Here are two brand-new books that I look forward to reading this weekend! I've just added them to the shop. (click on the covers to get directly to their pages.) Hey, fresh ACAD VC and illustration grads: these two books have got you covered.

Lotta Jansdotter is here! Well, her new book anyway.

With beautiful photographs by Lotta's childhood friend, Jenny Hallengren (you can see many of the book's photos on her site), Lotta Prints is an guide on how to print with "anything from potatoes to linoleum". Rubber stamping, iron-on transfer, leaves, stencils, and Lotta's forte: silkscreening, are all covered. Lotta's writing is conversational and to the point. The projects are easy in process, but it is her ability to create elegant organic lines and simple shapes that truly inspires. The book includes a number of tear-away stencils so that you can reproduce her patterns and there's a handy back pocket to keep the used stencils and even perhaps your rough drawings or printed experiments.

Click here to purchase the book in the UPPERCASE shop ($19.95 - we're selling it at the US cover price). We've also restocked her sticky labels, Seedlings journal, Simple Sewing book and other goodies. All this can be found in the Lotta Jansdotter category on the site.

p.s. We're having a spring sale on the website – just enter the code "spring" on checkout to save $10 on purchases over $30. Valid until the Tuesday after Easter.

by Frances Ewington

Oh, a peaceful Saturday afternoon with the art of Trio Magnus. The testosterone-filled Canadian artists Clayton Hanmer, Aaron Leighton, and Steve Wilson have finally published the inner workings of their warped sketchbooks.

As I flip among the bright pages of 'Equally Superior' I am forced to come face to face with the mind diarrhea of these feisty, brew-drinking Canuck boys and their collective works of sketched vomit. That introduction may sound like I don't approve of this book. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I love this book! Who wouldn't want to spend an hour exposing one's eyes to the loud chaos of fart-man scribbles, Jesus-freak pictures and ass-picking perverts. This book puts life into perspective in a totally warped way: How can you be sad when that poor alligator is trapped in a space suit, aimlessly floating in an abyss of tongue-slurping space ships? How can you be scared when Cappy Wilso isn't afraid to don a cape and brave fully exposing his Johnson to save the dehydrated grass? How can you be vain when every character in this book is uglier, more disgusting, and stupider than you in every possible way? At least you don't don the ancient symbol for retard on your head! This is the feel-good read of the year, especially because there isn't much to read but so much to read into. I hope those who find power in being offended find this book empowering. I hope those who can't draw are encouraged to try it. I hope these warped artists sell all their books. I hope little children everywhere never get their hands on this wonderful piece of filth.

And for all the rest I say: if a turd going for a jog in fubar pants doesn't make you smile then nothing will.

This book covers absolutely everything you need to know if you've ever toyed with the idea of turning a profit with your creative pursuits. Craft Inc. guides you step-by-step through the very basics of tapping into your creative interests, coming up with a name for yourself, pricing your wares, sourcing the materials you'll need, eventually leading you to the point where you could be booming with business and getting up for work every day to do something you genuinely enjoy.

Also, interviews with artists-made-business owners like Lotta Jansdotter, Jill Bliss and Jonathan Adler  provide practical insight and inspiration.

I couldn't put this book down because like most creative individuals, the idea of making money from what I do for fun seems like a total dream, and after reading Craft Inc. I have a pretty good idea of how to get started.

Written by designer/illustrator/business owner Meg Mateo Ilasco. 

Rex Ray is a San Francisco artist and designer who makes beautiful paper collages. The images above are from his website, except for the second from the top which is a shot of his newly-published book.

The process used in these works began by cutting up magazines for my own pleasure. (see paper collages). It's as simple as scissors, paper, and glue. As these works became more popular I began drawing, painting, and block printing various archival papers for source material.These papers are then cut up, collaged and assembled on plywood panels. The panels are then coated with a high gloss epoxy resin.

The new monograph on his work is really inspirational – it makes me want to start cutting and pasting all the eclecto scraps that I have. The book and a Rex Ray notebook are available in our store. You can enter to win an original artwork on the publisher's website and visit his work at Gallery 16 in San Francisco.

 

Couture Interiors by Marnie Fogg

Now here's a gorgeous book! Fashion and interior design have a natural relationship; many fashion designers also expand their aesthetics into interiors for the shops as well as products for home decor. "The home is now subject to the same directional trends as fashion, in part because so many designers are extending their practice to include interiors, as well as products and accessories. The fusion between fashion and interiors has never been more relevant. The proliferation of ideas, the speed of manufacture, and an increasingly visually literate consumer, have all resulted in interiors being subject to the same desire for innovation, change and fashionability as fashion. This investigation of the hectic dissemination of trends takes the reader on an eclectic, adventurous excursion into living with fashion." (from the publisher's website)

One of my favourites is above - a peek into Orla Kiely's studio (directly above). Inspirations mood boards, catwalk images paired with product designs, fabrics, textures, great photography - this is a must-have book for all style lovers. More photos here.

Lots of people are blogging about Hand Job by Michael Perry. NotCot, D'Blogala, The Morning News, Lab Zine and so many more. I hope you will consider purchasing it at shop.uppercasegallery.ca. These photos were taken in the back alley behind our building.

I've been eagerly awaiting this book for quite some time! Play Pen showcases new children's book illustration from diverse cultures. French, British, Korean, Japanese, Swedish, Norwegian, American and other cultures are represented. The author writes, "In making what must be of necessity a highly subjective selection, the aim of this book has been to represent a broad range of stylistic and conceptual trends and a range of cultural characteristics from around the world, across what is increasingly a global market."

One of the stand-out illustrators is Frenchman Marc Boutavant, who illustrated the cover and endpapers. His work has a marvelous sensitivity, texture and retro quality. It is amazing that his work is done entirely in Photoshop with a Wacom tablet. "I used to work late into the the night with a zero pencil and acrylic paints but one day, suddenly, I was free... And the great thing was, I was no longer looking at the end of my finger. My hand was drawing but my eyes were looking only at what I was drawing. It made me rasie my nose from the paper. Of course, beyond the technical, the biggest influence on work is life. My own children play an important part in feeding the work too... intangible things, little smiles or things like that."

 

The work in Play Pen is charming, exquisite and innovative. The book is divided into sections covering picture and board books, alphabets and wordplay, illustration for older children and art for non-fiction projects. The book itself is well-designed and presents each artist's work at large sizes so that it can be fully appreciated. Highly recommended!

Play Pen is available in the shop and online in the book section, illustration category.

Is it possible to be in love with a book?

Yes.

Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance is the object of my affections. First of all, the cover photograph is stunning. The book's modest dimensions make the act of reading a very intimate affair. The perfect binding and crisp, precise page trim lend this little block of book importance and heft. The page design is simple and elegant and lets the personality of the objects be fully appreciated, elevating the most mundane to that of a museum artifact. Taking Things Seriously presents a curious mix of items with personal significance to its owners: dirt piles, an ugly Santa, childhood toys, bizarre gifts, found objects... with the right circumstances, an ordinary object can have extraordinary significance. The contributors to this book are creative individuals (designers, writers, artists, architects) and all the entries are equally well-written, humourous, insightful and quirky.

This book is something to treasure.

(copies are available in UPPERCASE for $21.95... and soon will be available on our online store: launching very soon!) 

Japanese design has always had its roots in tradition, but in recent years that tradition has been challenged by emerging contemporary Japanese graphics. A new balance has been found; the blending of the old traditions with a new aesthetic. This stunning compilation, published by PIE Books, showcases advertisements, store graphics, book design, product design, store graphics and much more! 

Available at UPPERCASE $90