Heißer Sommer

When my friend Pam recommended Heißer Sommer (Hot Summer) to me, I knew I had to see it immediately. A campy German beach movie from the sixties? Yes, please! Plus, it's available on Netflix Instant, where it is currently rated at 2.6 out of 5 stars! Recommended for fashion inspiration, escapism, and unintentional hilarity.

michelle ashton

This interview is the third installment of our collaborative series with Fuck Yeah! Women Artists to highlight some of our favorite young and upcoming female artists. I recently came across London-based graphic designer and photographer Michelle's online portfolio and was super impressed with her analog photographs, so I was really excited when she agreed to let us feature some of it here. You can  follow her on her blog and see some more of her travel photos on her flickr.

Can you give us a little background about yourself and your work?

I studied graphic design and various art-related subjects at college for around five years and ended up in web design by accident. At college, I'd try my best to avoid using computers to create projects and preferred to get my hands dirty. I found that after long days staring at the computer, I felt less inclined to do anything creative in my spare time. I'd been interested in photography for a while and a friend of mine always joked that I was "a good photographer, with a terrible camera". I by no means consider myself a "photographer" and I'm certainly not "professional", but I enjoy capturing moments and preserving them to share with the world - which is why I tend to use photography as a creative outlet.

What type of things (artists, films, fashion, real life) inspire you?

Since my early teens, I've been heavily inspired by Soviet-era photography and design. My Nanna gave me a book of photographs taken in the USSR, Ein Leben Tag in der Sowjetunion, and I would look over the photographs for hours. I use Tumblr to share photographs taken mostly in Russia and other Eastern European countries. My favourite photographers are Jury Rupin, Shepard Sherbell, Gerd Ludwig and Dean Conger. Closer to home; I find London inspiring. Especially on grey, rainy days. I have a ridiculous amount of photographs of London landmarks blurred behind raindrops on windows.

Do you have a favorite design project or photograph that you've worked on/taken?

I'm quite fond of my collection of photographs of London in the rain, but my favourites are the photographs I took using my Diana+ camera when I visited Ukraine. It's the closest I have to the images by the photographers which inspire me. Work-wise, I've been involved with many projects that I found interesting, but the nature of the work (internet marketing for music and film releases) makes me feel like I'm doing nothing more than cutting up and re-arranging someone else's work, so I can't take credit for any of it. I hope to spend more time this year working on original creations.

What direction do you see your work going in the future? and do you have any upcoming projects planned?

I have a vague idea for a future project, but it would require a lot of planning (and training!) My greatest passion at the moment is bears and their welfare, so I'd like to take part in a charity trek across the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. The trek itinerary promises to see bears in the wild, visit Bran (Dracula's) Castle and one of Romania's bear sanctuaries. The idea would be to release a book of photographs and include illustrations of bears. I've been collecting the most wonderful ones I stumble upon on Pinterest. There's a waiting list of hundreds of bears that require sanctuary space and I like to think it would be successful enough to make a difference.

Thanks, Michelle! 

my life needs more random pre-choreographed dancing

awesome music + awesome old film clips? yes, please!

all via http://avideoaday.blogspot.com/

"Either be groovy or leave, man!"

Sharon Tate, Cielo Drive, Beverly Hills, 1969 by Ellen Graham


Making Daisy Chains in Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, California (1967)


12th September 1966: Girls from the British Society for the Protection of Mini Skirts stage a protest outside the House of Dior, for its 'unfair' treatment of mini skirts by Larry Ellis


Flickr


Joan Baez at the War is Over Rally in Central Park, May 1975 by Allan Tannanbaum

Brittany Holloway Brown

This interview is the second installment of our collaborative series with Fuck Yeah! Women Artists to highlight some of our favorite young illustrators and artists. Brittany Holloway Brown, currently a student at the Maryland College of Art, is an aspiring fashion illustrator and graphic artist.   Recently, Brittany has been working on personal series, 'Uzuri' ('Personal Beauty'), which is "is about the combination of non-Western ideals of beauty with Western costuming and shown in a fashion editorial light."  You can find more information about Brittany and her work on her website. 

How long have you been painting and drawing? And what type of things (artists, films, fashion, real life) inspire you?

I've been drawing since I was very young, I recently found a sketchbook of mine from Kindergarten and I have to commend 4 year old me for her choice of colors. However, I became serious about it in high school and I went on to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I am graduating from this year! I'm inspired by a wide range of things; my style is largely impressionistic so I am drawn to 'sensual' themes--love, loss, memory, interpersonal relationships, etc. I hate using this word but where I have 'eclectic' tastes and can find inspiration anywhere even if it doesn't always inform my work, such as non-Western belief systems, rituals, religious iconography and the grotesque. I'm also very interested in runway fashion.

Some of my favorite artists (as of this moment) are Stina Persson, Lorna Simpson, Banks Violette and Laura Laine.

Do you have a narrative in mind when you create a piece? Or do you draw what comes to mind?

It depends. Sometimes, I do but other times I just let the watercolor and ink run on the paper and I just pull things out of that instinctively.

What direction do you see your work going in the future? And do you have any upcoming projects planned?

Well, I really want to work at a magazine when I graduate and illustrate freelance on the side. I think my style and sensibilities are best suited to the fashion and beauty industry. I'm just looking forward to graduating and not having homework so I can be selfish and make all the art I want for me!

Any advice to anyone just getting into illustration and drawing on how to develop their own personal style?

Take in everything. Your own personal vocabulary informs your work so be receptive to everything. Take interest in other artists and their processes as well. It helps to save images you're drawn to, either on your hard drive or keep a Tumblr to consolidate your inspiration. Find pieces you're drawn to and ask yourself WHY you're drawn to it. Also, experiment with mediums a lot. I've JUST figured out that traditional means work best with my 'hand', so to speak.

Lessons From My Mother by Andrea Dezsö

Lessons From My Mother is a charming embroidery series by Andrea Dezsö in which she illustrates bits of her Romanian mother's folk wisdom. As someone who has had experience with well-meaning magical thinkers, this series definitely strikes a chord.

rip (kind of?) weed diamond

on the bright side of the band's eventual dissipation (they have a big farewell show planned this summer), they made their entire discography downloadable FOR FREE so maybe you should get on that.

your walls need some more cats

If you don't already have a wall of kitschy cat only art in your home, I've found some purrific art & prints to help you on your way to owning an enviable collection!

Rosie Music's Lady Kitty

Casey Weldon's Kitty Kitty

Kiki Smith's Owl and Pussycat 

 Stephen Eichhorn's Succulent Cat Wall Art

Altered Vintage Plate by BeatUpCreations

polyvore magic

If you aren't completely obsessed with Polyvore (LIKE ME), then I admire your self-restraint. With a job that leaves a lot of down time and as a compulsive outfit planner, I really have no idea what I would do without it! ...although, I have been seeing Svpply a bit more than Polyvore these days.

(always need some outfit inspiration)

each one had hair of gold like their mother

The ultimate recipe for glorious angst? Three girls sharing a very floral bedroom. Sure, there might have been more to The Brady Bunch than stylish sobfests, but obviously, anything else is secondary to me.

It's ok, though, because sitcoms always end happily!

belong

Just a few images from my week in Texas! Best friends, warm weather, kitties, tacos, and free live music...not a bad way to spend a few days!

Spending time at my mom's house means getting the most gorgeous cat I have ever laid eyes on to pose for me. Well, kind of pose. She my Ae-1 it a little too much and always presses her face up against my lens, which doesn't make for a great photo.




I got some quality time in with my sister, which included a trip to the fabric store where we got some pretty great $1 patterns (handmade rompers and capes in the future!) and ridiculous forest creature fabric, which I can't wait to turn into a dress.




SXSW was also very good. We were pretty laid back about going to shows this year and I wasn't particularly focused on taking pictures (it's not really a priority when you're drinking free beer!) I did, however, get some shots of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who were a delight. "Heart in Your Heartbreak" might just be my favorite song of the year so far.