Artist // Mia Taninaka
All images belong to Mia Taninaka.
One of the hallmarks of a good artist/illustrator is that their work is instantly recognisable and unique. And that their system of symbols and style and colour has developed into their very own visual language.
There's no doubt Mia Taninaka illustrates her own language, speaking in spiritual tongues that are both reverent and lighthearted at the same time. Her work is fun to look at, but also seems to suck you into an ancient fable, some buried truth we all carry.
Safe to say, I owe a huge stylistic debt to Mia.
And if you ever get the chance to visit her work in person, do so... bask in the bright colours, big canvases, slick resins... take a little mini soul-trip with your eyes.
Check out more of Mia's work here.
Pentacles
Pentacles
Obesity and Speed shirt / Mango jeans / Black Bamboo Pentagram Bralette / Topshop leather boots / Axel bag / MANIAMANIA ring / Unearthen ring / Pamela Love moonphase ring / Ax and Apple necklace
Obesity and Speed shirt / Mango jeans / Black Bamboo Pentagram Bralette / Topshop leather boots / Axel bag / MANIAMANIA ring / Unearthen ring / Pamela Love moonphase ring / Ax and Apple necklace
A man about whom little is known
Shirt via eBay; market/vintage rings.
I had, and occasionally still do have, the worst style. Up until about two years ago, I dressed exclusively in jeans, sneakers and shirts with the sleeves cut off. And this whole problem with wearing sleeveless shirts started with an Iron Maiden Benjamin Breeg shirt.
It was my absolute favourite goddamn shirt until I lost it one night because of an incident involving wrestling and spilled drinks.
It was my absolute favourite goddamn shirt until I lost it one night because of an incident involving wrestling and spilled drinks.
So now I’ve replaced it... and all I've gotta do now is get that perfect sleeve-cutting style down.
Sketchy Fridays: Horror vibes
This was not the best week for me as an artist (hence the cranky last page), and I think my sketchbook is reflecting that.
There was a bit of being leaned on -- way too heavily -- by people, for things. I created something that I really loved and was proud of, but now I feel antipathy toward it, because of what surrounded -- or followed -- it.
I did, however, create a second thing that I loved, and I feel happy about it because of what surrounded and followed it -- which was gratitude and kindness. I think I'll be able to share it next week.
There was also a bit of being ripped off -- in a direct and systematic way, at times -- with one person more-or-less reproducing each new piece I post, and posting it as their own. But I'll get into that later too.
Anyway, I'm just feeling a bit -- disillusioned.
Black magic woman
Sugarhigh + Lovestoned Hendrix Bells (teal); Velvet burnout duster via eBay; Vali Myers Night Flower book via Outre Gallery; vintage concho/studded belt; skull from Venice Beach; Cotton On bralette; one-off Wild Minds printed shirt; market/vintage and Spell Designs jewellery; 4711 cologne; LipFusion lipgloss; Wild Unknown tarot.
Edited with curves by Julia Trotti.
Edited with curves by Julia Trotti.
Throw in some dried roses, Nag Champa, and a bit of spiced rum, and you've got some magic.
Artist // Ben Lopez
All illustrations/artwork by Ben Lopez // Tattoo images via Alchemy Tattoo Studio
When I first came across Ben Lopez's work, I got stuck for at least an hour trawling through the archives of his dark, enchanted, ornate world.
I suggest you go do the same.
Also, not only are his illustrations totally on-point, but his life drawing skills are apt to knock you out too. And, like Minka and Miso, Ben's a tattoo artist whose background in illustration and art gives him impeccable style. Seriously, with everyone sporting tattoos now, you rarely see work that is hallmark just-something-else good -- but this is.
Check out more on Ben's Flickr and Facebook.
Love things: Pens △ pencils △ puppies △ blooms
So, this is what I've been up to for the last month: it mostly involves drawing, the dog and flowers -- in that order.
1. Fresh flowers all throughout the house... they change everything // Fun messy sketches.
2. Sleeping daughterpup -- she's a total hellion when she's awake, and a little baby when she's tired -- and the best-ever Morrissey shirt Scotty got from a Hollywood gig in 07 // Even once they're dead, the flowers are still pretty... drying in the window.
3. Proofing poster prints available here // Beautiful late-summer afternoons with spiced rum, DFW, sketchbooks and favourite accessories.
4. Playing dress ups with Humble // Working hard and staying on task (a rare occurance).
5. The weather has been perfect -- we've been down at Altona dog beach teaching Humble about the ocean // ...and collecting urchins - my favourite things to find!
6. Snippets from this one great sketchbook I have -- I must have had a huge creative growth spurt while I had it, because it's filled with my favourite drawings // Cool mornings with toast, hot Milo, and again, sketchbooks and DFW.
7. More sketchbook progress.
8. Led Zepp shirt and the eye of Horus // Sketches and flowers.
9. Some great purchases from Outre gallery // Sneaky peeking at some current commission work.
1. Fresh flowers all throughout the house... they change everything // Fun messy sketches.
2. Sleeping daughterpup -- she's a total hellion when she's awake, and a little baby when she's tired -- and the best-ever Morrissey shirt Scotty got from a Hollywood gig in 07 // Even once they're dead, the flowers are still pretty... drying in the window.
3. Proofing poster prints available here // Beautiful late-summer afternoons with spiced rum, DFW, sketchbooks and favourite accessories.
4. Playing dress ups with Humble // Working hard and staying on task (a rare occurance).
5. The weather has been perfect -- we've been down at Altona dog beach teaching Humble about the ocean // ...and collecting urchins - my favourite things to find!
6. Snippets from this one great sketchbook I have -- I must have had a huge creative growth spurt while I had it, because it's filled with my favourite drawings // Cool mornings with toast, hot Milo, and again, sketchbooks and DFW.
7. More sketchbook progress.
8. Led Zepp shirt and the eye of Horus // Sketches and flowers.
9. Some great purchases from Outre gallery // Sneaky peeking at some current commission work.
▲ Year of the Snake ▲
▲ Year of the Snake ▲
Ax + Apple Spring 2013 lookbook
Photographer: Alexandra Valenti
Model: Lauryn Holmquist
Stylist: Chloe Chippendale
The New Church
New Church Moto, Spring 2013 lookbook
Photography: Amanda Leigh Smith
Models:Amanda Woodruff, Lassen Davis, Sharon Coplon and Skye Sengelmann
Bags by New Church Moto
jewelry from cobra cult
When I first saw a few Instagram sneak-peeks of this shoot on Amanda's instagram, I was (a) super keen to see what they were going to come up with and (b) kinda spooked by the almost-familiarity of the location. See, one of our friends has a small, flowing creek running around the bottom of his property, and whenever Scottty and I are home, we like to head out and camp there. Weirdly enough, beside our friend's creek is a cabin, or a cabin verandah and front wall -- there's no inside, no rooms, no back to the house, just the verandah and a fake door and windows in the front wall. But it's positioned almost exactly like the front verandah these ladies were shooting on. Of course, there is a little less fairy moss and snow -- it is, after all, northern NSW on the Australian east coast -- but nonetheless, it's kind of eerie, and I dig it.
That aside, how cool are the new bags/pouches from New Church Moto? And also, how good is Skye's combination of white maxi and military jacket? Perfect.
Sketchy Fridays: Other than drawing...
Well, this is the one drawing I've managed to pull together this week... So, in hopes of making it seem more substantial, I've surrounded it with a bunch of other stuff indicative of my mind set -- relaxing, purchasing, appreciating and buying a raft of new pens in the hope it will make me finish projects.
But really, outside of the day-job, I've mostly just been walking the dog and cooking killer zucchinni and spinach lasagnes.
The good life.
It's all good
Sketchy metal
Photography: Amanda Leigh Smith
Stylist/production: Rachel Rox Krantz
Images via: Cake Mag
Has anyone else seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot? I think that doco informed most of my fashion choices from the time I was, say, 19-years-old until now (a lot of dark skinny jeans, heavy/platform boots and flannos).
So now that I've got that out there -- the not-so-well-guarded secret that I mostly dress like an eighties burn-out -- I can get on with what this is actually about: Amanda Leigh Smith has (once again) shot something rad. And said rad thing reminds me a bit of Heavy Metal Parking Lot/Detroit Rock City, hence the digression.
But I'm just so continually impressed by Amanda's -- and Rachel Rox Krantz's -- ability to create and capture a mood, an era, a weird isolated-surburban feeling, a wide-wilderness inhalation, or even resurrect a mostly-extinct subculture.
And this shoot is just so irreverent and playful and badass at the same time. Because, beer-can hair curlers? Yep.
Stylist/production: Rachel Rox Krantz
Images via: Cake Mag
Has anyone else seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot? I think that doco informed most of my fashion choices from the time I was, say, 19-years-old until now (a lot of dark skinny jeans, heavy/platform boots and flannos).
So now that I've got that out there -- the not-so-well-guarded secret that I mostly dress like an eighties burn-out -- I can get on with what this is actually about: Amanda Leigh Smith has (once again) shot something rad. And said rad thing reminds me a bit of Heavy Metal Parking Lot/Detroit Rock City, hence the digression.
But I'm just so continually impressed by Amanda's -- and Rachel Rox Krantz's -- ability to create and capture a mood, an era, a weird isolated-surburban feeling, a wide-wilderness inhalation, or even resurrect a mostly-extinct subculture.
And this shoot is just so irreverent and playful and badass at the same time. Because, beer-can hair curlers? Yep.
Artist // Minka Sicklinger
All artwork/tattoos/illustrations by Minka Sicklinger. Artist portraits by Backyard Bill, Jalouse, Elle Mexico, unknown..
Like Miso, Minka Sicklinger is another artist in whom it is difficult to distinguish the artist herself from the practice of art. Her art and herself seem totally other-worldly, or anachronistic, and there's not much to do but to get lost in it all...
Like Miso, Minka Sicklinger is another artist in whom it is difficult to distinguish the artist herself from the practice of art. Her art and herself seem totally other-worldly, or anachronistic, and there's not much to do but to get lost in it all...
A flat-out, high-speed burn through Baker and Barstow and Berdoo...
Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas...
Mid-week walls are closing in. Daydreaming about escape plans.
God and the Snakebite
I've just added two little baby posters (available as full-grown posters too) to my shop here.
The 'God' poster is one of my new (ever-changing) favourites, and 'Snakebite' has always felt like the true embodiment of my style -- a tough, kinda-heavy-metal babe with some whimsical, magical, hopefulness about her.
And stay tuned... I'll be giving away some prints in the coming weeks to say thank you for your super-rad ongoing support and love!
Raych x
☯ 250211 ☯
Between the wish and the thing the world lies waiting.
A place without expectation
All images by Bliss Katherine Braoudakis
I'm feeling very uninspired and oh-god-is-it-really-Monday-again today... So I thought I'd share some of Bliss Katherine Braoudakis's hauntingly beautiful photography -- just to give the day a bit of a lift.
Enjoy.
Sketchy Fridays: Rough days
So basically all I've done this week is create rough sketches for projects that I'm really going to have to sit down and go mano-a-mano with. Soon.
Anyway, that just translates to: I don't have anything really interesting in my sketchbooks this week.
Just a couple of scribbles I vibed well with, and one massive demonstration of why I rarely use colour.
Enjoy the weekend!
Badass
