blac magazine. yana de groot

Blac.blac.com.au october 2013 $9.95 aud inc gst

illustratorartistnanlawson

funkupyour kitchen

thelittleblackdress

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2 OCTOBER 2013 BLAC. BLAC. OCTOBER 2013 3

Well we’re finally here, we’ve made it to spring and it feels better than ever! This issue is packed full of great ideas to inspire you, around the home, in the workplace or even just generally get the creative juices flowing in some way.

This month we have special illustrator Nan Lawson talking to us about her gorgeous illustrative

style and cute characters and how she turned her hobby and passion into a legitimate full time income. Her quirky illustrations are featured throughout this issue, we hope you enjoy them!

Our designer kitchen spread features some of the most brilliant, colourful and functional kitchen designs from all over the globe. We’ve done the hard work for you —now you just need to decide which of these darling pieces fit into your budget.

Following our domesticated kitchen spread we talk about the LBD and why it is a girls best friend, we’ve also found some of this season’s must have LBD’s.

We then meet a unique father who has a passion for photography and has created some quirky humorous pictures of his young kids.

For now enjoy this packed issue!

Yana de Groot.

BLAC. EDITOR

This month from Blac.

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funkykitchen 8

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weirdweb

Credits: Cover and inside cover illustrations by Nan Lawson. Model is Zooey Deschanel , Photo by Matt Jones. Glasscape fishbowl by Aruliden.


creative people

illustratingwith love.

Nan Lawson is a self taught Illustrator living and working in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. There, she lives with her husband and two chubby cats while she daydreams about the perfect pair of glasses and her next cup of coffee. Nan owns a successful Etsy shop; nanlawson.etsy.com and is known for her pop culture portraits. She also works freelance jobs illustrating book covers, magazine articles or creating logos, and she takes part in several group gallery shows on a monthly basis. She draws quirky and nerdy things and characters, which are often inspired by hipsters, cult television shows, and flea markets.

I immediately adored Nan’s gorgeous illustrative style and cute characters. Nan was kind enough to answer a few questions for August Empress.

Your illustrative style is quite original and quirky, can you share a little about your process?

I start off usually by getting inspired by something, whether it’s something I see in real life, or in a photograph, or on my computer screen. Then, I sketch out my idea roughly. I work digitally, so all of my sketching is done in photoshop. Then, I draw my “ink” lines over my sketch layer. I usually stick to a simple color palette and add textures to my digital coloring to make it feel more organic.

Where is your favourite place to work?

I love working at home. I live in a lovely little apartment with my boyfriend, it has a lot of big windows and gets great light.

Where do you find inspiration for your artwork and quirky characters?

Like I mentioned above I can be inspired by many things. I’ve been drawing a lot of characters from films and television shows lately and that seems to resonate with a lot of people (including myself!)

When did your passion for art begin?

I honestly don’t know when it started, I’ve loved drawing and creating since I was a child, so there isn’t exactly that one moment where I could say it began. I can say it really crystallized when I was working a boring day job and needed a creative outlet for myself and turned to drawing and painting. Now drawing and painting is my day job!

What are the top 3 blogs you love to read?

Wow, I love so many blogs, mostly interior design related ones, ok…

1. SFgirlbybay

2. Design Sponge

3. Decor8

What are the top 3 items on your wishlist to buy?

Definitely the top choice would be a Wacom Cintiq, which I will probably never be able to afford. I really want a faux taxidermy head to hang above my television. Like the ones here. I also need a new floor lamp for my living room, I was thinking something vintage, but similar to a task lamp.

“I’ve loved drawing and creating since I was a child, so there isn’t exactly that one moment where I could say it began”

Credits: Illustrations by Nan Lawson. Article by Jo Klima from augustempress.com

Read more about Nan Lawson at nanlawson.com


Bodum is producing some really nice designs on the basic appliance you find around your kitchen. The trend this spring is to ditch the dull stainless steel appliance and bring in all the colours of the rainbow. The vibrant colours will brighten up your home and get your neighbours talking. All Bodum products are of excellent contruction and stylish design, and come with a 30 day money back guarantee.

The Zoku is truly a well designed and innovative product which allows you to create gorgeous frozen popsicles that freeze solid in under 7 minutes right on your kitchen bench without electricity. The Zoku makes 9 pops at a time before you can refreeze the base and start again!

Aruliden realised the potential of this simple functional piece, and have used their hand blown glass technique to create something unique and extraordinary.

Meet Glasscape. Winner of the Red Dot Design Award and even featured in the New York Times, this fishbowl is ideal for creating an austere yet dynamic centrepiece in your home. The textured interior is designed to evoke the feel of a rugged landscape - and that it does. Fish will love swimming around this unique space. A beautiful environment for pets as well as plants, this creative piece will look interesting no matter what is placed inside it.

Available from zokuhome.com for $49.95

Our funky kitchen favourites would not be complete without an Alessi. This is the Alessi Blow Up Fruit Bowl , a bowl like no other. This is truly an exclusive italian work of art.

Available from atluxe.com.au for $289

These award winning Verner Panton Egg Cups are part of the Pernille Vea for Menu collections and demonstrate an appealing evolution of the iconic Verner Panton design. A must have to brighten your kitchen for summer!

Available from dreamicons.com for $24.95

It’s time to put some life back into your kitchen. The great thing about kitchens in Spring 2013 is that anything goes!

Available from dwell.com for $200

Available from kitchenwaredirect.com.au starting from $89.95 for the toaster

designer products

funk upyourkitchen.


Photo Credit: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Other Photographs, Schirmer/Mosel 2009

The little black dress is always the obvious choice for a woman. As it is now commonly known, the LBD is the epitome of classic fashion, no woman can live without a little black dress.

The average girl has at least ten little black dresses, probably because black works well with so many complexions and of course is very slimming.

The colour black has been perceived in many different ways throughout history. In the 19th century women wore black only when they were in mourning. Black was associated with witchcraft, evil, gothic, but also elegance. In the 1920s fashion began its journey into the

LittleBlackDress

chic when young flappers came out drinking gin and wearing these LBDs with quiet sexiness and confidence. It’s rumored couturier Paul Poiret, a man who couldn’t grasp the changing times of the Jazz Age, asked a very chic black-dressed Chanel, “For whom are you in mourning, Mademoiselle?” “For you, Monsieur,” she replied.

I was never “gothic” when I was in middle school, (when the goth phase was most common), but I knew I LOVED the colour black. I couldn’t understand why, but I know that if I did “go goth” it wouldn’t be because I was rebelling against anything or to go against the norm, it would just be to wear the colour black. (But without the raccoon eyeliner, spiked hair, and all other stereotypical goth fashion.) It never seemed socially acceptable to wear this dark color all the time, and my family urged me to add more color to my wardrobe. Black, to me, seems mysterious, classy, rock ‘n roll and in a weird way, high fashion.

Why does the fashion pack love black? For the same reasons that black is such a mainstay: It’s flattering, seductive, elegant, practical, engagingly louche, and reliably chic.

Read more at MYELOISE :

myeloise.blogspot.com.au

1. Preen Line Peplet Dress ($433), 2. lily & jae dawn dress ($188), 3. Vest Dress ($267), 4. Stretch Ruffle Tiered Dress ($29.80), 5. Vivienne

Westwood Anglomania Black Scoop Dress ($301.95) all from theiconic.com.au

fashion

“One is never overdressed or

underdressed in a little black dress”

Karl Largerfield

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Creative Dad takesCrazy Photo’s of Daughters.

As a boy, Jason Lee didn’t dream of being a photographer. In fact, he sort of stumbled into his career shooting weddings after chatting with the photographer at a coworker’s nuptials.

However, what has earned Lee his world-wide notoriety aren’t his photographs of weddings, but rather the fantastical and imaginative photos he takes of his own daughters, Kristin and Kayla. These photos started about 5 years ago as a way to help his mother—who was fighting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the time—feel included in the day-to-day lives of her grandchildren. Because of the disease and her treatments, Jason’s mother was unable to spend as much time with the kids as she would’ve liked, out of fear of picking up any of the little colds kids get.

“I wanted a way to document the things that were going on in their lives, and maybe have a little picture to go along with a short blurb. I completely suck at writing, and I thought pictures would be the best way for her to watch the kids growing up.”

So Jason started a blog, Kristin and Kayla: A Photo Journal of Two Sisters with the great subtitle: *do not try this at home!*

Check out the whole collection at

kristinandkayla.blogspot.com.auPhoto Credits: Jason Lee

We scoured the web to uncover a unique father with a passion for photography.

weird wide web

cover art designed by nan lawsonsubscribe at www.subscribeblac.com

edited and designed by yana de grootprinted by snap printing southport

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