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Coordinated Graphics

LittleLion — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:02:20 +0000

Here we are at it again. :) Seamless patterns are all the rage but there comes a time in the life of an illustrator when… okay, too dramatic, let’s try this again.

Seamless patterns can be dandy and challenging to create (in a fun way) but the microstock market claims for versatility. The audience is broad and the use found to graphic content is varied and boundless. With that in mind, I have been working on coordinated graphics which, as implied, are comprised of graphic sets created to be used individually but as a part of a larger compound, project or presentation.

As mentioned, their application is limitless but I foresee a large use in print, be it as cover and inner sides of a card or scattered throughout several pages of a magazine’s article. Maybe they will adorn a nursery’s feature wall or even end up in some poster, who knows?

The "Hi", "Oi" and "Hola" sets are the ones featured in this post but rest assured there are way more sets already available at ShutterStock, both in packs or separately, and there is even more to come, so stay tuned!

GET THEM FROM
(some links available, come back later for more!)

ShutterStock, iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, DepositPhotos

Valentine’s Soap Opera

LittleLion — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:30:13 +0000

Valentines is upon us once again and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you a little someone who helped me step into the world of commercial vector art illustration professionally… ladies and gentleman, I give you Gertrude!

Some of LittleLion Studio’s "old followers" might recognize her from times past when I used to believe that my chances of succeeding in microstock and actually make a living out of it were as thin as air, bravely she hung in there adorning my 10 image long portfolio of mostly embarrassing work and helped prove me wrong, licensing herself over and over again to many corners of this world. Since then I became very protective and supportive of her as well in her close-to-obsessive pursuit of prince charm. What a lonely girl she used to be…

But those days are over! As you can attest from the image right above, she is now wearing a tiny crown, symbol of love which has finally come her way (most of us would go for an engagement ring, but that girl surely has personality!). She found her prince and became a little princess herself.

With love floating inside and around her these days and considering she has always been a very creative and crafty doll, I could have no one better than Gertrude to invite to help me bring to you the "2010 Valentine Graphic Set Collection"!

As opposed to most Type A personality Lions, Gertrude is the humblest of creatures, so upon invitation to work on "Valentines" with me, she immediately set to enroll at one of Monica Dengo’s Calligraphy courses because she had some pretty fancy ideas of her own she wished to implement but felt short skilled to accomplish them properly. Well, I don’t know about you but as partial as I may sound, I think she did quite all right thank you very much!

From the very beginning she brought an idea to the table which I simply couldn’t resist: develop our "Valentines Collection" inspired by vintage soap labels. Yes, you read it right: vintage soap labels! Could a vintage chick come up with something more vintage than this? Could I ever say no to a frog-kisser-turned-into-princess? In any case, I loved the results.

Anyway, I apologize for her not showing up to collect compliments herself (Gertrude can be surprisingly shy), nevertheless she asked me to tell you all to reflect on her own life experience and this on the coming Valentine’s Day *not* to do like the song suggests "if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with", "by all means, no", she said! Know yourself, love yourself and eventually the one you love will be the one you’re with!

Available at:

ShutterStock
iStockPhoto
Dreamstime
StockXpert

The Stationery Position

LittleLion — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:42:49 +0000

Let’s pick up from where we’ve left off in the last post, shall we? Colors, colors, colors. Color palettes, color ways, Color Theory, color for you, color for me. Seldom does a client come by who truly edits my color ways in such a magnificent way as Lori, from The Stationery Position.

Quoting from her website, The Stationery Position is "a celebration of all things unique. Specializing in personalized note cards, announcements and invitations for all occasions, the stationery position is a surprising blend of modern sophistication and whimsical fun…" and I couldn’t agree more! Lori, herself, seems to be a unique individual who loves "fonts, tea and 3-legged cats"(yes, she adopted two of those!).

So why am I talking about her and her company? Well, if a designer as talented as she is, decides to base

huge chunks of her business on my work, I guess it entitles me to some pride, doesn’t it? The company offers fully customizable (no small feat!) stationery for personal, baby, kids and occasion notes. In the categories of her store where LittleLion Studio is present, it actually represents, on average, 84% of all the offerings (yes, I did the math… I am that nerdy…). What can I say to that but… wow!!!

Not without reason, Lori’s work ended up being featured in widely known websites about design, such as FFFFound and oh joy! for its distinct quality, clarity and elegance.

There is one thing though, which I read on The Stationery Position’s website that really stood out to me and I believe it to be the true link bonding our work: "Lori gets inspired by [...] anything that has usability, simplicity and emotion." Well said, Lori, well said.

Notwithstanding its irrelevance to this post, seeing Lori’s application of my docile whale prompted me to add this image… Brace yourselves, people, for one day you will eventually find some of my creations in the most unlikely places… ;-) [click image to enlarge].