Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival

I have recently attended the Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival at Somerset House. As this was the first time I had ever gone, I didn’t quite know what to expect, assuming I’d find a room of art prints mounted on the walls. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was so much more.

As I approached Somerset House, I could see a hoard of creatives queued up all the way down the side of the building. Loud music from inside could be heard, flooding out the front entrance.

Following the sound, I made my way in. As soon as you step inside, the display begins. Amazing pieces of artwork greeted me; One of my favourites being by illustrator and good friend, Robert Sae-Heng, whose playful, colourful characters dance around their canvas.

In addition to mounted prints, there was a very colourfully-entertaining live band playing(I believe their name was 'Heavy Pencil' and they're also some big time illustrators), workshops, sculptures, a bustling bar and plenty of goodies to purchase and take home.

Some other artists whose work I really loved were Katie Scott(Snake, below left) and You Byun(Jellyfish, Below right).

I left with a new appreciation for the various forms of graphic art and also as a fan of some new artists whose work I discovered that night. This event highly exceeded my expectations and I look forward to returning next year!

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ART FOCUS : Zarina Liew

Zarina by Canon @ London Fashion Weekend

I think there are two reasons why I love Zarina Liew's artwork. I believe it combines two very beautiful types of art; Manga and Fashion Illustration, both of which are very dear to me.

There's an innocent, playful side to Liew's pieces, with the characters, their expressions and poses, which look as if they were born from Liew's own fantastical, anime world. At the same time, there's a very feminine, elegantly-fashionable, mature side, with delicate blowings of watercolours and Parisien-style pencilling, leaving just the right amount of detail in every piece.

Zarina was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

B: What is your inspiration for your work?

Z: "Anything and everything really – mainly fashion though because I follow the main trends/catwalk shows and fashion blogs too. But I could be inspired to paint a beautiful outfit that I need to “draw out of my system” or by an event or moment that I want to illustrate. I believe it’s healthy to seek out inspiration, in order to bring out inspiration in your own work!"

B: When and where did you start making art?

Z: "I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember, but I never went through the “art route” at all, in fact, I studied Psychology at university! I only started drawing seriously about 5 years ago. It’s a continual development; I think you always have to keep practicing, trying out new things..."

B: What is your favourite aspect about making your art?

Z: "The freedom to draw whatever I want! Ha! And being able to create something interactive – I always get feedback about my work and that is really exciting – knowing that I’m putting my work out there, and someone loves it, I feel like I’m creating for other people’s visual pleasure in a positive way. That’s really fun."

B: Can you also please explain what Cobalt Cafe is?

Z: "Cobalt Cafe is really a visual hub of all the creative things I do – fashion illustration, self publishing, art workshops, traditional art. It’s a pipe dream that will eventually become a physical space – a place for me to showcase art, hold workshops and open up a little cafe perhaps. I’d love to be able to create a creative and relaxing place of interest, I guess, watch this space?"

I didn't hesitate to purchase a number of Liew's prints at the recent London Super Comic Convention (which I politely asked her to sign and she happily and humbly agreed to do for me). The idea of framing them and hanging them around the house fills me with joy.

Thank you again, it was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to more of your work!

Visit Zarina's website for more art and information at www.cobaltcafe.co.uk

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Wrap Your Head Around These

Introducing

A new label by New York based designer Anthia Lott specializing in designer headbands.

"I needed to find something that could help me out on those bad days when my hair has a mind of its own." - Lott

I'm sure we can all relate. Sometimes you just can't be bothered to style your hair before leaving the house. Or it's been a while since you had your hair cut, and it's in that awkward growing phase?

Turn your "Laziness" into Luxury and dress your outfit up or down with these stylish yet conventional pieces.

The 'Etched In Black' headbands come in a variety of styles, colours and materials. Limited edition pieces are also available.

Prices range from $45 - $85

And if you like these, 'EIB' are currently in the process of designing a clothing line which will also feature menswear.

Get yours here:

http://www.shopetchedinblack.bigcartel.com/

 

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Legs Alive

Let your legs do the talking this winter with some graphic print leggings.

Pair with a black coat, black ankle boots, a shiny, patent clutch and some oversized, white-rimmed shades for a funky, sleek 60's inspired look.

- O W N   I T -

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Shadow Class

All I want for Christmas is... this outfit!

I've just styled this on www.Polyvore.com and it would only cost £1,785. BARGAIN

A mixture of textures and silhouettes with a little shimmer from gold metals and black leathers. Sleek, mysterious, unconventional, androgynous, edgy, dark...perfect for a cold, dark night on the town.

 

Shadow Class by bobbycreger featuring wet look leggings

By Malene Birger wet look legging
$56 - flannelsfashion.com

Balenciaga buckle boots
balenciaga.com

Vivienne Westwood leather clutch
forzieri.com

BENJAMIN BERTRAM Oversized Waxed Sleeve Coat
notjustalabel.com

 

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New Look

Photo taken by myself using the Samsung Galaxy S3

Updating my layout.

Black  & White

Simple  & Clean

FRESHH

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Illustrations

A few rough sketches I've done recently for no reason in particular.

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FOLLOW UP: Gangnam Style

Since my last post about Psy's viral Korean hit single "Gangnam Style", the track has continued to spread globally and gain even more media attention!

Psy has become the first Korean artist ever to rank #1 on the U.S. iTunes Chart. He also ranks #1 on iTunes in various other countries including Canada, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand and more!

Check out Nelly Furtado dancing to the track and singing a bit of it during a recent concert in Manila! Thanks to @Littl3Madam on Twitter for sending me the video!

Britney Spears and Ellen Degeneres are even learning the dance! Psy made an appearance on The Ellen Show to teach them the dance, introducing himself as "Psy from Korea", showing his Korean pride.

Keep on paving the way for asian artists Psy!

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Korean Music Breaks Into U.S. - Gangnam Style

I'm not Korean, but I've been a huge fan of Kpop since I was an early teen. One of my best friends that lived one house down  was Korean and got me into it, starting with BoA*'s hit single "No. 1" in 2002.

Through the years, Kpop groups have tried to break into the U.S., including BoA* and more recently, girl group 2NE1, however this has proved challenging for them, and for most groups, they fail to make a splash in the U.S. music market, no matter how big they are in their home country.

However, one Korean musician has become a viral phenomenon, surpassing 100 million views on YouTube.
This has happened in a very short period of time and has created such an international buzz that many big musicians only dream of creating in the U.S.

South-Korean rapper Psy was not expecting his video for "Gangnam Style" to gain so much attention, especially internationally. In a recent interview, he explained that the video was only made for the Korean audience and he never expected it to grow to such magnitude. Katy Perry has even tweeted the video saying she's "addicted".

From what I hear from friends and family back home in the D.C. - Maryland - Virginia area, the track has been played on main radio stations including HOT 99.5. 

This is a huge break for a Korean artist. Can Psy retain the U.S. audience? Will he be accepted and taken seriously as an artist? Or is Gangnam Style just another funny video that's gone viral through YouTube.

Only time will tell...

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Let The Games BEGIN!

Photo courtesy of Mauro Girini

So the Olympic torch has been run up and down the streets of London, with crowds of fans chasing after it to get a glimpse. My housemate Mauro managed to get close enough to snap this photo of the torch yesterday.

Today is the Opening Ceremony and everyone in the office is chatting about it.

To welcome the prestigious games, Boris Johnson has prepared an Olympic welcoming speech.

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Seeing Is Not Always Believing

Will the vision-impaired chef be the victor in this seasons US Master Chef?

Christine Ha has had me hooked since her emotional first audition. She is not only an inspiration, but a very talented chef who has beaten the competition and made it to the final 8 so far. Throughout her journey, she has tackled numerous challenges including cooking with a live crab, which pierced her finger, and a live sea urchin with poisonous spikes.

Check out her audition video below. If it doesn't stir up any emotion in you, then you may need to get your head checked.

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Heat Wave

I'm sure Londoners have noticed the drastic heat wave that has hit us.

Here's a list of a few things you should get your hands on in preparation for enjoying the sunshine:

Sunscreen. Protect your skin and prevent premature ageing. UV rays can harm your skin, even in cloudy weather, so imagine how much damage can be done in direct sunlight! Try a cream with Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a natural anti-oxidant, prevents premature ageing and also prevents any environmental stressors from getting into your skin.

The last thing you want is skin like leather(cringe)!

Sunglasses. Protect your eyes and get stylish while you're at it! Make sure you find the pair that's right for you. Round lenses are in at the moment. Taped lenses...not so much.

Deodorant. Please people, I beg of you. Buy deodorant. Use deodorant. Love deodorant. Carry some with you in your bag just in case. Hot, cramped trains are already bad enough. We do not need to inhale your...essence.

This will help set those nasty smells and pit stains at bay, and save you from a lot of nasty looks.

 A Kindle reader. In this heat, the less you're carrying, the better. These have become so widespread since they first came out. I see at least 5 people a day using one. Now you can read 'Fifty Shades of Gray' without everyone judging you!


And, you won't have to carry those big, bulky books around anymore!

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Pink Hair Everywhere!

If you haven't noticed this fluorescent phenomenon, then you must have been living under a rock for the past few years as it is everywhere.

Music celebs seem to be trying harder and harder to grab our attention and keep us interested. One way of doing this is by having some sort of shock factor. One of the biggest trends at the moment is looking as far out and artificial as possible. An easy, and effective way of achieving this? How about a pink wig?

Nicki Minaj firmly setting herself into a Barbie Doll look with her bubble gum pink wigs. She's gotta look as Barbie-tastic as possible for her fans, also known as "Barbs".

This lavender wig doesn't have nearly as much of a shock factor as her meat dress, but Lady Gaga still falls into this trend.

In the past, she has sported an electric blue wig, but it seems Katy Perry has traded it in for a bit of pink.

Jessie J seems to rotate between blue, purple and black wigs.

Rihanna's gone for red

Britney ... That's all I have to say about that.

And let's not forget the original Pink herself starting the trend back in 2000!

Thoughts?

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Festival Weekend

Everyone in the office is talking about Wireless Festival tomorrow.

They're also talking about what the proper attire is for festivals, especially with the unpredictable London weather we've been having.

One of the key pieces you will need if you're attending is a good pair of wellies!

I've just seen these new "DAZZLE Glow In The Dark Wellies" for £26.00 on www.topshop.com. They come in blue and coral. Not only will they keep you clean and dry from the knees down, but you'll be easier to find if you're friends get seperated from you in the dark!

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Ghost Goes Viral

I posted a tweet a few days ago asking followers what their favourite social media campaign was.

One of the responses came from social media and digital marketer @AspirantSG. His favourite campaign is the 2008 Raffles Place Ghost for recruitment and HR consultancy GMP, which aimed at raising brand awareness and making GMP the ideal choice for job seekers by encouraging a work-life balance. They did this by sending the amusingly haunting message that people should not work late.

What are your thoughts on this campaign?

Feel free to leave comments below or tweet me @BobbyCreger

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Needs & Wants

Very exciting news today for Samsung and their fans of the Galaxy S Android Smartphone series! The new Galaxy S 3 will be unveiled tonight at their London showcase.


I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this smartphone and can't wait to get my hands on one! My Galaxy S, the 1st of the series, has been causing me grief, freezing and stalling whenever I try and do anything. Not a lot of information is known about the look of the S 3, however more information will be available online tonight. Hopefully it comes in white like the S 2 :)

Steering away from the technological and into the fashionable, I've been on the hunt lately for a pair of Patty Hughes shades. Patricia Hughes is the tough, ruthless lawyer from the hit tv series Damages and is played wonderfully by Glenn Close. She basically kicks ass and doesn't take crap from anybody. She also is famous for these killer round sunglasses, which I've been searching for for some time now. 


I've seen some very similar ones featured in Kurt Geiger's collection. 

I've also found some more affordable one's featured on Topshop.com for £16.00.

Time to make a trip to the shop to try them on!


I never thought I'd be trending fashion from a 65 year old actress, but what do ya know! :) Work it Glenn!

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Gadget Time

Occasionally, I get really excited about new gadgets and spend a few hours geeking out to youtube reviews about them.


I will save you from the long version of what I've been researching and sum it up in one sentence.


I MUST HAVE THE ASUS TRANSFORMER PRIME TF201 Eee PAD TABLET!

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The Future of Jobseeking

I've just come across this Youtube video whilst I was checking out @Cloud Nine Media Recruitment's website(@CloudNine Media Recruitment) and found it to be really interesting.


I was always told that when you are tailoring your CV to fit a job description, you always want it to be interesting to the reader and catch their attention amongst the hundreds or thousands of other CV's the company may receive.


To quote Graeme Anthony(@comms_anarchist), "Let's face it, communications have changed". With a social media revolution happening, there are so many ways to present yourself not only to the public, but to companies that are looking to hire.

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Fallen In Love With Floral

Saw this blazer in store today and fell in love . . .

 

£69.99 from ZARA

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Saturday

Started my Saturday with a bit of shopping with Dave at Topman Oxford Circus. 

Kellogg's was promoting their new Rocky Road Rice Krispies Squares, handing out tasty freebies.

 Next we walked over to Soho, where Phonica was having their Record Day Sale. There were loads of people checking out vinyls, taking photos and testing out the decks.

After a bit of wandering, we had a yummy, filling dinner at Kitchen Italia in Covent Garden. The food was good. The service on the other hand, was horrendous. Took ages to get the waiters attention, ages for our food to come, asked for a take-away box for our mains because we weren't even hungry anymore by the time the food came, and it took ages for them to bring a box to us. Don't get me started on how long we had to wait when we asked for the bill. Very upsetting service.

Lastly, we finished off the evening with 2-4-1 cocktails at Circa on Frith Street in Soho. Dave had a very strong Mojito and I had a delicious Sex On The Beach. £7.00, not too shabby :)

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