Tiffany mug on instagram

I was thinking about my Tiffany & Co. mug the other day, and checked on instagram if anyone had posted any pictures of their mugs, and found some amazing images. I especially love this one...Thank you amberallurecupcakes ! And here's a selection of some others, a big thanks to everyone who posted them. So glad you're enjoying your mugs...I love instagram so much!

kapok 10 year anniversary

kapok, the hipster boutique lifestyle store in Hong Kong had their ten year anniversary this weekend, and they've been building up to it with a variety of events. I designed and illustrated a map for their #kapok10 anniversary launch, and they've used elements from it throughout their stores, website and social media.I've never created a map from scratch before, by which I mean that it's an imaginary place, not a real one. I was asked to create a country that embodied everything kapok stood for: creativity, fun, fashion and a truly international flavour. I could start anywhere! And of course a new country needs a crest: kapokland's features the pink dolphin of HK and their new motto: 'future classics' Here's the full map, showing an archipelago of different exotic fantasy islands, covering all seasons at once, with both tropical and arctic lands.The reverse side of the map also featured a close-up of the main town in kapokland: Kapokville. The town had shops and museums, but also global embassies, a castle and even pedalos!This is how it was used on the kapok website...They even had a stand at a local design market with fun illustrated props for customers to interact with......and also used some of the animals as a banner on facebook...I especially liked how they used details from the map on the store windows...and inside...Congratulations kapok! Here's to the next 10 years of fabulous!

tmtplaza beauty promotion

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!

interview

I did an interview with playtimes magazine when I was in HK, mainly to promote the Max and Mei books I illustrated. It's funny to read what I said, in another person's words: They collected together some of my images for the interview, and I love seeing how other people put them together, it always surprises me.You can read the whole interview at the Playtimes link above, and see the Max and Mei books here.

last weekend of exhibition

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.

exhibition prints

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

exhibition continues

My show opened last weekend in Dogpatch, San Francisco. Here's me hanging my work...Thank you to everyone who came to the opening reception, I am full of love for you all!The show runs from February 5th – 27th on Fridays and Saturdays noon – 5pm, and by appointment at other times. I'll be at the studio most saturdays while the show is up, if you'd like to drop by! Graphic Arts Workshop: 2565 3rd St #305, San Francisco, CA 94107

upcoming exhibition

I'm going to have a solo show in San Francisco, yay! It's in the little gallery at the front of my printmaking workshop in Dogpatch. The reception is on saturday 6 February from 2-5pm, I'd love to see you there!I'll be showing a selection of my ongoing playing card etching series, along with a new collection of mokuhanga woodcuts and etchings about tea. The show runs from February 5th – 27th on Fridays and Saturdays noon – 5pm, and by appointment at other times.

There will be a presentation by Linda Marshall about handmade Japanese washi paper at 1pm, just before the reception, so please do come along to that if  you're interested!

Graphic Arts Workshop: 2565 3rd St #305, San Francisco, CA 94107

open studios in a week

Next weekend: 31 Oct and 1 Nov, I'll be showing my work at the annual San Francisco Open Studios event, in my print studio in Dogpatch. You can find all the info you need about the Graphic Art Workshop here. I'll be showing new work, like this hand-detailed mokuhanga print,and some new playing card prints like these.Of course I'll be showing a wide variety of ceramic etchings, like this popular blue peonies print,which you can also see at the preview show in SOMArts gallery in downtown San Francsico right now.I do hope you can make it to the open studios, I'll be there from 11-6 on saturday and sunday. It's always nice to buy art direct from the artists! Please do come and say hello.

HK toile ceramics

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!

Connecticut magazines

I recently created some maps for a series of town guide magazines for Litchfield, Ridgefield, Fairfield, Bedford + Pound Ridge, and Wilton, in beautiful Connecticut, USA. The magazines are super nicely produced, and full of useful local information. I illustrated one map per magazine, like this:Small details from the maps were used throughout the articles to highlight various attractions and historical notes.You can see the town websites here. I hope I can go there one day!

Huntington Library

The Huntington Library, near LA, is a beautiful botanical gardens and art gallery/museum. I recently designed an exclusive toile pattern for them, to use on a variety of products to sell in their new museum store, which has just opened. This lovely paper parasol, with wooden handle, is available now!When I was commissioned for this project, I visited the gardens, took photographs and did sketches...and then designed this repeat toile featuring many of the elements I saw there. I especially loved the Japanese bridge, the rose gardens and the cactus gardens. The parasol has been featured in Romantic Homes magazine.It's available to buy in the museum store or online here. Look out for more products with this pattern, coming soon!

Bonaveri showroom

I illustrated a branch of plum blossom for the Spring launch of the new aloof mannequin from Bonaveri, for their China showroom. I kept the colours bright and the line crisp, to create a calm and beautiful backdrop for the elegant new mannequins.My illustration is influenced by traditional Chinese painting, but I tried to give it a modern feel. I started with pencil sketches of the flowers, and then drew the line in dip-pen and ink, finally adding colour in Photoshop.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

A very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year to you all! Here's a little year of the goat card I did for the Keswick Foundation in HK. Love it.

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.This is how the final goat looks in ink and watercolour...And 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!

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, which are also featured throughout the mall. 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.They're also on the connecting mall walkway, over the main road,and 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. At 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.There'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!If you spend a certain amount of money while you're shopping at the mall, you can collect a special gift at this lovely kiosk.You can get two of these limited edition fine bone china dinner plates, with my zodiac illustration in a lovely repeat pattern!

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

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.I 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. 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...

Tokyo print exhibition

Our collaborative mokuhanga print project wood + paper + box is on show until sunday at the Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidei). You can read all about it here.This is the installation, which shows a generally chronological view of our 1 year project.Each print was framed in perspex and had its own individual shelf. We showed each artwork as a physical object.This uchiwa fan is my final print. It's double-sided and when the light shines through the white jugs, you can see the reverse print pattern through it. Hope you can make it see the show!

HOKK fabrica interview

I was interviewed for the online fashion & lifestyle magazine Hokk fabrica this month. You can see the full interview here. This month's issue is about the concept of 'local', and they sent me questions which I was asked to answer by hand, like this... I was asked about my first memorable piece of artwork... It's a print I did in Japan. I really love it.Take a look at the full interview and hope you enjoy!

Pyaar

I recently designed the logo for new lifestyle store Pyaar in Hong Kong. It features hand-made and eco-friendly products from around the world, with a relaxed and modern aesthetic, and I tried to show this in the logo. I hope you'll all drop by! Totally loving the house-shaped cookies...