The Cotton Route

Roller-printed cotton cloth (lining of a man’s black adras khalat); Russia, fourth quarter of the nineteenth century

Russian Textiles:
Printed Cloth for the Bazaars of Central Asia, by Susan Meller (Abrams 2007)When I discovered the book Russian Textiles, I knew I had to own it: my parents own a rug very similar to the green and red design above (except that it is woven rather than printed). It inspires such a strong sense of nostalgia for my childhood. (Fortunately none of my sisters like vintage fabrics as much as I do, so they won’t contest my future claim to it!) I love the Russian way of mixing up prints and patterns – particularly in linens – and this sumptuous book is filled with many examples, such as the robe (scroll further down), made up of polka dots, overblown florals and exotic ikat. These also bring the Ballet Russes strongly to mind.

Peasant girls, Russia 1909; three young woman offer berries to visitors in front of their izba, a traditional wooden house in a rural area near the town of Kirillov. Two of the girls are wearing silk brocaded sarafans, which are reserved for special occasions: the girl in the middle is wearing a printed cotton shirt under her sarafan, and the other girls wear printed head scarves. (Click for larger image.)
(Click for larger image)Between 1860–1960, these exotic printed-cotton textiles were created and manufactured in Russia, and were subsequently exported to Central Asia. The colourful 
and highly detailed fabrics were popular with the people 
of these Central Asian countries: Uzbeks, Tadjiks and Turkmen; Muslims and Jews alike. Their garments were constructed often from many pieces of contrasting fabrics: many of the spreads show the original garments beside a detail image of the fabric. 

(Click for larger image)There are more than 175 spectacular patterns spanning 
a variety of periods and styles, from pre- and post-
revolutionary and Art Nouveau florals to Soviet-era propaganda and stripes. Short essays accompanied by fascinating sepia photographs describe the ‘social life’ 
of these gorgeous materials.

This book will take you on an exotic journey, inspire you, and fill you with wonder, whether you are an illustrator, an artist or aspiring pattern designer. 

(Click for larger image)Turkmen Bokche (lining on left, exterior on right), mid-twentieth century; made from recycled fabrics, including an early nineteenth-century embroidered chyrpy fragment, lined with Russian printed cotton(Click for larger image)Roller-printed cotton cloth (lining of an adras ikat munisak); Russia, late nineteenth-early twentieth century

There Be Dragons

Dragon Draws Breath :: Watts // Big Up // No flashWhat happens when you look for historical references to dragons online …

Coffee For Two

I so much enjoy my afternoon coffee breaks. But the Turkish coffee seems to taste so much better when I drink it out of a fine bone china mug  – little espresso cups are for wimps.

I have a special breakfast mug, but just as I like to change my outfits during the day (kidding), I need to have a special afternoon mug. Recently I’ve kept my eye out, and then yesterday I happened upon these delightful Orla Kiely mugs in the department store David Jones. It took me quite a while to decide which one to get, and when I discovered at the sales counter that they were 30% off, why, I decided to get two!

The retro patterns are so fresh and cheerful, and very inspiring. How cute does it look on the radio below!

Evoke Mio by Orla Kiely Lifestyle Lounge. (Image via Pure)Incidentally, the flocked paper background is the last remnant I have from a series of papers I bought for a photoshoot many years ago. This one complements the mugs perfectly.

Let Them Eat Doughnuts!

Walker’s Doughnuts :: Watts // Big Up // No flash

This advertising poster gave me a chuckle today. For: doughnuts are reliable. Against: doughnuts make you fat. Hmmm. But boys can buy you doughnuts! Can’t I have my doughnut and eat it too?

Evolution of The Golden Dragon

The final illustration for The Golden Dragon. But why is it coloured red, you’re wondering? The action is rather bloody … Last December I began working on an illustration concept for the play The Golden Dragon that the MTC is putting on at the Lawler Studio this year. Basically the play is about the tribulations of illegal immigrants in the restaurant kitchen of The Golden Dragon.

In the beginning the action is strange, confusing; partly enacted in metaphor, with actors switching between many parts. Over the course of the play slowly one unravels the truth. One of my concepts involved a tangle of noodles that form a maze, with an ‘in’ and ‘out’ arrow in striking red and yellow. But as much as the Assistant Artistic Director liked this graphic, it was deemed too light-hearted.

The first rendering of the illustration included ominous puffs of smokeSo I came up with a few more ideas, one involving a dragon snatching at hapless Asian immigrants, and suggested etching as the medium. After the second presentation, the AAD felt this was still not sinister and mysterious enough, and himself came up with the idea of a dragon wrapping around a tooth.

I observed that the tooth was only a device of the story, and this concept did not really visualise the message of the play, but was told it was more important to create a striking image that would be enigmatic enough to draw people’s interest.

The original colour of the illustrationSince a real etching was not possible (I’ve never done etching, although I would love to try my hand at it, nor did time allow anyway) I attempted to emulate the look in ink and conté. The AAD was still keen on the red and yellow, so I executed the illustration in red, with a yellow wash, although I was positive that this would be ditched as soon as it was compared with the mono- and duotone versions. I was right. Thank goodness for Photoshop!

I rather liked the smoky effect of the first rendering, but in the end the plain background in black with a red watercolour wash was chosen.

You can see the entire brochure I designed here (I also executed the illustration for Happy Ending).