Category Archives: Inspiration

‘Elena’ Umberto Barone / INSPIRATION

May 15, 2013

Umberto Barone for Bambi Magazine XIII, graphic novel comic book style fashion editorial, black & white, femme fatale, film noirUmberto Barone for Bambi Magazine XIII, graphic novel comic book style fashion editorial, black & white, femme fatale, film noirUmberto Barone for Bambi Magazine XIII, graphic novel comic book style fashion editorial, black & white, femme fatale, film noir

Umberto Barone for Bambi Magazine vol. XIII

I came across this editorial a few weeks ago whilst checking out the latest issue of one of my favourite online magazines, Bambi. Their editorials always kind of blow me away, but this one really grabbed me, perhaps for quite obvious (nerdy) reasons.

The beautifully stark black & white photography paired with the sharp, geometric backgrounds & the femme fatale styling make the whole thing look like it came straight out of a neo-noir style graphic novel. Sort of a high fashion take on Sin City. What’s not to love? It makes me want to dress like this every day & want almost everything featured, but especially the black jackets. Oh, and the harness, the thigh high boots, that amazing paneled skirt… I’m even craving a short, sharp black bob…

Also, if you’ve never checked out Bambi Magazine you really ought to. It features some of the most beautiful editorials & has such a strong personality too, they describe it as ‘Sex, Couture and Rock an’ Roll‘ & every editorial is just dripping with it. So, if you liked this one, it pretty much a guarantee you’ll enjoy the others too. Plus, you can browse the current issue, in full, along with all of the previous ones online at your pleasure. Great for when you need a hit of inspiration.

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Jen Mann / INSPIRATION

March 27, 2013

Jen Mann Strange Beauties Bubblegum pink girl, art, painting, illustration, realisticJen Mann Strange Beauties John & Nightlight, boy & girl portrait, art, painting, illustration, realisticJen Mann Strange Beauties sway pink & blue man, art, painting, illustration, realistic, double exposure

Pieces from the ‘Strange Beauties’ exhibition by Jen Mann

I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with this photo-realistic, yet painterly style that seems to have become quite popular recently. I think it stems from my love of the old masters & that I’ve been getting really interested in classical art again over the past few years, I feel like this is sort of an updated, super modern version of those types of works.

For her newest exhibition ‘Strange Beauties’ Jen Mann focused on finding the beauty in the unexpected, those fleeting, awkward moments of imperfection. Starting off in her studio as photographs of her family & friends, she then manipulates the images in Photoshop before expertly transferring them onto large scale canvases using oils. The pastel colours, soft bush strokes & hazy light give the pieces an ethereal quality, like a vivid daydream or as though you’re looking at them through rose tinted glasses.

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‘New Frontiers’ Marcus Ohlsson / INSPIRATION

February 13, 2013

Marcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, MinimalismMarcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, MinimalismMarcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, MinimalismMarcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, MinimalismMarcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, MinimalismMarcus Ohlsson, Elle UK, March, Editorial, Fashion, New Frontiers, Xiao Wang, Futuristic, Sci Fi, Oriental, Eastern, Minimalism

‘New Frontiers’ by Marcus Ohlsson for Elle UK March 2013

I have to admit, it’s been a pretty long while since I last picked up Elle magazine, or Vogue, or any of those other big name monthly glossies for that matter. I used to be an addict, every month on the release date I’d run off to the shops to buy a heap of them & then spend the day excitedly pouring over every word & image. Lately I find myself bored with them though, I’d flip through them & get to the end feeling totally unsatisfied, I hadn’t enjoyed reading it at all & so I stopped buying them.

I’m not sure what made me buy the newest issue of Elle, but I’m extremely glad I did. Yes, it’s bloated with adverts making it look deceptively chunky & no Victoria Beckham on the cover is not doing anything for me, but this one editorial made it totally worth it.

It’s so otherwordly it stopped me dead in my tracks. Xiao Wang makes the most stunning ghostly, alien like figure in the shots & the unearthly backdrop in dreamy greyed pastels gives the minimal pieces a beautiful sci-fi edge, taking them to a whole other level for me. I also, surprisingly, hadn’t come across Marcus Ohlsson‘s work before seeing this, but after spending half an hour pouring over his portfolio he’s quickly been added to the mental favourite photographers list.

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Earth As Art / INSPIRATION

January 23, 2013

NASA, Earth As Art, Landsat 7, Aleutian Clouds, Bering Sea

Aleutian Clouds – Bering Sea

NASA, Earth As Art, Landsat 7, Edrengiyn Nuruu, Mongolia,

Edrengiyn Nuruu – Mongolia

NASA, Earth As Art, Landsat 7, Dasht-e Kavir, Iran,

Dasht-e Kavir – Iran

NASA, Earth As Art, Landsat 7, Kalahari Desert, Southern Africa,

Kalahari Desert – Southern Africa

NASA, Earth As Art, Landsat 7, Mayn River, Russia,

Mayn River – Russia

NASA, Earth As Art, Terra Satellite, Wadi Branches, Jordan

Wadi Branches – Jordan

It’s been a while since I did a geeky post, and I’ve had these saved on my laptop for quite a while now, so I thought it was time to share them! These are a few of my favourite images from NASA’s recently released book ‘Earth as Art‘ & the entire book is available for free as a PDF here & iPad app here if you’d like to see the rest.

The images were all taken by various Earth observing environmental satellites. The sensors on these satellites can measure light outside of the visible range, so if you’re wondering about the rather surreal colours in some of them, they have been added based on the invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that the satellites detected, allowing us to see the surface of the Earth in much greater detail than we could with our own eyes.

I’m constantly finding my breath being taken away by stunning landscape photography showing the sheer beauty of our planet, but these are on another level entirely. Just look at all those beautiful colours, patterns & textures shown here, that we are totally blind to. I find that so awe inspiring, it really puts into perspective & makes me appriciate just how special & beautiful this little chunk of rock we call home really is.

“We must look to the heavens . . . for the measure of the earth” – Jean-Félix Picard

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13.01.13 – 20.01.13 / INSPIRATION

January 20, 2013

Inspiration, Mood Board, Anatomy, Rocky Horror, Underwear, Lingerie, Rose, Fur, Leather, Androgyny, Black, Grey, Pink, Beige, Nude, Feminine, Masculine, Hard, Soft

#1 : Blurry / Love the colours & the distortion in this, I so wish I knew who it was by though!
#2 : Frank’N'Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show / One of my all time favourite movies & characters, I have no idea why, but I still have such a huge crush on Tim Curry as Frank…
#3 : Sougwen Chung / So much gorgeous detailing in this, I could stare at it forever!
#4 : Texture mix / Although I’d never wear real fur, I love the mixture of textures here, definitely want to re-create this but in faux!
#5 : Leslie Ann O’Dell / I love how this looks almost too real, but it is a photograph! The use of light & shadow is so painterly, giving that hyper real effect, just beautiful.
#6 : Ann Demeulemeester FW12 / I adored this whole collection, but little details like this are why I love Demeulemeester so much…
#7 : Hazy sky / Those smokey clouds, pinkish sky & that little sliver of moon, so pretty!
#8 : Lonely Hearts underwear set / I still can’t get enough of this underwear, such simple perfection, I wish they had a UK stockist!
#9 : Kim Yeong Jun for Singles Korea ‘The Boy’ / I featured Yeong Jun’s work a few posts ago, this is another of my favourites of his. I’ll always be a huge fan of androgynous looks & this whole editorial is killer!

10 Favourite / Most Played Tracks This Week…

Click to open in Spotify : [ Playlist for 02.12.12 - 09.12.12 ]

#1 : Palma Violets / Best of Friends
#2 : New York Dolls / Personality Crisis
#3 : Band of Skulls / The Devil Takes Care of His Own
#4 : The Black Keys / Tighten Up
#5 : Kings of Leon / Soft
#6 : The Strokes / Last Night
#7 : Ladyhawke / Girl Like Me
#8 : Massive Attack / Angel
#9 : Throwing Muses / Counting Backwards
#10 : Juliette & The Licks / Got Love To Kill

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Pippa McManus / INSPIRATION

January 9, 2013

Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w, Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w,Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w,

Pippa McManus

I’ve been feeling stuck in a rut with my own illustration style for a while now, I love working digitally, but I’ve come to realise that what I really miss is painting. I’ve been sketching a lot & experimenting with different techniques, to try & incorporate a more painterly method into my existing style, but I’ve also been looking to other illustrators & artists for inspiration too.

I came across Pippa McManus a few days ago on another late night binge on Pinterest & instantly fell in love with her graphic, yet very organic & traditional style. The bold block colours are such a great contrast against the smudgy charcoal lines & shading, giving the images a modern, graphic edge. I love when traditional mediums, such as charcoal, acrylic & pastels as she uses, are used in such a fresh way, the perfect mixture between old & new.

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‘Snow White’ by Kim Yeong Jun / INSPIRATION

December 19, 2012

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‘Snow White’ by Kim Yeong Jun for Singles Korea

I thought with it being almost Christmas I ought to post something a little festive & what better than a gorgeous snowy fashion editorial! I came across this editorial randomly a few weeks ago & since then I have been trying to find out a little more about the photographer behind it, Kim Yeong Jun with absolutely no luck. I can’t even find a website for him, which is really annoying, so I’ve linked to one showcasing a selection of his work. If you like this one, definitely have a look through, the rest is equally as beautiful.

I can’t help but compare this to Paolo Roversi’s work, one of my all time favourite photographers, it has that similar soft focus, painterly feel to it but it’s just a little sharper, a little more modern & I really like that. I love the way the light hits the model, it’s crisp but soft & really cuts through the dream like feel of the other elements making it feel so fresh.

I don’t think I even need to mention how perfect the styling is here, but it’s safe to say if the garments were black I’d happily be wearing these looks head to toe, though the more I look the more I’m craving some white pieces to add to my wardrobe…

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Kate MacDowell / INSPIRATION

December 12, 2012

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I came across Kate MacDowell‘s work quite a few weeks ago now, I knew I was going to post it as soon as I saw it, but I’ve had to wait to let it really sink in. It’s been a long time since I came across a new artist who’s work left me so speechless like this. So many things I wanted to say about the pieces but my all my brain could think was ‘woooah’, hopefully it’s caught up again now!

Anatomy & nature are two of my favourite subjects & so it will be of no surprise to those of you who already knew so, that these pieces would make my heart skip. The way she manages to combine the two so perfectly, harmoniously even, is just beautiful.

Each piece is hand sculpted out of ghostly white porcelain, giving what would usually be a very dark, disturbing subject matter a real sense of purity & elegance, inviting those who would usually quickly look away to look a little closer and for a little longer. The aspect I find most striking though, is the feeling of fragility the porcelain gives the pieces, it makes for a beautiful statement on how delicate the balance is between us & nature. The small decaying animals which reveal a human skeleton underneath further illustrate this message, ‘what we do to our world, we do to ourselves’.

“I see each piece as a captured and preserved specimen, a painstaking record of endangered natural forms and a commentary on our own culpability.” – Kate MacDowell

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