Trade Your Talent

Leah Piepgras: "Proof of the soul"

2012-03-04T10:11:00.004-08:00

Boston artist Leah Piepgras likes to discover the edge between control and chaos in her paintings. I met Leah last summer in Boston, where she let me have a look at her studio. I discovered her artwork, that she creates with a deep honesty, always filled with a story of her own. Leah also loves to make stuff, especially functional objects. Recently she has created dinnerware and a necklace. Everything is about transformation."I create spaces inhabited with pieces of bodies and depictions of thoughts", Leah says. "I think of the bodies in my paintings in the same way, in a constant state of becoming." With tradeyourtalent she speaks about the extremes of being, visual change and why she likes to work on several pieces at once.

leahpiepgras.com

What inspires you to your artwork?

I love to make stuff...The act of creating is about looking for truths, not knowing the answers along the way. My work focuses on extremes of being- the physical and the mental, anatomy and cognition. I am interested in the moments when they overlap and where they come apart. In paintings, I create spaces inhabited with pieces of bodies and depictions of thoughts where happiness, bliss, and euphoria are the proof of the soul. For me, the act of painting hovers on that edge between control and chaos.

In my paintings I think of thoughts as clouds and mists, and how, before you can grasp a full idea, they float away and all you are left with is a feeling, an intention.

leahpiepgras.com

I don't think of these thoughts as lost though, because they float up into the air. I think of them in a constant state of visual change, with only the pithy truth of the idea remaining as the actual, physical, constant. I think of the bodies in my paintings in the same way, in a constant state of becoming, with shifts so subtle that you might always feel the same and, only by looking back, do you see the transformation.

leahpiepgras.com

Do you have creative blocks sometimes?

I usually have more ideas than time! I am always working on several pieces at once and I switch in between them depending on my mood. If I feel like I need to think about one piece I will just switch to another for a bit, but keep looking and thinking about the first piece. Frequently I will paint a whole other painting while thinking about the first one and end up painting over it. I destroy a lot of work because it doesn't go where I want it to.

leahpiepgras.com

If you could collaborate with another artist, who would you pick?

Recently, in addition to painting, I have been making functional objects. These pieces are visualization of the form and function of the body, while also being functional objects. The utilitarian use is the conceptual basis of the work and the user’s interaction is a daily life performance. It would be great to continue to work with manufactures and also to do work with someone like Stella McCartney or the house of Alexander McQueen.

leahpiepgras.com

When did you decide to become a full-time artist?
I have never thought of being anything else. I have always known this is all I wanted to do.

Find out more about Leah's work

leahpiepgras.com

New York Times Design Notebook

New York Magazine

Dinis Mota: "Creating makes me happy"

2012-02-27T10:39:00.008-08:00

Dinis Mota is an illustrator from Lisbon, Portugal. With tradeyourtalent he speaks about vivid colours and why creating makes him happy.

Dinis Mota, dinismota.blogspot.com/

What inspires you to your vivid colours and lively art?

We all have certain preferences, tastes and attitudes but sometimes we can’t perceive immediately why to choose certain colors. Of course you can reflect about the subject and say that color is used because it conveys joy or the other because it gives us the feeling of freshness and lightness. Even the fact of living in a sunny country may have some influence on me. However the vivid and bright colors I use in my illustrations are not a way to achieve a certain goal. The truest explanation to have a preference for brighter colors is quite unconscious. I like them, simply.

dinismota.blogspot.com/

What does inspire me? My inspiration mainly comes from contemplation of all that surrounds me and makes part of my life. Sometimes a book, a movie or just the blue sea may be the most inspiring. Other times, admiring the paintings of extraordinary painters like Hieronymus Bosch or Bruegel.

dinismota.blogspot.com

If you could plan a project with any artist in the world,who would you pick?

There are many illustrators I admire profoundly, such as Pablo Auladell, Cneut Carll, Rebecca Dautremer, among others. I wish we could work together in a project, but above all, I’d like to learn from them. I have great admiration for their incredible work.

dinismota.blogspot.com

Why did you decide to become an artist? I decided to become an artist because the act of creating gives me pleasure, makes me happy... I realized this a few years ago. It's one of the best things in life.

Paul Madonna "Sinking feeling, burning need"

2012-02-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

"Everything. In it's own time."

"There's only the sun and a feeling – that you're simultaneously doing all the right things – and completely wasting your life."

When I read these quotes and looked at his beautiful pen-and-ink style I was mesmerized - Paul Madonna produces the strips All Over Coffee for the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com, and Small Potatoes for TheRumpus.net. I discovered his work through my last interview with Ester Wilson. When I picked his work to go along for this interview I was so indecisive because I initially wanted to post all of his work, but then I knew that would have been a very long post and not a blog anymore, so I really recommend for you to stroll over to his site paulmadonna.com and have a look around. It's like walking in a different world although everything seems so familiar somehow.
If you enlarge the photos you will get a better view in a gallery window!

paulmadonna.com

What inspires you to your work?

Paul Madonna: A sinking feeling, and a burning need to contribute to society.

paulmadonna.com

When did you decide to become a full-time artist?

Paul Madonna: The decision to be a full time artist happened before I was conscious enough to know it. In practice, I have been a full time artist all of my adult life, but for many years I had to be a part time employee at jobs to support being a full time artist. And professionally, I've been supporting myself on my own work for eight years now.

paulmadonna.com

If you could collaborate with another artist, who would you pick?

Paul Madonna: I've actually been doing a series of published collaborations with professional writers. Those can be found here, and there are more in the works, all with people I'm excited to work with. One person I would love to work with though is Argentine write Cesar Aira, and I've been meaning to write him for over a year, but I just haven't. I don't know why.

paulmadonna.com

Ester Wilson "Watching art happen"

2012-02-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

Ester Wilson is an artist from Atlanta, Georgia. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about letting your imagination run wild and why she can't imagine a life without creating.

esterwilson.blogspot.com

What inspires you most when you work on a piece of art ?

I'm inspired by the creative process itself. Making a drawing or a painting usually starts with a small thought, or one basic feeling that I'd like to see come alive. The feeling grows and becomes more exciting as decisions are made in the process, leading to a stronger conviction about where I'd like to take the work. In a way, the artwork seems to draw itself and I am just watching it happen. It resembles playing as a kid, letting your imagination run wild and knowing that anything you can dream up is valid and acceptable: playing was exciting and it grew on its own... art is the same way, in my mind - it's fun and self-inspiring.

esterwilson.blogspot.com

Your work is very colourful and full of energy. Has art always been your passion?

Very much so. My mom often jokes about how she never worried about me as a child, because I was fine to spend all day in my room with paper and pencil, no need for anything more. I can't imagine a life without creating.

esterwilson.blogspot.com

For more art work by Ester Wilson visit

web: www.esterwilson.com

blog: esterwilson.blogspot.com

Sirio Magnabosco: "A Series of Unexpected Meditations"

2012-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

In his study "3.3 billion" the Italian photographer Sirio studied the relationship between people and the presence of nature inside cities. I like the way he portrays one person in contrast to a vast scenery. Sirio attended the Joop Swart Masterclass in Amsterdam, you can see more of his photos in this book. He currently lives in Berlin.

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

"Escape from this world"

2011-12-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

Gemini is a French illustrator who loves lemon pie and old good musicals. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about growing up in a small village and why glamourous ladies inspire her.

What inspires you when you create your art?

I would say that my art is inspired by what I see, or what i hear. It sounds very girlish, but I like painting and drawing pretty things, glamourous ladies. I grew up with old american musicals, and while I was a kid I thought when I will become a woman I will look like these beautiful actresses from the 50's, so I think I want to keep a little of this gold time in my art.

http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

Why is art your passion?

When I was a little girl we were living with my sister and my parents in a small village and we didn't have anything to do outside (and I must add we were living in Normandy, so for those who don't know- the weather is the same as in England). Luckily my grandparents were printers so we had all the paper we wanted for free. And step by step it became the only way we had to escape from this world.

If you could work together with a famous artist, who would you pick?

I think I would like to work with the "father" of all these movies which gave me the desire to become an artist and gave me so many happy moments: Glenn Keane.

For more by Gemini please visit:
http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

http://www.spottedandswing.blogspot.com

In Memory of Dana Maor

2011-12-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

I started this blog one year ago - many of you know that I decided to do this because I lost a very dear friend of mine due to a tragic accident. Dana Maor was an amazing artist and this is why I decided to go on a journey, partly to remain close to her but I also had a sudden urge to find out what really inspires artists, how they create their artwork and why they decide to pursue their dreams every single day.

It was Dana's birthday in November and this is why her family and friends created a beautiful exhibition for her in Israel. I would like to show you her artwork and talent. These are photos taken from this exhibition with her artwork, and art that her friends created. Most of the artwork on the photos is hers, except when you see someone painting in the picture.

Mariana Santos: "The way you deal with confusion"

2011-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Mariana Santos is a 15 year old artist from Portugal. She is an Urban Sketcher and likes to sketch everyday and she loves to paint from concert photos. In this interview with TYT she speaks about creating something new and why art is about not being afraid.

Mariana Santos

What inspires you to your art?

I started drawing everyday stuff in my sketchbook because of the group Urban Sketchers, I got really inspired seeing all that fantastic work and decided to get my own journal, I started drawing every day and that really helped me to develop my drawing skills. Before I had a sketchbook I did some portraits of my favorite musicians, I got into drawing because I got into music and photos of concerts really inspire me when drawing a musician, I love to paint in black paper from those concert photos.

Recently I’ve had some ideas and done some studies for a different kind of paintings in which I’m trying to move a bit away from sheer representation of reality and to play with color and shapes even though they’re based on real subjects.

Mariana Santos

Your work is mainly about music and everday life.Which moments fascinate you most?

I think regarding my sketches on everyday life I’m more fascinated and enthusiastic while traveling. While I’m not traveling I lately tend to draw a lot of portraits of my friends maybe because I spend so much time with them, I also draw a lot on the subway, in the classroom. My sketchbook ends up documenting my life. I’m also fascinated with the possibilities of shapes colors and lines, the composition within a page.In my music drawings I draw my favorite musicians from photographs, usually what fascinates me is the action and the contrast.

Mariana Santos

Do you have favorite artists?

I love all kinds of things and I change my favorite artists very often.Concerning the subject of everyday sketches and visual journals, I really love the work of Danny Gregory, Tommy Kane, Lapin, Eduardo Salavisa, Richard Câmara, Nina Johansson, John Woolley, as well as other Urban Sketchers correspondents.

The painters I’ve gotten pretty interested in recently are Egon Schiele, Basquiat, Touluse-Lautrec and Eric Fishell, I also love Andy Warhol, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Oskar Kokoschka and lots more.

Mariana Santos

Would you like to become a full time artist after you finish school?

Yes, I’d love to become a full time artist when I finish school but I’m keeping my mind open. I think nowadays in the art word you have to do a bit of everything in order to survive. Those things still feel very complicated to me so for now I’ll concentrate on my art, what makes me happy.

Mariana Santos

Creativity is…

To combine the things you know and create something new, everything comes from somewhere. To be creative is not to be afraid. Creativity comes from hard work, dreams, involvement, confusion and the way you deal with that confusion.

Mariana Santos

If you'd like to have a look at more of her work, check out Mariana Santos Blog and on Flickr

Writing a children's book

2011-11-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

today is the day - I can finally spill the secret on what I've been working on the last couple of months. It was the most creative journey I ever jumped on: writing a story for a children's book. This all happened when I asked the incredibly talented illustrator Tahira Lubrano if she wanted to create a children's book with me. It is a story about Migwi the little Monkey and here is the brand new blog where we document, discuss and share everything that we encounter on our path of creating the book. I hope you'll enjoy it and hopefully you'll join us in the wilderness of Colobus' Monkeys adventures!

Let me introduce you to

Migwi the Monkey

Art is a journey

2011-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Strange things happen sometimes. It has been almost a year since I started this blog and today I realized something rather stunning. It happened during an email to my good friend and artist Susan Sorrell Hill that it hit me: this art blog has sent me on a journey. Not only because I met so many inspiring artists all across the globe due to my interviews, but I also gained many lovely pen pals, that have become friends (contesting the typical argument that the internet leads people away from real friendships).
These lovely ladies have inspired my own work so much and even helped me in so many unexpected ways - I could go on about this forever!
I have learned about how they create their art but also what they imagine their art could look like in the future, eager to hop onto the digital train, but still remaining truthful to their work.
And in this way they sent me on a journey, where I tried to discover what possibilites are out there for artists, possibilities untouched.
But it never realized that what I had been doing was not only following their journey- I had started to go on my own journey, discovering my possibilites through pursuing my creative vision. I was always a creative person, but I never really knew where all this creativity would take me some day. A bit like trying to make a snowball - it gets bigger and bigger while you roll it in the snow.
And now a new opportunity in the publishing world has opened up for me and it seems like this blog and my friends have led me there - does this sound strange to you?

A little inspiration

2011-09-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I'm organizing a workshop about digital publishing for Social Media Week in Berlin on Thursday (I'm so excited and hope it will be a fun evening filled with creativity). My lovely friend and gorgeous illustrator Tahira Lubrano kindly created an illo for the workshop, which I just had to show you! Thanks TJ!!!

illustration by Tahira Lubrano

Richardson Ovbiebo: "The Forms I Heard"

2011-09-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Solo Exhibition

Select Works by Richardson Ovbiebo, September 24^th – 8^th October, 2011, Lagos

Richardson Ovbiebo, Bolla, 2011, Bicycle wheels on car doors

The first solo-exhibition by Richardson Ovbiebo "The Forms I Heard" explores Ovbiebo’s interests in social issues that are represented by various objects, particularly those encountered in everyday life. This is exemplified in Bolla (2011), which emerged from an artists’ workshop that took place on the landfill in Isolo. The title of the work is a term used to refer to sites like the workshop location, and the persons working therein. Composed of two car doors, which are painted with the same colors and displayed as though they were being forced together, Bolla’s physical properties emphasize the shared fate of these doors, their being melted together and molded into various steel objects.

Like the doors, are the paths of these persons also pre-determined? Have they become rigidly fixed in a system, a cyclic process like the very recycling they engage in everyday? This work and the others highlight the relationships humans have with objects and how these items signify the way lives are lived.

Richardson Ovbiebo

A graduate of Yaba Polytechnic, Ovbiebo’s work has been featured in numerous forums, including exhibitions at the Contempory Center for the Arts (Lagos), “Lost in Lagos—the Artist’s experience” and several Arthouse Auctions. In 2009, he won 1^st Prize in the Nigerian Breweries and African Artist Foundation, National Art Competition “Nigeria the Future I See.” He was First Prize Winner in the Fashion Designers’ Association of Nigeria and African Artist Foundation Exhibition, “Design inspired by Fashion” in 2009, and a finalist for the Creative artist of the Year– Future Award Nigeria in 2010. Richardson Ovbiebo, born in 1982, hails from Igbanke in Edo state. He graduated in 2007 from Yaba College of Technology in sculpture.

Gabby Zapata "Looking for inspiration"

2011-08-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Gabby Zapata is a recent Ringling College of Art and Design graduate, she is now working at Digital Domain Studios as a story/visual development artist. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about why Disney films inspire her, life as an everyday inspiration and moving forward.

Gabby Zapata

You recently graduated from Ringling. How does it feel like and what are your future plans?

Post-Ringling is going to feel very surreal! I have been spending all week trying to relax and just have fun for once because I never really had the chance to due to working on my short film. But now that all of it is ending, I'm certainly going to miss it. As for future plans, I am luckily going to be a story/visual development artist at Digital Domain Studios! As I have mentioned on my blog, Digital Domain's has been known for its epic special effects (ie. Titanic, Tron, 2012, iRobot) and the new studio here will focus on feature animated films! I'll be working under people who have been at Disney/Pixar so it will be a great experience to work with them! It's a super great opportunity.

Gabby Zapata

When did you decide to pursue a career in art?

I decided to pursue a career in art at a very young age. Ever since I was little, I grew up watching many Disney films, cartoons, you name it. When I was little, I became obsessed with The Little Mermaid because it is such a beautiful film and I loved the movements, design, everything! I remember telling myself that I hope I can do something like this when I grow up. I had no idea how, or even it there was a career for it! But years passed by, I started to focus more on art. I took all your basic art classes all the way through high school, and then I heard about Ringling and I went from there. It has been a thrill trying to learn new things and just keep improving on your work and then look back and see how much you've grown as an artist.

Gabby Zapata

Inspiration is....

Everywhere. Inspiration for me drives from everyday life and from my fellow classmates. Life is an everyday inspiration and comes in many shapes and forms.

How do you overcome creative blocks?

That's a tough one. Going through art blocks can be such a challenge. You find yourself doubting yourself in your abilities and makes you want to give up. What I do to overcome that, I go out for a drive by the beach (since I live near it!) and just relax. I don't draw when I am there, I just absorb the sunlight and take time to reflect on myself. If that does not work, I just start looking for inspiration. I started collecting many "Art of" (ie. Tangled, KungFu Panda, etc) books and those are fantastic to look at for inspiration. Another thing that I do is just watch random films and see what I get from there. They do not have to be animated films, it can be anything. But as a general note, I just try and keep on moving forward and not worry about it because it will eventually get better.

Gabby Zapata

Can you name your favorite artists?

Oh my gosh, where do I start?! There are soo many artists I admire and aspire from! Last summer, I started using google reader because I realized that bookmarking a blog and checking each and every one of them individually was going to be a pain. So anyway, some of my favorite artists are Brittney Lee, Glen Keane, Claire Keane, Dice Tsutsumi, Nico Marlet, Lorelay Bove, Peter de Sève, Bill Pressing, Pete Oswald, Lou Romano, Victoria Ying, Bill Schwab, Willie Real, Jeff Turley, Edgar Degas, and sooo much more! What I like about these artists is their uniqueness. If you happen to stumble on their artwork, you will be able to tell who it is because of what they specialize in. Aside from that, I like to be inspired by my classmates too. They are full of ideas, that it is impossible not to be inspired by other people.

Gabby Zapata

"The Mouse King" Elizabeth Rose Stanton donates for Bakhita Girls fundraiser

2011-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received "The Mouse King", by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, which is our third donation for our Bakhita Girls art and music fundraiser in NYC on the 10th of August!

"The Mouse King", by Elizabeth Rose Stanton

Elizabeth Rose Stanton is an illustrator from Seattle, trained in architecture, art history, and scientific illustration. She currently works in illustration, portraiture and fine art, with a concentration on children's book and editorial illustration. Her blog, penspaperstudio, which has grown so quickly since she started is quite stunning! Although with her kind of talent it is not surprising, I always tell her that the first thing I do on a Friday is check out her newest Illustration Friday post, which usually always leaves me behind with a huge smile on my face :-) I just adore her characters! For more about Elizabeth also have a look at her interview with TYT on "Being fearless."
I'm so overwhelmed by the kindness of all the creatives that I have met since I started blogging and all the wonderful donations that have come together just within one week, they will surely give the Bakhita girls in Tanzania the chance to go to school and actually build a future!

Elizabeth Rose Stanton's donation

"The Mouse King", by Elizabeth Rose Stanton

Other donations were received from

Susan Sorrell Hill and Lars Käker!

Lars Käker sketches one of our Bakhita Girls for NYC fundraiser

2011-08-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

"Rose", sketch by Lars Käker

This week has been full of lovely surprises and today we received a very beautiful one. Lars Käker, an amazing painter from Germany sketched one of our Bakhita Girls for our fundraiser in NYC on the 10th of August. The fundraiser will provide girls in Tanzania with scholarships.
Have a look at Lars' beautiful blog called portraits 2 null, where you can find a number of his unique paintings. Lars actually awarded me with the Sunshine Award and then offered to paint one of our girls for the fundraiser. I'm really happy that he got in touch with me and introduced me to his great artwork.
Lars decided to sketch Rose, who was one of the first girls to receive a scholarship from Bakhita. "Rose loves to laugh, dance, she is full of energy, excitement and enthusiasm." Patricia Schneidewind, founder of Bakhita girls, says. "I have never seen such a photograph so full of life" Lars told me when I sent him some photographs to choose from.
"This is just why I had to sketch Rose." It is stunning how Lars was able to capture Rose's personality in his artwork. The sketch can be seen and purchased at the fundraiser in NYC, along with Susan Sorrell Hill's paintings. A third artist will also donate an artwork, I will show it to you in the next couple of days! ;)

Blog Art Exhibition, Danielle C. McManus "Dimension and Personality"

2011-08-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Danielle C. McManus is an illustrator and designer, she currently lives in New York. Danielle works on the blog A Love of Drawing. She uses a wide variety of media in her work, such as watercolor, pen and ink, crayon, drawing, computer graphics, and oil paint. Danielle is also a blog correspondent for Urban Sketchers. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about the role art plays in her life, the infinite possibilities of creativity, and why reading helps with creative blocks.

Interview with Danielle

Which role does art play in your life?

Danielle: I would say art plays many roles in my life. As far back as I can remember I always had a crayon, marker or some kind of pen in my hand. As a kid my mom would buy me coloring books and giant sheets of wax paper to draw on. I went through it like water! Growing up I also struggled with being shy and many times art was how I was able to talk to other kids my age. I would say that art runs deep inside me and has allowed me to meet the most important people in my life. Only as I have gotten older have I realized how important art is and how important it is in my life. The fact that I can get up everyday and make a drawing or go outside and draw the flowers, or travel to Paris and draw the Eiffel Tower just because, is truly wonderful. Art is a part of my everyday routine I would say. Even days that I am not drawing images are always floating around in my head. From bright colors to figuring out how I draw someone’s ear. It’s kind of a funny thing I would say.

Can you describe your style?

Danielle: My style is my personality. I feel the more variety and the more creative expression the better. I like to draw with a variety of materials and sometimes I even draw with chopsticks or tree sticks. It’s fun to see the infinite possibilities when it comes to creating a picture.

What do you do when you have a creative block?

Danielle: When I have a creative block I go to the museum. I also look at art books and try to find new kinds of art to look at as well. I find the most important thing to do when I have a creative block is to read. Reading allows you to fill up your artist's well and will supply you with new information. Once you have information you can add it to your art and then you will have more to say with it. It adds dimension and personality.

Inspiration is...

Danielle: Something that can come from your heart and something you feel very deeply.

If you could collaborate with another artist, whom would you pick?

Danielle: Well I have to say I would have loved to have collaborated with my late teacher and mentor who was a wonderful artist and teacher.

A magical donation for our Bakhita Girls fundraiser: paintings by Susan Sorrell Hill

2011-07-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to announce that Susan Sorrell Hill is one of the first artists to donate five paintings for the Bakhita Girls fundraiser, which will help provide scholarships for young mothers and underprivileged girls to attend secondary schools in Ifakara, Tanzania. Susan is an artist and illustrator from Northern California. Her paintings tell universal stories, and are inspired by the literature of humankinds’ patterns: fairy tale, myth, and oracles of all types. It is always a treat to visit Susan's wonderful blog, Dream & Vision. Susan was one of the first artists I interviewed on TYT and I'm happy to say that since then we've exchanged so many creative ideas and have even become friends. Susan recently submitted her cover art "The Girl with Silver Hands" to the Uncovered Cover Art Blog, a blog where you can vote for your favorite cover art! Also have a look at the TYT interview about Susan's art: "Fairy Tales and Magic" Thanks again Susan for your kind donation! Here you can find more info about the fundraiser, if you'd like to donate just contact me via email -susanna@tradeyourtalent.de .

Here are the five wonderful paintings Susan donated:

Susan Sorrell Hill

For more of Susan's art

visit susansorrellhill.com

TYT received the Sunshine Award 2011 ;)

2011-07-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Lars Käker from Germany kindly awarded me with the "Sunshine Award 2011" for my "stunning" art blog. Thank you so much for this great compliment Lars. I'm really happy that so many readers enjoy this blog, I never would have believed I could inspire so many readers one day... Have a look at Lars's great oil paintings at his blog Portraits 2 Null , I'm glad he commented on my blog - his style is very special and I'm now a happy follower of his blog. He might even sketch something for our Bakhita fundraiser ;)

The rules for receiving the award:
- Thank the person who gave you the award.
- Write a post about it.
- Answer to the questions below.
- Pass it on to 10 bloggers who you think really deserve it and send them a message to let them know.

The questions:
01. My favorite color: green.
02. My favorite animal: monkey.
03. My favorite number: 5.
04. My favorite non-alcoholic drink? Green Tea.
05. I joined facebook and twitter.
06. My passion: working together with other creatives, writing, enjoying a day in the sun with friends.
07. getting or giving presents? Both to be honest ;)
08. My favorite pattern? I really don't know. i have never thought of the possibility of having a favorite pattern. hmm. stripes? ;)
09. My favorite day of the week? Sunday of course ;)
10. My favorite flower? Rose.

I'm passing on the award to my ten favorite bloggers (although when I started noting them down I came up with many more...)

Tahira Lubrano A Look in A Creative Mind
Elizabeth Rose Stanton Penspaper Studio
Sue Pownall Art of a Nomad
Maria Bogade
Susan Sorrell Hill
Eric Orchard
Atelier Petit 4
Linda Hensley
Alison Donato
Thomas W Schaller

Art and music fundraiser in NYC: Donate an artwork for providing women with scholarships in Tanzania

2011-07-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Trade Your Talent Readers,

my really good friend Patricia Schneidewind runs a non-profit called the Bakhita Girls Project (www.bakhitagirls.com). They provide scholarships for young mothers and underprivileged girls to return to local secondary schools in Ifakara, Tanzania. Right now Bakhita are working on raising funds for the girl’s school fees that are due by the end of August. I told my friend about the many talented artists I know and I was wondering if you'd like to donate one of your artworks for this great cause. We will probably do an art raffle or let guests at the fundraiser buy a painting in the name of one of the 13 school girls !!

There are two ways for you to participate:

1) If you are in New York I would be really happy if you could join us at this great event!

2) If you would like to contribute from anywhere around the world it would be great if you'd be able to send one of your artworks to us or directly to one of the guests who will buy your painting at the fundraiser! of course we will also put your name on the flyer for the fundraiser and I will blog loads about your participation! :-))

We will let you know after the fundraiser who donated money for your painting!

The fundraiser: The fundraiser will take place at Vodou Bar in New York (a new bar that opened a few months ago on Nostrand Ave, near the Nostrand stop on the A) around the middle of next month. The date is not fixed yet but will take place between the 10th and 22nd of August (date will be set soon), so if you'd like to send us an artwork please get in touch soon ;)

For more info drop me a line at susanna@tradeyourtalent.de !!

I look forward to hearing from you!!!

All best from New York,

Susanna

Bakhita Girls

Jonathan Woodward "Endless Inspiration"

2011-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Woodward is an illustrator and creative designer in the UK, recently he was a commended finalist in the "BBC wildlife artist of the year 2011 competition". His current passion project is saving endangered animals @ thentherewerenone.com but also Kinetiva.com, a platform he created, which helps to inspire, enable and motivate artists to make a living from what they're good at and what they enjoy.

jonathanwoodwardstudio.com/

Can you remember your first illustration that you ever did?

Jonathan: I've drawn all my life and was always known as the arty kid in school before moving on to study Graphic Design at University and then returning to my first love, Illustration, so it's difficult to pinpoint my first ever illustration. However, I'd say my Illustration work really came to life when I started using traditional cut paper collage. It was as simple as seeing a woman's hair in a fashion magazine and thinking it would make a good tree bark texture that sparked my curiosity - this experiment and the first illustration that I created using this medium (the medium and style I work in today) was 'One For Sorrow, Two For Joy' so I would probably class that as my first Illustration.

Is it hard being an illustrator and following your dreams as an artist?

Jonathan: In some respects it is hard but I just feel that it's the only thing I want to do and so in that case it's easy. It takes a lot of people a long time to discover what there passion is and I had mine (creating and admiring illustrations/art) from as far back as I can remember so I feel luck to have always known what I wanted to do.

What inspires you most when you have a creative block?

Jonathan: Nature. It's the subject of every illustration I do and provides endless inspiration - from majestic birds like the Golden Eagle to the power of the ocean and every form of life it contains.

jonathanwoodwardstudio.com/

You just started a creative business. What was the path leading up to that like?

Jonathan: I've been a freelance Graphic Designer for the past 5 years (working in Design Studios prior to that) but after many years of procrastination, I finally got an illustration portfolio up and running online that I'm happy with to dedicate to my Illustration work. The path leading up to that was full of self doubt, comparing myself to my favourite Illustrators, struggling to find my own personal style and lacking the confidence to think that my work was good enough, until I just thought that if I didn't go for it I'd regret it forever. I started an Illustration resource blog called www.zero2illo.com to chart my progress and give myself external accountability to actually get things done - the blog grew and I met so many amazing illustrators on the same journey as myself that it always inspires me to keep striving to get better at the craft and business of Illustration.

jonathanwoodwardstudio.com/

Do you have favorite illustrators?

Jonathan: Oh wow, too many to mention and they change all the time but at the moment to name a few they would be Lindsey Carr (current favourite), James Jean, Dave McKean, Charley Harper and Greg Manchess.

jonathanwoodwardstudio.com/

For more about Jonathan's art and projects

Blog: JonathanWoodward.me

Twitter @jonwoodward
Johnathan illustrated and saved endangered animals at ThenThereWereNone.com
Jonathan's illustration community kinetiva.com

Jonathan's illustration resource blog zero2illo.com

Taking chances

2011-07-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to write a lot about my time in New York - I guess it has been the pace of this city but also because so many exciting things have happened since I came here. This city has taught me so many great things about pursuing your dream, things I would have never even considered before! I have tried to compose a small list and share it with you -

1. Don't be afraid to take chances. Even if what you are about to do seems humiliating at first. Even if it means standing in the glaring sun for about 6 hours. It will get you there eventually.

2. Be persistent. Even if it means you have to tell your story over and over again. To about 100 people.

3. Don't always take a "Let's be in touch" seriously. It is just a figure of speech. It could be a maybe. It could mean nothing at all.

4. It's all about your attitude which defines your own happiness - at least it seems like New Yorkers live by that rule: If you tell a taxi driver in New York that you just had the best day of your life they might give you a 30 min. lecture on "taking chances" and "grabbing opportunities." isn't that great? And then they start telling you how anything is possible in America...

5. Do not give up. If others know you are serious they will reward it. At some point. (If you are done saying this over and over again to yourself ask someone else to say it to you.)

6. Take a break once in a while. Grab your favorite coffee and sit in the park and let the ideas just come to you.

7. Every day is a new day to start over :)

Art in the City

2011-07-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

I enjoy Murals, I think they really define the culture of a city. I thought I just had to show you some of them. At this point I apologize for not writing more but it is so hot in New York that I can barely press the button "Publish" without breaking out into a sweat. I hope you will forgive me, and nevertheless enjoy these photos!

I have been working more on my photography skills, I'm so glad Sue Pownall convinced me to get a decent camera for my trip! (Please note: The first photo is not an advertisment for beer but I just liked how the color of the beer and the sky mingled!)

Illustration Friday 'Remedy'

2011-07-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

As I wrote in my last post I decided to challenge myself a bit and always write about what comes to my mind for the Illustration Friday themes. This week it is remedy and I have been brainstorming the whole weekend and couldn't really think of something until now. (this is me being honest ;-) )
But now I think I figured it out - at the moment remedy for me is helping others find solutions to their problems. I know it sounds a bit cheesy at first - but it is something I really love doing. It doesn't have to be a big solution I come up with - but only pointing someone in the right direction or giving advice about promoting artwork - it's what I enjoy. Especially when I have a bad day I love diving into a new project - it helps get my mind off things. I guess this is why I really would be happy to become an agent at some point - I enjoy working with artists and developing creative projects.
One cause I really got attached to is bringing more education to women in Africa, this is why I also have a guest writer from Rwanda writing about the developments of building a cultural innovation centre in Rwanda. But I've also been working together with a really good friend of mine - she is trying to build a scholarship program for girls in Africa and we were brainstorming how we could give more girls the possibility to receive a scholarship to go to school - and now we are thinking of starting an art/music fundraiser in New York!
Maybe some art bloggers even want to join us, I think it could be a lot of fun! Please tell me what you think!!

Guest writer, Grant Jenkin: Reminder of the past

2011-07-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Grant Jenkin (Developing World Connections volunteer) writes directly from Rwanda about building a cultural centre in Rwanda, new school programs for women and reminders of the past

Back in Kigali after an excellent week of work and fun. Looks like the rain has finally stopped and that we are well and truly into the dry season, and it happened just in time for the celebration at Nelson Mandela Education Center (NMEC). The Green helmets, a German NGO who have been working on developing a school and young students since 200, has finished its term and has handed the school over to the Rwandan Government. It was an excellent ceremony. Illustrating all the new technologies and building principles that they have been working on for so long.

It also showcased the Covaga Innovation Centre and the work that the NMEC students did last year before graduating and now thee six former students have created their own construction company - Vision Construction Company. Some members of the Covaga women were also there to show there appreciation to the green helmets and the school. All in all a great day for everyone.
Then took a group to the very emotional genocide memorial at Nyamata. A church which was used for the slaughter of over 5000. It is always so shocking even for myself after experiencing something so positive and uplifting and then having the reminder of the past...

Yesterday was liberation day in Rwanda so we so worked a half day then visited the finally completed Girls initiative school in Gashora. Very impressive facilities which makes school facilities in the West look poor. Its a very interesting experimental program only for women studying sciences. It hosts some of Rwandas most intelligent girls for three years before they hopefully go on to universities here and all over the world.

Finaly we are waiting to catch a bus to Gisenyi, on lake Kivu, for some much deserved R&R. A short trip as we will be returning to Kigali tomorrow so that we can catch the Festival of independence day at Amahoro stadium July 4th - to signify the end of the Genocide.

Lydia C Crimp "Part of me"

2011-06-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lydia C Crimp lives and works in London as a freelance artist and costumier. Her influences are cabaret, circus, fashion and literature from the early part of the 20th century. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her huge collection of photographs dating from the late 1800's, inspiration from costumes and why she decided to start painting again.

Lydia C Crimp, http://www.lydiaccrimp.co.uk/

Why do themes like cabaret, fashion and literature inspire you most?

I was brought up on a diet of a wide range of fiction (from Tolkien to Isherwood and back again) and a lot of folk music so I think it’s always been a part of me. I’ve always loved the decadence and faded glamour of old cabaret and circus and while I’ve often tried to pinpoint the one thing that makes this so attractive to me I’ve never really managed. As a very visual person I think it’s a mixture of everything, the vibrant colours, the textures, the shapes, the music and of course, costume.

You have a huge collection of old photographs dating from the late 1800's up until the 1950's. Do you like to use them in you artwork?

All the time. They provide a great starting point- the characters in my paintings are mostly all imaginary. They tend to be a blend of people from my photograph collection, old film stars and a bit of myself normally ends up in there as well. Friends have sat for me in the past (and hopefully will do in the future!) although I find I often end up with a portrait that doesn’t resemble them in the slightest! I just take certain elements from a number of sources; for instance, it might be the way a shadow falls on a face or the shape of the shine on someone’s lips.

When you are not painting you are a costumier. Is that also a form of art to you?

Definitely. I spend a lot of time working on costumes for film, theatre and television, designing and illustrating, as well as sourcing the fabrics for a company called Academy Costumes. I do a lot of sewing in my spare time and have just started designing and making a range of hats inspired by the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead. In my opinion anything that has been created by human hands has some sort of artistic quality to it.

Why did you start painting again?

I’d just been swing dancing one Sunday afternoon and was in a rather lovely cocktail bar on Broadway market, East London drinking gin when all of a sudden, filled with inspiration I called over the manager and asked if I could have an art show. I sort of had to start painting again then…

If you could choose to work with another contemporary artist, who would you pick?

One project in particular that I really wish I had been involved in is Swoons ‘Swimming cities’. She designed and created these absolutely fantastic and completely eccentric boats out of all kinds of things (old stair cases, rotting doors…) inspired, as she describes it, by “dense urban cityscapes and thickly intertwined mangrove swamps”. She and her team of performers/artists then sailed them around the Adriatic Sea. It’s a bit similar to my own plans to build a galleon that incorporates a theatre. I really love the idea of having a theatre production with an ever-changing cast and show as people join and leave my boat at different ports. What fun!

Lydia C Crimp, http://www.lydiaccrimp.co.uk/

Illustration Friday - Midsummer Night

2011-06-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Illustration Friday word of the week is Midsummer Night and although I'm not a very gifted painter or illustrator I just had to write about this theme (and isn't writing a form of art too?) The image that immediately popped up in my mind was the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. But most of all I was thinking of Puck, the little elf. (I just think he is too gorgeous!)

I guess if I could illustrate I would have sketched him. Shakespeare plays with the themes of magic and dreams, and Puck is essential to the play because he causes a lot of confusion in the lives of the main characters. However, Puck tries to explain to the audience at the end of the play that what the audience had just experienced was nothing more than a dream -

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream.

Even though Puck basically apologizes to the audience that everything they had just seen had been a dream - isn't that exactly what the audience wanted to experience when they came to see the play in the frist place?
To dive into a magical world, that, even though is sometimes confusing, is filled with dreams, visions and of course love? Isn't that what all artists do, to bring their vision on paper and share it with other people? Aren't they practically inviting their audience to have a glimpse of their creativity and inspiration?
Sharing these dreams and visions is also something very honest and of course, makes you vulnerable in a certain way, because you reveal your true feelings to your audience. I guess blogs have also changed the way artists work and share their vision - the audience can learn much more about the artists' true feelings about their own vision and of course, their dreams. It is a quite magical world at times - and I think it is truly great to be part of such a creative world, filled with inspiration.
This is why I had to mention Puck to you - and although I wasn't able to show him to you here, maybe you can just imagine how he would have looked like. If I could draw. :-)

Art everywhere you go

2011-06-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

What's fascinating about New York is that you find art everywhere - on the street, in the park, in Cafés. I thought I'd share some of these moments with you. I also discovered how much fun photography is, and so I recently spent two hours in Washington Square Park just trying to capture the people and how they created such a special mood in the park.

This man was using buckets as drums and

created an amazing mood in the subway station.

A piano in Washington Square Park.

Painting in the park.

A Letter from Rwanda, Part 1: The Covaga Women get a pavilion to showcase their work

2011-06-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Amakuru Sussana!

Greetings From the "Land of a thousand hills" my name is Grant Jenkin, I and my co leader Robin Ripley have arrived in Kigali awaiting the rest of our team who should be arrive this evening. Robin and I are very excited to be back for our second volunteer trip to Gashora. We met with our host partner Lama Mugabo yesterday and he brought us up to speed on where the project is and what Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR) is hopefully expecting from our trip.

We will be continuing with the construction of the west wing of the Covaga Innovation Center (CIC). Everyone is very hopeful that we will be able to complete the first part of the center, the pavilion in which the Covaga women can showcase there work. We will also be doing extensive work with the gardens trying to incorporate some nutritious vegetable and fruit that can be easily harvested for the eventual restaurant. It is also hopeful that the CIC will become an example of sustainable crops in which the entire Village of Gashora will be able to harvest.

It was really great finally getting here and seeing all our hard work with planning and fund raising coming into fruition. It was especially nice seeing Lama again as well as our friends from La Palisse Kigali. It makes me so much more excited to get to Gashora and meet again with all the special relationships we made with the people last year.

Tomorrow we are hopefully going to take our participants on a tour of kigali By moto and bus, and also visit the Kigali memorial center which has the history of the genocide and all genocides around the world. Monday morning we are off to meet with our partners at the Nelson Mandela Education Center, with a short visit to the Rwanda girls initiative in Gashora. And last but most certainly not leasst we will be meeting with the Covaga woman and taking a look at the project....

Chloe Allred "Collect the stories of the people"

2011-06-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Chloe Allred is a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Chloe is also the designer of our "Art for Rwanda" logo. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about art as a form of communication and why she sees herself as a storyteller.

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

You recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Do you think art can help to raise social awareness?

Certainly. Art is a form of communication, and a beautiful form at that. The arts not only have the potential to bring these issues to a greater public eye, but to then also spark interest and curiosity for that cause.

Art and Rwanda, if you had the possibility to carry out any art project in or for Rwanda, what could you imagine to do?

I see myself as a storyteller, my work a visual narrative; going to Rwanda, I would want to collect the stories of the people there and do illustrations from those stories. I love the coupling of two art forms, word and imagery, they have a synergistic effect when combined. A lot of my favorite artists are illustrators, so that tends to be what my mind aspires to.

Besides social causes, what inspires you to your art?

I'm mildly obsessed with environmental science and just finished a 3ft by 2ft painting about endocrine disruptors in US waterways and their effects on endemic fish populations...I also like to take a general idea and explore it, see where I can push it. A lot of making art happens before you actually sit down to do the piece. Through out your day your constantly picking up fragments of information; these fragments combine, and combined make the seed of an idea. I'm always carrying a sketchbook so that I can record little details as they come to me. I'm really fascinated by the human body....there's just so much variety from person to person, little tweaks in detail can entirely change a character. I love that. I love drawing long time friends and discovering new things about their face, or little gestures that they have, that I just didn't notice until I sat down to draw them.

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would you pick?

Oh man! What a difficult question.... I just finished watching Wasteland, about the Brazillian artist Vik Muniz. He's definitely super inspiring as an artist and as a human being, it would be a dream to collaborate with him. I love Michael Shapcott's aesthetic, he's been a favorite artist of mine for quite some time. David Choe. Travis Louie. João Ruas. It would be most excellent to collaborate with a writer; it would be wonderful to illustrate a story of Neil Gaiman's.

Chloe's Blog: http://gnomecentric.tumblr.com/

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Creative Times in New York

2011-06-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

Finally I have some time to tell you more stories of my New York adventures. Creativity seems to grow on trees here - and I love it! I met so many interesting creative startups here already and it is so great to meet like-minded people. With all this going on we also finally launched our website, entered a creative competition and our ideas are growing and growing... maybe it's just this city which gives my creativity even more drive.

I visited this gallery which was showing some of Andy Warhol's soup cans, although I didn't find it that spectacular... Just lots of soup cans in lots of different colours... (Am I allowed to write that? I apologize to all the Warhol fans... ) I actually asked to meet the manager behind the exhibition and when she came down to meet me I realized I didn't have anything to ask her...

Even the shop dummies do pilates over here...

The Guggenheim - many people are always lingering infront of it which creates a really nice atmosphere

My friend the amazing photographer trying to ask this homeless man if she could get his picture. They ended up having a really long conversation but he still didn't want his picture taken - so I just took one from further away...

Washington Square Garden - the parks in New York are very beautiful. There is always something going on, music or a photo shoot

Introducing: Talent Traders and Colobus Creative

2011-06-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days have been very hectic, I've been inspired by this city so much that I'm thriving on creativity - let me show you what I've been working on:

TALENT TRADERS
I'm currently working on our TYT website and I'm introducing a concept called Talent Traders! Many artists have told me that they would love to collaborate more with different artists, but it is often hard to do this, especially across the globe. I would be happy to try this project out - but I need your help for it to work! It is really simple - I just need to hear what you've been up to in order for me to introduce your project on the website. And please spread the word about this!!!
3 Easy Steps
1) Tell us about your creative ideas or your project that you've been working on in your community!
2) Let us know if you are looking for a photographer, illustrator, painter, journalist, producer... to work with. If your idea fits our creative criteria we will write about your project on the website. Just send in a short summary of your request, maybe even attach an image of what you've been working on and contact details.
3) Tell a friend about this over a cup of coffee or tweet about it! :) This could be something really great! + Let me know what you think!

COLOBUS CREATIVE
Our startup for developing children's book apps and eBooks finally has a name :) We have been working on getting the twittername (@colobuscreative) from another artist who has actually thought of the same name a while ago, which I didn't know until a couple of days ago. But he really supported our project and gave us the account, as he is not using it anymore!! This is really exciting news! We also started a website www.colobuscreative.com to introduce our concept!
Feel free to spread the word about all of this, repost or tweet it, I would love to get as many artists on board as possible for both projects!!!! ;)
Have a great week!
Susanna

Following your dreams

2011-06-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to tell you why I started this blog in the first place. Exactly one year ago a good friend of mine died in a horrible accident in China. She was an amazing artist and very young. She had this amazing personality, she believed only in happiness, inspiration and that you should follow your dreams. From this moment on I realized I would start living this way too - and that I want to help artists follow their dreams and passion.

Many young artists go on studying business or law, because they are told you cannot make a living from art. I really think you have to follow your true passion and inspiration, otherwise you spend many years in life working somewhere where you might be unhappy – and after a while you realize you could have been much more true to yourself by doing what you actually enjoy.

A year ago I started thinking of possibilities of how artists can be supported and how you can help them follow their dreams- and so I started Trade Your Talent. It also keeps my friend close to me in a special way – it makes me feel like I'm doing something in her name. It keeps me connected. With my own startup I'm trying to create even more possibilites for artists, and through this project I've started following my own dreams.

Thank you Dana. Because of you I learnt that all that matters

is being happy and true to yourself.

Some doodling and surprises...

2011-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today something really good happened... but I can't tell you about it just yet, but I hope I can write about it soon enough. Until then a small doodle that shows how I feel like right now:

Book Arts: "Art as a healing tool"

2011-06-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today I discovered another amazing arts project in New York and it is hard to describe my fascination. The moment I held the book art in my hand today, books created by people who recover from psychiatric disabilities, I knew I had to share this with you immediately. Looking at the individual books made me feel like I was looking at something really personal, it was a bit like taking a peek at someone else's diary. The honesty of the art is what I found most touching. The Art Collective, which is part of the New York Community Access platform, uses art as a healing tool for helping people recover from psychiatric disabilities. It expands opportunities for personal and artistic development in visual and literary arts and helps these people develop their own language. It is the only one of its kind in mental health services that specializes in teaching Book Arts: the process of creating, designing, writing, binding and exhibiting unique and limited edition handmade books.

The Art Collective

621 Water Street

New York, NY 10002

212-780-1400, ext. 2000/1

If you would like to donate visit Community Access homepage:

http://www.cairn.org/ways-to-give

Mascot: Mr. Stick-Figure + his family + meeting illustrator Juliane Pieper in New York

2011-06-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mr. Stick-Figures family... I think he will be our mascot ;)

gorgeous illustrator Juliane Pieper encouraged me to sketch, even though I think I'm just not made to be an artist.

I met Juliane in Brooklyn with a gorgeous view of the Brooklyn Bridge, where Juliane discovered

some gorgeous plastic material which she immediatley collected for her collages. Juliane is an

illustrator originally from Germany, two years ago she received a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to New York. She recently completed her Master's degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. We talked a lot about the possibilites of illustrators in the digital world, it was an amazing and very creative day! Her work has been featured in newspapers like the The New York Times. Max Bode at the New Yorker recently complimented her work »Juliane's work is bright and full of energy, which is a combo that is sorely needed in today's illustration world. It's refreshing to see someone who seamlessly breathes new life into illustration. A+«  She was really amazed by the ideas for my startup, this kind of encouragement made me really happy!

Kristen Cavallo "Cute Stories"

2011-06-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

Kristen Cavallo is an illustrator from New York. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about comic

strips, cute stories and why her goal is to illustrate a children's book.

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

You're an aspiring children's book illustrator. What would you do if could you get your first book published?

It's been a goal of mine to be a children's book illustrator or writer/illustrator. I'd be really excited to have a book published by a major publishing company. It would be such an honor to be apart of the Children's Illustration community.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

As a child, I used to copy the comic strips from the funny pages. My Illustration style has evolved and is still changing as I am continually inspired. I am attracted to whimsical illustrations with quick line-drawn and textured qualities. I am a fan of children's book illustrators like Ezra Jack Keats, Miroslav Sasek, Quentin Blake, Shel Silverstein, and many others.

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

Which characters do you like to illustrate?

I like doodling children with personality who look like they have a funny or cute story attached to them. I often sketch characters and then make up a back story on them. I often wish I had more time to create finished illustrations on a lot of my quick character drawings.

If you could choose another illustrator to collaborate with, who would it be?

I love the work of, accomplished children's book illustrator, Kristin Sorra. She and I worked together at the same company as graphic designers and she taught me a lot about illustration. She currently works as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated many children's books. One of my favorite writers is Sally Lloyd-Jones. I briefly met her at one of her own book reading events. I like the perspective in her writing and I love her humor--I would be very excited to illustrate one of her books. I also love all of the Mo Willems books.

Since when do you love to draw?

I think when I was around 6 or 7 year old. My mom is an artist and she has been a great influence and encouragement in my life and in my artistic endeavors.

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

New York, New York

2011-06-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Finally time to blog about my first weeks in New York. Yes, weeks ! And I haven't really been able to write about it up until now. To be honest, it took me some time to get used to NYC (hope I'm not the only one). Everything is louder and hotter - today I was practically melting, I will never complain again in Berlin about the temperatures. The city is chaotic but somehow everything still flows, even the traffic at some point (However, I will never get the part where you're allowed to cross the road when the light is red, I tried it one time New York style and almost got run over by a taxi. Now I'm always the only person waiting to cross the road - is that pathetic? ) But slowly I'm getting used to this new speed of the city.

I also have another confession to make. I didn't visit one museum yet, not the Guggenheim, not the Whitney... I wanted to give you juicy art stories from the Big Apple, but somehow I've been more occupied with getting to know this city and its people first. Which has been exciting on its own terms. It's interesting how this city has so many different looks, the Upper East Side is totally glamourous but somehow also a bit boring (sorry Upper East Siders, but it's true) and once you go downtown or to Brooklyn you sometimes don't even remember you're in New York (and I haven't been to many parts of the city yet!). Prospect Park is definitely adorable!

Plus a very good tip: I love the Italian Café "Eataly" next to Madison Park, the coffee is awesome and it's fun watching people walk down 5th Avenue.

One of my greatest moments up until now was a surprising experience with a friend of mine, who, I discovered, is an amazing photographer. We were walking through the streets of Brooklyn and she was taking pictures of families living in her hometown. I enjoyed being able to watch how she worked as a photographer, talking to the people she took pictures of as if they'd know each other for years. It also takes some confidence to walk up to strangers and ask "Can I take a picture of you?" I haven't realized before what an intimate question that is. When I worked as a freelance journalist I often walked up to strangers for interviews, but taking a picture of them is even more private somehow. I have always wanted to know more about how photographers create art, who the people behind the lens are and how they manage to transform a small moment into something much bigger.

I'm sorry for not being more artsy for you today, but I still wanted to fill you in on my first impressions of New York!

Mascot Competition: Vote for your favorite Mascot!

2011-05-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

Finally I can show you all the mascots that have been submitted to TYT! Please comment below for your vote. And of course thanks to all the lovely artists who have submitted a mascot! Important for the big fans of Mr. Stick-Figure: you can also vote for him ;)

Max, who thrives on love, hugs and creativity, by Sue Pownall (Blog: Art of A Nomad)

Elizabeth Rose Stanton (Blog: Penspaperstudio) submitted a dragon couple trading their talent, Crayon Man and baby chickens.

Ann Hyde (Blog: Studiohyde) submitted a puppy

Exclusive NYC Scoop: Singer-Songwriter Eleanor Dubinsky

2011-05-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Friday night in Brooklyn at Pete's Candy Store (a very cozy bar) left me with an amazing discovery - singer-songwriter Eleanor Dubinsky. Her lyrics in English, Spanish and French are romantic and heartfelt, I could have listened to her exceptional voice for hours. After a very hectic week it was just the perfect way to start into the weekend.

Everyone coming to NYC this summer should visit one of her concerts. Eleanor's songs are a mixture of many styles - folk, soul and Latin rhythms - every song is different in a surprising way. Her voice is soft and strong in a perfect balance - and when she plays the cello she is just gorgeous. I can only say, one of the best live performers I have seen in a long time. Here is an exclusive video of her concert on Friday:

Her new album "Touch the Sky" was just released. You can also find Eleanor @

Website: eleanordubinsky.com
Facebook: eleanordubinskymusic
twitter: eleanordubinsky

Blog Art Exhibition, Suhita Shirodkar "India / Energy of the Moment"

2011-05-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Suhita Shirodkar is an obsessive-sketcher and graphic designer. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her recent travels to India and why she is addicted to sketching her surroundings.

Suhita Shirodkar

During which moments are you most creative?

I find it hard to "set aside" time to be creative, so I carry my portable studio with me everywhere: a couple of sketchbooks ( in case I can make 2 quick sketches: while a sketch dries in one book, I start on a second one), an extra-fine sharpie ( I love sketching with these: the ink runs out of them real quick forcing me to keep my lines quick and fluid), colored pencils, a portable set of watercolors, a couple of brushes, and a water container. Sometimes all I have is 15 minutes between meetings, or before I pick up my kids: I'll stop anywhere that catches my eye during my drive and make a quick sketch. ( I just did a posting about this. But I'm most excited by travel: it's always fun to draw places and things you've never seen before. There's something really exciting about capturing first impressions.

You recently travelled to India. How did you try to capture the travel experiences in your work?

I was In India visiting (lots of) family, and I just drew wherever I could.. suddenly all the tedious parts- the long waits at the airport, the endless flight halfway across the world- became opportunities to sketch. One rainy day we were stuck at my in-laws home with the roof leaking. It was hard to even walk around the house without stepping into puddles. I sat in a corner and sketched the only view I had: the ceiling.

Suhita Shirodkar

Can you describe one special moment you tried to sketch?

I spent one whole week during my trip to India just traveling and sketching with my teenage nieces.Most of my sketching happens around 2 little kids aged 3 and 5, but this week was different. One peaceful morning in Delhi, we settled down to sketch Humayun's Tomb, a grand building that is the predecessor to the Taj Mahal. I thought I was going to capture this monument on a quiet, calm morning. But everything changed within a few minutes. A whole bunch of school buses arrived, packed with kids that were loud, excited and full of energy. They swarmed in a mass of red school uniforms towards the monument. It was fantastic to capture the madness and energy of the moment. I love unexpected things like that. Suddenly the sketch was about more than just another monument.

Suhita Shirodkar

Are you a full time artist,or do you do something besides art ?

I am a graphic designer, a mom of 2 kids, an obsessive sketcher and I run an online store on etsy. I'm little bits of way too many things! One day though, I'd love to be a full time artist. Until then, I plan to fill lots and lots of sketchbooks.

Where do you get your inspiration?

From the world around me. From my travels. I am particularly drawn to urban settings and vibrant colors. Chaos and color are two things I love to capture. Big cities, and cultures full of color, like Mexico and India, are very inspiring.

Suhita Shirodkar

If you could give some creative advice to young artists,what would it be?

This isn't something I came up with, I heard it from a fellow artist, but it's worth repeating: if you love doing something at age 5, it is probably something you can be happy doing your whole life. I loved to draw as a kid. But somewhere along the way, I stopped drawing, and only got back to my sketchbook habit a couple of years ago. It's an addiction now. And I love it.

See more of Suhita's art @

Blog: http://sketchaway.wordpress.com/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/sketchaway

Online store: sketchaway.etsy.com/

Chloe Allred designed a logo for our Art for Rwanda Project

2011-05-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Chloe Allred, a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, for designing our first logo for our Art for Rwanda Project. Some of my readers might have been wondering why I often posted special interviews about art projects in Rwanda. During my studies of History I wrote a paper on the Genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and what happened there really upset me. This is why I'm also sponsoring a little girl in Rwanda. A couple of years ago I actually started my own "Project Rwanda" but somehow it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to. This is why I'm now very passionate about reporting on art projects in Rwanda, because art is very powerful in creating social awareness. An interview with Chloe about her own art auction for Rwanda will follow soon. This is the logo Chloe Allred designed

I know we also have the mascot competition going but anyone can submit a logo for Rwanda too, I will then post it on TYT! If you have your own passion about a particular country (and how you maybe supported it through an art project) feel free to comment below and tell us all about it.

Katrina Page "Lose myself in a piece"

2011-05-18T02:04:00.000-07:00

Katrina Page, http://www.theillustrationpage.co.uk/

Katrina Page is an illustrator from the UK. She is obsessed with combining old 
and new things and creating multiple layers. With tradeyourtalent she speaks 
about freedom, astronauts and Psychology. 

What is your favorite part about being an illustrator?
I love the freedom and creativity. I can completely lose myself in a piece and sometimes 
hours pass before I even realise what time it is. 

Is there something that helps you back on track when you have a creative block?
I get creative blocks quite a lot, it's usually when I start thinking too much about something. 
I find it helps to listen to music really loudly, something with a good beat like Bonobo, 
Avalanches or Pendulum. I learnt to juggle at University as a backup for failing my degree - 
it often helps to do this to the music whilst thinking about the piece I'm working on. If this 
doesn't work, I go to bed and forget about it for a day or two.

Inspiration is... 
...everything and everywhere.

Did you ever want to do something besides illustration?
When I was growing up I didn't know what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an astronaut and 
then I wanted to be a comedian... I was always drawing though and making things. Initially I 
wanted to study Psychology but at the last minute chose Illustration instead. 

Is there another illustrator you'd love to work with?
Gray318, I absolutely adore his book cover designs.

Katrina Page, http://www.theillustrationpage.co.uk/

Creative Challenge #2: Presenting my creative business idea

2011-05-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

This week kept me busy with planning for my New York trip, meetings (!) and my first pitch. This stood totally in contrast to the experience I had last week - I didn't have to flee this time. At this point I have to thank my lovely readers for their lovely advice and support, it helped me to be perfectly prepared for this second challenge. I stuffed my purse with loads of business cards - thanks Sue for this great tip. I actually handed out quite a lot of them, this made me all giddy.

Again: My trip there was a real adventure and this time it wasn't because I got lost in the neighbourhood. It started with the train at my station not being able to open its doors - this led to a poor guy actually kicking the train a couple of times. Luckily I had another great Plan B and just made it there in time (with a taxi).

Once I got to the co-working house, where I was to hold my pitch, I was met by so many amazing creative people that my nervousness quickly resided and for the first time in my life I felt like I had found the place where I was supposed to be (make any sense?)

These creative people came from all over the globe: Sweden, Canada, London, Paris... and they were quite excited about my online publishing idea and gave me amazing advice. For the first time I felt really sure that I was on the right track and that maybe it is actually possible to be successful by creating something yourself.

And, most importantly of all, if you are passionate about your creative ideas you can make others believe in them too.

The next weeks will be packed with writing a business plan, finally finding a name for us (still struggling with that one) and developing our first projects.

And then there is New York.

I can't believe it but it's only one more week and then I'm off to the States for three months. Today I had a look at these lovely pictures by Belle and Boo of their New York round up - this made me all giddy and sleepless and excited. (This is why I'm still blogging way after midnight)

Can't wait to blog from there also and take some great pictures so you can also take part in my trip! (Okay, great pictures is a bit exaggerated, my camera broke last summer, my blackberry will have to do. Hope I'm excused for that one. :-) )

And for all my lovely readers who are in New York this summer, we have to meet!!

Blog Art Exhibition: TJ Lubrano: Flower Girls / "Nothing else matters"

2011-05-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Tahira Lubrano is an illustrator from the Netherlands. She enjoys working with watercolour, pencil and ink. The drawing style she uses for her illustrations is called chibi, a word used for a Japanese drawing style and in general means cute little people. More of this cuteness can be seen on TJ's blog A Look in A Creative Mind. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about using coffee for her flower girls series, having almost no time to even breathe and why she decided to take the plunge and chase her dreams.

http://tjlubrano.blogspot.com/

How did you come up with the Flower Girl Series?

For this series I didn’t have a specific goal in mind. I was working on a painting when I suddenly saw flower girls in my mind. I honestly don’t know what tricked it, but I see so many references for illustrations every day that my mind must have puzzled it together and the mental click suddenly came haha. What’s different in these illustrations is that I’ve added an extra step, namely…coffee! Before I started with the colors, I smudged cover over the wet paper haha. I really think that this intensifies the colors. Plus, it gives the paper a nice soft stain. You can see a WIP post here: http://tjlubrano.blogspot.com/2009/06/tjs-wip-flower-girl-ivy-liliana.html

I really love the way they turned out! Hope you like them too!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Man. Inspiration for me, is literally everywhere. It’s in the way people talk, in my music, in other drawings from fellow artists, in a smile of a child. Every little thing can spark an idea for a drawing. Some ideas I really have to draw immediately, others are ideas for the near future. I have a folder filled with ideas and sketches that I may or may not finish hehe. It’s also good for reference though and to see how I change over time.

Why did you choose to become an illustrator? Is it hard sometimes?

I had to chase my dreams of being an illustrator. I came on a point in my life where I was seriously doubting all I did. All my years of studying seemed useless. Not that they are, but I knew deep in my heart that I wouldn’t be doing a whole lot with it. It’s my safety net sort to speak. Of course, I don’t know how my drawing style would have developed when I would’ve study Art. Maybe I wouldn’t be drawing in the way I do now? I don’t know, all I know is that every choice you make in life has its pros and cons, as long as it’s the right choice to make at that time in your life. Then nothing else matters. You can’t predict the future. I know, that I haven’t been happier and more myself since I’m drawing full time ^_^.

Yes, it is hard. I’m not going to lie haha. I am working a lot and I need to pay attention to a lot of things. From blogging to networking, from commission work to own projects, from making sure that my administration is up to date to trying to have a social life on the side. Sometimes there is not enough time in a day! I try to break it up in pieces, so I have actual a moment to breathe haha. But I’m just starting out and nothing is easy in life. Which is a good thing, because I’m determined to work hard for what I want and I know that the reward will be so much better and fulfilling!

http://tjlubrano.blogspot.com/

When did you know you wanted to become a full time illustrator?

I’ve always known that I would do something creative. I just didn’t know what. I love to dance, I love music, to draw, to write and bake. So was I going to be a baker? A dancer? A singer? There are a lot of options, but without knowing I did, I always came back to drawing & writing. So in a way I already knew what I was the passionate about. It has been quite a long journey before I had enough courage to say to myself ‘You know, I will take the plunge and chase my dreams!’. Applying for an Art study has always been an option. When I graduated from high school, it was at the back of my mind.

So in a way, I think that the determination I have now, only strengthens my passion and my need to be an illustrator. The competition is hard and most blogs I follow from other artists are from people with an Art degree in their pocket. This can be discouraging at times, but then again it only motivates me to work harder.

http://tjlubrano.blogspot.com/

Do you have any creative advice for artists just starting out?

Just be yourself! I know it can be daunting to start illustrating and designing. It’s a competitive world and the talent that wanders around is huge. Just remember there is an audience for your work and when you find who they are, focus on that. Also, if you have a creative block, don’t get too annoyed or scared. It is normal to have them and over thinking things or trying too hard is often the cause of it. Let it go and focus on other things. You will see that it comes back sooner than later and you will be more inspired than ever!

And finally, which of the characters you have illustrated are your favorites?

The Flower Girls and the Tropical Lady in my current header on my blog. I’m still working on a painting for a client and I can’t say too much about it, but the characters I added in that one I find very cool as well haha.

http://tjlubrano.blogspot.com/

Creative Challenge: How I fled an artists get together...

2011-05-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Something happened to me yesterday and I'm still not sure if I should share this incident with my dear readers or not. This is because yesterday I posted a status update with such a carefree spirit (my first artists get together, yay) that unfortunately I'm now too embarrassed to talk about this. On the other hand, it might be perceived as a quite funny incident, so I decided, I must share.

First off: last week was incredible. So many things happened at once, positive things that enhanced my path of creating a creative business (I found a business partner, my coach agreed on our concept and told me we should enter a creative ideas competition and: I might be in New York this summer. This means I'll be able to build more connections for my creative business! Already made my first appointment with a famous and gorgeous illustrator, so excited. TYT will be reporting from NY of course!)

Anyhow, back to my embarrassing "artists get together" moment. I had been invited to an artists get together in Berlin and I was really excited to meet new people, talk about collaborations and what not! My trip there was already something of an adventure, because I nearly didn't find the gallery space. I ended up wandering somewhere by the river, a little scared, because it wasn't the prettiest part of town... Nevertheless, once I recognized more artsy types of people I was kind of relieved, at least now I was sure that I had been on the right path!

However it turned out, that the event wasn't really what I had been expecting. I thought I would be talking to sweet illustrators all night, instead I ended up not talking to anybody (I didn't introduce myself and no one introduced themselves to me) and then I was even more embarrassed to SEARCH for the host of the party (I only knew her by name) but not how she looked like...and so forth. As time progressed (and I had looked at a painting for the one hundredth time, pretending I was looking at it for the FIRST time) even more strange people appeared and I decided to flee. I know this sounds a bit extreme, but I had a good plan hatched out in my mind: Find stairs. Run.

Hence I decided to actually flee the building, I was literally running away and I only looked back once (to check if anybody had actually noticed or would report on me) but luckily no one noticed or in fact, cared. I'm really sorry I do not have more exciting news for you about this event, but, I decided to be honest with you. Plus: I hope you had a good laugh. :-) In any case, if this ever happens to you, make sure you always, always bring someone along if you don't know what to expect from a party. Otherwise, if you're not able to bond with the other guests, you must do as I did and develop an escape plan (and write an embarrassing blog post for your readers!)

Building a Cultural Centre in Rwanda: The Story of Covaga Women - a program developed by Developing World Connections (DWC)

2011-05-06T13:09:00.001-07:00

This summer, the non-profit society Developing World Connections (DWC) will support Covaga Women, a cooperative of weavers in Gashora, Rwanda. They have a mission to protect the environment and create jobs in their community. Hopefully this summer, DWC volunteers will be able to report directly from Rwanda and tradeyourtalent will provide continuos news on the process of creating a cultural center in Covaga. The first steps have been made with building the Covaga Innovation Centre in 2010.

Background: Beginning in the fall of 2009, Developing World Connections (DWC) has been working with Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR Ltd), to implement a long-tem development program to support Rwanda’s Millennium Developing Goals. BBR began to work with Covaga in the fall of 2006. This collaboration was the result of BBR interest in contributing to Rwanda’s reconstruction efforts following the devastating 1994 genocide against the minority Tutsi. International volunteers help raise funds in COVAGA, a cooperative of weavers in Gashora whose mission is to extract water hyacinth plants and use them as renewable natural resource to protect the environment and create jobs. Last summer, DWC and Softchoice, a Toronto based software company, built the Covaga Innovation Centre.

This summer: In 2011, another four DWC groups are scheduled to work in Gashora. They include three student groups from Quest University and University of Victoria, in British Columbia Canada. In addition staff from Jones Delaurier, a Toronto-based insurance company, will spend a week working with Gashora residents to continue the construction of the Covaga Innovation Centre. During their stay in Rwanda, international volunteers work on the construction projects, visit interesting sites; such as world’s renowned mountain gorilla, they go on neighborhood walks, home visits, pay tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide at memorial sites, they visit museums and national parks.

Cultural Centre: When completed, the CIC will have a boutique where Covaga will sell its products, two weaving studios, a kitchen and restaurant. The restaurant and boutique will create jobs for Covaga and contribute to Gashora tourism and hospitality industry. At the same time, the centre will host learning exchanges between international visitors and local residents. It will have events that promote Gashora culture, such as storytelling and cultural performance.

The Covaga Innovation Centre/ CIC

Covaga had approached BBR and asked for support in building a new facility, in the past they had received a dilapidated building from the local government that members were using as weaving studio. Soon DWC agreed to send volunteers to work on the construction of the Covaga centre. In 2010, four DWC teams spent the summer and fall working on the construction of the Covaga Innovation Centre. BBR has made arrangements with a vocational training school that is being constructed by Green Helmets, a German NGO called the Nelson Mandela Education Centre. NMEC students and instructor work with Covaga members, residents of Gashora and DWC volunteers to build the centre using German technology. The project is supervised by a German architect, Till Groner, who is the principle of NMEC.

DWC philosophy is inspired by the interconnectedness between travel, cultural exchange and development. The organization creates a forum where Canadian volunteers raise funds and travel to work in developing countries along side with the local residents. Through a learning exchange, visitors and locals engage in a meaning contribution to the local development.

For more information, please contact:

Lama Mugabo, BBR Initiator bbrwanda@gmail.com

Jessica Kleissen, info@developingworldconnections.org

Website: Developing World Connections

Elizabeth Rose Stanton "Be fearless"

2011-05-04T03:44:00.000-07:00

www.penspaperstudio.com / http://penspaperstudio.blogspot.com/

Can you remember one of the first illustrations you did?

Elizabeth: The kind of art I have done over the years has all been representational and could, I suppose, be defined as illustration, so there's not really a direct answer for this. As a child, I would endlessly copy images from books and magazines. I studied art history in college, and then went on to graduate school for architecture. As architects, we drew constantly--and it turned out to be great training for an art career--I certainly learned how to get the job done! I then produced a lot of "fine art" and got some training in scientific illustration--all the while doing portrait commissions. About two years ago, I sat down and thought, I wonder what it would be like to do a children's illustration? Inspired by a little pen and ink drawing by Edward Lear, I painted "Old Gran Frog and Taddy Pole." I also penned a little "test" drawing of a traditional,somewhat anthropomorphic mouse--and found that it, too, was really fun. I amused myself no end with it all, and decided then and there that I wanted to concentrate on illustration. So far, it's a blast, and I've met the nicest people.

What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind during the creative process?

Elizabeth: Relax, and tell yourself that you can always do it over again--and that the creativity is endless. You can never run out of it ...it will never go away. It can be as frustrating as it is exhilarating. The trick is to learn when you do hit a wall (and I have by no means perfected this) that it's OK to step away from it. If you let things rest and don't force it, you usually can come roaring back, and usually end up making up for lost time. We all have ups and downs: seize the ups and roll with the downs.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Elizabeth: Leonardo, Ingres, Sargent, Audubon, John Tenniel, John R. Neill, Edward Lear, Arthur Rackham, Randolph Caldecott,Jesse Wilcox Smith, Beatrix Potter, Clement Hurd, Edward Gorey, William Joyce, Wallace Tripp, Shel Silverstein are among some of my favorites. I could go on and on... I also love watching people. I get ideas from just looking around at everyday things.

Have you developed your own favorite characters among the ones you've been illustrating?

Elizabeth: I think our characters are like our children: they are part of us, we nurture and develop them, and hopefully send them out into the world to do good things. And, like our children, it's hard to name favorites.

Do you have favorite artists you like to visit on the web?

Elizabeth: Shaun Tan, Tim Burton, Matt Phelan...and I enjoy taking ganders at the art blogs I follow.

If you could give some advice to some aspiring illustrators, what would it be?

Elizabeth: Study...train yourself...take classes...don't waste time...

be disciplined...share...draw...be fearless.

Remember that the creative universe swirls around us and flows infinitely...you can tap in any time!

http://penspaperstudio.blogspot.com/

For more on Elizabeth visit www.penspaperstudio.com

Video: TYT's first mascot competition: submit your characters until May 30th!

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Competition details:

1) If you'd like to enter the competition please comment below or send us an e-mail (tradeyourtalent@hotmail.com) !
2) Submit your character (jpeg) with a short paragraph about yourself to tradeyourtalent@hotmail.com until May 30th.
3) The characters and artists will be presented in blog posts (depending on the number of submissions)
4) the voting process will start once all characters and artists have been presented in a blog entry!
5) I'll write a special blog entry about the winner and he/she will be mentioned in a new tab about the TYT mascot!

We're excited to meet the new characters!

Plus: Lots of readers have started to vote for Mr. Stick Figure, this is why you'll be able to vote for him too at the end of the month! :-) But I think it will be hard for him, with all the lovely mascots that are being submitted!

Natalie Hughes "Crowd of Creatures"

2011-04-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

Natalie Hughes is an illustrator from Norfolk, England. She graduated in 2009 from the University of Gloucestershire and is currently looking to find a publisher for her children's book, she is also available for commissions (nat@nataliehughes.co.uk). With TYT she speaks about her favorite creatures, never getting bored and why it is fun being allowed to act like a kid.

http://www.nataliehughes.co.uk/

I adore your crowd of creatures. How do you create your favorite creatures?

Natalie: Thank you so much! I start off by doing a bit of research.. looking at lots of photos, making a few sketches and getting an idea of its basic shape. Next I draw out the character in my own style, scan it in and add colour and texture using Photoshop. Since uni I've been collecting/creating scanned in textures which I collage together.

What is the best part about being an illustrator?

Natalie: The best thing about being an illustrator is never being bored. I always have something to do and a new illustration to plan. The other best thing is being allowed to still act like I'm a kid...being an illustrator means you can use your imagination... writing stories and designing characters is always fun. I have a valid excuse for still reading children's books !

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Natalie: Travel is my main inspiration. When I can't go travelling I day dream about travelling.. the thought of all the endless possibilities out there, all the different people,cultures and places to see. I'm really inspired by the natural world too.I had a really nice childhood surrounded by pets and trips to the countryside, I think this had a massive impact on me. When I need a bit of inspiration I watch movies..I'm obsessed with movies!

Do you have favorite illustrators you'd like to collaborate with?

Natalie: I've got quite a few collaborations in the works..including a charity colouring book called the Oh GOSH Project. Off the top of my head some mega talented illustrators who I'd love to work with are James Burlinson or Bart Aalbers . I'd love to collaborate with an animator too, it would be great to see my characters come to life! In my dreams I'd work with Shaun Tan or I'd go back in time and collaborate with Charley Harper or Edward Gorey!

Can you remember the first creature you ever illustrated?

Natalie: I can't really remember, but I do remember the first drawing I did which I was proud of. I did a drawing of a wicked witch, with shelves behind her piled up with bottles of colourful potions. I wonder if I still have it..... and I wonder if I saw it now whether I'd recognise any of my style in it!

http://www.nataliehughes.co.uk/

Helga Thagaard "Never a certain kind"

2011-04-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

Helga Thagaard is an artist from Denmark. Her work ranges from sculptures to graphic art.With TYT she speaks about imaginative art, masks and birds.

http://www.helgathagaard.dk

What is it like being an artist in Denmark?
Helga: Well it is rather difficult to make a living. Only very few persons are able to do that. But there are many possibilities for exhibition. You can either pay for it or you can be invited by a private art union, of which there are many. But there are many other ways.

How would you describe your work? What inspires you?
Helga: My work is partly naturalistic partly imaginative. Birds have always been one of my motives, although they are never a certain kind. I also often use masks. This makes the atmosphere in the artwork a little surrealistic.

Do you have a favorite artist?
Helga: Yes, I have many favorite artists. Danish: Among others Reidar Magnus, Sven Wiig Hansen. From abroad: Cesanne, Miro, Anselm Kiefer, Degas, Kâthe Kollwitz and many many more.

What advice would you give young artists that are only just starting out?
Helga: Just: go on, go on, go on. Never give up!

http://www.helgathagaard.dk

THE LOCAL, photography series by Eliza Gregory: "Art strengthens community"

2011-04-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

THE LOCAL: holding on and letting go is a Melbourne-based series of photographs and interviews by Eliza Gregory. She is an artist and writer from San Francisco and lives in Melbourne. Eliza likes to make art about people and their places. In an interview with TYT Eliza speaks about telling stories about people with photography and why her project helped strengthen her community.

The series is now available to view online at www.holdon-letgo.com. The next showing of THE LOCAL will be at the Global Gallery, in Paddington, NSW (which is essentially in Sydney). It runs from May 6-15th.

Yassah

Your exhibition "The Local:holding on and letting go" in Melbourne just started. What does this project mean to you? What inspired you to this project?

The project consists of portraits of people from many different backgrounds, paired with interviews about the process of cultural adaptation. People tell stories of moving from one country to another, dealing with rapid change in the country they've always lived in, coping with prejudice and cultural repression, and navigating the process of building and maintaining one’s personal cultural identity.

The project is conceived of as a way to help mitigate the social isolation that many new immigrants or marginalized populations feel. It’s also designed to catalyze new relationships by breaking down cultural barriers and prejudices so that people can more easily get to know each other.

Do you think your project strengthened your community through art?

I believe that art is essentially about communication, and communication is what builds relationships between people. One measure of the health of a community is how many relationships there are. The more quality relationships you have in a given area, the happier and healthier people in that area tend to be. So to me, art is something that can often lead directly to strengthening communities. This project is based upon that idea, and is designed specifically to catalyze and support relationships between very different people or groups, which it can be difficult to form without some kind of boost.

Did some of the pictures you took change your view on your community?

Oh definitely. That's what this project is all about--trying to see the people that you pass on the street every day and don't really notice. This project has helped me get to know so many new people, and learn so much more about their lives. I feel a very different relationship to my community now than I did before this project. I feel personally embedded in my community, and excited and interested in it. And I feel a lot of affection and admiration for all the people I got to know over the course of the project.

What part does photography play in your life?

Well...a big part! For me, photography is both an end in itself--I enjoy trying to make something beautiful, and so each picture is another chance to reach that goal--and a tool to achieve a specific end. In this project, I wanted to have a small but meaningful impact on my community by demonstrating my respect for the people who live around me. Photography, audio recording, partnership-building, and personal relationships were all tools I used to achieve that goal. I think photography is a great tool for a project like this because it is fun and quite straightforward: it's easy for people to understand what I'm doing. It also is reproducible, so it allows one image to be used in many different ways: in an exhibition, as a gift to the subject, and online to reach a larger audience.

So photography is both eminently practical in my work, but it's also something that moves me. It makes me excited about life, happy to be alive, happy to feel curious about others. I think photography really celebrates learning and feeling, and those things are very important to me.

How did people react to your project?

People are really supportive, and it couldn't happen without their support. It begins with the support of the staff of the organizations I partner with. Those people have to believe in the project in order to introduce me to their clients. Then THOSE people (the clients) have to believe in the project in order to feel like they want to participate. And then a whole bunch of other people have to be excited about the project in order to come and see the exhibition, or look at it on the web. This time, I also used the crowd-funding platform called Kickstarter to help catalyze enthusiasm and financial support for the project, and that has been extremely successful. So, in general, I'd say people have really been excited about the project. They have described the exhibition as feeling welcoming--as though they are part of a close knit community, even just standing amongst the photographs. I really like that.-

Joe Boy and Donnie

Duc Toan Diep

Nick, Pha, Belle and Rory

For more on Eliza Gregory visit elizagregory.com

Anniversary: Six months of TYT and so much has happened ever since...

2011-04-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Dear TYT Readers,

I can't believe it, but today I realized that it's been almost half a year since I started TYT! So many great things have happened to me ever since that I decided to write a little about it.

I don't even know where to begin. First of all I met so many great artists through my interviews and blog art exhibitions, I still can't believe it. Every day is like a new adventure, there are so many talented artists out there and so many amazing art projects I discovered. It is also amazing how many people have offered me creative advice and urged me to follow my dream of starting my own little creative business, it is what keeps me going! I hope that soon enough I'll be able to start my creative business that helps artists focus more on their artistic projects and dreams...

It is also great how many artists have enjoyed participating in the Blog Art Exhibition, I'm receiving lots of emails from lovely artists who would like to join! I hope I'll be able to show all of them, right now so many great things are coming up on TYT that I'm a little overwhelmed :-) Another great thing happened today: Sue Pownall's Blog Art Exhibition was mentioned on Urban Sketchers today (yes, Urban Sketchers, wow. I've visited the site a couple of times now, to double check if it is true what I saw there) I got an exciting little twinge after I saw they posted a link to my blog... I think I will celebrate this a little tonight!

And now a short overview of what's happened in the last months on TYT:

- more than 7.000 page views, in March alone we've had 2.000 views

- TYT has featured illustrators, photographers, painters, a film producer, sculptors, singer/songwriters, animation artists, graphic designers...

- Artists were featured from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Canada, United States, Great Britain, Whales Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, Sweden, Romania, Spain, Poland...

- and just a few hours ago our 40th follower, Mariana Santos, joined TYT!

Thanks to all of you for your amazing support and I hope you continue to enjoy this blog!

~Susanna

Blog Art Exhibition Jennifer Lilya "Pink and Gold"

2011-04-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Lilya is a fashion illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY. She loves runway sketching and traditional fashion illustration, but with a modern edge.

Interview with Jennifer Lilya

What is it like being an illustrator in the fashion world?

In a word, fun!

Your runway sketches are adored by a lot of your fans. Which fashion shows do you find most inspiring?

They change from season to season, but right now I’m all about Fall 2011 Prada, Gucci & the Cacharel prints. I also loved the Armani Prive Couture show for all those super shiny jewel tones. Yum!

Your sketches have appeared in famous fashion magazines like Elle. Did you ever imagine coming this far?

Well, I always wanted it- whether it would happen was a different story. But, yes- I’ve worked really, really hard to get to where I am, so I’m incredibly delighted with how my career is unfolding.

What does your perfect outfit look like?

In the summer I want cute little girly dresses- fun patterns, kicky skirts.

In the winter I want black & silver from head to toe.

And platform heels, always and forever.

If you could give some advice to young fashion illustrators, what would it be?

Get inspired, practice, keep a sketchbook with you at all times, and take advantage of free portfolio sites (Coroflot, Behance, Fashion Industry Network are just a few…)

For more work by Jennifer Lilya visit www.jenniferlilya.com