TRAN NGUYEN

Tran Nguyen conjures magical worlds inhabited by melancholy whimsical creatures through the delicate strokes of her brush. Layers of flat, powdery egg shell blues swathe delicate translucent skin tones. J'adore :)

Alternative Knits and Daydream Prints from Australian Designer Karla Spetic

When I heard Karla Spetic had incorporated prints by Caitlin Shearer into her AW10 collection, I had to have  a peek. I'm glad I did, along with loving Caitlin's quirky prints, I was rather taken with Karla's alternative knits and candy coloured pastels. Below are a few hot picks of mine from the collection. P.S the collection is called "Daydreamer"...it had me at hello :)

Tuesday Giveaway and Artist Interview with Leigh Viner!

What a treat! Dandelion Daydreamer is putting me in touch with all my favourite artists and I am loving the insight into their creative worlds. I am a huge fan of Leigh Viner. I saw her "Push" painting a couple of years back and have subsequently been a gushing admirer of her work ever since. Leigh's illustrations evoke a sense of sensual feminity, they sweep you into a world of tender fleeting moments where contemporaory fine art meets fabulous fashion illustration. I love the brave brush strokes, the melange of mediums - light and airy pencil meets dark broody acrylic and they hit it off! Most of all I favour the forgotten watercolour droplets carving their own paths on the canvas. As usual Tuesday holds a treat in store for one lucky reader... Leigh has kindly offered a standard sized print to the winner of the giveaway. Simply leave a comment below and let us know your favourite print, you can visit her shop here. the competition runs until Tuesday the 2nd of February and the winner will be chosen at random. Good luck to you my lovelies x

Where do you work from?

I work from home and at times on location/studio depending on the project I am working on. (Leigh lives in Denver).

"Push"
Where do you take your inspiration from? 

Vastly inspiration can come from a million resources each week. I am definitely inspired mostly by fashion, but a song, a phrase from a book, a scene from a movie or looking at photography can inspire me. I keep a journal with me at all times as I never know what may spark my inspiration so I make sure to take note.

"Cricket"
What mediums do you work in? 

 I mostly work with watercolor and acrylics for my paintings, but for my illustrations it is with pen and digital along with watercolor. 

Then with my photography, I use a Nikon D50 and 90. And this year I hope to get back into some TTV photography as well. 

"Atmosphere"
I see you are also a make-up artist , all that colour and heavy application much inspire your painting nicely? (I'm thinking of 'Push', my favorite print)

Thank you, it is one of my favorites as well and was inspired by another artists technique from a fashion spread I saw. It was one of those first pieces that I let go with and stepped outside the box so to speak while creating. I am also heavily influenced by my Makeup artistry as well, working with the models I am able to really understand shading and color along with the shape of the face, but it goes as well working with them from the canvas, not being afraid to play with the makeup as well. 

  "Lanvin 2 SS/10"

What are you wearing?

My favorites at the moment are some separates from Free people, but along with some quality investment pieces I try to mix it up with a lot from Forever 21 etc. 

 "Lanvin 01"

Who are you other favorite illustrators?

 I have so many that I adore,  I could go on forever lol, but to name a few, David Downtown, Bec Winnel, Kelly Smith, Danny Roberts, Garance Dore, Cedric Rivrain, Alison Fox and Sandra Suy.. 

 "Silence and Noise"
What are your favourite etsy shops?

I just love Etsy not only because it has been great place to sell, but everyday I discover a favorite. The list from above most have an Etsy shop and a few jewelry choices would be, http://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaUnicorn and http://www.etsy.com/shop/jessyq (postcards and Love) but I have over 260 pages of favs in my shop which continues to grow. 

"Cherry Blossom Girl"
How do you spend your weekends?

Working LOL... well I try to actually meet up with friends when I can and also schedule some fun time with my daughter, a movie, going to the park. I also love to catch up on my reading and watching movies and also plan my inspirations for the week ahead. 

 "Neva"

Please describe your typical working day? 

My typical day is my is first and foremost getting my daughter off to school, then once I get home, I tackle my correspondences and shipping of orders. I then usually have a few hours to either network, create or work on commissioned work. Once I pick her up I play and do homework with her and not pick up my work until after she goes to bed. Which I then continue at times until midnight.  

"I'm Afraid I Can't Help It"

I've Been Interviewed!

What a nice surprise! The lovely Alice from White Rabbit has featured a little artist interview about me and my work on her blog. It was quite refreshing to be on the other side of the interviewing desk for a day :) Thank you Alice, you brightened my day x

Lily

Melt In Your Mouth Fashion Photography by Kelly Thompson

One teeny tiny humble link led me to this bountiful bouquet of fashion photography bliss by Kelly Thompson. I will post some of her heavenly fashion illustrations very soon... I just need a little bit longer to drool over them by myself first :)

Win one of my Lovely Lady Prints :)

To celebrate all my recent painting sales I have decided to do a print giveaway. All prints are printed on archival quality paper, signed by moi, and will last for many years to come. All you have to do to win your favourite print (it is more fun if you can choose your own) is make sure you are a follower of the blog and leave a comment saying which print is your favourite. Clicking on any of the links will take you to my shop, where there are many more to choose from. Good luck :)

Molly 

 

Marla

 

Clodagh

                                         Conor Kissed Chloe

                                         Sinead

                                           Clementine

                                             Daisy Daydreams

                                             Fall's First Kiss

  Home Sweet Home,  A thoughtful house-warming gift for a friend's new house :)

Happy Birthday to me....now here's my wishlist :)

Today is my birthday! Officially in the late twenties..up up and away over the hill ;) To celebrate I am going to spoil myself and create the wish list of my dreams! Friends and family take note...

Ohhh this is pretty! Embroidered neck piece by Amy Brennan, be sure to watch the little movie clip on her website, it's amazing!

 

Loving The Paper Apartment's illustrations. Loads more to lust after in her Etsy shop.

Can I blog on this instead? Poetic Home is your one click stop to typewriter heaven.

Couldn't have said it better myself! Rob Ryan is my all time favourite artist. I've never seen someone with such romantic, artistic genius before. Look out for his book, "This Is For You". An enchanting story of a search for love, with illustrations your eyes will gobble up. I long for the day I can afford to commission a special piece by Rob. Although in a few more bithdays who knows what will happen :)

Feast your eyes upon Casey O Connell's  painted world of wildflowers and true, butterflies-in-tummy kinda love.

The Boyfriend is away for a few weeks so this picture makes me a little sad! I love it all the same! It is a painting by Jessica Gonacha Swift and her website is jam packed with patterned lovelies.

Fontaine Anderson is an Australian illustrator not to be missed. I love her eclectic mix of patterns, textures and shades of colour. I would kill to get my greedy birthday mitts on the original :)

Would love to pop this in an antique gold frame. Greg Kadel photographed this for Numero, and as always, he shot to perfection.

Flying away just like the years! This butterfly clock by Diamantini & Domeniconi is going to look amazing in my apartment.

And finally...something to wear for my birthday! I would if I could, but I don't even know who the designer is... anyone to the rescue?

Pretty Catherine Campbell Illustrations to Brighten Your Day

Wish I'd seen the illustrations of Catherine Campbell in time to invite them to the Alice in Wonderland tea party! You can see more on her website and even treat yourself to a print or a calender... 12 lovely prints to welcome in each month :)

If I was forced to choose a favourite, it would be the little miss and her owl in a tea-cup... adore it! What's your favourite?

We'll always have Paris...

I live on the South West coast of La France. By the beach, surrounded by great vineyards and (unfortunately for my bikini body) even better boulangeries! It's a stunning place to be, but for me the heart of france is Paris. With it's streets winding through the city, like vines of ivy weaving their way around an old house, I manage to find a hidden gem at every turn. If you are lucky enough to make it to Paris this fall then don't miss La Nuit Blanche. It is a very special day and night when some of the enchanting museums and galleries of Paris open their doors for 24 uninterrupted hours of culture and art viewing. Below are some images and artists inspired by the wonder of Paris...enjoy :)

Don't you wish you could be Maral Sassouni sitting in a quaint cafe not far off the Eifel Tower, sketching away as the city, oblivious to your admiration, bustles around you.

You can't go to Paris and not lingerie shop. Sketched or photographed, I want it all! Christian Dior Bra illustrated by Cocopit.

 Can't afford the flight ticket... Irene Suchocki's photographs will take you there.

 Don't forget to stop and watch the world go by with a cafe au lait, see more I Love Cutie Pie vintage jewellery here

           Can I have the bag and the illustration! Laura Laine is an amazing illustrator, see for yourself...