You see a lot of retro wallpaper these days that simply use old style patterns. Some can be cool but none if you really want a retro style wallpaper without going completely vintage then I recommend you take take a look at the small yet stunning range offered by Nama Rococo. They actually come as sheets so you can have just one single piece or fill an entire wall. They have some bold designs with strong colours but they all look superb and will give you that modern retro feel you might be searching for.
[via Apartment Therapy]

Designersblock Illustrate 07
15 - 23 September 2007

Installations from over 80 leading illustrators within and upon 40 newly constructed commercial units spread across 4 acres. Including jon burgerman, airside, squint opera, sarah howell, serge seidlitz, secret wars, debut art, will barras. FREE entry

Designersblock London 07
20 - 23 September 2007 10th Anniversary Show

60 International & UK Designers. Designboom ‘handled with care’ contemporary ceramics competition and exhibition, Secret Wars from Monorex and more. Register online for free entry by the 19th september 2007

2 events you really should be checking out if your a fan of art and design.

Artist Name: Junichi Tsuneoka

Website: stubbornsideburn.com

Bio: Junichi Tsuneoka was born and raised in Japan and upon graduating Waseda University
in Tokyo, he has arrived in US at the end of 20th century. Then He studied graphic design at Cornish College of the Arts and he was hired by Seattle based design company, Modern Dog as a graphic designer right after graduation.

Modern Dog’s world famous designers, Robynne Raye, Michael Strassburger and Vittorio Costarella taught Junichi everything from design basics to the meaning of the word “mullet,” almost everything you need to live in USA. Junichi’s career and life doesn’t exist without their support and guidance.

There he developed design skills and encouraged to use a lot of his own illustration in his design projects. After being a graphic designer for 5 years, Junichi has established a style often recognized as “California Roll Stylie,” the result of both visual and conceptual fusion of Japanese pop culture and U.S. urban culture. He founded STUDIO STUBBORN SIDEBURN to broaden his visual communication and to use his visual language in art, illustration and design. His art is very bold and graphic. His strong design background makes his art very unique and communicates effectively.

Art Category / Medium: Screen print, digital, drawing, design, graphic

Read the rest of this entry »

It comes and goes but has never really made its official ‘comeback’. Every one of my friends who has redecorated has always been too scared to experiment with a little pattern and the result is bland glossy walls, which can look streamlined and neat – but where’s the fun?

ALMENDRO by Tres Tintas - www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com

Wallpaper can add a stylish angle to the right room – and don’t forget you don’t have to plaster it all over every wall – put the paper on just one wall and leave the others bare for a bit of pattern placement.

Found a gorgeous retro design but too scared to play with the paste? Treat it as art for your walls – cut a square and finish it off with a gorgeous frame.

‘Tile’ busy wallpaper designs on different areas of your wall or use the paper in thick strips to add colour to a plain background.

Designer Johnny Tapete creates vintage, old school wallpapers that you can almost smell the seventies on. If you’re looking for authentic retro designs this is the place to start.

Check out www.johnny-tapete.de - he’s based in Germany but papers can be ordered online as well as vintage/retro furnishings and fabrics.

www.conceptcoverings.co.uk – these guys are very modern and might run some colour schemes that are a little scary to the wallpaper virgin but the main thing is that they’re fun and not afraid to play with colour. If it’s modern and retro you’re looking for, make this site your first stop.

They do a fantastic range of bespoke digitally printed wallpapers so this is the place to come if you have a design and want it transferred to a paper. They offer advice on pattern placement and image size, making sure your finished design will work effectively in wallpaper.

www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com – fantastic site that shows how retro designs don’t have to be scary and how a little injection of colour can transform a space.
The online gallery gives some great ideas in using the papers creatively and the site is really beautiful and easy to navigate. Check it out if you don’t want to end up with the same old Ikea style stuff as everyone else – these guys are based abroad but you can order online.

For pattern that’s a bit more on the delicate side, The Alpha Workshops have some great hand painted, hand printed papers that can be made to order – their Butterfly range (below) is gorgeous – www.alphaworkshops.org.

Other links – www.creativewallcovering.com – don’t be put off by the simple website – take the time to have a browse of the designs, there’s some pretty ornate yet funky stuff on here as far as wallpapers go.

post by Natalie

Gavin Strange is a 24 year old professional graphic and web designer, street artist and toy customizer based in Bristol, United Kingdom. You may know Gavin Strange through his personal studio Jam Factory. Sandman got in touch with Gavin to ask a few questions…enjoy.

You’re a pretty young guy, at least in comparison to me, and it looks like you’re doing pretty good for yourself. Would you agree?

In the most modest way possible, year I’d have to agree. I still actually can’t believe I’ve done the stuff I’ve done, I’m a very very lucky boy indeed.

What is your ultimate goal in your career?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. I don’t have an ultimate goal at the moment, I think I’d just like to be able to continue doing this until I can’t use a computer or pick up a pen no more! I’d like to carry on and design / create / be a part of everything I’ve always wanted too!

How did you get started in the design field?

I was lucky, real lucky in fact. I did 2 years Graphic Design at college in my hometown of Leicester (Holla!) but I didn’t really have any interest in going to Uni, I just wanted to get out there and get involved. I was lucky enough to be offered a place working for a local Design Agency, which I gladly took. Not long after joining the firm I was offered the chance to be a Junior Web Designer as opposed to a Junior Graphic Designer. Having tinkered with the web a little bit in my own time, I said yes and that started it all!

In my spare time I doodled, drew, designed and just carried on the graphics side with the technical web side being learnt at the agency. 4 years later I plucked up the courage to go it alone and started JamFactory as my own company, being my own boss. 3 years later, I’m still here!

I love your bright, bold and many times, cute designs. I’ve been inspired by your work. Can you tell me what or who has influenced your style up to now?

Thanks man, very kind of you to say! Oh wow, influences… there’s so many! It ranges from people who I take a direct link of their style and people who I just think are incredible… My Bristol homeslices Mr Jago, Richt, Sums & Paris, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, TADO, Juice Foozle, Dist, Deseo One, David Lanham, Jeremy Fish, David Ellis, Will Barras, iso50, Jeff Soto, Mark Ryden, Miss Van, Pete Fowler, Rikcat, Tokidoki, WASTE, Christopher Lee, Chris Cunningham, David Fincher, Michel Gondry & Spike Jonze to my inspiration list!

There’s so many I’m forgetting. I just love it when I see anything awesome, I get so excited and feel proud that I’m ‘part’ of something, you know? It feels like there’s this whole subculture of artists, I love that, that’s inspirational itself!

You seem to have covered so many different “canvases” including skateboards and brick walls. What is your favorite surface to paint on?

Hmmm, another good one! I’m loving walls at the moment! Toys are awesome but they’s so fiddly and easy to mess up! Big flat smooth walls are really nice, Posca’s go on there so nice. I’m also a bit obsessed with doodling on windows, ever since the Rebelo show in Newcastle; I keep trying to convince different people to let me loose on their windows!

I’m all really new to this really though, it’s only within the last few years that I’ve had the opportunity to really do hands-on art stuff, as it’s previously been graphics and web stuff. I just kept my doodles as doodles, I only did my first canvas’s 3 or 4 years ago. I’m actually crap at proper painting. You give me a paint brush and tell me to paint you a ‘traditional’ painting and it’ll look pap, I leave that stuff to my brother - he’s the man with the proper skills!

Do you like doing stuff smaller, larger or does it matter?

It depends really, I don’t really have a preference! I love doing graphics stuff which gets printed big, thats always exciting! I did some graphics for Realmac Software a few months ago, 2 x 2 metres tall graphics for their booth at MacWorld and then a huge graphic for their new offices which spanned over 12 panes of glass, which is great feeling to have your stuff out there so big!

In terms of arty stuff I’m happy any size really although I reckon im more comfortable with a medium sized canvas or something 60 x 40cm or something like that! Saying that, give me anything any size and I’ll give it a go!

What is your favorite medium to work with?

The medium of dance, that’s always a good one.

ha-ha, not really. Ermmm I’d say I’m most comfortable on the computer, in Illustrator. I can work so much faster and smoother in that than anything else. But like I say, I’m so lucky to be doing different things, it feels ace to learn them all.

Pill Boy is such a cool character! I see from his flickr gallery that he’s very popular too. (added link for later in the post) What can you tell us about Pill Boy? How did you come up with him? What is his story?

Thanks! Yeah, I’m so so stoked with li’l PillBoy! He’s quite a trooper, he started out as a little idea I had in my sketchbook AGES ago, like years ago. I was flicking through it one day and thought ‘oh, i quite liked that idea’ and then started doodling again on that theme. I was at Duncan’s (Jago) flat at the time, just having a doodle session, and i remember being so inspired just being there, feeling creative with a hero of mine. I was really into it and thought I’d like to turn him into a vector creation.

That night I worked away and I’d not long fell in love with transparencies in Illy so that was my first real character which used shadows, which I was proud of. I’m not sure where or why I had the idea to open him up for download, I think I was just dead eager to be involved in the design community someway, so i thought I’d give it a go!

Well, 140+ customizations later, he’s still going strong! As far as I’m aware, there’s also a 2 foot vinyl sticker PillBoy on the wall of the I.D.E.A. Gallery in Los Angeles, courtesy of Pop Cling & Beautiful Decay! I’d also like to thank EVERYONE who’s ever took the time to create their own PillBoy, I heart you.

Who knows what’s next for him… I’d love to see him come to live in vinyl toy form… who knows!?

Well it looks like you’ve got a full plate right now, what can we look forward to in the next few weeks, months…. from you?

I have indeed got a full plate, which I love and am real grateful for. Expect websites, graphics, skateboards, clothing, shows and a couple more things i’ve got to keep under my hat but are very exciting too..

In closing, I want to thank you for taking time out of your seriously, umm how do you put it, “MAD busy”(?) schedule… to answer all of these questions. I am sure your fans will appreciate it and we definitely do at Urban Retro Lifestyle!

No, thank YOU for taking the time to ask me these questions, it’s been fun! Fans? Do I have fans? Surely not, im just a big kid that loves monsters and will scribble anything given half the chance, I’m more like an artistic parasite of sorts (a nice fluffy manga-looking parasite you understand).

Anyways, a massive thanks to you Matt, Urban Retro Lifestyle and everyone who’s took the time to read this shizzle, I love you all like a rap kid loves breaks.

Peas.

You can view more of Gavin Strange’s work at Jam Factory.

Interview by Sandman