Free As A Bird

 Lovely Lou wearing one of her mum's felt bird masks

Ateliers Reinette will always be one of my faves.

If You Go Down To The Woods Today...

Abby Hendrickson (Hownowdesign) and Rachael Hetzel (Pistachio Press) have been friends for years. It is not surprising then that they decided to team up professionally and create a new letterpress collection for kids. Their three different woodland animal masks come complete with ribbon and four crayons and are a perfect fun activity for rainy days (which I hope we've seen the last of for a while...) and long Summer holidays. I love the top pheasant!

Available from Abby's shop Hownowdesign & Rachel's Pistachio Press

Irina Troitskaya

My three children went back to school today, fitting then that I should begin by showing you some of Irina Troitskaya's wonderful illustrations from a school-themed Russian comic strip. You may already be familiar with Irina's work, especially if you read Uppercase magazine. I came across her portfolio quite by chance and instantly fell in love with her world of illustration, so different from anything I've ever seen before.

"Life's too short to be someone you don't want to".

Irina was born and raised in Izhevsk, a place she describes as "a city of dead ends, sad electronic music and Finno-Ugric cultural roots". Her love of drawing led her to study art at Udmurt State University for five years, but left her weary, feeling nothing but abhorrence for the way painting and drawing were regarded. After graduating she worked as a TV journalist, then in summer 2003 decided to try her chances in Moscow. She has established herself as a successful freelance illustrator working for press, advertising and book publishing, as well as being a tutor of a visual communications course. Irina is studying for a Master's degree in illustration at the University of Hertfordshire, England.

I've really enjoyed reading Irina's blog and seeing some of the things that inspire her, the environment she lives in and grew up in, all the things that she sees, lives, breathes and absorbs. The world that will influence her future creation.

I've loved seeing how dolls she played with as a child


have, over time, been transformed into these beautiful and strange Matreshkas.






How her fabulous sketchbooks






have developed into these patterns and illustrations,




and, how birds and animals from Russian litterature have been shaped into mysterious masks and striking Easter eggs.




Pictures speak louder than words.

Take the time to explore Irina's blog and portfolio, a whole new world awaits you.