So much to write about this week, but so little time. Now that we have even a modicum of sunshine it feels a shame to sit in front of the computer, right?  But because we adore you and need to let some of this information overload out we are here to share (feel free to do the same!) If you have any suggestions please do drop us a line!

I. We think you’ll find photographer Jonathan Higbee’s ‘World of Coincidences‘ worthy of a click through.

II. It seems a lot of book publishers are adding little cinematic goodies to entice readers, we think this one for Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is just perfect.

III. The bird based system that eventually became Pantone-Fascinating!

IV. I decided that I was going to jump on the #100dayproject bandwagon (yes, a few days behind) , because I obviously don’t have enough on my plate, right?  I am going to attempt a 100 days of florals both drawing (maybe painting?) and photographs. I’m just going to explore, why not? If you want to join in, you can read about it here!  Famous designer would teach a 100 day workshop at Yale, his most successful student was Ely Kim who did Boombox (you’re welcome).

V. 9 year old captions New Yorker cartoon and is killing it with her wit.

I. We are completely and utterly floored at how beautiful Karla Lim of Written Word Calligraphy’s new Modern Calligraphy Practice pads are. They are almost too beautiful to practice in.

II. If one cookbook recommendation is good, why not get 37 from Epicurious?

III. Totally in full-on spring mode. If you too have a little naturalist at home, birding is an easy and inexpensive way to explore nature. I found this great little checklist where you can become a ‘citizen scientist’ and share your observations with Cornell University. We are getting this little birdfeeder to be able to see the birds up close (and also to have something on the windows so don’t fly into them).

IV. The pencil has such a bad rap, but the humble tool is one of my faves and these luxe offerings from Katie Leamon are so good.

V. Michelle has a Pinterest board called ‘Surprising & Delightful’ and it is just that. I loved this find of an artist that merges archival footage and antique photographs.

 

I. We are in full on spring mode in these parts and are ready to start our gardens! I read this book in November and decided that this was my year to plant a cutting garden in my minuscule plot of land. I have already planted my dinner plate dahlia bulbs and am anxiously awaiting there arrival. Michelle informed me the woman that wrote the book also has seeds for sale and we are going to purchase and share so we can get more milage (perhaps you have a friend or two that wants to do the same?). We want everything.

II. Michelle introduced me to Alice , of course we immediately knew we needed to share with you. It’s a little vignette straight out of Amelie, part travel tip, part magic enjoy!

III. I am always looking for super easy meals to cook, pair that with a beautiful cookbook and I am a happy camper. Alison Roman’s new book, is chockfull of easy recipes, without too many complicated ingredients, bonus she is super heavy on the veggie recipes and I love me some veggies. The photographs by Nikkol Herriot and Michael Graydon are wonderfully modern and refreshing.

IV. We are so happy for our fellow flower lover Brittany on her new book, it looks like a must have for any craft library.

V. Last but certainly not least, if you are looking for something to do on Saturday, March 24, 2018 that could forever change the course of history, may we suggest this?

 

photo by tristan b. edited with stockholm

Friday always feels like it’s sneaking up on me these days, especially since I tasked myself with finding favorites to share here. All week long I find great things, don’t write them down because I think I will remember, log in and slap my forehead that I have forgotten them all and here I am, so I will give it a go (and make a note to actually start jotting things down!).

I. I have been doing a lot of contour drawing this month, I think it’s partially the anticipation of spring in the PNW that has me so motivated.  With each drawing I learn a little more and get a little better (Michelle is a natural at this and her lines are so confident). One of my major influences and inspirations (besides Michelle) is the great Ellsworth Kelly  his book Drawn from Nature is sure to inspire if you are interested in this simplistic approach. Kelly was inspired by the contour and line drawings of  Picasso and Matisse . This book you can see the influence, I have to say I can totally see the ‘joie de vivre’ in these simple drawings, even Matisse’s  lines seem happy.

II. I always like to read about supplies other artists use since I have never taken a proper art class (or design class for that matter), I feel like I don’t know what’s available for the style I am trying to achieve so I experiment a lot. These are some of the supplies I have been using for my botanical sketches. I love this sketchbook, it’s a good size if I decide to do a series of smaller flowers or go larger (which I have been lately), it’s not the best quality, but certainly not the worst, it’s perfect for me because I get really weird about using sketchbooks that I feel are too nice. I use two pencils often, a mechanical pencil with a soft 4b lead, and I have one of these pencils stashed in every bag and drawer in case inspiration strikes! When I draw in ink I use this brush pen, it’s my favorite, I feel like it draws on its on, its that good!

III. This book cover caught Michelle’s eye, it has great reviews so she’s giving it a go!

IV. For those looking for things for kiddos I stumbled across the coolest little art blog. I can’t wait to try the jungle themed project and the blue cut out t-shirt!  Most of you know that I am a picture book addict, sometimes some books are beautiful but lack content and some have great content but visuals may not be my fave, this series falls into the latter, the books are little biographies of individuals that have made great strides, my favorites so far are the Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln (we are big Abe fans in our house).

V. My hands have taken a beating this winter, I used the excess of this serum on my hands one day and I felt like it was an almost instantaneous change. I have since only used it on my hands and I feel like it has made them look better than they have in years!

 

drawing by tristan b. | cleaned + digitized with lettering rx

I. New York Times has ‘The Week in Good News’ and we are loving it! The secret super colony of Adelie penguins they found from space? AH-MAZING! This is the stuff of storybooks, Michelle’s favorite part is that they were found on the ‘Danger’ islands.

II. While we are on birds, did you know there is a scientific term called ‘gifting’ in the animal kingdom. This little girl’s story is so magical.

III. Looking for some foodie eye candy? Athena Calderone’s new cookbook, ‘Cook Beautiful’ is truly swoon worthy.

IV. I have been trying to make a regular drawing practice, I just found these free online classes and tutorials that look promising!

V. Have you heard of 40 hz?  It’s a sound frequency that supposedly helps in productivity. We haven’t tried yet, but our business partner in Rare Bird Fonts has been seeing results!