Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Contemporary Graphic Art Fair 2012: Review

Pick Me Up 2012 -puck collective
Following on from my review of the newcomers in Pick Me Up Selects section it’s time to take a look at the rest of the exhibitors at this year’s fair. It was seriously busy at the Pick Me Up private view, so I no doubt missed out on a huge chunk of talent in the market place, but what I did find was a fabulous preponderance of screenprints and risograph images: the popularity of these mediums shows no sign of abating, presumably as a counterpoint to these digitally obsessed times.

Pick Me Up 2012 -people of print
People of Print was established in 2008 to sell the work of emerging artists across the globe. Their display stuck to a magenta and turquoise colour scheme that created an eye-catching effect.

Pick Me Up 2012 -ship of fools
Ship of Fools caught my eye with their beautifully curated stand Trapped in Suburbia – check out that explosion – and it was nice to see a collective that isn’t based in the east end of London. Not that I’ve got anything against it mind, it’s where I live after all… but there is art being curated elsewhere in the universe too.

Pick Me Up 2012 -landfill editions
I was pleased to see that output from Landfill Editions has grown greatly recently: their stand features a plethora of beautiful plates, glassware, ceramics and more, commissioned from artists and inspired by the work of Eduardo Paolozzi.

Pick Me Up 2012 -landfill editions
Pick Me Up 2012 -landfill editions
Are Landfill responsible for the Florist stand? It’s adhoc primary coloured artworks are a joy to behold.

Pick Me Up 2012 -liv Bargman
Liv Bargman.

Pick Me Up 2012 -jack teagle
Jack Teagle.

Puck Studio are showing artwork by creative talents working in the South West – which includes two of my fave artists: Liv Bargman (a contributor to my first book, Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration) and Jack Teagle.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Peepshow Collective
Upstairs the Peepshow Collective take the large central space to show a Pitt Rivers inspired Museum of Objects and Origins. It will be a changing display over the course of the exhibition as visitors add to the content.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Print Club London
Pick Me Up 2012 -esther mcmanus
Esther McManus.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Margaux Carpentier
Margaux Carpentier.

Print Club London‘s space was a hive of activity when I visited – not surprising since they have transplanted a fully functioning studio into Somerset House. My favourites on display are by Esther McManus and Margaux Carpentier, who will be on hand to demonstrate their print techniques during the fair.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Nelly Duff
Pick Me Up 2012 -'Bunny Blossom' by American artists Kozyndan.
Bunny Blossom by Kozyndan.

Nelly Duff are based in Columbia Road, where they are known for selling an eclectic selection of paintings and prints from a diverse range of artists.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Soma Gallery
I am so pleased that Soma Gallery is showing at Pick Me Up this year. Fiona has curated a carefully edited selection of work from her stable of regular artists: Peskimo, Gemma Correll, Andy Smith, Crispin Finn and Tom Frost. Look out especially for bargain prints by Peskimo and some great wall slogan artworks from Andy Smith. Loads of bargains to be had!

Pick Me Up 2012 -karolin schnoor
Karolin Schnoor.

Pick Me Up 2012 - sister arrow
Sister Arrow.

Many Hands is a new online shop that sells the work of a variety of artists, including Stone and Spear, Sister Arrow, Thereza Rowe (find her work in my first book!) and many others.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Marcus Oakley Nieves Books
Marcus Oakley for Nieves Books.

Pick Me Up 2012 -Lubok

Beach London have carved out quite a name for themselves in a very short space of time – and this year they join Pick Me Up for the first time with a shop space in prime position before the official exit. They have chosen to showcase the publications of five indie publishers known for their illustrative output, so you can take a peek at new work from Nobrow Press, Nieves Books, Lubok and more. They are also selling copies of both my books, featuring some names you will recognise from the exhibition: Yoko Furusho, Karolin Schnoor, Thereza Rowe and Liv Bargman. Make sure you take a peek when you go through! And check in with my listings to make sure you don’t miss one of the many workshops and talks that are taking place over the next week. Pick Me Up London is one event that graphic artists, illustrators and lovers of either or both should not miss!

Categories ,2012, ,Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, ,Andy Smith, ,Beach London, ,Bunny Blossom, ,Collectives, ,Columbia Road, ,Crispin Finn, ,Eduardo Paolozzi, ,Esther McManus, ,Gemma Correll, ,Jack Teagle, ,Karolin Schnoor, ,Kozyndan, ,Landfill Editions, ,Liv Bargman, ,Lubok, ,Many Hands, ,Margaux Carpentier, ,Museum of Objects and Origins, ,Nelly Duff, ,Nieves Books, ,Nobrow Press, ,People of Print, ,Peskimo, ,Pick Me Up London, ,Pitt Rivers, ,Print Club London, ,Private view, ,Puck Studio, ,review, ,Risograph, ,Ship of Fools, ,Sister Arrow, ,Soma Gallery, ,Stone and Spear, ,Thereza Rowe, ,Tom Frost, ,Trapped in Suburbia, ,Yoko Furusho

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Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Contemporary Graphic Art Fair at Somerset House: Review

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, advice I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, side effects since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, capsule but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the N.W.3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacobs sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy information pills I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, more about since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, approved but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the N.W.3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacobs sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy information pills I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, view I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, stuff since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, help I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, cialis 40mg since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, approved I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, viagra 100mg since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, sildenafil but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, no rx I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, symptoms since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, website but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning pleated evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins used in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy more about I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, price since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, clinic but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning pleated evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins used in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Ville Savimaa
Detail from illustration by Ville Savimaa.

Have you been to see the Pick Me Up show at Somerset House yet? If not why not? if you’re in London get your skates on and get down there before it finishes on Monday (that’s tomorrow): there’s no better way to perk up a rainy Bank Holiday.

Pick Me Up 2010

If you work in illustration or the graphic arts, generic this place will really get your juices going: part exhibition, part shop and part working studio space, all the people involved are superbly talented – not for nothing have about a dozen featured in my magazine over the years. Many have now become firmly established illustrators and their work a familiar part of the contemporary visual landscape.

I visited Pick Me Up last week thanks to the prompting of Thereza Rowe, who organised a twitter meetup with some other illustrators. It was an excellent chance for me to meet Kate Slater, who created some wonderful work for issue 10 of Amelia’s Magazine, and Jo Cheung and June Chanpoomidole, who contribute regularly to Amelia’s Magazine online. The lovely Simon Wild came along to meet Thereza, with whom he has helped to launch the Happy Journey Collective.

Pick Me Up 2010 Jo Cheung, June Chanpoomidole, Kate Slater, Simon Wild, Thereza Rowe
Jo Cheung, June Chanpoomidole, Kate Slater, Simon Wild and Thereza Rowe outside Pick Me Up 2010.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Thereza Rowe Poketo
Thereza Rowe shows us her designs for Poketo.

In the blazing heat we gathered in the courtyard of Somerset House, where Thereza gleefully showed us the new purse she has just designed for the papercut series by Poketo.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Hellovon
Pick Me Up- 2010 Hellovon
Illustrations by Hellovon.

The exhibition is entered via the lower level, and the first gallery was devoted to the artwork of up and coming illustrators as picked out by a bunch of “industry insiders.” I was very pleased to see on display the idiosyncratic work of Jess Wilson, who has worked for me many times over the years and appears in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration. Hvass&Hannibal were also given space; you can read more about the design duo here.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Illusrations by Jess Wilson.

Also included was a Peepshow stand and a large space devoted to the publications of the Nobrow collective, who have created a huge amount of work in the blink of an eye, and are due to launch a shop in Shoreditch later in May. Issue 3 of the Nobrow magazine was launched for the Pick Me Up exhibition, and I can confirm that Topsy Turvy features another beautiful selection of illustration, printed in another unique colour range.

Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow
Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow Luke Best
Peepshow artist Luke Best has appeared in Amelia’s Magazine.

It is clear that Nobrow are sticking to a very specific aesthetic, which is driven by the process of screen-printing and is thus very different to that of Amelia’s Magazine: back in May I posted a blog about the Nobrow open brief for People I’ve Never Met & Conversations I’ve Never Had, but sadly none of the illustrators I recommended to take part were chosen for selection in the book. I look forward to interviewing Alex Spiro and Sam Arthur to find out more about how they work.

Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
The Nobrow stand.

On the upper level each room was given over to a different collective, with the biggest room reserved for a Rob Ryan pop-up studio, the walls lined haphazardly with imagery from Rob’s huge back catalogue. There was a girl beavering away in the midst of it all but I didn’t see Rob, and wonder how much time he will have had to spend at the Pick Me Up exhibition.

Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
This last piece by Rob Ryan is a version of the front cover that he originally designed for issue 02 of Amelia’s Magazine.

In the other rooms there was live screen printing from the Print Club London, a pop up Concrete Hermit shop featuring my very own Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration (I had my launch party at their shop in Hoxton), and work from various other collectives, including Nous Vous, It’s Nice That, Le Gun, Evening Tweed and a live project with Landfill Editions.

Pick Me Up-2010 Print Club London
Pick Me Up-2010 Print Club London
Print Club London in effect.

Pick Me Up 2010 Concrete Hermit
Artwork in the Concrete Hermit space.

Pick Me Up 2010 Concrete Hermit
Someone flicking through Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration at Concrete Hermit.

Pick Me Up-2010 Nous Vous
Members of the Nous Vous Collective.

Printing live on an old Risograph printing machine Landfill Editions were inviting a series of illustrators to interpret the collection of trinkets previously held in these galleries in Somerset House. The Risograph is an interesting beast, which can be used to overlay separate colours, thus producing a final outcome much like that of traditional screenprinting.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions
The Risograph.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Colin Henderson
Landfill Editions booklet by Colin Henderson.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Jim Soten
Landfill Editions print by Jim Stoten.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Adrian Fleet
Landfill Editions print by Adrian Fleet.

Work on the walls included illustrations by Colin Henderson, who appeared in issue 04 of Amelia’s Magazine, Jim Stoten, who created the front cover of issue 06, Mike Perry, who did the back cover of issue 05 and Adrian Fleet, who produced work for issue 10. Dan Has Potential, who we wrote about here, was working on a piece whilst we were given a tour of the Risograph, and Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration contributor Karolin Schnoor arrived to start on her contribution as we were leaving.

Pick Me Up 2010 Landfill Editions Dan Has Potential
Dan Has Potential gets stuck in to his artwork.

Pick Me Up 2010 Landfill Editions Karolin Schnoor
Karolin Schnoor comes pre-prepared.

The illustration and design work at Pick Me Up is fabulous, and there’s a great line up of workshops and visiting artists… but I wish they’d asked me to contribute as well. Not just for purely selfish reasons of ego, but because I can’t help feeling that a certain type of illustration was missing. Maybe something a bit less graphic, a bit more feminine, a bit less obviously of the moment. There were glimpses of this sort of work, particularly in the form of talks from the lovely Anorak Magazine, but not enough. There was also absolutely no consideration of sustainability in design, which I feel is unforgiveable: some of the artists who contribute so readily to Amelia’s Magazine could have filled these gaps and provided some welcome diversity.

Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
I loved this work by Finish artist Ville Savimaa.

In the meantime read on for a few more tasters of the fabulous artwork on offer at Pick Me Up and make sure you get down there whilst you can: not least because of the limited edition prints available exclusively at the shop for the duration of the exhibition only.

Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up 2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Illustrations by Mathis Rekowski.

Pick Me Up-2010 Siggi Eggertsson
A huge quilt by Siggi Eggertsson.

Pick Me Up-2010 Andy Gilmore
Detail from Andy Gilmore.

Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow
Part of Peepshow.

Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Wonderful work from Patrick Gildersleeves.

Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Wonderful details from work by Natsko Seki.

Pick Me Up2010 Natsko seki

Pick Me Up 2010 Alex Trochut
Fabulous fonts from Alex Trochut.

Pick Me Up 2010 Claire Scully
Wolf poster from Claire Scully.

Pick Me Up 2010 Job Wouters
Typography by Job Wouters.

Pick Me Up2010
Prints for sale in the Pick Me Up shop: get on down there quick.

You can see a fab set of Flickr images courtesy of Jo Cheung here and she blogs about her visit to Pick Me Up with reference to this article here.

Categories ,Adrian Fleet, ,Alex Trochut, ,Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, ,Andy Gilmore, ,Anorak Magazine, ,Claire Scully, ,Colin Henderson, ,Concrete Hermit, ,Dan Has Potential, ,Evening Tweed, ,exhibition, ,Hvass&Hannibal, ,illustration, ,It’s Nice That, ,Jess Wilson, ,Jim Stoten, ,Jo Cheung, ,Job Wouters, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,Karolin Schnoor, ,Landfill Editions, ,Le Gun, ,Luke Best, ,Mathis Rekowski, ,Mike Perry, ,Natsko Seki, ,Nobrow Press, ,Nous Vous, ,Patrick Gildersleeves, ,Peepshow, ,Pick Me Up, ,Print Club London, ,review, ,Risograph, ,rob ryan, ,screenprinting, ,Siggi Eggertsson, ,Simon Wild, ,Somerset House, ,Thereza Rowe, ,typography, ,Ville Savimaa

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Amelia’s Magazine | Pick Me Up Contemporary Graphic Art Fair at Somerset House: Review

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, advice I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, side effects since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, capsule but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the N.W.3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacobs sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy information pills I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, more about since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, approved but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the N.W.3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacobs sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy information pills I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, and her elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars is a dead giveaway of her past employment. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, view I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, stuff since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, help I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, cialis 40mg since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty digital print was manipulated from a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, approved I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, viagra 100mg since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, sildenafil but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of a posy of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, no rx I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, symptoms since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, website but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning pleated evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins used in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

Now, buy more about I don’t normally write blogs about high street clothes shops. But I’m gonna break my rule this time. Earlier this week I went along to the Hobbs press day in their flagship store in Covent Garden – basically just because I was invited and I’ve never been to one of their press days before. I had absolutely no expectations of it, price since I’ve rarely set foot inside a Hobbs store since I developed a bit of a Bertie shoe fetish in my teen years (the late 80s if you must know). Bertie was once associated with the Hobbs brand, clinic but I’m not sure if it is anymore.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I managed to sashay confidently past the girl on the door girl, “where did you say you were from?” said she, eyeing up my haphazard approach to dressing with curiosity. Then I manoeuvred myself away from what promised to be a lengthy guided tour through each garment in the collection, nearly sending a mannequin crashing in my eagerness to reach the back of the room. And, I was how shall we say it… pleasantly surprised. Straight away I made a beeline for a lovely gold pine cone necklace, taking in the general fruity folk colours of the NW3 collection. Accessories are one of Hobbs’ strongpoints and there was a nice display of cute jewellery and coloured patent bags.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

But I was anxious not to waste too much time, so when one of the immaculate PR ladies glided over (I always feel like a bedraggled mess by comparison) I quickly explained that I was only looking for either designer led collaborations or ethical ranges. AHA! She led me towards a young man, standing in front of a rail and eager to pounce on journalists. I was introduced; this was Dean Thomas, designer of the high end Artisan collection, which sources all materials and is manufactured within the UK.

Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas describes the Artisan collection.

Dean was chosen straight out of Central Saint Martins precisely because he found all the materials for his final collection from within a 50 mile radius of his home town in Somerset. He held up a few pieces from the AW10 collection for me and I have to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. He’s created a stunning pleated evening dress out of the most unlikely of materials: a waxed cotton similar to the type that gets used in Barbour jackets. Then there’s a lovely stripy mohair coat and a super long evening dress with an elegant train. All the wool comes from Jacob sheep in Scotland and a pretty print was manipulated digitally from a photo of virulent purple Scotts thistles. I was pretty impressed I tells thee. Apparently in 2008 Hobbs was given a good shake up with the appointment of Sandy Vernon as creative director (she used to work at Next and Jaeger), and if this is what she’s doing then she’s onto a winner.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day AW2010

I then got pulled over to meet Karen Boyd, formerly of Boyd & Storey, and shown through her domain; the Limited Edition collection. She too has moved over from Jaeger, where her trademark style – elegant tailoring mixed with feminine details such as faux embroidered prints and little lace collars – was given credit for turning around the once fusty label. This collection is beautiful too, but sadly only the goat skins used in the long haired cape are sourced locally. “They’re a by-product of the meat industry, we don’t use fur.” Most of the clothes are of course made in the far east. As, no doubt, is the pine cone necklace that I had so admired earlier, but I was nevertheless a super happy bunny to discover the very same necklace in my press goodie bag. Comfortingly heavy, it’s been living around my neck ever since, a rare accolade.

Hobbs-Press Day AW2010
Hobbs-Press Day 2010-Karen Boyd
Karen Boyd talks me through the Limited Edition collection.

All in all I left pleasantly surprised. I think it is to be applauded when a large high street retailer such as Hobbs is confident enough to produce a whole range of beautifully made clothes in the UK, at a price point that will still be affordable to many (if not me). Now if only more retailers were to sit up and take note.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Ville Savimaa
Detail from illustration by Ville Savimaa.

Have you been to see the Pick Me Up show at Somerset House yet? If not why not? if you’re in London get your skates on and get down there before it finishes on Monday (that’s tomorrow): there’s no better way to perk up a rainy Bank Holiday.

Pick Me Up 2010

If you work in illustration or the graphic arts, generic this place will really get your juices going: part exhibition, part shop and part working studio space, all the people involved are superbly talented – not for nothing have about a dozen featured in my magazine over the years. Many have now become firmly established illustrators and their work a familiar part of the contemporary visual landscape.

I visited Pick Me Up last week thanks to the prompting of Thereza Rowe, who organised a twitter meetup with some other illustrators. It was an excellent chance for me to meet Kate Slater, who created some wonderful work for issue 10 of Amelia’s Magazine, and Jo Cheung and June Chanpoomidole, who contribute regularly to Amelia’s Magazine online. The lovely Simon Wild came along to meet Thereza, with whom he has helped to launch the Happy Journey Collective.

Pick Me Up 2010 Jo Cheung, June Chanpoomidole, Kate Slater, Simon Wild, Thereza Rowe
Jo Cheung, June Chanpoomidole, Kate Slater, Simon Wild and Thereza Rowe outside Pick Me Up 2010.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Thereza Rowe Poketo
Thereza Rowe shows us her designs for Poketo.

In the blazing heat we gathered in the courtyard of Somerset House, where Thereza gleefully showed us the new purse she has just designed for the papercut series by Poketo.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Hellovon
Pick Me Up- 2010 Hellovon
Illustrations by Hellovon.

The exhibition is entered via the lower level, and the first gallery was devoted to the artwork of up and coming illustrators as picked out by a bunch of “industry insiders.” I was very pleased to see on display the idiosyncratic work of Jess Wilson, who has worked for me many times over the years and appears in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration. Hvass&Hannibal were also given space; you can read more about the design duo here.

Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Pick Me Up- 2010 Jess Wilson
Illusrations by Jess Wilson.

Also included was a Peepshow stand and a large space devoted to the publications of the Nobrow collective, who have created a huge amount of work in the blink of an eye, and are due to launch a shop in Shoreditch later in May. Issue 3 of the Nobrow magazine was launched for the Pick Me Up exhibition, and I can confirm that Topsy Turvy features another beautiful selection of illustration, printed in another unique colour range.

Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow
Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow Luke Best
Peepshow artist Luke Best has appeared in Amelia’s Magazine.

It is clear that Nobrow are sticking to a very specific aesthetic, which is driven by the process of screen-printing and is thus very different to that of Amelia’s Magazine: back in May I posted a blog about the Nobrow open brief for People I’ve Never Met & Conversations I’ve Never Had, but sadly none of the illustrators I recommended to take part were chosen for selection in the book. I look forward to interviewing Alex Spiro and Sam Arthur to find out more about how they work.

Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
Pick Me Up-2010 Nobrow
The Nobrow stand.

On the upper level each room was given over to a different collective, with the biggest room reserved for a Rob Ryan pop-up studio, the walls lined haphazardly with imagery from Rob’s huge back catalogue. There was a girl beavering away in the midst of it all but I didn’t see Rob, and wonder how much time he will have had to spend at the Pick Me Up exhibition.

Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
Pick Me Up-2010 Rob Ryan
This last piece by Rob Ryan is a version of the front cover that he originally designed for issue 02 of Amelia’s Magazine.

In the other rooms there was live screen printing from the Print Club London, a pop up Concrete Hermit shop featuring my very own Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration (I had my launch party at their shop in Hoxton), and work from various other collectives, including Nous Vous, It’s Nice That, Le Gun, Evening Tweed and a live project with Landfill Editions.

Pick Me Up-2010 Print Club London
Pick Me Up-2010 Print Club London
Print Club London in effect.

Pick Me Up 2010 Concrete Hermit
Artwork in the Concrete Hermit space.

Pick Me Up 2010 Concrete Hermit
Someone flicking through Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration at Concrete Hermit.

Pick Me Up-2010 Nous Vous
Members of the Nous Vous Collective.

Printing live on an old Risograph printing machine Landfill Editions were inviting a series of illustrators to interpret the collection of trinkets previously held in these galleries in Somerset House. The Risograph is an interesting beast, which can be used to overlay separate colours, thus producing a final outcome much like that of traditional screenprinting.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions
The Risograph.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Colin Henderson
Landfill Editions booklet by Colin Henderson.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Jim Soten
Landfill Editions print by Jim Stoten.

Pick Me Up-2010 Landfill Editions Adrian Fleet
Landfill Editions print by Adrian Fleet.

Work on the walls included illustrations by Colin Henderson, who appeared in issue 04 of Amelia’s Magazine, Jim Stoten, who created the front cover of issue 06, Mike Perry, who did the back cover of issue 05 and Adrian Fleet, who produced work for issue 10. Dan Has Potential, who we wrote about here, was working on a piece whilst we were given a tour of the Risograph, and Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration contributor Karolin Schnoor arrived to start on her contribution as we were leaving.

Pick Me Up 2010 Landfill Editions Dan Has Potential
Dan Has Potential gets stuck in to his artwork.

Pick Me Up 2010 Landfill Editions Karolin Schnoor
Karolin Schnoor comes pre-prepared.

The illustration and design work at Pick Me Up is fabulous, and there’s a great line up of workshops and visiting artists… but I wish they’d asked me to contribute as well. Not just for purely selfish reasons of ego, but because I can’t help feeling that a certain type of illustration was missing. Maybe something a bit less graphic, a bit more feminine, a bit less obviously of the moment. There were glimpses of this sort of work, particularly in the form of talks from the lovely Anorak Magazine, but not enough. There was also absolutely no consideration of sustainability in design, which I feel is unforgiveable: some of the artists who contribute so readily to Amelia’s Magazine could have filled these gaps and provided some welcome diversity.

Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
Pick Me Up 2010 Ville Savimaa
I loved this work by Finish artist Ville Savimaa.

In the meantime read on for a few more tasters of the fabulous artwork on offer at Pick Me Up and make sure you get down there whilst you can: not least because of the limited edition prints available exclusively at the shop for the duration of the exhibition only.

Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up 2010 Mathis Rekowski
Pick Me Up-2010 Mathis Rekowski
Illustrations by Mathis Rekowski.

Pick Me Up-2010 Siggi Eggertsson
A huge quilt by Siggi Eggertsson.

Pick Me Up-2010 Andy Gilmore
Detail from Andy Gilmore.

Pick Me Up 2010 Peepshow
Part of Peepshow.

Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Pick Me Up 2010 patrick gildersleeves
Wonderful work from Patrick Gildersleeves.

Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Pick Me Up 2010 Natsko Seki
Wonderful details from work by Natsko Seki.

Pick Me Up2010 Natsko seki

Pick Me Up 2010 Alex Trochut
Fabulous fonts from Alex Trochut.

Pick Me Up 2010 Claire Scully
Wolf poster from Claire Scully.

Pick Me Up 2010 Job Wouters
Typography by Job Wouters.

Pick Me Up2010
Prints for sale in the Pick Me Up shop: get on down there quick.

You can see a fab set of Flickr images courtesy of Jo Cheung here and she blogs about her visit to Pick Me Up with reference to this article here.

Categories ,Adrian Fleet, ,Alex Trochut, ,Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration, ,Andy Gilmore, ,Anorak Magazine, ,Claire Scully, ,Colin Henderson, ,Concrete Hermit, ,Dan Has Potential, ,Evening Tweed, ,exhibition, ,Hvass&Hannibal, ,illustration, ,It’s Nice That, ,Jess Wilson, ,Jim Stoten, ,Jo Cheung, ,Job Wouters, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,Karolin Schnoor, ,Landfill Editions, ,Le Gun, ,Luke Best, ,Mathis Rekowski, ,Mike Perry, ,Natsko Seki, ,Nobrow Press, ,Nous Vous, ,Patrick Gildersleeves, ,Peepshow, ,Pick Me Up, ,Print Club London, ,review, ,Risograph, ,rob ryan, ,screenprinting, ,Siggi Eggertsson, ,Simon Wild, ,Somerset House, ,Thereza Rowe, ,typography, ,Ville Savimaa

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Zine Symposium 2011: A Review

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

At the London Zine Symposium art students and anarchists sit cheek by jowl, page sometimes sharing an overloaded trestle table. It can be a somewhat uncomfortable relationship – I picked up one zine that featured a page that cited all the reasons why art students’ zines are inferior to ‘real’ zines: not least their tendency to flog a whole table of handcrafted goodies alongside.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

I can see their point – zines began life as a way to express ideas that might not otherwise find an outlet, approved and have been adopted by artists as a way to showcase work with a view to commercial propagation. But that doesn’t stop me being a big advocate of up and coming artists’ zines – it’s a wonderfully cheap medium to showcase work when cost is a real issue for many artists and illustrators just starting out. Of course, if that work has something intelligent to say, then all the better, and who said that anarchism and artistry have to be mutually exclusive anyway? The London Zine Symposium proves that there is plenty of room for all comers – it’s become a great success because the sprawling DIY ethos of the zine network creates supportive communities.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
It was extremely hot and claustrophobic in the Rag Factory this weekend, so I whisked through as quickly as I could and probably missed loads of great stuff. Here’s my pick of what I found at this year’s London Zine Symposium.

I’ve long been a fan of Jess Wilson, who has been featured multiple times in Amelia’s Magazine and in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration. One of her side projects is Duke Press, and here’s a selection of what she had on offer: lovely stuff all of it.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

At the back people were tackling their own Zine projects, and it looked like they were having a lot of fun with cut up newspapers and Pritt sticks.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Nobrow were there with a table full of brightly coloured products – not entirely sure how they fit into the London Zine Symposium, but I’ll always be seduced by their wares. I particularly liked the bright new postcards, which I suspect are Risograph products.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

I bumped into former Amelia’s Magazine intern Amy Knight, who is now working as an arts writer in Brighton. Her particular group of interns vanished in a puff of smoke a few years ago and I’ve heard very little from them since, so it was nice to hear what she is up to now. Very proud!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Amy Knight

Mark Pawson had pole position at the end, with his usual table full of fabulousness.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Mark Pawson

I was lured to Katie Green‘s table by the nicely matching palette of pea greens and rustic browns… then we both realised that she too is an Amelia’s Magazine contributor, one that I haven’t met before. She produced a beautiful image for my Everything is Connected theme in issue 10, and since then has been busy producing her own zine, The Green Bean, an ode to all things creative and sustainable.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Katie Green
Katie Green Green Bean
Katie Green Green Bean

She’s also been working on an Arts Council funded graphic novel and recently spent some time on a retreat where there was nothing but sheep…. inspiring a gorgeous sketch book of her “woolly friends”. I was easily seduced into buying one of her lovely fimo bean broaches.

Katie Green Sheep
Katie Green Sheep
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Katie Green

Hugh of Landfill Editions makes the most amazing publications on his Risograph machine. He kindly gave me a copy of Mould Map #1… which features the work of a whole host of new and up and coming illustrators, all wonderfully rendered in florid neon orange and purple. It includes the inimitable abstract work of former Amelia’s Magazine contributor Colin Henderson and I have been hankering after it for awhile. Thankyou Hugh!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Landfill Editions
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions

I must say that when it comes to my own purchases I tend to gravitate towards the more radical story zines, and so with my last pound coin I bought a copy of Out of the City and Into the Trees, a written zine that spans six years of diary entries written whilst living in trees on protest sites. I look forward to reading it.

Into the Trees-zine
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Check out our interview with London Zine Symposium organiser Edd Baldry. Enjoy the rest of my photos!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Amelia’s Anthology of, ,Amy Knight, ,Anarchism, ,Art Students, ,Arts Council, ,Ay Knight, ,Bean, ,Colin Henderson, ,cupcakes, ,diy, ,Duke Press, ,Fimo, ,Heneage Street, ,Jess Wilson, ,Katie Green, ,Landfill Editions, ,London Zine Symposium, ,Mark Pawson, ,Mould Map #1, ,rag factory, ,Risograph, ,The Green Bean, ,zines

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Zine Symposium 2011: A Review

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

At the London Zine Symposium art students and anarchists sit cheek by jowl, sometimes sharing an overloaded trestle table. It can be a somewhat uncomfortable relationship – I picked up one zine that featured a page that cited all the reasons why art students’ zines are inferior to ‘real’ zines: not least their tendency to flog a whole table of handcrafted goodies alongside.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

I can see their point – zines began life as a way to express ideas that might not otherwise find an outlet, and have been adopted by artists as a way to showcase work with a view to commercial propagation. But that doesn’t stop me being a big advocate of up and coming artists’ zines – it’s a wonderfully cheap medium to showcase work when cost is a real issue for many artists and illustrators just starting out. Of course, if that work has something intelligent to say, then all the better, and who said that anarchism and artistry have to be mutually exclusive anyway? The London Zine Symposium proves that there is plenty of room for all comers – it’s become a great success because the sprawling DIY ethos of the zine network creates supportive communities.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
It was extremely hot and claustrophobic in the Rag Factory this weekend, so I whisked through as quickly as I could and probably missed loads of great stuff. Here’s my pick of what I found at this year’s London Zine Symposium.

I’ve long been a fan of Jess Wilson, who has been featured multiple times in Amelia’s Magazine and in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration. One of her side projects is Duke Press, and here’s a selection of what she had on offer: lovely stuff all of it.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

At the back people were tackling their own Zine projects, and it looked like they were having a lot of fun with cut up newspapers and Pritt sticks.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Nobrow were there with a table full of brightly coloured products – not entirely sure how they fit into the London Zine Symposium, but I’ll always be seduced by their wares. I particularly liked the bright new postcards, which I suspect are Risograph products.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

I bumped into former Amelia’s Magazine intern Amy Knight, who is now working as an arts writer in Brighton. Her particular group of interns vanished in a puff of smoke a few years ago and I’ve heard very little from them since, so it was nice to hear what she is up to now. Very proud!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Amy Knight

Mark Pawson had pole position at the end, with his usual table full of fabulousness.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Mark Pawson

I was lured to Katie Green’s table by the nicely matching palette of pea greens and rustic browns… then we both realised that she too is an Amelia’s Magazine contributor, one that I haven’t met before. She produced a beautiful image for my Everything is Connected theme in issue 10, and since then has been busy producing her own zine, The Green Bean, an ode to all things creative and sustainable.

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Katie Green
Katie Green Green Bean
Katie Green Green Bean

She’s also been working on an Arts Council funded graphic novel and recently spent some time on a retreat where there was nothing but sheep…. inspiring a gorgeous sketch book of her “woolly friends”. I was easily seduced into buying one of her lovely fimo bean broaches.

Katie Green Sheep
Katie Green Sheep
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Katie Green

Hugh of Landfill Editions makes the most amazing publications on his Risograph machine. He kindly gave me a copy of Mould Map #1… which features the work of a whole host of new and up and coming illustrators, all wonderfully rendered in florid neon orange and purple. It includes the inimitable abstract work of former Amelia’s Magazine contributor Colin Henderson and I have been hankering after it for awhile. Thankyou Hugh!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Landfill Editions
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions
Mould Map-Landfill Editions

I must say that when it comes to my own purchases I tend to gravitate towards the more radical story zines, and so with my last pound coin I bought a copy of Out of the City and Into the Trees, a written zine that spans six years of diary entries written whilst living in trees on protest sites. I look forward to reading it.

Into the Trees-zine
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Check out our interview with London Zine Symposium organiser Edd Baldry. Enjoy the rest of my photos!

London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory
London Zine Symposium 2011 Photography by Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Amelia’s Anthology of, ,Amy Knight, ,Anarchism, ,Art Students, ,Arts Council, ,Ay Knight, ,Bean, ,Colin Henderson, ,cupcakes, ,diy, ,Duke Press, ,Fimo, ,Heneage Street, ,Jess Wilson, ,Katie Green, ,Landfill Editions, ,London Zine Symposium, ,Mark Pawson, ,Mould Map #1, ,rag factory, ,Risograph, ,The Green Bean, ,zines

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2011: Prints, Interiors and the very best Handmade Ideas

Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery
Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery.

Time for a further round up of Christmas goodies; all things print, interiors, hand made and wonderful. Don’t panic, there is still time to do a bit of Christmas shopping… for most online companies the last Christmas posting date is Monday 19th December.

Magpie Miller Knitted Bowl
First up, wonderful interior items from Magpie Miller: How about this clever ceramic bowl with knitted imprints? Perfect for that special someone who loves to craft.

Blue Magpie Miller Bird
They also stock plenty of ‘relived’ items including these wonderful decorative ceramic birds from North America.

Anissa Lee Black and White Hand Cut Paper Bow and Heart Wreath
I discovered the work of Anissa Lee on twitter, and was instantly drawn to her bold paper cutouts, particularly this amazing monochrome Christmas wreath. Very unique and eye-catching.

Cat o Neil print
Amelia’s Magazine contributor Cat O’Neil is selling some wonderful illustration prints on Etsy too. I particularly like this A3 print inspired by a story from Oliver Sacks whereby a blind lady with cerebral palsy learns the use of her hands, eventually becoming an artist who produces sculptures.

Cat o Neil print
Or how about this one: Disembodied Lady 4 illustrates the case of a lady who lost all sense of proprioception (a sense of self). A bargain at £14.99.

Tom Frost soma gallery
For the wood enthusiast in your life how about this fab piece from Tom Frost at Soma Gallery? The Dead Wrestler has been silk screened onto a chunky wooden base, making it a 3D artwork unlike any other.

Gemma Correl au revoir tote
There’s also this fab new Gemma Correll Au Revoir tote bag, featuring a cat on a bike, of course. And even better you can wrap up your Soma gifts with some bespoke Airmail Bird wrapping paper designed by none other than Lesley Barnes, ACOFI illustrator extraordinaire (see top of blog!)

Woolly Babs Christmas dog jumper
They’re completely daft but I am utterly in love with handmade Christmas jumpers from Woolly Babs, as sold at the Duckie Christmas Market by her son, shown here with a dog in a doggie jumper. I mean, what’s not to love? The nose on the reindeer even squeaks. Woolly Babs also sells festive jumpers to suit your kids… and you.

Landfill Mould Map 2
Landfill Mould Map 2 sister arrow
For art and design lovers Landfill Editions have just released their second edition of Mould Map, and it’s a technicoloured glory: just check out this beauty. Artists have been asked to imagine a distant future which is splattered across a 24 page A3 mega book with 7 feature prints. Some of my favourite illustrators are featured, including Sister Arrow and Rui Tenreiro.

Zosienka and rosie calendar cover
Zosienka and rosie calendar
I am a little bit in love with this Zosienka & Rosie Into the Woods Calendar for 2012. So pretty.

Petra Borner Thistlesnake
Illustrator Petra Borner produces the most fantastic decorative illustrations and now you have the chance to own a piece. Hop on over to her shop for a bit of the action: I particularly love this intriguingly coloured piece: Thistlesnake.

ACOFI Anthology illustration_bundle
Lastly, don’t forget to support Amelia’s Magazine and buy one of my books! Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration makes an ideal gift for the fashion/illustration lover in your life. For a real bargain buy both my books with four back issues for just £50.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Anissa Lee, ,Au Revoir tote bag, ,Bluebirds, ,Cat O’Neil, ,ceramic, ,Christmas Wreath, ,Disembodied Lady 4, ,Duckie Christmas Market, ,etsy, ,Gemma Correll, ,gifts, ,handmade, ,illustration, ,Interiors, ,Into the Woods Calendar, ,Landfill Editions, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Magpie Miller, ,Mould Map, ,Oliver Sacks, ,Petra Borner, ,prints, ,Rui Tenreiro, ,Sister Arrow, ,Soma Gallery, ,The Dead Wrestler, ,Thistlesnake, ,Tom Frost, ,Woolly Babs, ,Wrapping paper, ,Zosienka & Rosie

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2011: Prints, Interiors and the very best Handmade Ideas

Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery
Lesley Barnes wrapping paper for Soma Gallery.

Time for a further round up of Christmas goodies; all things print, interiors, hand made and wonderful. Don’t panic, there is still time to do a bit of Christmas shopping… for most online companies the last Christmas posting date is Monday 19th December.

Magpie Miller Knitted Bowl
First up, wonderful interior items from Magpie Miller: How about this clever ceramic bowl with knitted imprints? Perfect for that special someone who loves to craft.

Blue Magpie Miller Bird
They also stock plenty of ‘relived’ items including these wonderful decorative ceramic birds from North America.

Anissa Lee Black and White Hand Cut Paper Bow and Heart Wreath
I discovered the work of Anissa Lee on twitter, and was instantly drawn to her bold paper cutouts, particularly this amazing monochrome Christmas wreath. Very unique and eye-catching.

Cat o Neil print
Amelia’s Magazine contributor Cat O’Neil is selling some wonderful illustration prints on Etsy too. I particularly like this A3 print inspired by a story from Oliver Sacks whereby a blind lady with cerebral palsy learns the use of her hands, eventually becoming an artist who produces sculptures.

Cat o Neil print
Or how about this one: Disembodied Lady 4 illustrates the case of a lady who lost all sense of proprioception (a sense of self). A bargain at £14.99.

Tom Frost soma gallery
For the wood enthusiast in your life how about this fab piece from Tom Frost at Soma Gallery? The Dead Wrestler has been silk screened onto a chunky wooden base, making it a 3D artwork unlike any other.

Gemma Correl au revoir tote
There’s also this fab new Gemma Correll Au Revoir tote bag, featuring a cat on a bike, of course. And even better you can wrap up your Soma gifts with some bespoke Airmail Bird wrapping paper designed by none other than Lesley Barnes, ACOFI illustrator extraordinaire (see top of blog!)

Woolly Babs Christmas dog jumper
They’re completely daft but I am utterly in love with handmade Christmas jumpers from Woolly Babs, as sold at the Duckie Christmas Market by her son, shown here with a dog in a doggie jumper. I mean, what’s not to love? The nose on the reindeer even squeaks. Woolly Babs also sells festive jumpers to suit your kids… and you.

Landfill Mould Map 2
Landfill Mould Map 2 sister arrow
For art and design lovers Landfill Editions have just released their second edition of Mould Map, and it’s a technicoloured glory: just check out this beauty. Artists have been asked to imagine a distant future which is splattered across a 24 page A3 mega book with 7 feature prints. Some of my favourite illustrators are featured, including Sister Arrow and Rui Tenreiro.

Zosienka and rosie calendar cover
Zosienka and rosie calendar
I am a little bit in love with this Zosienka & Rosie Into the Woods Calendar for 2012. So pretty.

Petra Borner Thistlesnake
Illustrator Petra Borner produces the most fantastic decorative illustrations and now you have the chance to own a piece. Hop on over to her shop for a bit of the action: I particularly love this intriguingly coloured piece: Thistlesnake.

ACOFI Anthology illustration_bundle
Lastly, don’t forget to support Amelia’s Magazine and buy one of my books! Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration makes an ideal gift for the fashion/illustration lover in your life. For a real bargain buy both my books with four back issues for just £50.



Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Anissa Lee, ,Au Revoir tote bag, ,Bluebirds, ,Cat O’Neil, ,ceramic, ,Christmas Wreath, ,Disembodied Lady 4, ,Duckie Christmas Market, ,etsy, ,Gemma Correll, ,gifts, ,handmade, ,illustration, ,Interiors, ,Into the Woods Calendar, ,Landfill Editions, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Magpie Miller, ,Mould Map, ,Oliver Sacks, ,Petra Borner, ,prints, ,Rui Tenreiro, ,Sister Arrow, ,Soma Gallery, ,The Dead Wrestler, ,Thistlesnake, ,Tom Frost, ,Woolly Babs, ,Wrapping paper, ,Zosienka & Rosie

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