Me and my paper doll collection on the ABC!

There's something alot of people don't know about me - including my friends and family. I'm a nerdy collector, especially when it comes to Grace Drayton's paper doll series of "Dolly Dingle" from the early 1900's.
The ABC tv show The Collectors featured me and my collection recently, I had the segment posted on this blog until shit hit the fan at the network (if you've had your eye on the news you will know what went down with the host of the show allegedly having his own, er, collection??). So if you missed it - my apologies as the show's website is down indefinitely so I can't link you to the feature. Was good while it lasted.

I love work!


After a trip to eckersleys with our other awesome designer Chris for art supplies, group cake for morning tea session in the beanbags, a pile of fun new briefs and the nicest people in the world to work with - I thought as I was working at my desk today that I really do have the best job in the world. Here's a drawing for a tee I am working on today xxx

Fourteen-Nineteen




How cool is this website Fourteen-Nineteen
It's put together by teenagers, showcasing the photographic work of fourteen - nineteen year olds.
Gives a really nice view of youth culture and the world in general. Pictured are some of my favourites.

Mary Blair




I've been watching the making of Sleeping Beauty (The Disney animated version), it is SO good. That film is an epic soup of amazing design and illustration. Mary Blair worked on alot of Disney projects, and her style was really allowed to shine in this film. She did alot of the artwork for the backgrounds throughout the film. Here are some of her pictures from other projects... so gorgeous!! I love you Miss Blair!!

Me and the ABC


If on Friday the 28th of May you find yourself doing diddley-squat around 8pm, then tune into the ABC. You'll see me being interviewed about my artwork and my collection of Dolly Dingle paper dolls on the series The Collectors. Especially worth tuning into if you are a fan of American Illustrator Grace Drayton, creator of the Dolly Dingle dolls, as you will get a good glimpse into her life and at her amazing work. The ABC team were super professional and fun to work with, such lovely people!! Don't know if this will exactly launch my TV career, but should at least be a bit of a giggle to see my mug across the screen xxx

With love from Paris



Dave's gorgeous mum Dawn was recently in Paris and brought back the most divine tiny pink box filled with Parisian Macaroons. Their colours and textures were so beautiful, I told Dave he had to wait until I photographed them until he could eat them. I just wanted to keep arranging them into different patterns and pile them all up on top of each other, they are too cute. If they taste half as good as they look then I can't wait to try one.

LATEST PURCHASE

Davey and I purchased our first house this week. After months of looking, giving up every weekend inspecting countless properties, having near melt-downs at auctions and being bewildered by Melbourne's soaring housing prices... we finally have a place we can call our own. So I'm soon to be a resident of Kensington, one of the cutest suburbs north of the CBD. I am SO stoked, the place is super cute and I now have my weekends back! (AND I should mention our good friends Ben and Jess live in the apartment upstairs too!! Melrose Place anyone??) xxx

Baby Yuki


A week earlier than expected, the much anticipated and most exciting edition to our family has arrived home. Yuki is a Bengal Kitten, a relative of the leopard cat. She is totally cute and totally distracting me from everything else right now. Dave hasn't ever really been into cats, but judging from this photo, I think he is secretly a little bit in love. Fun times ahead xxx

James Yang



JAMES Yang
Illustrator + Professor School of Visual Arts


Born and raised in Oklahoma, James Yang graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, in 1983, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
in communication arts and design. Within a few years of entering the illustration marketplace, prestigious trade publications began to show or feature his work: Communication Arts Design & Illustration Annuals, 3×3 Magazine, Graphis, HOW, Print’s Regional Design Annual, Step x Step, and The Art Directors Club of New York Annual. Since 1983, James has won over 200 awards for design and illustration. Mr. Yang most recently taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has also taught and lectured at the Maryland Institute College of Art, The Corcoran School of Art, and The University of Maryland. He continues to be in constant demand as a guest lecturer around the world, and most recently returned from a one week teaching engagement in Lebanon. Yang moved to NYC in 1994, and recently moved to Brooklyn where he lives happily married to acclaimed choreographer and dancer Abby


How did you get started in the illustration field?
I got my start in the Washington DC area back in 1983. It was the classic case of taking your portfolio around, waiting in offices for art directors to look at your work and going to the next studio. I also did part time production work at small studios to make some money while trying to get my illustration career off the ground. This was pre-computer, so I had to do paste-up for which I had NO TALENT. Illustration was my major in college and for some reason, I was convinced I could make it work. It was a combination of hard work, determination, luck, and naiveté.





How did you find your style? Has it changed since you started?
At the risk of sounding overly simple, I tried to create images I like viewing. In other words, I wanted my work to fit if placed in an imaginary collection with the work of artists I admire. Early influences were Saul Steinberg, Ralph Steadman, and Joan Miro. My work is very different now than when I started, but you will see a thread. These days, I really like Tim Biskup and a lot of the retro stuff from the 50’s and early 60’s.




Do you have a rep? Why/why not?
I have been with David Goldman since the mid eighties. We have a great relationship and have similar ideas about how to approach business. I don’t think it is crucial for an illustrator to have an agent, but if you can find one where you both click, it can be a great help.







What do you enjoy most about your work?
I like the freedom of the typical workday. You schedule how hard you work, when you wake up, what kind of music you like when you work. Ironically, I’m pretty routine-oriented so my day starts at 9:30 in the morning.



Describe your work setting.
Very typical for New York. I have a two bedroom apartment in a doorman building and one of the bedrooms is my studio. It’s a corner apartment high up in the building so it has great views of the city. I have the classic drawing table for sketches and occasional paintings and another desk with computer and scanners. The computer is a Quad-Core Apple Mac Pro with a 23 inch Cinema Display. I should have bought the 30 inch display. It is just my habit to buy the “middle” of any product. Some of my friends have the 30 inch display and I am VERY JEALOUS.



What has been inspiring you lately?
I found this wacky free video podcast called “Public Duck” recently. Some of it is lame, but some of it is very clever. It is fascinating to see all this random video stuff since YouTube became huge.





Any advice for others who are pursuing creative goals?
This is the best advice I ever heard. I am only an expert at creating “Yangs”. I can either be a second-rate Picasso or a first-rate Yang.





New Illustration


It's Saturday night and I'm sick as a dog. I can't even remember the last time I was sick. It sucks. So while I'm forced to stay home while everyone else is out having fun, I figure I might as well be productive. The picture above poster illustration is what I came up with. xxx