View from the Zoo

3×3 has just announced their winners for this year’s edition of the Children’s Show, a juried collection of illustrations and books for children. Just to get in, the majority of the eight judges have to vote for the piece. I’m very happy to announce that three of my entries were selected – one for a newspaper illustration about relaxing activities for kids during Spring Break, a second for a poster showing the handmade Bambino sled and, the third, for the ADzif line of blackboard wall decals «Memo». Congratulations to La Presse, goslide.ca and ADzif! 

All the winners will be published in the upcoming annual No.7. 3×3 is a magazine of international contemporary illustration, published in New York. In addition to the magazine, 3×3 organizes three juried shows each year and publishes an invitation-only directory.

Adzif has just introduced their new line of writable wall applications. Made of vinyl with a rugged surface, you can write temporary messages on them with ordinary chalk. Above and below are four of a dozen animal designs that I have created for Adzif. The photo of my studio is from a shoot that was used to illustrate an article on back-to-school supplies and study spaces for kids. It seems the space could easily be transformed into a children’s playground though the kids better not touch my Mao Dunny or my Tintin rocket (on the shelves in the background) or any other of my toys.

Erica Perrot, former costume designer and sewing instructor, says that she always wanted to create a line of soft toys, so she had two children first! Her unique dolls and animals are made by hand in limited editions in Montreal. I first saw her animals (shown above) at the Souk, the alternative crafts show in town, last December. According to Erica, «raplapla» comes from the French and means «flat» like her toys but also means «blah», unlike her dolls, which are exuberant with their big smiles and electric hair. You can see her collections on her site and buy her dolls online at Etsy.