I first heard about artist Maira Kalman when I bought a copy of The Elements of Style, Illustrated (Strunk, White, Kalman, 2007). I was still actively writing articles at the time, and despite the original intent for buying the book, I was immediately drawn to Kalman’s quirky, colorful, moody characters and objects.

Despite the use of bold, cheerful colors, her mood generally veers toward the serious, witty, or even disturbing. The book’s cover has one of the more recognizable/iconic animals associated with Kalman, being a dog lover–a pooch looking rather morose/sad/pensive/apprehensive, what have you…

I love how Kalman renders everyday objects and interiors. Everything pops, and there’s a hidden wit that leaves you questioning. I think the beauty behind her work is how she manages to combine cheery hues with serious moods. (All images in this post: Maira Kalman)

If this girl resembles someone you know, that’s probably ’cause she’s your typical, next-door Asian girl. Chinese, Japanese, Korean… Yeah, she’s a little of everything–except she doesn’t really exist in real life (to all you guys out there, sorry to disappoint, hehe!).

I’ve been trying (actually, forcing myself) to draw and paint more regularly. Not just for my next exhibit, but for personal practice and growth. I have a long way to go when it comes to figure drawing, paint layering, and applying shadows. Though I can say I’ve found my style this past year, I also want to experiment further and see where it takes me. So I’m a bit surprised by how this turned out–Asian women (and younger girls, to boot) aren’t my usual subjects, and even the warmer palette is something I’ve tried for the first time (I played around with five paint colors to get the skin tone right).

So where exactly did she come from? Flipping through a recent issue of Vogue Girl Korea, I chanced upon this absolutely dreamy fashion editorial featuring a girly-girl with frothy pink hair, and I knew I wanted to paint her (or should I say, re-imagine her in portrait form).

Over the past couple of days, I’ve made good progress preparing for my upcoming second exhibit. With some commissions finally out of the way, I made space in my room for a second work area–while literally battling with the sweltering summer heat–and set up my first rough watercolor piece. As of now it still looks this way, as I’m not quite sure where to go from here, but we’ll find out soon enough!

For this project, I hope to do things a little differently by incorporating a bit of texture via mixed media. I am currently thinking of paper and fabric cut-outs, as well as some found objects, like this bunch of ribbons I’ve been collecting for some months now…

And here’s a shot of my little “studio” space (a.k.a. this little corner of my very tiny bedroom). Ever since getting new curtains, donating old items, and doing major spring cleaning (I can’t believe the amount of junk I’ve accumulated over the years!!), the room feels cleaner, airier and more spacious!

Have you ever met such a perfectly floral, feminine, romantic font? I haven’t, until now!

Design*Sponge recently hosted an alphabet design contest, and although I wasn’t really keen on the winning fonts (see the results here), these are two of the entries that really hit the spot (because they are so French and feminine, of course!)…

The first one’s “Soft Wonder,” designed by Jordan Kay Phillip. I love the level of detail and hand-drawn effort put into this one, as well as the black outlines/inked edges that give such a subtly glam feel.

The second one I love is “Ribbons” by Alice Young. Cheeky, casual, and very cute!

All images taken directly from www.designspongeonline.com.

Speaking of things made with love… I’ve perhaps never declared as much affection for any fashion label or designer than Lanvin or Alber Elbaz. For this reason, I’ve decided to start making illustrations/paintings inspired by Lanvin couture–including items from the much-anticipated Lanvin x H&M collaboration! (You’ll notice the artwork creeping into this blog, little by little…)

For now, let’s talk about the collaboration–and I like what they’ve done with the H&M website (all images in this post, directly from www.hm.com)…

I can just imagine how long the lines will be this November 23, when the collection officially hits stores worldwide! Here are a couple of outfits I’d really go for (plus the first one in this post), if I had all the time, money and patience to queue up in Hong Kong…

I’ll never know if I’ll ever own a piece of the dream, so here’s throwing some of my wishes to the wind, and hoping they come true in Paris!