Mural Wall Inspiration

I saw a wall mural before & after featured in Design*Sponge that grabbed my attention. It is so colorful and fun and I love that they used a projector - I am now more inspired to continue my projects at home!
Unfortunately, I forgot to take my own before photos for my records...oh, well...it was just an empty wall - I don't need a photo to remember that!

Check these out! And if you want to read the original post it's here.

Please Pay Me to Paint On Your Wall

In the past few weeks, I've started a massive mural project in my apartment. I had given up on decorating when after 2.5 years of living in it, my walls are still bare and the few photos I do have framed are pathetically lonely against my previous owners' paint color. (Hey, they did a decent job!) But after an unexpected project with my cousin involving a nursery room, paint, and a jungle scene, I started fantasizing about painting murals and creating decorative walls as a side job. Then I thought, wait, I have nothing to show for it...no one will trust me to dabble on their walls without a portfolio of past work. Next came the bright idea - why not decorate my own apartment and fill it with fun wall art ideas in every room! Luckily, my husband was more than agreeable. Now I stay up late into the night painting. It's fun, calming, gratifying, and kind of reminds me of art school without the added stress. Also, I like to get my hands dirty.

Here is my first of many projects. These are 4 faux frame silhouettes of birds...I'm waiting for the paint to dry so I can add in some highlights and details to the frames. What do you think? Let me know!















On another note, here is an update on the PenTales logo. Since the last post about it, the direction has changed dramatically. The clients wanted a more spontaneous, grittier feel to the logo - rather than my previous ones. (Perhaps, too corporate and tidy for what they had in mind)



Here is the final version they fell in love with. I can't wait to see it on their website soon!

MoMA's Tim Burton Retrospective

On Friday, I finally made it out to Tim's Burton's Retrospective at the MoMA in Midtown. It is a very extensive show on the film maker/artist's life. It starts from his early teenage years and chronologically takes you through his 2 years at CalArts, 4 years at Disney and all of his films including more recent movies like Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd.

Burton's works on exhibit include video, graphics, film, drawings, paintings, puppetry, photography, storyboards and costumes. It is a glimpse into the inner workings of his mind, which I find to be both disturbing and endearing, but nonetheless fascinating. I really enjoyed his outlandish sketches which included funny titles to them. I found myself chuckling through many of his drawings as I made my way down the crowded room. It was also really interesting to see the numerous drafts, storyboards and models that went into the initial stages of his films. I also watched a wonderful version of "Hansel and Gretel"by Burton. The set design was visually striking with a cut paper feel to it. The fight scene inside the candy house between the children and the witch was my favorite!

Tim Burton's show is going on until April 26th. If you're a fan of his, it's definitely worth checking out!

Illustrator Beatriz Martin-Vidal

Take a look at Spanish illustrator, Beatriz Martin-Vidal's beautifully evocative illustrations. She has many published works including 'Secrets' & 'My baby Love' and a number of myths & fairy tales. Among them is the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. I love that the artist has updated the red cape to a red hoodie sweatshirt! The little girl's expressions are full of innocence and Beatriz has a great eye for perspective. She really knows how to layout a page and grab the reader's attention.

Ms. Martin-Vidal uses colored pencils, watercolors, inks and Photoshop in her work. They contain gorgeous textures and layers while still maintaining a sketchy, spontaneous quality. With each piece of artwork, I'm immediately drawn into the scene and the characters. What are they up to and why?

I hope you enjoy her illustrations as much as I do!