Bella Pilar’s cards for Papyrus are now available at Borders locations nation wide. Check it out!

Borders

Shawn Barber is featured in Humble Pictures recently released film, New Brow. The movie features first hand accounts from the artists, galleries and collectors who started and continue the new american art movement that is Pop Surrealism or Outsider Art. This wide spread populist art movement has origins in Low Brow art, underground comix, punk music, hotrod street culture, Kustum culture, Street Art, Graffiti, Graphic Design, Tattoo, Surf Culture, Tiki Culture and other California sub-cultures. Glenn Barr, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Ron English and Shepard Fairey were also intervied for the movie, among many others.

Ana Bagayan and her boyfriend and fellow creative, Ara Devejian, were invited to teach an art segment at the launch of re:Active’s newest zine project, Dead-End Door, re:Vealed. re:Active in a non-profit, arts-education program for youths aged 13 to 19 that introduces students to jobs in the fields of design, writing, illustration and photography through the production of a theme-based magazine about issues affecting youth.

The newest issue, Dead-End Door, re:Vealed, was a collaborative effort between re:Active, 826LA and the students of Los Angeles High School.

The launch takes place on Sunday, June 29th between 4:30-6:30 at FAMILY, 436 North Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA

re:Active

826LA

Gordon Wiebe and Ana Bagayan are featured in Blanket magazine’s collector’s edition patchwork poster. Blanket is an online magazine from Australia that features art, design and photography from around the world. The poster, made to resemble a patchwork blanket, features the work of 56 artists that have appeared in the magazine since it’s launch in December 2006. The poster measures 950mm x 570mm and is available for $15 (plus postage) at the Blanket Magazine online store.

www.blanketmagazine.com

Red Nose Studio’s series of illustrations for Norwegian appliance company ASKO has not only been recognized in the US and Norway, but now internationally as well. Two of the ads in the Built to Look After You campaign were nominated for a Press Lion in the Home Appliances & Furnishings category at the 2008 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Last year, the festival, now in it’s 55th year, attracted more than 9,000 delegates from 85 countries to view nearly 26,000 pieces of work, attend 45 seminars, 20 workshops and catch 4 awards ceremonies. The campaign was art directed by Norwegian ad agency SMFB so thanks and congratulations go out to Hans, Andre, Vibeke and everyone else on the SMFB team!

2008 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

Last month’s wake themed book launch party for Graham Roumieu’s newest book Bigfoot: I Not Dead was a spectacular success. The concept of a wake clearly resonated with people as The Gladstone Hotel management estimated the crowd at well over 250, which is about a hundred over capacity.

Each of the ‘eulogists’ did a wonderful job. Much like a real wake, their testimonials contradicted one another with five eulogists presenting five bigfoots; Douglas Bell’s intellectual, Sean Cullen’s zen master, Jeremy Keehn’s clandestine lover, Damian Rogers’s soulful hipster bassist, Nathan Whitlock’s philanderer and Michael Winter’s practical joker. Tim Beresford, the host, was hilarious and the acoustic guitar “candle in the wind” was the perfect choice to end evening.

Although a good portion of the crowd had a copy of Bigfoot: I Not Dead under their arm as they walked in, an astonishing 79 additional copies were sold that night. We hope Graham’s inspired inscription for the Bigfoot poster – “buy book at Pages or me kill you” – will drive sales for months to come.

Thanks to Pages Books and Magazines, The Walrus, Penguin and The Gladstone Hotel for a wonderful event and please check out the pics of the evening if you missed the fun.

All photos courtesy of Chris Reed. Thanks, Chris!

Damian Rogers

 Douglas Bell

Graham Roumieu

Michael Winter

Nathan Whitlock

Sean Cullen

Tim Beresford

Red Nose Studio created a series of illustrations for DNA’s new national ad and marketing campaign. Based in Finland, DNA is a telecommunications company that offers customers cellular, cable and phone services. The series of illustrations feature a pink super-hero type DNA character that physically morphs into helpful tools for cell phone users. In various ads the character’s arms turn into scissors, a ladder and clippers, liberating the cell phone user from classic cell phone troubles. The campaign of print ads and collateral material will only be seen in Finland, but can also be viewed on the DNA website.

Red Nose Studio was invited by the Kilkenny County Council Arts Office to exhibit his work in the group show Illustrating Illustration in Kilkenny, Ireland. The exhibition features the work of 11 of the most renowned and successful illustrators from around the world and was curated by award-winning illustrator Alè Mercado (Ireland). The show offers the audience a tour of the process of illustration and opens discussion around two principles- that there is no one original in illustration and that illustration cannot exist without text or concept. Other artists in the show include Saturio Alonso, Steven Aylin, Melinda Beck, BrenB, Ina Fiebig, Jordin Isip, Ana Juan, KEKO, Alé Mercado and Paula Sanz Caballero. Illustrating Illustration runs from Friday, June 13th to Friday, July 25th, 2008.

Kilkenny County Council Arts Office Gallery, 72 John St., Kilkenny, Ireland

Alexander Blue was interviewed by Jesus Pacheco for Reforma, a newspaper in Mexico City. The article discussed current illustration trends and also featured some of Alexander’s work.

Read the interview here.

Nate Williams was invited to present his work and speak to a crowd of 250 graphic design students at the University of Buenos Aires last week where he shared his past experiences as an art director and his current experience as an illustrator. He discussed how his style has developed over the years and explained his creative process for developing illustrations. Afterwards, he participated in a 30-minute question and answer session.