View from the Zoo

Before I head out fishing for lake trout today I want to present this great little letterpress outfit called Eggpress. Started up in 1999 by designer Tess Darrow, they produce greeting cards, invitations, t-shirts, and other delightful items like these Stitch Kits shown above. The animal graphics were originally designed by Tess. Clauss the raccoon, in bright red, has a great face and I, obviously, enjoy the fish pattern on the back. Magnus the monkey is a lot of fun. I think the way the arms and legs are positioned add to the charm of the design. He looks like he’s dancing, climbing or maybe caught in the act…

This is my friend and artist, designer, illustrator, author and magazine publisher, Ronna Mogelon. Working out of her home in the Ontario countryside, she draws lots and lots of cats. I really liked her blog header (top) - it has a lot of personality, just like the artist (read her very charming blog). Ronna also publishes a quarterly on artist trading cards (ATC Quartely) and, of course, creates quite a few herself. For those of you who aren’t familiar with artist trading cards, – or ATCs – they are «miniature works of art created on 2. 5″ x 3. 5″ card stock, the size of sports trading cards. All techniques are allowed and anybody can produce them. ATCs are signed, dated, and titled on the back then traded away for ATCs made by others. Money never exchanges hands and all trades are one-for-one. » - see more at ATC Quarterly.

I couldn’t wait! Here is my latest illustration for La Presse in Montreal - the cover of the 2008 Summer Arts section - finished this afternoon. This is kind of a scoop because it is only coming out on Saturday next week. I had sketched out a variety of animals in different contexts based on the editorial direction of «follow the guide». By chance I decided to use the existing ladybug and change the spots from peace symbols to icons representing the different arts. The design team loved the ladybug and with ideas coming from everyone the final concept was developed in a few hours. That’s the way it goes in the newspaper business!

With a name like this how could I resist? Hotel Fox is in Copenhagen, Denmark and has 61 rooms, each one decorated by one of 21 artists in styles ranging from street art to Manga to fairytales.  Here is one room that I like a lot for obvious reasons (animal-themed) and also it brings back memories of camping out in the backyard. A wonderful inspiration for a playroom. Room 121, Sleep Seasons, design by Rinzen, the Australian collective. See all the rooms on Hotel Fox’s website. Judging from the mixed reviews on tripadvisor, it sounds like a great place to visit but not sleep.