drawings
We went very old-school on a recent trip to Las Vegas, and tried to rediscover that classic vibe from the movies. We went to see the Showstoppers musical at the Wynn (where I sketched in the dark)...
...and sat drinking cocktails while an old-timey lounge singer crooned.
We gorged ourselves on the traditional (but indeed excellent) hotel buffet...
and wandered in the weirdly beautiful outrageous shopping malls...
I really like Las Vegas, it's like discovering a mirage in the desert...
I made my very good friend Katie Baldwin a wedding certificate for her wedding, so that all their guests could be witnesses, and sign it on their big day.
I did the calligraphy in pen & ink and the leafy border in watercolour, with dusky pink berries and tulips. Here are some details from the border...
...and a photo of the happy couple. Congratulations Katie and Curt!
The new HOBBS store in High Street Kensington, London is open! And lots of my specially commissioned illustrations are framed and decorating the walls...
I was asked to create illustrations for the stores, in a variety of styles, that reflected their values of quality and British heritage.
I also made a special map of the surrounding area showing the wonderful buildings and streets you can explore near the new store.
I highlighted some of the HOBBS iconic fashion items...
... and added in elements like local British flowers and animals.
Foxgloves and sweetpeas, foxes and a stag...
... and of course a countryside feature, the pheasant!
I also did some hand-lettered quotes, some etchings, and included some pages from my sketchbooks.
I hope you'll be able to visit and let me know what you think. Happy shopping!
Thanks to Nick Jesse for the store photos.
I recently did some artwork for HOBBS fashion stores in London. I produced over 20 illustrations for use inside their stores, and also one very special one for the promotion of their newest store in High Street Kensington, inside the iconic Barkers building. Here's the promo they made for instagram: [video width="640" height="640" m4v="http://www.marikojesse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2885.m4v"][/video]
The illustration also went out on invites for VIPS and local customers...
...and I heard that a good time was had by all. Next post will have photos of the store!
I recently illustrated my first colouring book pages. It was only four pages in a book that had many, but it was surprisingly complicated!
There's so much detail involved, and all the lines need to match up nicely, and it should be interesting enough that you really look forward to colouring it in. Here's the flower shop as I drew it...
This vase and bouquet is my favourite detail from one of the other pages...
You can buy the book on amazon. Don't forget to show me your coloured pages when you're done ~ I'd love to see how they look.
I've just come home from a wonderful visit in New York and Washington DC. I love NY, and it felt wonderful to meet friends and wander in all my special spots...
I showed my portfolio, ate fun dinners, and saw some inspiring exhibitions in both cities.
I was super excited to see the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, the White House, the Museum of American History and the Capitol.
I was especially moved by the Jefferson memorial, as he's my favourite US President of all!
I recently designed an exclusive butterfly and peony pattern for a jewellery box for tmtplaza in Hong Kong, for their spring beauty promotion.
I was asked to create something feminine and elegant, to match with this season's beauty products and cosmetics.
The illustration started out as pencil sketches of peonies in pale colours, with detailed monochrome butterflies and shadows.
This then gradually turned into a more colourful solid background with smaller butterflies...
...and I then developed the butterflies into more colourful versions, with stronger patterns and outlines. I chose a limited colour palette of pinks and greens to give the feminine feeling a contemporary twist.
I tried more detailed peonies, in richer colours...
...but in the end it went with the paler, more loosely-drawn flowers and more fully detailed butterflies. 
If you spend over HK$1,500 at the mall, from 23 April, you can get my box as a VIP gift, while stocks last! Hurry!
I spent a few days in Vienna recently, and finally managed to eat at the famous Cafe Central with its glorious arched ceilings.
I mixed it up a bit, and then went for cake at Simoni's, a very modern cafe, and just as delicious.
The big revelation for me was the visit to the Kunsthistoriches Museum. I couldn't believe how many truly amazingly beautiful works of art there were.
My favourites were this portrait of a lady by Rubens...
and this absolute gem by Vermeer. It gave me such a lovely warm feeling.
Vienna is such a beautiful city, even the hotdog stands are like works of art. This photograph is my tribute to Hopper, and features Durer's Hare on the roof.
Hope you're having a fun weekend, wherever you are! Here's a little collage I made while I was at art school, a long long time ago...
I just got back from a lovely weekend on the Wiltshire/Somerset border in England. We stayed in a bed & breakfast place surrounded by rolling green hills,
and I did a few sketches, and took a few photographs, and just took it easy. This is a watercolour of Cley Hill. There is a fantastic legend about the hill (read about it here) and it's also a famous UFO hotspot! Woo!
I'm in London for an early Spring, and enjoying the flowers in the changeable weather. I've been experimenting with mixing watercolour and pen and ink, and drew some peonies for my mum.
I visited Petersham Nurseries with my parents and had a lovely lunch, and I wished I could take every single flowering plant home with me...
Today and tomorrow are the last days to see my show at GAW in San Francisco. Hope you can make it! You can view these two hand-detailed mokuhanga prints of a jug and a mug...
It's a series of four, with pen-drawn lines, but these two just seem to go so nicely together.
My show continues for 2 more weekends, and I'll be at the studio this afternoon (saturday) so please feel free to drop in!
Here are two of the newer pieces in the show. I've been experimenting with adding different media onto prints: the pink jug is a mokuhanga print with added pen line drawing, and the bird mug is an etching with watercolour.
Graphic Arts Workshop: 2565 3rd St #305, San Francisco, CA 94107
Wishing you all the best for the year of the monkey! 
*This is an adapted version of an image I made for the Keswick Foundation charity in HK.
I did a fun illustration for the current issue of Click magazine, for their photo contest page, with all sorts of pets. Which one is your style?
I like the layout of the online mag a lot...
Hope you all enter the contest!
I did some chalk drawing backdrops a few months ago for Dr Oz The Good Life Magazine in New York, and I just got a printed copy, yay!
I love this one with the frosty blue colour and wintery trees. Here's a detail of the actual backdrop, where you can see the chalky lines.
And here's a sequence showing my progress as I was drawing.
For the home interior, I started with a more elaborate staircase, but developed my sketches to create a simpler scene. 
I even drew a simplified version of one of my own prints in the background ...
It was a real pleasure to be there on the day of the shoot, here's a little scene of me sketching the set-up.
Let's all walk more this year and get healthy, whatever the background...
Hope everyone is having a relaxing winter break. I just got back from a little visit up the coast to Point Reyes National Seashore, which was chilly but oh so beautiful! We visited the Point Reyes lighthouse, and saw grey whales on their way to Baha.
In Inverness, right by the water, the sunrise glow with mist over the water, was pink and golden and like a dream...
Limantour beach was wild and empty, 
and I lay on the sand in the sunshine and painted the grasses in the sand dunes.
Really, really, can't wait to go back again and discover more!
Here's a cute little thing I drew for the Croucher Foundation in HK this year. Yes, that's the star ferry speeding along there, obviously in a hurry to get home for Christmas...
...from me to you! Mx
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!
