surface design

Paige Spearin: of bunnies, bars and beds

~ jama ~ 12 Comments

Basket of apples, please. Or maybe a baguette from the local bakery. Then we can settle in for a relaxing game of backgammon, cozy up with a book, or putter in the garden.

(I like your long ears and whiskers, btw.) 🐰🐰🐰

Fun, whimsical, playful: when you step into a Paige Spearin painting, you know you’re going to have a good time. Inspired by things she truly enjoys (travel, tennis, skiing, interior design, parties, flowers, bike riding), Paige works her magic with India ink, watercolor, gouache, and sometimes acrylic and oil.

Paige Spearin in her home studio.

An artist and surface designer based in Winnetka, Illinois, Paige specializes in creating fine art, illustration, textile design and custom stationery. After earning a BFA in Fibers from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2008, she began working with Lilly Pulitzer, where she was a print designer for over 16 years. She’s now self-employed, having established Paige Spearin Studio in 2019.

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ruth burrows: a burst of color and fun

~ jama ~ 18 Comments

Hey, ho! Come on along, we’re off to explore Ruth Burrows’s eye popping art today!

If you ever need a lift, just take a gander at any one of Ruth’s bright, colorful, pulsating pieces. It’s impossible not to smile or WAKE UP in the presence of such energy, exuberance, and joie de vivre. 🙂

Ruth is based in Lincolnshire, UK, where she built a log cabin in her back garden to use as a studio. She studied Theatre Design at Nottingham University before moving to the UAE, where she worked as a designer for over 20 years.

In addition to a wide range of editorial work, Burrows illustrates children’s books and recently published a craft book called The Illustrator’s Guide to Procreate (David & Charles, 2023).

I almost always start with just pencil and paper. I then take a picture of my sketches and colour them in using Procreate or Photoshop. Sometimes I’ll have a big painting binge using acrylics and watercolors. These usually find their way into my digital work.

Ruth is all about color, pattern, and humor, and most loves to draw objects and faces. Her vibrant surface designs also adorn a wide range of home goods (fabrics, wallpaper, ceramics, glassware, wall hangings).

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Emma Jayne Designs: color, whimsy, fun

~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Cheerio! Just what we need: a pop of color to brighten the week and bring a smile to your face. 🙂

Emma Jayne Allsup’s art is definitely happy-making stuff, so sit back and enjoy her eye candy!

Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer Emma Jayne Allsup

Based in Cheshire, England, Emma Jayne is a freelance illustrator and surface pattern designer who’s been passionate about art since childhood. She’s from a creative family: her father and grandfather loved DIY, and her mother loved fashion and interiors. She spent every Thursday and most weekends sewing and knitting with her grandmother. She knitted her first jumper at age 8.

Emma Jayne likes incorporating elements within her work of nature, animals, people, and everyday objects, both as stand-alone drawings and in patterns. Her style is fun, whimsical, colorful and painterly, and she usually works traditionally with gouache, watercolor and ink, developing and finishing her designs on the computer. She likes to create textures, as well as paint animals and other shapes as silhouettes. She enjoys experimenting with different media and new techniques.

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annya marttinen: a little bit cute, a little bit spooky

~ jama ~ 18 Comments

In Annya Marttinen’s enchanting world, books and teacups float in the air, children play leapfrog with real frogs, and rabbits leap over treetops.

Yet alongside these flights of fancy are realistic depictions of simple pleasures such as reading, knitting, yoga, or walking in the woods on starlit nights.

Annya, who just turned 28, lives and works in Ontario.

A native of Canada, Annya’s a graphic design major who currently works as an illustrator using both traditional (watercolor, gouache) and digital mediums. She favors warm earth tones, and many of her pictures include celestial imagery for an added touch of magic.

She’s largely inspired by folklore, mythology, nature, children’s literature, and the cozy comforts of home. She’s an avid reader of fantasy novels and often gets ideas from listening to movie soundtracks.

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allyn howard’s whimsical world

~ jama ~ 11 Comments

 

Let’s celebrate the merry month of May with Allyn Howard’s lovely, winsome art. 🙂

 

 

 

 

Allyn is a painter living and working in Brooklyn, NY. I was immediately drawn to her pretty florals and charming animals. One can’t help but feel uplifted by her cheerful colors and playful, childlike designs.

 

 

 

 

 

Originally from Virginia, where she received her BFA from VCU in Communication Arts and Design, she went on to earn an MFA in Studio Art from NYU.

My work reflects my interest in the wonders of nature, often from the vantage point of small curious animals. I use water based acrylics on wood, paper and canvas, merging a decorative style with a colorful painterly one. My work is inspired by friendship, a sense of home and the discovery and sense of wonder observing the big beautiful world.

 

 

 

 

She excels in surface design; her fine detailed work lends itself well to fabrics, wallpaper, gift wrap, and a variety of personal accessories. Of course all her adorable animal friends brim with kid appeal (a selection of fine art prints, perfect for hanging in children’s rooms, is available via Oopsy Daisy).

 

 

 

 

 

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