College Exhibition 2012

hello again, i know, i KNOW... i said i'd post the other day but it was my final HND assessment yesterday at college so it was all a bit 'panic stations' while i sorted everything for that.

the good news is that i have been offered a place for the final BA year next year :) so yaaaaaaaay!

anyway, i thought i might share a few snaps of my actual exhibition. bearing in mind that we all get the same grey or white boards on which to display our work, we're kind of limited to how it's all going to look so it's not particularly glamourous or exciting... but it is mine!

so in case you can't really tell from the pictures, my end of year exhibition consisted of a set of printed cotton Tote Bags (with the handles pinned away) with matching Badges

a series of four acrylic painted canvases...

 

i also had three printed and embroidered cushions... (you can purchase these here)

some postcard and business card bunting + real sweetie garlands (they were so much fun to make!)

 as well as some little exhibition booklets... (available to buy here)

 

there are actually 20 pages in each booklet, they feature ALL of the 'candy pop dolls' as well as matching lyrics pages featuring the song lyrics that inspired each doll + some funky end papers :)

so there you have it! exhibition 2012... done!

in case you hadn't guessed it already, pretty much ALL of the stuff is already for sale

i have prints and postcards featuring the dolls as well

they're ALL available via my big cartel shop RIGHT HERE


and also on my Etsy Shop


(i'll hopefully be adding some badges and totes to the shops soonish as well)

and as if that weren't thrilling enough, there are now even iPhone cases/skins, hoodies, tees, prints, canvases and cards also available via my Society6 shop

they're also available on iPhone cases, stickers and stuff via my Red Bubble Shop

+ you can currently get 15% off ALL iPhone cases with the code IPHN15

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ok i'll shut up about shops now! promise :)

i'm toying with the idea of giving some of this stuff away to one of YOU luuurvely readers but i'm not sure yet, would anyone like to get their hands on a free print + a booklet and some postcards and badges???

anyway, until next time, that's all folks... xX

Candy Pop and the Candy Dolls

Hello darlings! It's been a while since my last post, but if you follow me via facebook or twitter you may have noticed that for the past few weeks i've been working furiously to sort everything for my end of year exhibition at college

if you've followed the blog for a while you also might have noticed a serious decline in the amount of personal work posts since last year. The truth is that i've had plenty of work to share with you all, I just haven't chosen to post it on here like i usually do.

for example, in regard to my most recent project, i wanted to keep everything TOP SECRET and hidden until my actual exhibition :)

anyway, the exhibition opened on Thursday night so now i see no reason to keep the stuff under wraps, so on that note, i'd like you all to meet... the Candy Dolls

Love Is The Drug

Pretty In Pink

You Should Be Dancing

Just Can't Get Enough

In The Summertime

Sweeter Than Candy

Go Chasing Rabbits

I Put A Spell On You

Where Is My Mind

there are nine of them altogether and in case you couldn't guess from the cryptic titles, they're all based on various song lyrics.

the new term at college required me to set a new project brief for myself. i knew that i wanted to do something bright and colourful but very girly and maybe a little edgier than my usual work.

i'd been toying with the idea of producing a set of kawaii inspired figurative illustrations for a while, then a few months ago Ballad Of magazine set their new issue theme which just happened to be 'Candy Pop'. i'd long since begun sketching out a few girls so the timing seemed perfect. working towards the submissions brief gave me the chance to create a set of work for my college portfolio as well as a possible opportunity to get the work published.

anyway, i submitted 5 very basic girls, the early stages of the 'dolls' i guess and kept my fingers crossed bit unfortunately none of my illustrations made the final cut due to being deemed too sweet. i only found that out about a week and a half ago so in the time since i sent the early versions the 'dolls' have changed and developed quite a bit.

for starters, most of them now sport a serious amount of ink! tattoo art has always fascinated me but i have a massive phobia of needles so since covering myself with tattoos was out of the question, i covered my illustrations with them instead.

and inspired by the candy pop culture, i ended up fusing a bit of Kawaii with a bit of Rockabilly to create a bunch of pastel haired, pin-up style lovelies :)

 there's a lot more to them than initially meets the eye but i'll save all that rambling for the next post.

tomorrow night i'll be posting pics of the actual exhibition + the little paintings i did to accompany the digital designs, but in the meantime you can check out prints, postcards and booklets featuring the Candy Dolls, currently on sale in my BigCartel Store and my Etsy Shop

so until tomorrow (hopefully!), that's all folks... xX

All images featured in this post belong to Jade Boylan © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or copy ANY of my work without my express written consent (or else i will find you!!!) . All Rights Reserved.

Creative Cafe #30

Salut dearhearts! welcome to yet another 'Creative Café' post! it's been a few months since i last posted one, but have no fear, i haven't abandoned the posts completely and i WILL be doing some more again rather soon (hopefully!)

anyway on with the post. first thing's first, if you're aware of 'the drill' then you know what to do, if not, click here then come back and scroll on for some luuuurvely images :)

so today we have a deliciously French theme to the post, it concerns a truly fabulous couturier with a bit of a twist, because today it's all about Michel Heurtault and Parasolerie Heurtault...

basically, La Parasolerie Heurtault is a magical boutique in Paris which makes and stocks (quite possibly) the most beautiful and desirable umbrellas and parasols you will ever set your beady eyes on! seriously now these are umbrellas the like of which you've never seen before, we're talking handmade, hand embroidered, decadent, silky, colourful, BEAUTIFUL brollies!

 i mean brollies that will make you ooh and ah with delight. THAT is how utterly gorgeous they are!

now regular readers of this blog may be aware that i have a bit of a penchant for pretty Umbrellas, and i don't mean those little collapsible things that you pop in your handbag, you know the ones that always blow inside out on a rainy day! no i mean 'proper' umbrellas with lovely handles, pretty patterns and frilled edges.

i currently own 4 such 'proper' brollies (one for each season) but the sublime creations of Monsieur Michel Heurtault make my umbrellas look positively dowdy in comparison!

Michel Heurtault designs and creates beautiful handmade parasols and umbrellas in both classical and contemporary styles, using traditional methods and a range of high quality materials such as wood, iron, silk, cotton and linen. 

Monsieur Heurtault has also worked for the some of the greatest French Couture houses, including Dior, Hermés and Givenchy to create unique creations for the catwalk.

La Parasolerie Heurtault offers a bespoke design service to create one-off umbrellas or parasols for clients both local and international, resulting in incredible pieces that can be cherished and admired.

these sumptuous handmade treats start at around €300 so sadly i won't be able to afford one for a while yet (mainly because all of my income at the moment goes on books, paints, books, brushes, books and er... books) but i fully intend to one day own a Heurtault original (or two... or three)

now you may be sitting there thinking 'so what, it's just an umbrella, it's only there to protect you from the rain' but, think about how many umbrellas you've thrown away or lost over the years.

all those flimsy collapsible ones, or maybe an older sturdier one that also gave up one day and was beaten by the weather. or perhaps you live somewhere that doesn't get rain very often (you're lucky, it makes a regular appearance in the Isle of Man!) and don't really need one...

well, these umbrellas aren't like that, these are painstakingly created (by hand) and designed to be effortlessly functional as well as supremely pretty to look at! the perfect balance of form and function. they will last for years maybe even longer if you look after them well, and just like a fine pair of shoes or a beautiful handbag, a 'proper' umbrella can cheer you up no end because even if the weather is dull and gloomy, you'll have a pretty brolly to brighten the day.

i may be wasting my time but i'm a firm fan of a fine umbrella and i can only imagine how nice it must be to pop one of these up in the rain or sunshine :)

and i've wittered on for long enough now, so if, like me you're partial to a nice brolly then scroll on down and see some more glorious Heurtault creations...

wow seriously... have you ever seen umbrellas more gorgeous! i know i haven't, i also know that i could happily spend all day on the Heurtault website lusting after all the pretty parasols and brollies and that the next time i'm in Paris i am DEFINITELY going to pop by the boutique and have a look at all the magical umbrellas on display.

now time for some links (oh and be aware that most of the links will be in French, although the official Heurtault website is also available in English)

for more information about La Parasolerie Heurtault + to inquire about commissioning a design, to see other bespoke collections or even to learn about the history of umbrellas and parasols (because it's ALL on there) head over to the official website here - Heurtault

Heurtault also have a page on Facebook that you can 'Like' and if you like umbrellas as much as i do then you will not hesitate to click 'like' - Heurtault

so i guess all that's left is for me to say a BIG thank you to Monsieur Heurtault for saying 'oui' and letting me run this feature on his fabulous designs.
merci beaucoup Michel, votre travail est incroyable :)

All images featured in this post belong to Michel Heurtault © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or copy ANY of his work without his express written consent. All Rights Reserved.

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phew! done and done. you wouldn't believe how long it took me to organize this post, but i'm glad that it's up at last.

stay tuned over the next few days for another post

and until then, that's all folks... xX