Do I want these?

The answer is yes, and I may have already bought them, shhhhh!

When researching my latest purchase I was quite shocked to discover that Ray-Ban have been around since 1937, and the Wayfarer, featured in my illustration above, was launched on to the market in 1956 and became hugely popular in the 60′s with the help of celebrity endorsements from Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Sales slumped in the 70′s, but had a major comeback in the eighties probably triggered by this fella…

I don’t recognise him myself, but apparently he’s an actor in the film Risky Business that goes by the name Tom Cruise. Who knew.

Certain decades may have slumped in sales, but they have been pulled back to the light again with the help of eye catching ads like the ones below and the introduction of different styles, colours and patterns. Let’s face it, they’re pretty timeless and I like to convince myself that they have been and always will be a staple accessory and I have made a fabulous investment…. right?!

Stationery design

 

I’ve taken a few days off, partly to do some new designs to create more diversity in my portfolio. I thought a good place to start would be to brand myself, and above is the self promotional stationery design I created yesterday. The idea has been going around in my head for a while and I wanted to get it down on paper…well pixels. I’d love to hear your feedback.

 

Breath of fresh air

Here’s something new for my portfolio. All this blue sky we’re having at the moment inspired a very fresh, clean design from me. Although working on this has in fact kept me inside for the best part of today. Hope you enjoyed it, Happy Easter everyone!

Can you hear the drums?

 

Whilst I was perusing Abduzeedo, (as I do daily, you should check it out.) I came across the beautiful illustrations of an artist from Brazil, called Fernando Volken Togni (hence the Abba quote, get it? Oh never mind…) He has some really eye catching pieces. So simple, yet dynamic. Those Brazilians really know what to do with colour.

What’s New

Phew, it’s been a dire week, and next week promises to be just as busy. I did manage to squeeze a little time into working on my portfolio. Trying to get an eclectic mix. This piece has a fun, fashion vibe. What to do next….

Deja Vu

 

Above is my submission for this week’s Illustration Friday. The topic was Deja Vu.

Lost and Taken

A friend of mine put me in the direction of Lost and Taken. It’s a free texture website with a gorgeous range to choose from, including the vintage wallpaper texture above. As well as a nicely designed and informative blog, the website also includes a categorised gallery of all the textures. So you should be able to find what you need in no time.