hoveringcat

[hoveringcat]

Exciting news for illustration and design enthusiasts! Modern Illustration, a new online archive celebrating the history of illustration, is now live. 

Originally starting out as an Instagram account called Ephemerama! in 2018, modernillustration.org is a searchable collection featuring hundreds of illustrations from c.1950-1975. Over the past decade, I have gathered a wide range of ephemeral artefacts, featuring both well-known illustrators and those who have been overlooked in design history.

The archive features items such as brochures, leaflets, beermats, stamps and more. It provides an invaluable glimpse into the past and highlights how promotional materials hold important insights into the products, trends, and attitudes of a particular era. These rare and forgotten images are now available for inspiration and education for anyone interested in design, history, and culture.

As an illustrator and collector, Modern Illustration is a labour of love for me, and I am thrilled to share it with others. I believe that by developing a more comprehensive history of illustration, we can gain a better understanding of the evolution of design and its impact on society. I highly recommend this archive to anyone who shares this enthusiasm.

© Zara Picken 2023 www.zarapicken.com

#illustration #graphic design #design history #illustration history #archive #collection #ephemera

[hoveringcat]

Hello! It’s been...a while? I can’t remember when I last posted here but life has been happening. Boy, has it been happening. But we’re all still alive. Hooray!

So, where was I? Ah yes, posting stuff I like. On that subject, I’ve been collecting interesting-looking mid-century ephemera and stamps for a while now. I decided to start an Instagram to share some of it - it’s called Ephemerama! and you can find it at instagram.com/ephemeramablog. 

The images you can see here are (from top left clockwise): 1968 Fairytale stamps by Ootje Oxenaar; 1960 P&O Cruise Entertainment Guide by Daphne Padden; 1969 El Al Allowance card (possibly designed by Dan Reisinger); 1967 International Tourist Year stamp by Asher Kalderon.

Thanks for continuing to follow Hovering Cat. Hoping to post more in the near future!

#collecting #ephemera #stamps #art #design #illustration #midcentury #mid-century #ootje oxenaar #daphne padden #dan reisinger #asher kalderon

[hoveringcat]

I like this idea -  a drop shadow detail for light switches by Hooperstuff. They are made from laminate and self-adhesive, making them a quick and easy way to cheer up a room. They also come in a range of colours but I’m a bit obsessed with orange. 

#design #interior design #product design #hooperstuff #etsy #buy me

[hoveringcat]

Sebastião Rodrigues (1929-1997) was a Portuguese graphic designer. From 1959 to 1961 he designed and created the covers for a monthly publication called ‘Almanaque’, many of which can be seen here. This example is particularly roarsome!

Found via Fishink (image from Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design Blog)

#sebastião rodrigues #art #design #illustration #mid-century modern #lion #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Steve Frykholm started working as a graphic designer for Herman Miller in 1970 -  designing a poster for the company’s summer picnic was his first brief, for which he created this iconic image. 

Over the subsequent years, he went on to create 20 posters, some of which are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. You can see these and more information about the posters on the Herman Miller site.

Found via Curbed.

#steve frykholm #art #design #illustration #poster #print #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Alice Mollon is a French-born illustrator based in London. She creates bright and bold digital illustrations for a wide range of clients. 

This clever illustration entitled ‘Paintbrush’ caught my eye - it recently won an award in the 3x3 Professional Show and is available to buy as a print here.

#alice mollon #illustration #art #design #paintbrush #print #buy me #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

This image caught my eye on Pinterest recently - I looked into it and it turned out to be from a book about the work of Saul Bass. 

The design was created for the film ‘Carmen Jones’ (1954) and was used on the poster, soundtrack cover and title sequence. It was Bass’ first title sequence job and you can read more about the project on Art of the Title.

#saul bass #design #fire #flower #film #poster #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Zihee is a tattoo artist from Seoul, South Korea. I love these delicate designs in vibrant shades. I also appreciate her avoidance of using black outlines, giving many of her designs a painterly quality.

#zihee #tattoo #art #design #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Daniel Mercadante has created a series of long exposure photographs entitled ‘Rainbow Road’. I love the contrast of the bright warm colours against dark, cold-looking backgrounds. 

Found via designboom.

#daniel mercandante #photography #rainbow #hovering cat #light painting #long exposure

[hoveringcat]

This oil painting by Spanish artist Lino Lago is part of a series entitled ‘Fake Abstract’. I like how the portraits look as if they’ve been revealed by a finger dragged across the surface.

Found via Colossal.

#lino lago #art #painting #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Karol Banach is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Poland. I stumbled across this flying banana bird, which led me to his splendid portfolio.

#karol banach #illustration #graphic design #hovering cat #art

[hoveringcat]

Amano Kunihiro is a Japanese printmaker. He was born in Hirosaki in 1929 and is largely self-taught as a woodblock artist. 

I like the strong, angular graphic shapes and woodgrain texture used in this piece entitled ‘Crows - A’.

#amano kunihiro #prints #printmaking #art #design #hovering cat #crows

[hoveringcat]

I really like the idea of having a piano in my living room except 1.) I can’t play the piano and 2.) pianos are quite large. This very small Vilac Mini Piano could be a suitable solution.

#piano #buy me #vilac #hovering cat #music

[hoveringcat]

Cindy Searles creates these imaginative ceramic hanging planters in the form of sea creatures.

Found via My Modern Met.

#cindy searles #ceramics #sculpture #pottery #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

I’m not particularly knowledgeable about fashion but I saw this orange trench coat and wanted to wear it immediately. Look at that face in the lapel - perfect! It was part of a Spring/Summer collection by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac back in 2007. 

Found via lelaid.

[hoveringcat]

We’re having lovely sunny weather in the UK at the moment - these delicious looking cast resin ice creams by sculptor Jourdan Joly sum up my mood.

Found via The Jealous Curator.

#jourdan joly #art #sculpture #ice cream #hovering cat

[hoveringcat]

Love these surreal technological creations by Pantograph. 

The series is entitled ‘Parallel World’ and the images were created for covers of Nikkei Computer magazine.

#pantograph #technology #design #magazine cover #hovering cat #surreal