Ingela P Arrhenius' Wood Block Figures

Ingela P Arrhenius is a Stockholm based illustrator with a beautifully naive style and a love for design from the 50s and 60s.  She is also prolific, she's illustrated children's books, designed stamps, patterns, clothes, advertising campaigns; the list goes on.

The project that lead me to discover her work, however, started out as a distraction from these assignments; it was a creative hobby that grew and grew into something wonderful. Its a collection of hand painted wood block figures that she painted in her spare time. As time passed the collection grew and grew to the point where she had created enough for an exhibition of 100 figures. These figures were then sold all over the world. A book has since been published featuring all 100 figures (a sort of family album).

There is so much that I love about these figures: the way that each figure is designed in such a beautiful and skilled way that although they may be simple, they are full of life. They all seem to have their own unique character to them, their own personality. It is as if the characters of a fifties animation have stepped out of the screen and into the real world.

Like all of Ingela's work, these figures are full of charm and invention. Enjoy:

Gyula Macskássy's 'Romantikus történet' (Romantic Story)

I recently came across this charming animated short, created in 1964 by Gyula Macskássy's Budapest based animation studio: 'Pannonia Film Studio' (the largest animation studio in Hungary). 

For me, this animation ticks all the boxes: I love the design of the characters and the backgrounds. I love the way that a sweet and simple story is told in a way that is so inventive and surreal. I love how the animation can be understood by people of any age and any language, so that they too may be won over by its charm and its wit in the same way that I have.

Hot Off The Press

So, our newspaper that we produced to raise funds for 'Wellspring' made the 'Stockport Times'. Read all about it:

Dan Yaccarino's 'Circle Dogs'

I came across Dan Yaccarino's 'Circle Dogs' a few months ago now and since then I've found myself returning to it time and again as a constant source of inspiration. 'Circle Dogs' is fast becoming one of my favorite children's books and Dan Yaccarino is fast becoming one of my favorite illustrators. 

Recently I've become interested in creating illustrations that are made up of simple, dynamic shapes and simple, effective colour schemes: Yaccarino's illustrations for 'Circle Dogs' are the perfect example of this. This is a fantastic children's book created by a fantastic illustrator, a pure joy from start to finish and one that I'm keen to share with you all. That's why I've decided to post some of my favorite examples from the book alongside some fascinating shots of Yaccarino creating the book (using his painstaking method of painting with gouache). See for yourself: