Hannah Christenson is an American illustrator currently living in China. Much of her work is inspired by fantasy, history, and mythology, and contains a strong narrative quality. Each illustration has such exquisite mark-making and a dramatic sense of movement. The splashes of vibrant color and diagonal compositions add striking contrast within her body of work.
To see more of Christenson’s work, stop by her website, tumblr, and blog.
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Hannah Christenson
Winter in the Floating World
Winter scenes are by far my favorite when it comes to Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The tactile weight of the snow on the trees, ground, and buildings contrasts so beautifully with the delicate falling snowflakes. The prints with people bracing themselves against the wind give the composition a sense of movement, despite the lack of wind lines. Most of all, I love how the landscapes’ cool tones complement the warm colors of the architecture and clothing.
On the eve of the solstice, we had our first heavy snowfall of the season in Wisconsin just in time for the holidays. Even if the weather near you doesn’t feel much like winter, I hope these gorgeous woodblock prints will give you some inspiration for the season. Happy Holidays!
Find out more about each ukiyo-e print below:
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Frank Frazetta’s Tolkien Illustrations
In celebration of this weekend’s premier of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I want to share some of my favorite J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired illustrations by the late fantasy and sci-fi artist Frank Frazetta. Each illustration has such a great sense of movement, tension, and composition. Enjoy!
For a better view of Frazetta’s line detail, click on each image to enlarge.
In Loving Memory of Hana
This week I learned of Hana’s passing. She was one of my dearest friends on COLOURlovers and had nothing but kind and encouraging words to say. She always made time to individually thank all of her 2,191 followers and was one of the most optimistic, ambitious, and humble people I’ve ever met. Hana never never mentioned that she was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma, and her death was a huge shock to everyone, myself included. She was an absolute genius when it came to color and won many of the site’s contests. I will always remember her soft, feminine palettes and patterns and the inspiration from her Japanese culture.
Here is my tribute to Hana’s legacy with 10 of her most-loved palettes:
1. photograph, 2. springtime, 3. lanterns, 4. Mary’s Love, 5. (kimono*), 6. daylight, 7. Happiness!, 8. Be(e)Friend, 9. greentea*, 10. Wave…
Please visit her COLOURlovers page to view more of her beautiful palettes. Also check out her Tumblr, which is filled with inspiring images.
Karen Young
Karen Young is an artist and entrepreneur originally from San Francisco, who now lives and works in Chicago. She has been distributing and publishing her Loose Petals greeting card line nationwide for the past 20 years. Her Skyline series features 61 handmade illustrations of American and international destinations.
My poster style is influenced by my own travels around the world, retro posters, textiles, and vintage European ephemera. You’ll find a mix of elements in my posters. I appreciate modern European and Japanese design for it’s simplicity, and Bauhaus less is more attitude.
You can view all of Young’s 8 x 10 inch prints and 11 x 14 inch posters printed on a special 80 lb. recycled textured paper in her Etsy shop, Loose Petals.
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