Saturday 23 August 2014

''Artists arround the world'' blog hop!

So I was asked by my super sweet and talented blogger buddy Shirley Ng-Benitez to participate in the blog hop. I was just so honoured to be picked by her for I hold great respect and  admiration for her art and her as persona! Shirley was amongst one of my very 1st friends I met online in a community of illustrators. I 1st saw her work on TDAC site arround Xmas time back in 2008/9 not sure about the exact yr :) They had a competition and she was their weekly choice and I fell in love with her cute little characters the moment I saw the recipe illustration she made:

Aren't these super cute!?
 Shirley is also a very skilled letterer and I have admired her work in that domena as well:

This was her work for our last month's assignment over at Lilla Rogers MATS Bootcamp-favourite beverage :)

Her images are always so tender and hugable...I have a feeling they are super soft and I can touch their soft fur!

I always admire Shirley's brushstrokes in watercolour-she's a genious!


She's also a creator of her very cute mouse character called Monsieur Olivet and you can follow his adventures on his own blog here!
Thank you Shirley for your lovely blog hop post on your blog and wonderful introduction to all of us represented there! Please visit Shirley's sweet blog here and discover so many more of her sweet little characters!


So as part of the blog hop I'm to answer a few questions about myself, so here goes!

  1. What are you working on?
Well this year I participated for the 1st time in Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search (GTS) so I was diligently working away on the wall art piece for the assignment. Also I love participating in other competitions like the ones from Tigerprint and Hallmark, it keeps my momentum going and I always end up with a great additional piece for my portfolio. I just finished one of my 2 pieces for this months 'cute character' competition.


Also I'm in the process of making a few artwork for a potentional client, so fingers crossed. I recently started to have fun with my gouache and loving it!



                  2. How does my work differ from others in your genre?

Well, to me this is a very tough question cos I'm never able to view my work objectively, I guess I did manage to find my own voice in this world, I certanly hope so, but what others see when they see my work I have no idea :) I was told my work is whimsical, quirky and clever-HA! The nicest compliments to me were always those saying my art brought a huge smile on their face-what a great reward for my hard work! And I really do believe in all that 'people buy your joy'-cos it's been proven with my work too...people notice the sentiment behind your work and I really do have the most fun when I create, it brings me such joy!



             3. Why do you create?

I create cos it's who I am...seriously, when I don't create for a few days (and I mean nothing, not even sketching) I feel depressed, it's like someone told me I can breathe, but not fully with depth, just a sniff here and there. A funny thing to say, I know, creating is just who I am and not what I do, and those are such different things to me. It's in my blood and part of my persona...I've heard some who also like creating that they couldn't do this for a living cos they would prob. get bored with it then...I don't understand that term cos the more I create the more I'm hungry for more...I'm like a cookie monster execpt I'm an art monster! LOL I don't associate making money with me creating, I would create even if I didn't get paid to do so, but having the privilege to live off my art is really a true blessing and nothing less fun cos I get paid to do so! I'm very thankful to God for placing those talents in me! Maybe it's all in how one perceives life and their attitude towards making money, I don't know.


           4. How does your creative process work?

Well my process has changed dramatically since attending MATS Bootcamp. I completely forgot how to use sketchbook and after turning in all digital I see now that I have really damaged myself by doing so. There's just something about the smell of paper and holding an actual pen, pencil, brush in your hands! Breaking my work into small mini assignments, something I've learnt in bootcamp has really elevated my work to higher standards, at least that's my belief. I put a lot of thought now into sketching the actual concept, texture, decoration and patterns...my lines became stronger and smoother, I can feel more confidence and less frustration in fearing to err! So now, I sketch out rough ideas, it's always messy...then I do a cleaner version, then I trace it in ink by using my light box (made by my hubby) and then I scan the elements and get them to photoshop after which I start adding colour and then texture and everything else. Sometimes I don't scan my sketches, I just take pics and load them to ps...depending on the complexity.


this one was just taken as a photo and opened in ps...and a lot of details were changed in the end...the lettering of course, cos this was just a prompt of what's gonna be my line.
So that concludes a story about me, sorry for the long sentences and if I bored you, you can stop yawning now :) 

I want to introduce you to my two artists for blog hop, both are my new friends found thru the amazing MATS Bootcamp community we have on fb. The 1st one I want you to meet is Antonija M.!

Antonija is an art director in branding and marketing world. She's also a fellow croatian which means I can actually look forward to meeting her in person very soon! 1st time I've heard of her was when MATS started last yr, I wanted to enroll but couldn't cos I was prego and had to protect my pregnancy due to complications...anyways, I saw her name and went to check it out and viola-she was from Croatia! I don't know why I was so happy to hear that, maybe cos I didn't think any croatian designer/illustrators even knew who Lilla is and about MATS and stuff..I was always the only Croatian in our small community on internet-haha! I immediately loved her unique characters. She says about her work that it's Japan meets Sweeden. Kawaii merging with classic harmony!
Her characters are always sophisticated and cute.


I love discovering little treasures in her work, there's always so much to see...like here-look at that cute hedgehog and these jars and the perfection of the jar filling, looks so real and yummi!
I admire her personality which I believe shines thru her work too, she's dedicated, full of positive energy, wise and insightful. Having her in my life as a friend really blesses me and I feel richer. She's been my hero in distress many times and she's always there to help!


her design is always backed up with a great story concept and I love this one here! What a great message!

Antonija's video for MATS also won the 1st prize. You can check it here! No wonder, right!?



Love her quirky characters!



And her awesomeness in creating patterns-simply genious!




Here's some of her recent work!


Her entry for GTS last year that got her into top 50 and landed her 2nd brief from Lilla :) I'd love to have a journal like that!



Antonija also participated this year in a very worhty cause and she created this little dude for it! OMG-how adorable is he and those snails!!!!???


And this Sept. Antonija will be one of the exhibiters at BLE in London, so wish I could be there! I'm sooo convinced she'll just do amazing there! All the best dear Antonija!!!

And for the end my most favourite work from her...and her brand lil ledy!

You can find more of Antonija's awesome work here and follow her on fb here!


Now my 2nd artist is lovely Kelly Angelovic from Colorado. She's a very talented and sweet person, a bit quiet sometimes :) but has some really awesome blog post I love reading on life in general and her take on it. She's a mommy of 2 of which her youngest is just a few months old but she still finds time to do gorgeous work! I met Kelly in MATS Bootcamp but have heard of her as I was following the GTS competition last year and she made the top 50 with her gorgeous entry!


 
I love her colour palettes and strong expression! Her work is very whimsical and cute but also I admire her ability to create awesome pieces of art that are non kid oriented, but have a very modern and fresh look.



Aren't these awesome!? This was Kelly's work on our last assignment at bootcamp-favourite beverage wall art. I would buy these in a second!!!



Here are some of her newer pieces also done in bootcamp...I'm just loving her style, and her bright and vibrant colours, always so well balanced against some dark elements with gorgeously renedered line work. Her characters look so serene and peaceful. Her art is something one can view for a long time and I would say about Kelly that she's a well rounded artist!



And some of her mocked up work, the plates are just too gorgeous! You can visit Kelly's shop here.





Here's some more of her beautifully created pieces. When I look at her work it stirrs dreams inside me, they are very dreamy like, aren't they. She really manages to convey this little dream world of hers. She's truly is inspirational! Kelly I cannot wait to see your work for this year's GTS! It'll be a feast for the eyes, I'm sure of it! You can see some more of Kelly's work here and follow her on her fb page here.

Thank you girls for accepting to be part of my little blog hop, it was a true honor and thrill to be able to share a bit about you and your work. And all of you, hope you had a great read and have enjoyed all the gorgeous work from my fellow artists and friends. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

xox Ant

12 comments:

  1. what a great post! Loved reading about your process and seeing all of your amazing work. You shared such great examples from Shirley, Antonija and Kelly as well. Best wishes in all your current competitions! ;) You will do awesome!!

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    1. Dear Jill, glad you hopped over and read it and thank you for always being so supportive and kind to me! xox

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  2. Lovely post. I also participated in this blog hop :) yay. The koala's are adorable and I love the work you featured from your friends! Very nice showcase. You are a doll!

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    1. Thank you dear Dawn and I shall try and search for your blog hop post too! xox

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  3. Antoana! I am so honored, thank you so very much for your generous words about my work..you are a dear! I am so grateful for having been your bloggy buddy for these past years..it truly has been amazing to see your work flourish! Loved reading of your process and your need to create..it is fabulous, as we all get to enjoy the joy you bring from your art. I am inspired by your hard work, your drive, and your ability to convey warmth in all of your design and illustrative works. It's fabulous enjoying your creative journey from wayyy over here! Thanks also for sharing Antonija's fabulous work..I have admired her work from afar and gosh, her characters are so so charming! Loved that video too! I agree, I'd buy Kelly's wall art in a snap (and I am so not the wall art kinda gal!)..and her aesthetic is just top-notch. Thanks for sharing, this has been a terrific read! And thank you too for participating..this has been so fun!

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    1. Shirley what to say but you warm my heart and I'm truly blessed to count you as my friend!!! Your words always touch the deepest parts of my heart-thank you for believeing in me and my work!!! xox

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  4. What a brilliant post! What I love most about it is your generous way of praising other Artists's work. But of course it was also very interesting to read about your work process. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the cute koalas!
    xox Janna

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    1. Thank you dear Janna! It would be great to read about your process as well! xoxo

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  5. What a wonderful post! And I totally agree with you on No.3 - I too feel depressed if I haven't at least done a bit of drawing in a day. :)

    Thank you for adding your post to my linky - it's such fun going through and reading them all :)

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    1. sorry 4 the late reply Tasha! thank you for inviting us all to post the links on your linky :) I think we all feel pretty much the same, creative people are just that -creative so it's hard on us if we don't do what comes naturally to us :)

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