HOBBS High Street Kensington

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!

Huntington Library teapot

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.

colouring book

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.

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!

Dr Oz Magazine

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...

a little extra Christmas

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...

winter night light

I designed this wintery forest scene for a new wooden light for Thinkgadgets in London. It's available to buy in stores across the UK, and from the Spirit of Christmas. It comes in a natural wood or painted white finish and is 15" wide.It's super cute and friendly when the starry lights are shining through it!Hmmm, wonder who might like it for Christmas this year...

summer solstice

Today is the longest day of the year, the summer solstice (for us in the northern hemisphere). This is an illustration I made for the poet Dick Russell who commissioned a set of cards for his summer and winter solstice poems. I picked elements from the poem and did a watercolour painting in summer greens...Happy Midsummer everyone!

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.

Mission window display

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.

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...

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...