Chinese New Year

year of the goat

Here's a video of me drawing a happy new year goat. It was made as part of the social media campaign for Pacific Place mall in HK. It's a visual pun on a traditional Chinese blessing about the rabbit's breath and the goat's eyebrows, which somehow translates to good fortune! https://vimeo.com/119728675

I did pencil sketches first to work out the order in which to draw things, how the goat should look, and the positioning of drawing and text.Exif_JPEG_PICTUREThis is how the final goat looks in ink and watercolour...Exif_JPEG_PICTUREAnd this is the filming. I drew at my normal speed, but tried to keep it generally consistent, and the final footage was speeded up, and a soundtrack added. I've never done this before, but it was fun!Exif_JPEG_PICTURE

Pacific Place photos

The Chinese New Year decorations featuring my zodiac illustrations are now installed in the Thomas Heatherwick designed Pacific Place shopping mall in HK. In the large atrium, there are banners and lanterns,Exif_JPEG_PICTURE which are also featured throughout the mall.mall bigger My favourite part of the installation is the glass wall of the lifts; it features my illustration on a huge scale, and looks wonderful when you travel up and down.lift biggerThey're also on the connecting mall walkway, over the main road,Exif_JPEG_PICTUREand there's a pagoda with flower maze in the lower atrium, with an illustrated rotating display and each of the zodiac animals on the outer wall. roundAt the back of this display are some Chinese-style screens made of wood. I love the way elements from my drawn illustration have been transformed into 3D.Exif_JPEG_PICTUREThere's a smaller pagoda also, based on my drawings, with information screens and drawings on each side. I really like the flowers on the floor!Exif_JPEG_PICTUREIf you spend a certain amount of money while you're shopping at the mall, you can collect a special gift at this lovely kiosk.Exif_JPEG_PICTUREYou can get two of these limited edition fine bone china dinner plates, with my zodiac illustration in a lovely repeat pattern!Exif_JPEG_PICTURE

And if you upload an instagram photo at the mall, you may win a pack of these wonderful pink and gold lucky fai chun.Exif_JPEG_PICTUREI do hope you'll go and have a look!mariko by lift 2

Pacific Place

I've just arrived in HK to do some promotional work for Pacific Place luxury shopping mall. I created an illustration about the celebration of Spring, for their Chinese New Year decorations.small fileI used red (a lucky & auspicious colour) and included all the 12 Chinese horoscope animals. It also features Chinese New Year elements such as peonies, plum blossoms and pine trees. The PP website features the design in a pink + brown colour combination.screen shot 1 copy There'll be all kinds of fun events at Pacific Place over Chinese New Year, so if you're around, please check it out! I'll be taking some photos of the decorated mall this week, so you can see those soon.

It's the year of the goat, and I especially do like drawing goats...goats

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

I designed 2 different sets of adorable lai see red pockets for clients in HK this year. The first were for BEYORG, celebrating the year of the horse, with cute horses doing various traditional New Year things, in lucky red and shiny gold. . .The second were for Grand Century Place shopping mall. They asked for a pattern incorporating Chinese New Year elements, but also fashiony things like a dress and jewellery. I love the coppery gold colour they used for the foil highlights, to match the pink. They also made a promotional fabric ipad mini case for VIPS with the same pattern.Have a wonderful year of the horse everyone!

chocolate packaging

Chinese New Year is just round the corner, and I've designed some exclusive packaging for Hong Kong based personalised (you can create your own flavours!) chocolatier chocoyou. The special new year red and gold sleeve is wrapped around a gift box of 5 chocolate bars. 2013 is the year of the snake, so I've based the illustration on a stylised Chinese papercut snake. When opened up flat,  it also works as a fai chun (lucky sign) you can put up in your house. The shiny gold brings good fortune, wishing you a prosperous new year. Here are some of my sketches for the project...I also designed a sleeve for a special Valentine's Day set.The pretty watercolour floral illustration is a romantic Valentine bouquet.You can order both these box sets here, the perfect gifts.