Illustrator Erin E. Stead

Recently, I came across a newly published children's book, A Sick Day For Amos McGee, by illustrator Erin E. Stead and written by her husband Philip C. Stead while browsing at the book store.

The story centers around an elderly man named Amos McGee and his friends at the zoo. He takes time out of his day to take care of them. Amos plays chess with the elephant and he races the tortoise. Amos sits calmly with the shy penguin and he lends the rhinoceros his handkerchief when the rhino has a runny nose. At the end of his visit, Amos reads stories to a nyctophobic owl. One day, Amos catches a cold and out of concern, the zoo animals take the city bus to his home to take care of him.

Philip Stead's story is thoughtful, gentle, and delivers a wonderful message to children. Erin Stead's wood-block illustrations are delightful. I enjoyed looking at the quiet beauty of each page. The textured imperfections from the wood-block added a touch of homemade craft, which I loved. Her style and color choice are simplistic (in a good way). She knows just how much detail to add into a character's feature or the siding of a house while leaving certain pieces a solid hue, like the trees.

Check out Ms. Stead's illustration process from the link above. It's always so insightful to see others' way of working out their ideas to sketches to final drawings.

Larger than Life and Full of Details

I came across artist, Charlotte Mann, while looking for examples of very detailed wall drawings. She's a London based artist with a background in fashion, who made the shift to designing murals in 2006 when she created the back drop for Peter Jensen's Spring/Summer 2007 show.

As you can see, each hand drawn back drop, using black markers, is filled with details. Every mark is thought out, whether it's the image on a postcard or cross-hatching to create shadow. Even with all the intricacies, the artist still never loses a sense of spontaneity and reportage drawing in her work. I don't know how she begins her process...does she make small sketches beforehand on paper?...or maybe she just starts on the left and works her way across the room!

Regardless of her process, the result is beautiful and a true work of art.

(Most Likely) Wallpaper Designs Not Found In Your Grandmother's House

Trove Wallpaper Designs are currently on exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Triennial in the Upper East Side. The company, founded in 2006 in NYC, are comprised of Jee Levin and Randall Buck. Both designers have a history in fine arts and photography, which is evident in their wall covering designs.

Their unconventional designs using organic themes are breathtakingly beautiful, especially seen spanning an entire wall at full scale. Gone are the tightly, repetitive patterns usually found on wallpapers. Instead, the designs are open, natural, and spontaneous. Rather than flat, geometric patterns that scream 'I Am Wallpaper', I get a sense of perspective and depth from the forms. Not only that, but they're eco-friendly as well!