the project, normally we just discuss everything thoroughly, allowing both of us to express our point of view. Sometimes Zosen is forced agree with me when we are talking about patterns and shapes or different ways of finishing a garment, but he controls more in graphic and web design!
We always try to be equally satisfied with everything related to the brand.

Autumn/Winter 2010

Do you experiment with anything else apart from clothes?
Zosen: Oh yes! We do many things, the most recent thing being a sculpture to present the new collection, that we installed in our studio to photograph the collection against.
It’s huge and gives so much new life to our studio that we are hoping to relocate it to some public space.
Claudia: Zosen always has a million and one projects on the go: a giant mural for the people on walls in London, an exhibition of customised records in Rome…
Now I’m coming up with a few surprises for September for Animal Bandido.

Illustration by Yuann Shen

What does Animal Bandido support?
We support the national textile industry in Spain, as opposed to the over-production and the exploitation of the third world. We pay people fairly. We’re behind a renaissance of the companies that became obsolete as a result of insurmountable production levels in third world countries; we want to give the possibility of growth to small companies so it’s not just the yucky multinationals that dominate the local market.

What makes Animal Bandido unique?
Our fabrics have our own original and unique designs printed on them. We make no more than 100 items per piece, so they are truly limited edition. When you consider that we now sell in Basel, New York, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Zaragoza, Sweden and Nottingham and our pieces are divided between those places, there aren’t many per country.

Autumn/Winter 2010

What’s up next for Animal Bandido?
For the summer we’re launching printed bikinis and swimwear; lightweight hoodies using prints from the collection and a new, retro-inspired one. We’re also looking at launching accessories.

Written by Matt Bramford on Thursday July 15th, 2010 2:37 pm

Categories ,Alberto Tous, ,Animal Bandido, ,art, ,barcelona, ,Barcelona Fashion Week, ,Basel, ,berlin, ,Carri Mundane, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Claudia, ,Ethics, ,fashion, ,graffiti, ,Graphics, ,Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, ,london, ,Madrid, ,Natsuki Otani, ,new york, ,nottingham, ,print, ,Rome, ,Seville, ,Sibling, ,spain, ,sweden, ,Vinyl, ,Waste, ,Yelena Brykensova, ,Yuann Shen, ,Zaragoza, ,Zosen

Amelia’s Magazine | London 2012 Olympic Games Team GB Illustrated

Kristian Thomas by Tim Parker.

The Olympics are in town in case you haven’t noticed, and I’ve been lucky enough to get along to a few events in person. It was at the weightlifting that I became a big fan of feisty young contender Zoe Smith (although she didn’t place she went on to break the British record) and decided to put together an illustrated tribute. I loved Zoe Smith’s dedication to glam: her triangular stud earrings a defiant statement of femininity in the face of twitter abuse directed against her choice of sport.

Zoe Smith by Rosemary Cunningham. ‘It’s a bit epic, but I was going for a kind of vague superhero type vibe, whilst keeping a nice retro Olympic feel.’

Since then I’ve watched seven hours of live fencing (and still have no clue how it works) and a good dose of Greco-Roman Wrestling (not a British sport – it seems to be almost entirely dominated by Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the US and Cuba) and like many people around the world I’ve seen a fair amount on the telly. Gymnastics and synchronised diving? LOVE them. Particularly the men’s…

Louis_Smith_by_Claire_Corstorphine
Louis Smith by Claire Corstorphine.

Yes, the Olympics have screwed up parts of East London and there are some crazy ass sponsorship rules, not to mention some half-assed nods towards sustainability or a useful legacy that actually benefits the local area. A cyclist has sadly died even as we shine in the Velodrome, and yet… it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement, especially when you’re in a real audience, watching it all unfold in front of you.

Bradley_Wiggins_by_Gabriela_Larios
Bradley Wiggins by Gabriela Larios.

The Olympic medal tally for Great Britain is at present really quite amazing for such a comparatively small country. Let’s hope it inspires us to get a lot fitter because as a nation of biscuit troughing sofa surfers we really need to. Here, then are some illustrated responses to the inspiring talent of our very own Team GB.

Jessica Ennis - Warrior - by James Pitman
Jessica Ennis – Warrior – by James Pitman. ‘I wanted to create something that showed her (and athletes/competitors in general) warrior spirit, and I wanted to create thoughts of the comparison between society now and society thousands of years ago and what role athletes may have taken then even though now their expertise in physical activity is just for ‘fun’. But then I also want to still show her feminine beauty, particularly to contrast against the ‘warrior’ concept.’

Daniel Purvis by Adam Pryce.

Bradley-Wiggins-By-Jake-Snellin

Bradley Wiggins by Jake Snellin.

Greg-Rutherford-by-Sam-Ailey
Greg Rutherford by Sam Ailey.

Olympics 2012 Mo Farah by Kristina Vasiljeva.

Victoria Pendleton by Scarlett Tierney.

Tom James by Livi Gosling. ‘After winning a medal in Beijing he greeted his girlfriend with a kiss that mirrored that of the famous sailor/nurse kiss on V-Day. I added daffodils as he’s Welsh and the composition is meant to be reminiscent of a cote-de-arms.’

Helen Gorrill synchro image
Jenna & Olivia, Team GB Synchronised Swimmers, 2012 Olympics by Helen Gorrill. Currently on show with DegreeArt.

Kristian Thomas by Adam Pryce.

Olympics 2012 Women Cycling by Kristina Vasiljeva
Olympics 2012 Women Cycling (Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell) by Kristina Vasiljeva.

Bradley-Wiggins-by-Victoria-Haynes
Bradley Wiggins by Victoria Haynes.

Zoe Smith by Emma Black. ‘I saw on twitter that Zoe celebrated after her weightlifting by going out for a Big Mac, which I thought was quite amusing! I referenced the food off a photo she posted on her twitter feed.’

Stott and Baillie by Scarlett Tierney.

Jessica Ennis by EdieOP
Jessica Ennis by EdieOP

Whats leffe for Bradley Wiggins? by neonflower* ‘As well as asking the question where Bradley goes next, it’s essentially a nod to all the road cyclists out there partial to a spot of Belgian beer (there are plenty of them – including my bf and ALL his cycling chums!) – and we all know that Bradley hit the pop last night. Good on him!’

Andy Murray by Gareth A Hopkins. ‘I like the fact that andy Murray doesn’t really fit the mould of an Olympian… It’s not that he doesn’t do anything that others like Jessica Ennis or Tom Daly do, it’s just that there’s something about him which excludes him from being a Team GB poster boy. I think it’s that he’s not out there for the country, he’s out there for himself, despite enormous pressure to conform to an image of a national sports hero. He’s almost an anti-hero, and I can’t help admiring that.’

TeamGB Olympics by Isher Dhiman
TeamGB Olympic Gold Winners by Isher Dhiman. Cycling Track – Sir Chris Hoy, Rowing – Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, Athletics – Jessica Ennis, Cycling Road – Bradley Wiggins, Sailing – Ben Ainslie, Tennis – Andy Murray, Equestrian – Brash, Charles, Maher and Skelton, Shooting – Peter Wilson

Bradley Wiggins by Bish.

Helen Glover by Bish.

Nick Skelton by Bish.

Olympic Park by Bish. ‘Drawings were done on the 1st of August at the Olympic Park when Helen Glover and Heather Stanning got the first gold Bradley Wiggins got Gold at the time trial, and the 5th August at the Greenwich Park for the Showjumping the day before GB got Gold.’

Olympic animation by Rosemary Cunningham.

Adlington by May van Millingen.

Wiggins by May van Millingen.

Divers by May van Millingen.

If you enjoyed this don’t forget to check in with Matt Bramford‘s pre-Olympics illustrated blog post too. Here’s to lots more wins before the week is out!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday August 7th, 2012 10:32 pm

Categories ,Adam Pryce, ,Andy Murray, ,Bish, ,Bradley Wiggins, ,Claire Corstorphine, ,cycling, ,Dani King, ,Daniel Purvis, ,DegreeArt, ,EdieOP, ,Emma Black, ,Fencing, ,Gabriela Larios, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Greco-Roman Wrestling, ,Greg Rutherford, ,Gymnastics, ,Helen Glover, ,Helen Gorrill, ,illustration, ,Isher Dhiman, ,Jake Snellin, ,James Pitman, ,Jenna & Olivia, ,Jessica Ennis, ,Joanna Rowsell, ,Kristian Thomas, ,Kristina Vasiljeva, ,Laura Trott, ,Livi Gosling, ,Lizzie Campbell, ,London 2012, ,Louis Smith, ,May van Millingen, ,Mo Farah, ,neonflower, ,Nick Skelton, ,Olympics, ,Rosemary Cunningham, ,Sam Ailey, ,Scarlett Tierney, ,Synchronised Swimmers, ,Team GB, ,Tim Parker, ,Tom James, ,Velodrome, ,Victoria Haynes, ,Victoria Pendleton, ,Weightlifting, ,Wiggo, ,Zoe Smith

Amelia’s Magazine | London 2012 Olympic Games Team GB Illustrated

Kristian Thomas by Tim Parker.

Zoe Smith by Rosemary Cunningham. ‘It’s a bit epic, but I was going for a kind of vague superhero type vibe, whilst keeping a nice retro Olympic feel.’

Louis_Smith_by_Claire_Corstorphine
Louis Smith by Claire Corstorphine.

Bradley_Wiggins_by_Gabriela_Larios
Bradley Wiggins by Gabriela Larios.

Daniel Purvis by Adam Pryce.

Bradley-Wiggins-By-Jake-Snellin

Bradley Wiggins by Jake Snellin.

Greg-Rutherford-by-Sam-Ailey
Greg Rutherford by Sam Ailey.

Olympics 2012 Mo Farah by Kristina Vasiljeva.

Victoria Pendleton by Scarlett Tierney.

Helen Gorrill synchro image
Jenna & Olivia, Team GB Synchronised Swimmers, 2012 Olympics by Helen Gorrill. Currently on show with DegreeArt.

Kristian Thomas by Adam Pryce.

Olympics 2012 Women Cycling by Kristina Vasiljeva
Olympics 2012 Women Cycling (Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell) by Kristina Vasiljeva.

Bradley-Wiggins-by-Victoria-Haynes
Bradley Wiggins by Victoria Haynes.

Stott and Baillie by Scarlett Tierney.

Jessica Ennis by EdieOP
Jessica Ennis by EdieOP

Bradley Wiggins by Bish.

Helen Glover by Bish.

Nick Skelton by Bish.

Olympic animation by Rosemary Cunningham.

Adlington by May van Millingen.

Wiggins by May van Millingen.

Divers by May van Millingen.

If you enjoyed this don’t forget to check in with Matt Bramford‘s pre-Olympics illustrated blog post too. Here’s to lots more wins before the week is out!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday August 7th, 2012 10:32 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | London 2012: The XXX Olympic Games

Olympic Gymnastics by Lucy Palmer

Tonight’s the night. After what has quite possibly been the longest warm up for anything to happen ever, seven years in the making, the 30th Olympic Games launches tonight in spectacular style in East London with a lavish opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle. I’ve only just recovered from my Diamond Jubilee excitement, too.

Now this might come as a massive surprise to my friends, but I don’t care much for sport. I do, however, love the Olympics. There’s something pretty magical about it, don’t you think? The dramatic opening ceremony, the fastest, strongest people in the world coming together in one place and Russian weightlifters walking into walls. I’m still terribly upset that Disco Dancing hasn’t been recognised as an Olympic sport, but I’ll be writing to the IOC again re: this oversight.

Olympic Snacking by Helena Maratheftis

Here, in no particular order, are a few things that have got me going so far:

• I (sort of) love that florists in Stoke-on-Trent are threatened with legal action by the International Olympic Committee for making replica rings out of tissue paper and Bostik.

• I love *grits teeth* listening to berks on the tube moaning about how busy the city is, as if London is a sleepy little hamlet suddenly invaded by Charlton Heston and the cast of Ben Hur. You’ve had seven years to moan about it, pals.

• I know that we’ll never compare to China and their fastidious approach to drumming at the opening of the 2008 Beijing games. Our highlights include a farmyard of animals, the Coronation Street theme tune and Boris Johnson slobbering as he waves a flag (I know I’ll be eating my words come 9pm).

Boris and Bradley by Angela Lamb

London 2012 by Katie Laura Wood

• I love the mindboggling stories of the piggish sponsors; the ludicrousness that McDonald’s are the only vendor allowed to flog chips. Please.

The Olympic Park by Sam Parr

• I love that we’re hosting the XXX Olympic Games. Arf.

• I love that we haven’t even performed the opening ceremony and we’ve already offended everybody in North Korea and Welsh footballer Joe Allen, who’s listed as English in the Olympic programme.

• I love how brands fall over themselves to be the official provider – Official Cereal Bar had me proverbially ROFLing. I’m just hoping that the Official Ironing Board Provider comes forward soon.

Nevertheless, no doubt we’ll look back at how wonderful the next few weeks ill inevitably be. In celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on home turf, here’s a wonderful selection of illustrated images by some of our favourite contributors, and a few other surprises along the way!

Olympic Girl by Angela Keeler

Paralympian Aimee Mullins by Laura Hickman

Usian Bolt by Lucy Palmer

Olympic Hoola Hoopers by EdieOP

Olympic Hair by Isher Dhiman

Olympic Stadium by Sinead O Leary

You can rely on Maiden in Shoreditch to deliver something hilarious as an Olympics tie-in. Take your pic from unofficial Olympic bags and Great British tea towels…

Olympic tea-towels

Olympic Bags (unofficial…) by Toby Leigh. All products available at Maiden, Shoreditch

Good luck to all of the athletes involved. Enjoy the opening ceremony. Come on Team GB!

Olympic swimmers by Lucy Palmer

Written by Matt Bramford on Friday July 27th, 2012 2:32 pm

Categories ,Angela Lamb, ,beijing, ,Ben Hur, ,Bethan Wyn Williams, ,Boris Johnson, ,Bostik, ,Bradley Wiggins, ,Cereal Bars, ,China, ,Coronation Street, ,Danny Boyle, ,EdieOP, ,Helena Maratheftis, ,I’m renting my flat to a fat American family, ,IOC, ,Ironing Boards, ,Isher Dhiman, ,It only took me three hours to get to work this morning, ,Joe Allen, ,Katie Laura Wood, ,Laura Hickman, ,London 2012, ,Lucy Palmer, ,Maiden, ,Matt Bramford, ,Olympic Games, ,Olympics, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarah Bromley, ,shoreditch, ,Sinead O’Leary, ,Stoke-on-Trent, ,Tea Towels, ,Tess Redburn, ,Toby Leigh, ,Tote Bags, ,Veronica Rowlands, ,xxx

Amelia’s Magazine | London 2012: The XXX Olympic Games

Olympic Gymnastics by Lucy Palmer

Olympic Snacking by Helena Maratheftis

Here, in no particular order, are a few things that have got me going so far:

• I (sort of) love that florists in Stoke-on-Trent are threatened with legal action by the International Olympic Committee for making replica rings out of tissue paper and Bostik.

Boris and Bradley by Angela Lamb

London 2012 by Katie Laura Wood

• I love the mindboggling stories of the piggish sponsors; the ludicrousness that McDonald’s are the only vendor allowed to flog chips. Please.

The Olympic Park by Sam Parr

• I love that we’re hosting the XXX Olympic Games. Arf.

Olympic Girl by Angela Keeler

Paralympian Aimee Mullins by Laura Hickman

Usian Bolt by Lucy Palmer

Olympic Hoola Hoopers by EdieOP

Olympic Hair by Isher Dhiman

Olympic Stadium by Sinead O Leary

You can rely on Maiden in Shoreditch to deliver something hilarious as an Olympics tie-in. Take your pic from unofficial Olympic bags and Great British tea towels…

Olympic tea-towels

Olympic Bags (unofficial…) by Toby Leigh. All products available at Maiden, Shoreditch

Good luck to all of the athletes involved. Enjoy the opening ceremony. Come on Team GB!

Olympic swimmers by Lucy Palmer

Written by Matt Bramford on Friday July 27th, 2012 2:32 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | A Review of The Art of Dining Pop-Up Dining Experience at Fenton House: A Night With The Mistress

The Art of Dining at Fenton House by Briony Jose.

Anyone who knows me will know that I love my food, so when I was offered the chance to sample a unique outdoor dinner event from The Art of Dining at Fenton House I of course jumped at the chance. I arrived just in time to take a quick peek around the rooms of this National Trust venue – an old 17th century merchant’s house perched high on Hampstead Heath – and made a beeline straight for the rooftop balcony with stunning views over the City of London. On my way up I made note of a couple of antique embroideries that I would love to go back and pore over again another day, but it was the view of the immaculate gardens in the low evening light that really caught my attention.

The Art of Dining at Fenton House

Back out on the lawn each guest was given a glass of Prosecco topped with candied hibiscus flower, then guided towards two long tables. I was seated with a group of three charming men – not, as I had imagined, with other solo press guests. This could have been awkward as I felt I was intruding on their party, but luckily they were very accommodating and we chatted the night away. As one of them pointed out, the seating felt a bit like ‘being at a wedding where you don’t know anyone else‘ but having been to a few of these mass dining affairs I know this to be standard procedure, and I quite like the way in which it encourages strangers to talk to each other.

The Art of Dining at Fenton House flowers

The Art of Dining is the brainchild of chef Ellen Parr (who happens to be the daughter of photographer Martin Parr) and set designer Alice Hodge, and thanks to this artistic twosome we dined in wonderful style beneath dangling grapes and extravagant swathes of draped foliage. Tables were topped with lace, stuffed pheasants and candelabra, and our five courses were served on an enchanting selection of vintage crockery. The dinner was themed after A Night with the Mistress; inspired by a portrait of singer and courtesan Dorothea Jordan in the house, so in between courses from a menu inspired by the beautiful vegetable gardens and decadent past of Fenton House we were serenaded in Regency style by Kezia Bienek, with excerpts of favourite tunes from operas of the era.

The Art of Dining at Fenton House: stuffed vine leaves with slow cooked carrot salad.

Art of Dining's edible soil with freshly picked salad. Illustration by Rebecca Corney
Art of Dining’s edible soil with freshly picked salad. Illustration by Rebecca Corney.

Culinary delights included enticing combinations such as edible flower salad and soil (we were invited to pick petals from the arrangements on our tables, and the ‘soil’ was a combination of bacon, walnut, dates and rye bread), a richly succulent curried rabbit leg and an absolutely divine Eton Mess made with elderflower and gooseberry. There was also a very reasonably priced wine menu on offer courtesy of Borough Wines – I sensibly stuck to water with my meal. The copious courses were delivered over a three hour period which was perfect as I never felt overly full and it gave plenty of time to savour the unusual flavours whilst chatting to new friends.

Fresh Bacon Salad by Isher Dhiman.

Art of Dining by Jessica Buie.

The Art of Dining pop ups at National Trust venues are a wonderful way to experience unusual gastronomic delights combined with the chance to visit a little known historical treasure. Where else can you dine in such splendour for the price of just £55? The final episode of The Art of Dining‘s current partnership with the National Trust, The Servants’ Supper, takes place during November at Ham House in Richmond.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday July 30th, 2013 8:09 pm

Categories ,A Night with the Mistress, ,Alice Hodge, ,Borough Wines, ,Briony Jose, ,Dining Experience, ,Dorothea Jordan, ,edible flower salad and soil, ,Ellen Parr, ,Eton Mess, ,Fenton House, ,Ham House, ,Hampstead Heath, ,Isher Dhiman, ,Jessica Buie, ,Kezia Bienek, ,Martin Parr, ,National Trust, ,opera, ,Pop-up, ,Prosecco, ,Rebecca Corney, ,Richmond, ,The Art of Dining, ,The Servants’ Supper

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