Lou Beach

Lou Beach is a German born L A based illustrator.

His career spans over 40 years and he has created designs for music album covers for several famous artists including The Carpenters and Blink 182. He has also designed illustrations for publications such as Wired, The New Yorker, Harper's and the New York Times.He has moved with the times and worked digitally although recently has once again gone back to working with paper and glue. I am inspired by Beach's work, i absolutely love it. It is quirky and humours and really well executed . For this project i am interested in artists who use collage as a technique and in my opinion Beach is a master in this process. I am intrigued by the content of the images , the dark, sinister some times creepy subject matter which is often displayed in a jolly , jovial ,light hearted back ground.

I feel an immediate affinity with his work and it is similar to what i produce myself. There are a lot of people and animal references and definitely a wicked sense of humour at play.

www.loubeach.com

The Velveteen Rabbit: Told by Meryl Streep (Official Rabbit Ears Video)

The Velveteen Rabbit is a book by Margery Williams, it was illustrated by William Nicholson and originally published in 1922 . It is a very interesting example of symbolism and has a deep message about becoming 'real' . My dissertation is about the significance of certain symbols and images with in art and in particular the rabbit . This story struck a chord with me not only because of its beautiful illustrations but because of the sentiment and wisdom of the tale. It is also significant to me that Williams chose a rabbit as the main character , a gentle vulnerable animal who is none threatening and appealing and with whom most of us can identify .

Amy Butler

Amy Butler is an American designer who produces beautiful floral patterns for her own company and several other companies . She began in the late 1980's producing passport sized bags and selling to selected small boutique shops ! She never follows trends and is inspired by her collection of vintage fabrics! Her company produces fabrics, wallpaper, sewing patterns, stationary, craft paper, gift wrap, wall art , towels and rugs . Amy has a large team of designers who help create the brand and she also works with charities and community groups in order to give a bit back to society . I absolutely love all the products , the colour palettes are beautiful and the complexity of some of the designs are amazing.

www.amybutlerdesign.com

I made some cards using Amy Butler paper from K & Company !

I am really inspired by the gorgeous patterns from Amy Butler and admire her work very much , she is a brilliantly successful business woman and has in my opinion created one of the most distinctive and classic brands around.

Momiji

Dissertation draft!

Sara Antoinette Martin

Beatrix Potter was an English author and illustrator who was born in 1866 , her most famous character is Peter Rabbit , a naughty young bunny who got into all sorts of trouble. The Potter brand is immediately identifiable by the Peter Rabbit image and the Potter website is called the 'World of Peter Rabbit' . This rabbit has mass appeal and for me symbolises a nostalgic, carefree, sweet, fairy tale , romantic period which is quintessentially English.

Cracking Art Group 'Big Rabbits' installation Portofino Italy 2009

the art group say the rabbit is a symbol of reproduction and proliferation, this installation was made from old plastic water bottles from landfills and after the piece was exhibited the group destroyed it and reused the materials so that it did not become waste again!

Paperself

Paperself - a platform for design made from paper and card!

Paper cut eyelashes from designer Ting yu Wang

For my dissertation i am looking into symbolism and was intrigued by these beautiful delicate paper cut eye decorations. They are available in three designs which have symbolic meanings rooted in Chinese culture.

Horses - symbolic of success

Peony- symbolic of happiness and good fortune

Peach blossom - symbolic of love and romance.

www.paperself.com

PaperBoy wallpaper

I came across this wallpaper and fabric at Pulse in London. It is aimed at boys bedrooms and i think its ace, i especially love the x-ray effect design, once again i am attracted to simple shaped illustrations of animals ! All their wallpaper is designed and hand printed in England.

www.paperboywallpaper.co.uk