A drawing a day

Chris Piascik is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Connecticut, USA. Four years ago, he decided to do a drawing every day which he'd post on his blog. Several hundred illustrations (he calls them his dailies) later he set himself a goal to publish a book when he got to 1000.  He wanted to control the publishing himself so he asked anyone who subscribed to his blog and enjoyed his illustrations to contribute money to his cause - he needed to raise USD 5500.  This he managed to do.  He says doing the Daily Drawings has changed his life; he gained the confidence to leave his job and do more illustration which then led to lots of commissions. He is now represented by an agent in Paris, Valerie Oualid who sent me a newsletter featuring his work. Inspiring stuff. http://chrispiascik.com/work/

It's a doll's life

Sondra Stocker's clever story gives satisfying double-take.  An ex-model herself now based in LA, I wonder if this is her commentary on the more humdrum aspects of a model's life.  See more here: Sondra Stocker

Totems

 

I am fascinated by street vendors and have much affection for the work by John Thomson and Eugene Atget who photographed the various types of street merchant and performer of London and Paris respectively in the late 19th century.  Alain Delorme's series Manufactured Totems sits very well with Atget and Thomson as it explores street vendors in Shanghai touting their wares in an everchanging city at the dawn of a new age.  Alain calls these enormous precariously- balanced loads totems and thinks they are works of art themselves;  movable colourful sculptures which defy the law of gravity.  http://www.alaindelorme.com/?p=works

Faces

Artist Ashkan Honarvar brings the horror of conflict into sharp and startling focus with his Faces series.  Here he recreates the injuries suffered by soldiers from the First World War using cake and flesh coloured icing. I have the sharp-eyed Alastair McVeigh to thank for showing me this. Ashkan Honarvar

Barbie - as you've never seen her before

Much sexier and more glamorous than Cindy, Barbie was always the doll of choice for me as a discerning 8 year old. Jocelyne Grivaud had one too and felt that despite the controversy surrounding Barbie over how she influences young girls' perceptions of the female body, she did have much to celebrate when she turned 50 a couple of years ago.  So inspired by some of mankind's greatest art, here's how Jocelyne pays tribute to her favourite doll - see more here:http://www.barbiemamuse.com/eng/barbie_pourquoi.php

Anatomical Quilling

James Rooke, one of our lovely and very talented art directors, came across this on Visual News.  This extraordinary quilling work is by Lisa Nilsson.  She says quilling is the perfect way to  "render the densely squished and lovely internal landscape of the human body in cross section" and looking at these, it's impossible to disagree.  I'd like a torso in a box as shown here.... 
http://lisanilssonart.com/section/282102_Tissue_Series.html

Young Love

We never forget our first love... Laura Pannack brilliantly captures the awkwardness and intensity of teenage love in this series. See more of her awardwinning work here: http://www.laurapannack.com/