Artist 148: Masha Manapov

Next illustrator up, and we have now the super talented and brilliantly alliterative Masha Manapov. based in sunny Tel Aviv Masha's work has an instant likeability that stems from it's excellent construction. Masha has a great eye for composition and a focused approach that creates a well rounded and visually satisfying image. She puts just enough to tell the story without being sparse and at the same time her work is rich but never over complicated or contrived. Her work both exudes clarity of vision and marries together found elements without resorting to the standard vintage kitsch that is so prevalent. Her work is like a breath of cool air, refreshingly different but with a chilling edge that becomes more apparent as you stay longer as the viewer. Very technically accomplished and one that will surely find her place with her distinct yet saleable style. So with the best of wishes for all she does, and no more faff from me it's Masha Manapov.

Who are you:

I am Masha Manapov. Designer and illustrator currently based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

What do you do:

Graduated from the Bazalel Academy of Art and Design with a major in illustration (BA 2009) my work focuses mainly on editorial illustration for the press. Recently I finished working on my first children's book that will be published soon. I also participated in a group exhibition and in a collaborative project that produced an illustrated booklet.

In the near future I would like to focus on self initiated projects with social and environmental character.

How did you start:

As many others, I started drawing at a very young age but as a very pragmatic person, I've never considered to make a profession of it. When I had the urge to express myself I translated it into words, photography and artistic paintings. Only at my senior year at university, I started to use illustration as a tool and to see everything in pictures. After graduation and a one year cooling period I made a portfolio and started working.

A Personal statement about you or your work:

I believe that the visual always needs to be more than just a decoration, therefore for me an idea is always a starting point. I work in a collage technique because I love to "glue" different objects and ideas together; there is always a great discovery. I use dreamy and surreal elements to talk about daily and relevant issues and try not to take myself too seriously.

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Halloween Rally No.6

Jo Chambers aka Studio Legohead

@StudioLegohead

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Jo is offering Custom Portraits for a bargain price at Halloween. You can see them on her Etsy shop!

Please read our submission guidelines for Halloween Rally from here.

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Artist 141: Danielle Lovett

It's been a while, but as our favorite thing is promoting great artists so it's a real treat for us to have the superb Danielle Lovett who brings us her fresh sharp patterns constructed from a plethora of found images with a great eye for their construction and placement. Danielle has a real strong sense of how many elements are needed to make a pattern that is both visually appealing but not overwhelming. the main thing about pattern design is that it is an exercise in balance. One that Danielle does really well in. Screenprint is a really lovely thing and we are always happy to see it done well and this is one of the things that sets Danielle out from the rest as a good finish and a sharp rendition can make all the difference. Danielle has a strong sense of style, her wok is very current and with her eye for a good shape or interesting nick-knack her work will only get stronger with time. Wishing her all the very best of luck in the future, it's the fab Danielle Lovett.

Who are you:
Danielle Lovett, a freelance illustrator/screenprint artist, based in Manchester, up ‘North, but with an urge to explore what the rest of world has to offer.

What do you do:
Go on hunts for ramshackle old books, magazines, postcards, tattered animal encyclopaedias and the like. I spend time with my little cat Zelda, searching for charming images to then form surreal patterns. I love to go on bike rides, adventures to parks and getting my hands muddy in the wilderness, which probably explains why i love getting my hands messy screenprinting and painting. I have also constructed my own screenprinting studio in my basement, which I am humbly proud of.

How did you start:
As a young one I always felt the need to collect things; bric-a-brac, old tat, tacky ornaments, teddies, nice looking twigs, leaves etc. I used to go with my grandparents to car boot sales to find things to add to my ever-expanding collection. I filled draws; shelves and walls full of old tat. I always wanted something stimulating to look at, whilst daydreaming away in my room for hours on end. This hasn’t changed; my room still looks like an overrun emporium of commodities. I think my work reflects this compulsion to hoard things that I have always had.

A Personal statement about you or your work: 
I feel my work is in its development stage, and needs some tweaking and adapting still. The general path it has been taking satisfies me, I want my work to be fresh and exiting, and for people to interpret their own story into my piece’s. I feel my work is flourishing in wallpaper designs and textile patterns, and this is what I really have a passion for. When I finish a collage and then repeat that over and over, my work finally blooms. I love the bringing in age-old mysterious elements, and combining those with a cosmic style. By bringing together found imagery, which already have many stories to tell, I feel I am creating a new story, and adding to the many layers.

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Album Cover Rally No.21

Artist: Beck

Album: Odelay

Artist: The Avalanches

Album: Since I Left You

By Helena Maratheftis

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@thefty

This rally is now closed for submissions.

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Artist 127: Laurindo Feliciano

Feature time! We have a real treat lined up for you with the amazing collage stylings of Brazilian Laurindo Feliciano. Laurindo is based in Paris and produces some of the most distinctive collage style work with hand made technique giving him a great tactile feel and a great base for his digital additions. Composite working has become the bread and butter of much of the illustration community but with convenience comes great responsibility and the ability to pull all the image levers you can to make the final product as efficient you can. In this way it is great that Laurindo can preserve his handmade feel so well and create such a multitude of texture. His work has an almost rococo feel and abounds with a luxury of visuals. His work leaves you satisfied, filled with imagery to break down and digest. Laurindo's work acts like a shattered mirror reflecting and fragmenting both culture and the viewer. you can look at his work and sees yourself, your eye engages with familiar and unique forms which at once imparts his message but gives a hint of introspection. Laurindo has a great eye for detail and his work is a pleasure to consume with it's concordant palette and many facets. A great feast for the eyes and the soul we give you the work of Laurindo Feliciano. 

Who are you: 

I'm a Brazilian artist and illustrator, born in 1980 and living in Paris since 2003. I'm graduated in product and interiors design. 

What do you do: 

I do collage mixing media like acrylic, tape, pencil and wax crayon. I always start hand-making and then I use Photoshop. I think that this is a wonderful skill, but a great work needs more than this. It needs a lot of research and a big sense of composition. My ideal work environment needs old paper, magazines and books, all kind of pencils and a wonderful light coming from my window. It is how my work gets shape. 

How did you start: 

I spent my whole life drawing and reading a lot. After I graduated, I worked in design and architecture offices in Paris for several years. I really loved this but I felt that I really needed to do Art to be myself. In 2009, I decide to be honest and turn this passion into my full-time work. 

A Personal statement about you or your work: 

I'm inspired mainly by nature, animal behaviour, life x death and nostalgic images. My collage work is the visual response to some obsessions that I have since I'm very young, and I think it will never ends. I feel that my Artwork is changing and becoming something very intimate, unexplainable by words, only by images. I just want to do that for the rest of my life.

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Valentine's day Rally: No.29

Jess Procter
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@JessProcter1

Avril Kelly

@a4avril

Please read our submission guidelines for Vday rally here!

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Valentine's day Rally: No.7

Zoey Hardwick

@zoeyhardwick

Please read our submission guidelines for Vday rally here!

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Children's book Rally: 99. Abigail Moulder

The Big, Not So, Bad Wolf

By Abigail Moulder

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Children's book Rally:14. Emma Block

123 we're going to the fair

By Emma Block

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@EmmaBlock

Do you want to submit your story? 

Please read our submission guideline here!

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Ganbare Nippon: No. 37

By Maria Papadimitriou

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All the links to the Japan tsunami charities

• Our Japan Tsunami Appeal on JustGiving
• Our Ganbare Nippon charity shop on etsy
• British Red Cross
• American Red Cross
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• 日本赤十字社
• Yahoo基金
• Charity band designed by Lady GaGa

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Portrait: Ideal dinner party guests No. 11

David Lynch

By Melissa Dow

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David Lynch

By Will Aslett
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David Lynch

By Marius Pålerud

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Nick Cave

By Dan Gray

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Nick Cave

By Catherine Askew

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Artist 77: Madi

Hello everyone, we have a lovely colourful illustrator now in the shape of Madi! Aiming squarely at her target market with her playful renderings Madi has that attention to detail that children love, coupled with a sense of fun and a good eye for composition. Children's illustration is not just about explaining the concept or story, it is a chance to elucidate on the world around you and bring attention to something new. It is more of a conversation, as these powerful messages convey not only your subject matter but acres of hidden background information about your culture, society, what is to be expected, what is fun. It is this rather unique position that gives an illustrator an amazing opportunity to teach but also the child will learn a little bit about you in the process. This is why it is so great to see Madi has that delicate touch and the attention to detail that grounds her illustration in the cloak of normal life. She feeds something magical into a scenario that is easy to relate with, which is how you go about crafting something special and this is why we remember illustrations we saw decades ago in vibrant detail. Madi is definitely one more to add to a powerful clutch of new children's illustrators we have been lucky enough to feature, and she is sure to do well in the future.

Who are you:
Hello you! My name is Madi. I love to cut and stick and draw and collage and colour-in. I graduated from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 2009 with first class honours in Illustration, and I'm currently based in a little town quite near to Bournemouth. I also like teeny tiny sketchbooks, pink wafer biscuits and odd socks.

What do you do:
I am an illustrator; I create images. Although I am interested in all areas of illustration, much of my work is aimed at children - I love designing playful characters and creating imagery to capture a child's imagination. Creating characters is one of my favourite parts of illustration, and it takes up a lot of my time. I also love to experiment with hand-drawn typography, and sometimes include it in my work. I also spend my time collecting paper which I think I might be able to use in my work; pretty decorative paper, old magazines, wallpaper samples, old envelopes - pretty much anything. Paper is a big part of my work, and the patterns, textures and colours often inspire me to create an illustration.

How did you start:
I always loved drawing when I was a younger, and art was always my favourite lesson at school. I used to spend my spare time writing stories and illustrating them, and then I'd make them into little books tied together with wool. I studied Fine Art through my school years, but become a little more experimental during my art foundation year, and as the course progressed, I realised that I was much more interested in becoming an Illustrator; from then on my work was always focussed in that area. I then studied for a degree in Illustration, where I developed my style into a more recognisable collage and mixed media based approach, as opposed to the purely painted imagery I was creating when I was younger.

A Personal statement about you or your work:
My illustrations are playful, intricate and imaginative. They are mainly created using a combination of collage and mixed media, incorporating a mix of found papers and fabric with hand-drawn elements and typography. The majority of my work is created by hand, although the final illustrations are composed digitally. I love the actual cutting and sticking side of creating an illustration - that's the fun part!

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Artist 75: Mina Bach

4 Illustrations above are originally created for Amelia's Magazine

We have another wonderful artist feature for you now, It's Mina Bach! The Spanish born illustrator has some skills and we are as keen to showcase them as she ism, on collecting all manner of things. She has a hoarding instinct and this is even present in her illustration which is collected and collaged, using all manner of disparate sources to gather a very effective modern vintage style. Infinitely saleable and definitely one of the most influential modern looks in illustration, Mina has managed to elevate her work with her careful choice of palette and thoughtful use of bold stylish lettering that avoids the popular skinny hand drawn fonts and draws you back to a more classic style of retro, more Mad Men than vintage folksy she takes the initiative by using a very seventies punk style to explore early twentieth century imagery. It works and her style is eye-catching whilst maintaining her theme. So give a big Rally welcome to Mina Bach!

Who are you: 

Hello! I'm Mina Bach, born in Barcelona I'm now happily living in the smallest flat in East London. When I’m not busy with my books I can be found crochetting, tweeting and drinking tea (milk, no sugar).

What do you do:
I'm currently studying BA(Hons) Book Arts & Design at LCC University of the Arts London and loving it. We do experimental book structures, illustration, photography, typography and printmaking, all of my favourite things really. I do freelance work as illustrator and graphic/web designer and always have a million personal projects going on. I'm also an avid full time collector always looking for hoarding opportunities. My latest obsession is shop front and sign lettering and fill up sketchbook after sketchbook of hand lettering and calligraphy.

I'm also trying to get a work placement in publishing or an artist's studio/press at the moment so I'm working on self promo postcards and little booklets to send out, wish me luck!

How did you start:
I started making little comic books with my little brother when we were out of school on holidays, very intricate stories about a rat family and a tragic good-for-nothing heroe that we would staple and then put in the post box down the road so no evidence sadly :( I went on to web design and development jobs which I really enjoyed until I decided to take a more hands on approach to my career and moved to London and started at UAL, best decision of my life!. 

A Personal statement about you or your work:
I'm interested in the digital vs traditional processes and showing traces of them in the final piece. I usually start scanning in found vintage photos and then create digital collages out of them that I combine with scanned hand lettering and hand drawn elements. I would then use traditional print making techniques to print them such as screen printing, collagraph and solar plate printing, my absolute favourite. It's a very time consuming process but very rewarding!

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