ceramics
I’ve just received these beautiful new ceramic coasters featuring illustrations of a selection of areas in Hong Kong, as part of my expanding Hong Kong Willow Collection.
I’m especially happy with the Wanchai/Causeway Bay/Happy Valley coaster, as I added some new icons like the historic wanchai post office and famous restaurant Amigo in Happy Valley.
I designed a special ceramic jewellery box for kapok, my favourite store in HK, for their 15th anniversary. They invited 15 designers they’ve worked with over the years to create a product.
I sketched the HK harbour and surrounding areas, to show all the kapok store locations. I originally chose bright acidy colours, but then switched to more muted ones, to match kapok’s 15th anniversary branding.
I then drew little icons of local HK buildings and characters, to go around the sides of the box. I especially enjoyed creating a little portrait of kapok’s founder Arnault.
Here’s the final simple and modern design, I love it!
It’s a super adorable box and can be purchased here on the kapok website.
I decided to photograph the new pieces in my Hong Kong Willow collection as I received some samples and wanted to get some images for promotion.
The teapot is in blue, with lovely gold detailing that shines softly in the light. I love it!
The plates show HK side and Kowloon side and celebrate HK’s famous harbour.
There are plates in two sizes, cups with saucers, a teapot, and coasters. Also a mug, although I don’t have that sample yet.
I recently did the illustrations for these promotional plates for the CMA in HK. Each plate represents a different era of their long history in HK, and the different areas they work in.
My favourite to research and work on was the first plate, which showed the original CMA building in the 1950’s. I did it in sepia tones, with gold highlights, and loved drawing the old bus and lady with 1950’s hair!
I wove bauhinia flowers, the national flower of HK, into the designs of each of the four plates. The blue plate features the 1960’s trade shows of the CMA, the third plate features famous HK brands and products through the ages, and the last shows modern technology and science in HK today.
I designed a lovely garden toile for the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena a while ago, and it's been used on a gorgeous parasol (see my previous post) but now it's also available on a teaset.
The printing is beautiful and the fine bone china is delightfully delicate on both the teapot and the two teacups that come with it. 
The design is based on their famous Japanese garden, the rose walk, and the fantastic California succulent and cactii gardens. If you haven't been there, I really recommend it! You can buy the teaset on their online store here.
This week I'm in London, admiring the lights, and loving the Chrismassy-ness of it all. Along with two of my monsters colleagues, Lynn Hatzius and David Humphries, we had a stand at the House of Illustration annual Illustrator's Christmas Fair, held in King's Cross.
We sold prints and cards, and I even had some of my London Toile products.
I've been admiring the wonderful Christmas windows around town, and my favourites are the glorious Fortnum and Masons...
and of course Tiffanys.
And the best thing about London is the choice of exhibitions, and these constructed trees by Ai Wei Wei at the Royal Academy were stunning.
Can't wait for more London inspiration this week!
I went to tree interiors shop in HK this week, and loved their fantastic new display of my HK toile products.
Apparently the noodle bowl two-piece set is a best-seller, hurrah! Here is a sign they have showing all the different products.
I especially liked this way of showing the Chinese teacups...
Hope you can fit even just a little piece into your kitchens!
Here are some lovely photos of my HK toile ceramics, showing the Chinese tea time set, with rice and soup bowls, dipping plates, chopstick holders and spoons! 
The ceramics are available in contemporary red or traditional blue, and feature little details like egg tarts and dim sum in the middle.
You can buy them directly from faux and tree in HK, along with a few other retail outlets. Sik fan!
I've just installed a display in the artspace window next to Alleycat Books in the Mission in San Francisco, on 24th and Treat. I wanted to create the illusion of looking into an interior, playing with various layers and dimensions.
I drew an illustrated black and white backdrop of a Victorian parlour, looking through to several more rooms. I hid little details in the drawing to create stories: portraits, a lady by the fire, a statue of a rabbit, a cat’s tail, a stuffed bird under a glass dome. I played with depth within the drawing itself, and then added to it by hanging real framed pictures on the drawn walls.
The framed pieces are etchings of ceramics and a portrait, echoing the subject matter within the backdrop. They're full of patterns, creating a layer of patterned artwork on top of patterned wallpaper.
One of the difficulties was fighting the un-removable grafitti on the glass. By creating a detailed pattern, I hope I've managed to distract the eye!
Please go and take a look if you're around. It should be up for 2 months.
I visited the Victoria and Albert museum this week, and pottered about the ceramics galleries thinking of ideas and doing little sketches.
If I could only go to one museum in London per visit, it would definately be this one. My head is filled with teapots, birds and butterflies...
Chinese New Year is rapidly approaching, and this pretty new set of my HK toile ceramics might be just what you need to see in the start of the Year of the Horse...I love the little dim sum and egg tarts in the centre of the plates and bowls!
All are available direct from faux in HK..
I'm in London, and I've just received some samples of my London toile dinner plates. They're super cute!
They're made from fine bone china, blue on white, in a set of 6, and each plate has a different London icon in the centre.
I have to say that I have a soft spot for the corgi...
They're available to buy online and instore from faux and tree, in HK.
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to make it to our private view last night! 
Helene Turbe makes delicate jewellery, Aude Van Ryn makes decorative ceramics, I have etchings and woodblock prints on show, and Romilly Graham has bold colourful ceramics.
The show continues this weekend, 11am-5pm both saturday and sunday. We'd love to see you!
We just spent the day in the Cotswolds, and had the loveliest afternoon tea ever at Juri's Tearoom in the country town of Winchcombe. The crockery was a pretty blue... 
...and the view from the conservatory was delightful. But it's the cakes you need to try; honestly, the cheese cake was the best I've ever had, anywhere. So light and fluffy. The sandwiches were beautiful too. Everything is perfect, as it's traditional English, but with a slight hint of the Japanese, as Juri is from there.
I absolutely recommend this place if you're anywhere near...
My HK toile teasets have been getting a lot of press in Hong Kong recently, thanks to kapok in Wanchai, where you can buy all the ceramic pieces in both colours...
