Climbing…

July 27, 2013March 23, 2014 | Anna Cull

What? Five hundred followers? No way!

Thank you all so very much. I really appreciate your lovely comments, likes and follows. Onward and upward : )

Dear diary, part seven

July 26, 2013July 20, 2013 | Anna Cull

‘Stagnant’ billboard design – word map and sketches Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011) — ‘Stagnant’ billboard design – word map and sketches
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

‘Stagnant’ billboard design – composition sketches and final illustration Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011) — ‘Stagnant’ billboard design – composition sketches and final illustration
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

This was one of my favourite projects at design school: an illustration of flora depicting the word ‘stagnant’ (for a billboard advertising an online dictionary). It had to be linework only (no colour) which meant making the most of tone and texture. My word is deliberately stuck in the mud and claustrophobic. I’m especially fond of the strangler fig around the tree and the tiny mushrooms on the text. The final illustration is a 205 x 405 mm ink drawing and I have no idea how long it took to complete (so please don’t ask) ― the black background alone took about four hours. Madness. Utter madness.

These pages are from the diary I designed for my Design & Arts College exhibition in 2012. Two years of research, ideas, word maps and sketches had to be reduced to a mere 72 pages. It was no easy task but I now have a beautiful, professionally bound journal that I’ll always treasure.

What a wonderful gift

July 24, 2013July 24, 2013 | Anna Cull

© Sandra Fleck, 2013 — The best bag ever — was made for me by Sandra (bagirl)…

...and has little bees hiding inside. — …and has little bees hiding inside.

Sadly, I do not have my family’s sewing gene. I can draw and paint and knit and cross-stitch… but I can’t sew. How wonderful, then, to have a friend who can! We have a lot of fun rummaging through her fabulous fabric stash and coming up with all manner of unique creations.

This bag was Sandra’s way of thanking me for helping with her blog (I’m photographer-in-chief ― I also designed her business cards/product labels). I chose the fabric as well as the bag design. Long live the barter system : )

Shoot it, Sketch it: Reflection

July 22, 2013January 30, 2014 | Anna Cull

Reflection – acrylic on canvas, 280 x 355 mm, 2013.

Akaroa Harbour beachfront, cropped, 2012.

While organising last week’s In the style of… post, I stumbled upon this crop of the Akaroa Harbour photograph ― and now it’s the subject of today’s painting.

I do like happy accidents : )

Dear diary, part six

July 19, 2013September 16, 2014 | Anna Cull

Boutique brewery logo, packaging and advertising campagin – word map and logo sketches
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

The design aesthetic for this student project owes much to the textiles of William Morris. My campaign evolved from the idea that the Old Mill could have been a converted textile mill. You can see the individual logo designs in my previous post.

Old Mill Brewers tee shirts and bottles (digital mock-ups).

I had ever such a lot of fun writing the menu too.

The diary pages are from a journal I designed for my Design & Arts College exhibition in 2012. Two years of research, ideas, word maps and sketches had to be reduced to a mere 72 pages. It was no easy task but I now have a beautiful, professionally bound diary that I’ll always treasure.

The Old Mill Brewers

July 17, 2013September 16, 2014 | Anna Cull

Boutique brewery logos (student project, 2011)

Here is a sneak peek at the project I’ll be featuring in Friday’s Dear diary post. Oh how I wish these really existed. Sadly, the beers and the brewery are just figments of my imagination. After exhaustive research ( ! ) I discovered that some beers taste of chocolate, coffee, cherries and honey (although usually not all at the same). Yum!