Melanie Mikecz

Melanie Mikecz is a freelance illustrator originally from Wisconsin currently living and working from San Francisco. She specializes in a mixed media style that's sophisticated to appeal to adults and cheerful to be liked by kids. She earned a B.F.A in Visual Communications from the Washington University School of Art in St. Louis. Since graduating in 2004, Melanie has worked as an illustrator and designer in Boston, London and San Francisco. Her clients include American Greetings, GAP, Hallmark, Land of Nod, Mudpuppy, Papyrus to name a few.

I love the simplicity of the geometric shapes, bold patterns and the bright color palette in the animal illustrations. I adore them all but my very favorite are the owl and the hippo! To see more of her work, visit her store online where she has over a hundred prints to sell starting at $22 only!

Free iPhone Wallpapers

You can download these lovely wallpapers for your iPhone from Maiko Nagao's blog for free! The wallpapers are available in three bird designs - "pearly parrot", "tsuru tale" and "oh my owl!".

DIY: Owl Lantern with Template

This owl lantern will make a great addition to any kid's room or a nursery. To make your own owl lantern go to this blog for step by step instructions and free printable template. The blog is not in English but the picture instructions are clear and simple to follow, or if you like you can translate the page through Google translator. 

Also, this is really a fun and a low cost idea to decorate your indoor and outdoor space with on halloween. Go ahead, bookmark it now to find it later.

Make Up Bags by Anda Panda

I discovered these fun and sweet make up bags by Anda Panda a brand started as a craft and illustration project in 2005 in Barcelona. The Japanese style inspired bags are hand made from cotton fabric and printed with animal illustrations in vibrant eco-friendly inks. There are total of eight designs to choose from including owl, cat, badger etc. The bag measures 20 cm x 16 cm which is ideal size for storing make up, brushes and other stuff. Also, they are great while traveling to keep your passport, travel documents, ear phones, small notebook and more in one accessible spot. 

Apart from make up bags they also produce pencil cases, gadget cases, plushies and bibs. They ship their products worldwide.

Viruset Studio

Set of 2 ceramic bowls 

Mini bowls from the Animal Collection...

...in gorgeous box

I adore the ceramics by Noe Marín the designer and creator of all the lovely things at Viruset a studio based in Spain. Her online store on Etsy offers a range of handmade ceramic items such as mini ceramic bowls, tumbler cups, sugar bowls, planters and more! She hand makes and paints her pieces with cute illustrations of owl, fox and panda that are perfect to hold sauces, nuts or paper clips.

DIY: Owl Zip Purse

This is great tutorial on how to make an owl purse by Jo a designer and crafter from Australia. Using scraps of felt and ribbon you can create a cute gift for your daughter or a friend who loves owls. Go to Jo's blog Bubala for step by step instructions with images and to download printable pattern for free! Check out the last image of the tutorial on her blog with the different versions of owls that you can make - winking, sleeping and wide awake owl. Add a clip to hang it on bag or jacket pocket. You can also bookmark this for later because it's fun to make these to hold small holiday gifts.

Thomas Hill: Bird Sculptures

Thomas Hill is a wire sculptor who received training as a jeweller in London and moved to San Francisco in 1999. He creates sculptures with wires in different gauges, steel sheets, copper, brass, carved wood pieces and to add color to them he uses acrylic paint.

“I use wire as it enables me to create a 3 dimensional drawing and to capture the feeling of animals in motion with the energy of a quick sketch.” Tom Hill

He starts with drawing his idea for his sculpture on a paper from the photographs, his previous drawings, nature and stuffed specimens. He draws several drawings of the same thing from different angles, poses and details. Based on his own studies from life his aim is to maintain the gesture and integrity of drawings that brings his sculptures life and movement.

He loves to drawn birds, birds with big eyes. "So much is conveyed by gesture… in humans as well as animals. The turn of the head and the sudden beady eyed look can speak a thousand words! 

If you have any questions or would like to buy any of his works, you can contact him by sending him an email at thomaswhill@earthlink.net.

Printable Owl Door Hanger

Today's freebie is this super sweet owl door hanger that I discovered at Alex.com. Just print the template and simply follow the instructions given on the link to make your own owl hanger. After you have cut and glued you should have a double sided door hanger - one side featuring an owl sleeping with the text "I am asleep" and the other side with an owl awake with the text "I am awake". You can make this for your little one's room or make these with kids for fun!

Meet Anita Dominoni

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you study or train and about your present job?

I'm graduated in Theatrical Characterization by Colón Theater (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and also in Scenography by Escuela Superior de Artes Ernesto de la Carcova (Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina).

I work as Art or Set Director, Illustrator and also as Tattoo Artist, which has been an extremely interesting new challenge in the last four years.

What inspired or influenced you to become an artist?

Since I was a child drawing and painting used to be my passion. So that's how it started and it's been a main part of my life.

In terms of influence, besides the great names which are always main references, I'm really fond of artists like John Currin, David Hockney, Carla Barth, Jeff Gougue and many others.

Please describe your current aesthetic, materials and medium you use in your pieces.

I use different technical methods, like collage or drawing using pencil, acrylic, gouache and/or water-color ink in paper or canvas and photoshop for example.

Who are your current favorite artists and designers? Why?

I've been especially interested in the freshly new point of views of artists like Camila Engman, Vivienne Strauss, Ana Juan, Paola Gaviria, Talita Hoffmann, Matte Stephen and Alice Rules. I think these guys are very, very, very good.

What’s been your favorite project so far?

I really, really liked working in O Último Romance de Balzac (Director Geraldo Sarno). And the it was such an emotion when I was awarded as best Large Metrage Movie Art Director at the 2009 Gramado City Cinema Festival in Brazil. 

As Art or Set Director, I am usually in charge of the general aesthetics concept, including planning and realization supervision, of a movie. That was my work in this project, so I was responsible for scenarios, make up and costume - considering the screenplay and especially the director´s main idea about it.

What is a constant challenge for you and most rewarding part of having a creative profession?

I think that subtlety is very important in what refers to personage characterization and set configuration. Achieving the exact point, considering the director lines, is what I look for and it's not easy to get there :)

What do you do when you are not working?

I love having fun with my 7 year-old son and my pets.

I noticed that the most of your pieces have birds and other animals in it either alone or with people. What is their significance in your work?

I have 4 pets so you have an idea how important they are for me :) I like fables a lot and nature's beauty too.

The owl is an animal seen as a wise or having something like the old age experience. That´s how I read the Aesop´s fable "El Búho y Las Aves" (The Owl and The Birds), which I used as the base for the piece shown at the top.

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