View from the Zoo

I buy a lot of books about illustrators and illustration. While there are really good books out there about the more popular illustrators, I also love to look at self published books by artists that I admire and that inspire me. Nowadays with the possibility of inexpensive one-off printing it is possible to share one’s work with friends, clients and other artists which is exactly what Rob Dunlavey has done with his two volumes of characters and designs, that I happily purchased at lulu.com.

«The two portfolios that you are referring to (that you proudly own) grew out of my intensive sketchbook habits. By working regularly and somewhat obsessively in sketchbooks, I aim to capture fleeting ideas that can really only find life through working with materials » Rob explained. «This is a very interesting time to be an illustrator because of the way the Internet has infiltrated all levels of our business. There are so many different avenues for self-promotion to explore. One of these avenues is the application of imagery to various types of objects and self-publishing. The self-published portfolios grew out of developing portfolios on issuu.com. As a person who loves actual books and magazines and who imagines his imagery functioning most happily in that realm (as opposed to a completely screen-based experience), issuu is a great simulation. Anyway, it was an easy task to slightly reconfigure the issuu pdfs for publishing on other systems such as lulu and blurb.»

Rob is a prolific artist. His latest series of drawings revolve around these three themes which can be seen on flickr:  Crystal Cities, Owl and the Tern: A Love Story, and Things with Wheels. Check out our two-part interview with Rob here and here.

This tall image is actually a collection of photos of dog and cat tails! Sharon Montrose, prolific animal photographer, from Los Angeles, California has published nine books so far with her photos of cats and dogs. I love her whimsical take on her animal portraits and her unusual croppings.

Q: Besides your professional practice as a commercial photographer, you have published a number of books. Where do you find the time to work on them?

A: Strangely, I have been able to pace myself with the books even though I’ve had 9 published in 7 years. Because I love what I do, I don’t see it as work. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I get really slammed and long for balance — but with the help of my husband (who does a lot of the work behind the scenes), we make it work.

Q: How would you define your creative vision?

A: I have a hard time answering questions about my creative process and vision because I basically shoot what I feel — almost like I have no choice. I’ve never really been able to intellectualize my work.

Q: What inspires you as a creative professional?

A: My dogs inspire me to no end. Being humble inspires me. Being unaffected and true to oneself inspires me. Art inspires me. Design inspires me. Music inspires me. Nature inspires me.

Q: What made you choose animals and kids as a focus, as opposed to fashion or food photography?

A: I assisted a fashion/celebrity photographer for three years, so I pretty much knew I didn’t want to go that route! When I became confused as to my focus I started photographing dogs to clear my head – and I’ve never looked back!

Q: What is your latest project?

A: I’ve always got shoots going on for my corporate clients which is a different job and focus every time, but I’m also continuing to work on my animal series.

Q: Anything else?

A: I always have a few things rattling around in my head…. More animals of course!.

You can see more of Sharon’s work on her website and her blog. Her unique animal prints can be purchased at her Etsy shop.

New York designer David Weeks (known for his lighting fixtures and playful product designs for Areaware and Kikkerland) created Hanno, named after the Greek voyager who discovered gorillas 2,500 years ago. Hanno is a clin d’oeil to the Danish teak monkey (by Bojese) and commercial action figures. 12 inches tall, Hanno can hold many poses and is made is from sustainably harvested new-growth beech wood. Available in November at Areaware, just in time for Christmas!

David kindly answered a few questions about the origins of his line of toys.

Q : What was your inspiration?
A : Remember on Gilligan’s Island how the professor would make cars of bamboo, or radios out of coconuts?  The inspiration behind Hanno began with an idea of making a wooden robot –and the counter-intuitive, illogicalness of creating a hi-tech object out of an organic material like wood.

Initially, it was meant to be a robot but eventually evolved into a gorilla as I sanded the articulated parts.  I was also able to create a real personality for Hanno and Ursa ( a bear) through their posture and stance, as well as the carved features on their faces.

I started collecting miscellaneous action figures from yard sales for my son; the more unusual and anonymous the character the better.  After playing with him, I started being aware of all the different methods of creating movable joints.  I also liked the idea of combining the mechanisms and aesthetic of these cheap plastic toys with the classic, iconic quality of Danish wooden toys.

It becomes this great crossover product – it’s not just for kids, it’s not just for collectors or 20-somethings, it’s for everyone.

Continue reading »

And I am not talking about crawling ants or climbing cats! These animals actually help in the kitchen. Presenting Boston Warehouse’s Animalhouse collection of colorful and affordable kitchen tools, designed by Christopher Raia Studio near Boston. Available at Amazon, Target and, here at home, at Zone Maison (Quebec).

Following are a couple of questions answered by Chris Raia.

Q : How did the idea come about? 
A : We developed the Animalhouse range because we saw an opportunity to create well-designed, ergonomically advanced cooking tools that also made people laugh. Today, people cook to entertain, and invariably guests gravitate to the kitchen at dinner parties. Why not have fun with the gadgets they’re using?

Q : Can you give us an idea of the design process?
A : The Animalhouse design process was very complicated because we were essentially serving two masters. On the one hand, we intended from the start that these tools be ergonomically excellent; on the other, we knew that each item had to capture the spirit of the animal being portrayed. Often, these two goals would conflict so that we had to sometimes make hard choices about which to favor.

The Toucan Can Opener reflects the best of both worlds. While it is a cool looking Toucan head, it also has several ergonomic advantages for the user. In addition to precisely dimensioned grip sizes, we included an S-shaped crank with softgrip areas which is much more comfortable to use than the typical can opener crank. It was the first can opener on the market whose crank had these features.

Design director/developer: Christopher Raia Studio
Manufacturer: Boston Warehouse
Initial seed inspiration: The Beren Group
Photo of toucan opener by Christopher Raia Studio.