For a year or two I have been looking at animations on Vimeo, telling myself I'd love to try animating a story one day, instead of a website's flying menus or buttons. But without a story I had a dawn good excuse to procrastinate on my project. Then last summer I heard You're So Beautiful written by Dean Vivirito. Many images came to my mind as I listened to the song for the first time and I thought hey, there's my story! About four months into it, here's the first of the song's four scenes, which takes place in Paris.

The artwork is done using a mix of manual and digital approaches. From the sketches I trace shapes which are then cut from various textured papers. The shapes are scanned into the computer and then cleaned up and treated digitally with Photoshop. I originally thought of using Flash to animate since that's what I'm familiar with, but Flash is best at animating digital artwork. With scanned images After Effects was a much better choice. This means I have to learn it as I go, but it's something I wanted to do anyway, so I just jumped in. Thank goodness for tutorials!

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The year end inspired me to clean out my drawers and there I found it: my old agenda from 2006... wow, is that what we did before the age if the iPhone? So many things are now becoming obsolete with everything going digital. Except one thing. For a reason I ignore, we are still in 2011, almost 2012!, writing good old fashioned checks. What better use then for the agenda's beautiful red cover than covering those checks? Tear the pages away, stick a colorful paper on the inside cover, and voilà, a brand new checkbook. It's going to make writing checks almost too much fun!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Even though the flea ukulele has a fairly good reputation, I realized recently how much better a wood instrument sounds. So I did some research and visited a few store in town. There are times when I agonize making a decision, and I thought it would take me longer and taking advice from a bunch of people, but here it is! When I least expected it.

I was going to get a Ohana, probably the SK-35, but turns out Mc Cabe's had a nice sale on their Martin's this month. So I walked out with their S1 model. When I arrived home I looked it up online. Apparently the "sale" was just bringing it down to what you would pay for it online.. but that's cool with me, because I supported a local business, and no shipping fees :). And my gut guided me well: this review says nice things about it.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

First post of the year! I’m not taking resolutions this time, except I need to either post more often or rethink my post strategy. It will probably be the later, soon as I get around to thinking about it! In the meantime, here’s my second collage on treehouses. It’s another tea house by Terunobu Fujimori, an unconventional Japanese architect whose work is playful and clever.

This tea house was built for an exhibit a the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, in June of last year. It’s called the Beetle House because the charred pine wood of its exterior resemble the tough shell of a beetle. Here’s the irony about this one: it’s the house that carries the trees, not the other way around!

I really like the high contrast on the inside of the tea house, and notice that little bicycle on the left side of the mantel, another fun little detail.

There’s a great article about Fujimori on Dwell which talks about how he came to design after being an historian for a good part of his life, and shows other examples of his unique work. Also check out this video about the construction of the Beetle House and the architect’s process.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Not far from where I used to live in Venice is an eclectic antique store and gallery named Obsolete. What a great name for an antique store. But don't go looking for old pictures of sailboats or a fifties dish set, your grandmother would probably not recognized anything on display here. Seemingly from an undetermined era, the carefully curated collection of unique objects, art, and furnishings on display are so cool and offbeat I would say they lean more towards trendsetting than obsolete! The store also doubles as a gallery and regularly features equally unusual artists. Each new artist is always a pleasant discovery but the one showing this month really hit home for me, since I love miniature installations. The artist reception for Tom Haney's mechanical sculptures, Undaunted, was Saturday November 13. I went the next morning and had the chance to take several pictures while the store was quiet and the sculptures were resting after an undoubtedly busy opening night.

I am so thoroughly impressed by the craftsmanship and creativity, and how all the sculptures move! Very inspiring. Plus he uses a lot of recycled parts, a definite plus in my book. On his blog, you can see some of Haney's process and how he assembles figures and mechanisms. Looks like he even designs the outfits! I would wear that dress and blue coat...

There are more sculptures and details about Tom Haney's work on the artist's page of the Obsolete site. Below are a couple shots of the store. Go take a look, it's really worth it! The show goes until December 11.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

A simple three ingredients recipe that's a very good use of the sweet peaches I bought at the farmers market this morning. They shouldn't be too sweet though, you want them a bit firm so they keep their shape. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits and scoop out the red part to make bigger cavities. Mix enough honey into about half a cup ground almonds to form a paste, and fill the peaches. Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes, and voilà.. how can something so simple be so good?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

As far as small structures go, tree houses are my favorites. Walking in my neighborhood the other day I saw one up in a tree, and I suddenly remembered how much I liked them when I was a kid. My brother, sister and I would gather whatever pieces of wood we could find, nailed them against each other on four sides, put a cover on top, added a few pillows inside, and it became our sanctuary. Never mind that spiders would find it just as comfortable as we did.

It doesn't really matter how they're built I think. As long as they have the essential elements: small space, nature, and a sense of self-reliance, the magic is there. I was looking for a subject to make a series of collages, and well I found it, tree houses! The ones I'm using as inspiration are put together much better than the one of my childhood, but they all have the same playful spirit.

My first one is based on the treehouse on stilts designed by the architect Terunobu Fujimori. It looks like it's going to walk away, I love it! Its japanese name is takasugi-an, which means "a tea house [built] too high." In japan the tea master traditionally has control over his own teahouse and builds it himself without an architect or skilled carpenter. That's what Fujimori did (although he is the architect).

Above are pictures of the real house I found on flickr, and pictured below is the architect inside his tea house. Charming. More photos and details can be found in this article on dezeen magazine.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Here's another ahem, not-so-weekly mini: a project I made last summer which I'm only now getting around to sharing, but speaking of crazy little characters made with wire, it felt to me like the perfect time to slip it in. These guys are not drinking coffee like the running man in my last post, but mixing their own drinks from self-serving pods, which I imagined would be the way to go if you were in a bar functioning like the internet.

Remember the TV I turned into a dance bar? I had come up with the idea after seeing fishes floating inside a few TVs in the window of a Quebec coffee shop. Looks like the concept is still popular... In any case I am sticking with bars. It's a bit more work, but my little people don't need to be fed when I'm gone on a trip.

This bar is the older brother of the internet café, the internet bar. What's that you'll ask? Well, like the internet which now tends more towards user-generated content, people make their own drinks in small stations dispersed around the room instead of getting them from a central bar. Rather than having a DJ select the music, everyone has the ability to set their request in a queue by connecting wirelessly to a central music library, which is the big sphere in the middle with the network inside (you see how it works, via the people's heads?). And, like the internet, there are ads, yes! On the back wall and on the characters themselves.

I try to use as much recycled parts and objects as possible but some stuff I find in a store. For this project, part of my materials (like the lighting and the character pieces) came from Michaels. See the hair on people's heads, it's actually meant to be a wedding decoration. I spend quite a bit a time browsing through the aisles, looking at every product as a possible piece of furniture or character, so much that I'm sure the sales people think I may be a little weird. But I can live with that.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

What can you make with an old can and a couple wire hangers? Aaron Kramer will tell you, a kinetic sculpture! I like things that move, but typically my thoughts go to animation rather than moving mechanical parts. You would think the opposite, since in some distant past I managed to complete a degree in mechanical engineering. But somehow I was better at the math part of it, which is probably why I now write code instead of designing machines. So anyway, back to the sculpture. Aaron gave a workshop last Sunday on how to make a moving one that anyone can learn to put together.

I found out about the workshop back in June, when I discovered we have a museum of Craft and Folk Art in Los Angeles (CAFAM). Surprisingly more modern and fresh than you would think. It's very close to LACMA, but I don't think that many people know about it, which is too bad because it's a little gem of a museum.

The workshop took place in a back room of the museum on the first floor. Quite a few of us had the same idea, I don't know, maybe thirty people? There were some kids in their early teens, with their parents, but other than that it seems the people that take the time to go to these things are mostly "older" people, which is funny when you think of the knitting frenzy among young women.

Considering we were all starting from scratch without any prior experience or idea of what we were doing, it went amazingly smoothly. Aaron first walked us through the process with some sketches and gestural demonstrations, and then we all grabbed our pens, pliers, and wire. A staff member of the museum was available to help anyone who needed it. The project was fun, challenging enough to be interesting, and most importantly everyone was able to complete on time. Very well run, I will sign up for more workshops in the future.

On the top you can see the mechanism that activates the sculpture. You turn the crank and the character moves up and down. Since my can was meant to hold coffee beans I chose to make my character a man running high on coffee, which might explain why he's jumping instead of moving forward! I have another similar can, white for decaf, which is what I normally drink. The black one was for when my parents came to visit, they are caffeine addicts. I think I'll make another sculpture with the white can and have the character be a woman, it will make quite a pair.. Don't forget to watch my little video at the bottom showing the sculpture in action! Also, see a video of the workshop itself posted by Aaron on facebook, and read this post from another participant about her sculpture.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

RGTV Tiny Inventions Trailer by Red Giant Software Last month I saw posted on motiongrapher a cool short feature animation called Something Left, Something Taken. Twelve minutes of creative bliss. The story is original and so is the animation process developed by the duo Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter from Tiny Inventions. The characters and the sets are all made by hand with found materials, then photographed and taken into the computer for compositing and animation. As if the film itself was not enough, the authors are very open to sharing their unique process and techniques. Above is a trailer for the making of video produced by Red Giant Software. See the full video just released on their website and vimeo. I think I said before how much I love making of's...

RGTV Tiny Inventions Trailer by Red Giant Software

Something Left, Something Taken by Tiny Inventions

From what I can see on their website, Tiny Inventions' animations and illustrations are mostly oriented towards children. But with this comic tale about forensic evidence and a serial killer, they are talking to a more adult audience, although the puppets, props and sets of this film still have a childish quality. I love the mix of handmade craftsmanship and high tech know-how. The cardboard sets and felt props kind of remind me of Michel Gondry's Science of Sleep. All and all, the style, music and rhythm are perfect. The whole thing is so well done, they are definitely making my list of favorite artists.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

There's nothing like homemade ice cream. It's not that hard to do, yet my ice cream maker has been sitting in a kitchen drawer mostly unused for quite a few years. But today, I was motivated. And I thought I would make one with some exotic flavor you don't typically find in the store. But then I came across this recipe that paired a simple vanilla ice cream with peaches and cherries on Tartelette. Oh boy, it was so delicious. I highly recommend it, nothing boring about vanilla here!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last week at the Renegade Craft Fair I met the artists from Sérigraphie Cinq Un Quatre, a Montreal studio that bears the name of its area code, 514. I was browsing through the pile of posters displayed in their booth when I overhead one of the artist, Jason Cantoro, saying he and his studio partner, Alice Jarry, were from Montreal.

Since I've been living far away from home for so long it's always a treat to meet montrealers traveling to Los Angeles. Besides the enjoyment of speaking french, it reminds me of the way I looked at the city when I first arrived and for the time we are talking I am seeing it again with fresh eyes. Alice and Jason founded their printmaking and art studio in 2003. They create posters, cd covers, textile graphics while also regularly exhibiting in local and international shows.

Their artwork combine different techniques like screenprinting, lithography, etching, painting and drawing. As subjects they use their own photographs, found vintage images, and various textures and graphics. What makes their work particularly enjoyable and unexpected I think, is the mix of all these diverse elements. I especially like the mural above, because to me it represents L.A. with its colorful flowers and palm trees in front of an edgy urban scene, never mind that it actually belongs to the decor of a New York restaurant called Fatty Crab... I browsed the booth for a while and finally chose the two prints below, which look great in my bedroom and have just the right touch of nonchalance to inspire my dreams.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last weekend was the Renegade Craft Fair, for the second time in Los Angeles, but for me it was my first experience. It took place outside in a large park north of Chinatown, apparently known as "the cornfield". Events of all kinds easily go unnoticed in a large city like L.A., and I don't remember how I learned about this one, but I'm glad I went, it was quite a huge event with over 200 artists!

It's wonderful to see so many creative people together in one space. With that much to look at I surely missed a ton. While I thought about taking a few snapshots, I was mostly busy trying to collect as many mental pictures as I could for inspiration, but I'll share here what's actually in physical form.

It's kind of funny how the subconscious works, but unknowingly I gravitated to a couple booths that were occupied by Montreal artists. It's not because it's my hometown, but I immediately loved these guys' work. In the one booth above was Sérigraphie Cinq Un Quatre (Alice Jarry and Jason Cantoro), which produces beautiful and unexpected prints with layered photographs and textures. I chatted with the artists for a little while, they're super nice. I'm going to make my next post for them, and also to show off the two cool prints I bought for my bedroom.

Ah the purses... like nothing I had seen before, I just could not resist. Then I learned they were together with Alice and Jason next door, who generate the graphics printed on the leather. Rachel explained she uses recycled leather for her creations. I did not need more convincing. See the cute purse I bought below.

Another temptation, this tee shirt from Recession Clothing, great colors and shape.

There were too many people in front on that booth to take a good photo of their colorful prints selection, but it's easy to remedy because they're on etsy.

As if cupcakes were not cute enough, these edible stickers really add the cherry on the sundae. With a modern flair at that.

It seems the world can never get enough pillows (those are made by Park and Beach), especially when they are this cheerful.

Last picture, I don't remember what booth I took this at, but this one is to remind me that fabric stretched on a canvas is one option for wall art.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This is Where We Live by 4th Estate on Vimeo This short film is so beautiful I couldn't resist posting it here, even though it's been out for a while already. The other reason is that it resonates nicely with my current state of mind: enjoying the leisure activities of summer (at the expense of my blog). The music, warm tones, and fun little characters all contribute to the summery feeling of this unique miniature world made of books. To me it's a wink to those many summers of my childhood spent devouring as many stories as I could. A clever idea produced by Apt Studio and Asylum Films to celebrate the 4th Estate publishers' 25th anniversary. Check also the film's site for production stills and time-lapse videos.

This is Where We Live by 4th Estate on Vimeo

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Today I went to my old neighborhood of Venice to walk along my favorite stretch of the beach, from Rose ave to the little bay of rocks where surfers ride the waves and skateboarders ride concrete in the park by the boardwalk. Much everything was the same: people smiling everywhere, walking along the water, getting buried in the sand or sitting quietly on the shore, kids playing in the waves.. but something was different.

The lifeguard towers were far from their usual blue-grey shade shown below, much more colorful!

Back home I looked it up online. I wasn't dreaming, this has been done only recently. It's a project called Summer of Color put together by Portraits of Hope, a great group of people that "conceives and develops one-of-a-kind motivational art projects" merging "the production of dynamic public art works with creative therapy for hospitalized children and civic education for students of all ages." Very cool. They have projects in multiple places, like New York, New Orleans, Japan.. Another project they did in Los Angeles is the tower on Pico by the Avenue of the Stars. Ha, you think you know a lot about your city, but there is always more to learn..

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

When I moved in my little bungalow three years ago it was much less colorful than it is now. I don't know how the previous tenants did live in there with so much bulky furniture and dirty mini-blinds on the windows, but as long as there was wood floors and nice moulding throughout I was pretty sure I could do something with the place.

First thing for the living room was a quest for a sofa that would be small enough for the room and fit through the 29" door, which I ended up finding at plummers (it's called the Toronto sofa, but it looks like they discontinued it), a nice alternative to Ikea. It's a bit more upscale but for the price the quality is much better.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Most of the rest came from craigslist with the help of my friend Minh, who's a great designer and loves scouting craiglist for furniture. He also gave me the idea of using shelves and a painting to cover the a/c unit on the wall. I did the painting over several weekends one summer. It turned out to be an ambitious project but as I saw it, it would have taken even longer to find the one piece of artwork with exactly the right dimensions and colors. If you can't find it, just make it...

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Going from the workspace to the bedroom department I found a clothes storage system that had shelves just the right dimensions to fit over the cabinets and looked like it was designed to go with them. I was pretty happy to have found this, like I had tricked the system. But then, as I browsed the textiles area I fell in love with the big red patterned curtain panels, and just when I went, darn it won't work over any of my windows, it dawned on me I could use them over the cabinets to cover the shelves. There's no law that says curtains have to go over windows. And it allows me to do another favorite thing, use one space for multiple purposes. Office by day, dining room by night.

The hallway was kind of a dead space and the best antidote I could see was to make it the place to keep my family and friends while having fun with colors.

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

SALVAGED: Aaron Kramer and the Secret Life Of Objects Opening by Craft and Folk Art Museum Here is an inspiring artist, Aaron Kramer. This guy can turn discarded objects into beautiful and intriguing art pieces. His motto: "Trash is the failure of imagination". I wish everyone had this much imagination... but mostly, I'd love to know where he finds such nice trash! See his work at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the show runs until September 12.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Today was free admission at LACMA in honor of memorial day. Great incentive to visit my favorite museum and look for inspiration. I came home with a few snapshots and discovered funny similarities between the few pieces I randomly decided to photograph. Ha! There must something at work in my subconscious...

See the full gallery on Posterous

Harlequin by Pablo Picasso and Le Boulevardier by Elie Nadelman

Untitled (Dancing Man) by Joel Shapiro and Evening Dress by Alexandra Exter

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I would have never thought of plasticine as a tool for illustrations or how beautiful the results could be. But look at these incredible images from the spanish artist Irma Gruenholz. I just love the poetry of her work. It's a gem I found buried in an article from smashing magazine. Makes me want to run to the closest art store and grab some clay!

I love this one too, it's just like me minus the cat!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »