gemma correll and her merry band of misfits

january

2012-01-25T22:00:00.002Z

Huffington

2012-01-24T15:16:00.003Z

I've started blogging for the Huffington Post... I'm doing a bit of writing and everything. Here's my first post and here's my second post.

cheese counter

2012-01-23T20:03:00.002Z

Adéu

2012-01-15T21:07:00.003Z

Right, I'm off to Barcelona. See you soon! Adéu!

tattly

2012-01-12T21:55:00.003Z

scary movie

2012-01-09T17:15:00.002Z

¡Exposicíon!

2012-01-08T23:43:00.001Z

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:07:00.002Z

... all the best for 2012, y'all.

awesome

2011-12-29T19:15:00.002Z

merry merry merry!

2011-12-23T00:03:00.002Z

A Cup of Wine

2011-12-20T18:02:00.002Z

I drew some pictures to accompany this post about Wine Etiquette over on A Cup of Jo (which is, by the way, if you didn't know this already - an amazing blog.)

tra la la

2011-12-18T15:51:00.002Z

have you hugged your cat today?

2011-12-14T11:49:00.007Z

A new print for The Working Proof. 15% of the sale price goes to The Pablove Foundation, funding research into childhood cancers.

iPhone, youPhone, weallPhone

2011-12-12T18:46:00.003Z

Haven't done your Christmas shipping yet? Fear not! Iconemesis have just released my new iPhone cases (for 3G and 4G) and my Pug Mug is available at Mama San!

in the immortal words of B*witched

2011-12-03T17:25:00.003Z

'tis the party season ...

2011-11-29T16:06:00.002Z

know your onions

2011-11-18T21:10:00.006Z

Also, if you're a London-dweller, you should come to the Bust Christmas Craftacular next Sunday (November 27th) at York Hall, Bethnal Green. I'll be there with the lovely MEMO Helen.

tthis llama llikes yyou

2011-11-13T00:30:00.004Z

poor lil' squirrel ...

2011-11-07T18:32:00.002Z

safety first

2011-11-04T11:32:00.002Z

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T09:48:00.002Z

sexy halloween

2011-10-27T15:10:00.004+01:00

(click for a more readable version)

2 months to go...

2011-10-24T20:21:00.003+01:00

Christmas cards are now available in the shop.

boo!

2011-10-18T17:04:00.002+01:00

sunday

2011-10-16T13:30:00.002+01:00

it's nearly halloween ...

2011-10-13T18:09:00.001+01:00

... already!?

Draw Mr P

2011-10-12T18:07:00.002+01:00

If you've ever wanted to learn how to draw a pug (specifically, Mr Pickles) or, my version of a Pug anyway ... Here's a little tutorial. (Click to see the whole thing).

my besht friend

2011-10-10T19:01:00.001+01:00

just another monday...

5,000 people like this ...

2011-10-07T22:15:00.001+01:00

To celebrate reaching 5.000 "likes" on my Facebook page, I'm running a wee giveaway ... ~~All you need to do is like this post to be in with a chance of winning... Easy peasy.~~

a happy meal for grown-ups

2011-10-01T17:47:00.001+01:00

the train travellin' blues

2011-09-29T17:47:00.001+01:00

the seal of approval

2011-09-27T19:27:00.001+01:00

I'm so cool.

2011-09-26T20:45:00.001+01:00

lazy bones

2011-09-25T00:37:00.001+01:00

sensible shoes

2011-09-24T13:12:00.001+01:00

pie!

2011-09-22T19:37:00.001+01:00

it's a puppy party!

2011-09-21T13:10:00.001+01:00

Help Badge Bomb & I design a Puppy Party magnet set! Vote for your favourite here... and you could win $50 of Badge Bomb merch!

mixtape

2011-09-20T15:50:00.001+01:00

the recycling bin

2011-09-18T20:15:00.001+01:00

venn diagram

2011-09-15T13:09:00.001+01:00

This week, I am mostly drawing bad diagrams.

tea time

2011-09-14T13:55:00.001+01:00

I don't really like tea. Does that make me a bad person?

a poorly executed diagram

2011-09-13T12:07:00.001+01:00

i got the monday blues

2011-09-12T15:18:00.001+01:00

Available in the Shop.

le chicken

2011-09-09T22:57:00.001+01:00

one of those days.

2011-09-07T13:11:00.001+01:00

smize with your eyes

2011-09-04T23:12:00.001+01:00

I'd like to pretend that I spend my spare time watching avant-garde eastern european movies and reading Tolstoy, but in actual fact, I love a good bit of trashy TV. Hence the smizing cat. Also, I set up a Tumblr for my drawings... Have a wonderful week y'all.

pearls of wisdom

2011-09-03T21:50:00.001+01:00

happy friday

2011-09-02T16:41:00.002+01:00

from my sketchbook

2011-09-01T20:10:00.002+01:00

MY ice cream

2011-08-31T14:21:00.002+01:00

we all need a day off sometimes...

2011-08-31T01:52:00.002+01:00

youtube, me cat.

2011-08-28T19:31:00.005+01:00

I love Youtube...
~~Available in the shop~~. SOLD

bear honey

2011-08-21T23:04:00.002+01:00

It's a tough life being a bear full o' honey... available in the shop.

let's plank

2011-08-18T16:55:00.002+01:00

Doris

2011-08-13T13:02:00.000+01:00

Doris has 2,973 Facebook friends. But she doesn't have any real friends ... can you find a place in your heart for Doris? Available in the shop.

ugly beautiful

2011-08-06T22:50:00.009+01:00

A mini drawing. ~~Available in Ye Olde Shoppe~~* SOLD

Pug in a Teacup

2011-08-03T16:58:00.001+01:00

From now until the forseeable future (or until my hands fall off from drawing too much) I'll be selling some original drawings in my shop. Here's the first one... ~~(available)~~ SOLD

hunter gatherer social scientist

2011-07-31T19:18:00.002+01:00

The Cat Whisperer.

2011-07-28T21:41:00.002+01:00

time to talk

2011-07-23T23:46:00.002+01:00

My talk at the Apple Store, London is on Monday. Be there or... well, don't be there...

winner(s)

2011-07-14T16:15:00.001+01:00

--- Wow, 200 blog comments! That True Love Pug necklace sure is popular... I'm happy to announce that the winner is - Šárka Černá ... but with so many entries, I decided to send a mystery prize to 3 additional participants. They are - Jasmina Trudl, charliedarling and Jilliebeanie --- I'll be contacting y'all soon --- Thanks to everyone who entered ---

a true love giveaway

2011-07-07T14:54:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway on here ... So let's have one, shall we?
/// Leave a comment below to be in with a chance of winning this fine "True Love" pug necklace * ... Winner will be picked at random next Thursday. ///

* Exclusively available from The Distinguished, Plymouth and my shop

naïve, or just bad?

2011-07-06T13:09:00.004+01:00

I read this article yesterday and it really annoyed me. Not so much because it implies that Ben Shahn was a bad artist : "Shahn couldn't (or chose not to) draw very well. At all." ... because I think it's pretty obvious to anyone with half a creative brain that Shahn's drawings are in fact, quite amazing and no less so for being non-representational (I mean, Picasso's cat/dove etc. sketches aren't exactly in a realistic style, but everybody loves those). What really annoyed me was the opening paragraph; "Recently a friend who shares my passion for illustration sent a note. He'd been perusing one of those massive volumes that collect and showcase "some of today's hottest young illustrators." In his opinion (and I have tremendous respect for this particular friend's opinion) he thought it was crap. Full of "faux naïve stuff, or just plain bad drawing." This is a complaint I hear often - both in the comments section of this blog and from (commercial) artist friends I respect and admire. "What the hell is wrong with this generation of illustrators?" they ask. "Why have they not been taught the importance of learning how to draw well?"
     It really irritates me when people assume that illustrators who draw in the so-called faux-naive style do it because they can't draw "properly". What they don't understand is that the majority of those drawing in this style choose to draw in this way because it works for them- a simple drawing can say so much more than an overwrought pencil sketch... and it's actually quite difficult difficult to portray a form using a minimum amount of lines. Folks think it's easy to draw in a childlike* style, until they actually try it themselves. * Childlike, not Childish. I've frequently been told that my drawings "look like a three/four/five year old's" - well, I look at that as a compliment. Five year olds draw without presumption, intuitively, naturally. It's only when we start telling them, "You must draw in this style" that they start adhering to preconceived ideas of the wrong/right ways to draw.
     I spent my high school years, and the first year of college, trying to draw in the way I thought I "should". I drew cartoons, too, but in sketchbooks and essay paper margins, on posters for school fairs, in my church's newsletter (I did a page called "Kids Korner" - yes, I know, very Kool - for ten years. It was a mixture of stories, puzzles and drawing. I've always thought of illustration as part of a wider context- in a magazine for example, tying in with the other content rather than being something completely separate and inaccessible.) I didn't consider my funny little doodles to be "real" art, they were just something I did, naturally. I was good at english and art, an introverted bookworm and avid reader of my dad's Gary Larson "Far Side" anthologies. I had a group of friends who were like me, quiet and reserved, maybe a little geeky, but funny and intelligent. We'd make up characters and funny songs, draw comics, write down the silly things we overheard other people saying (one advantage of being an introvert is that you're good at listening and therefore eavesdropping) - my friend Rachel and I even invented elaborate personas for a pair of Denby salt and pepper shakers that we sold in our department (Home) at our boring Saturday job at Debenhams... their names were Vip and Bob - they had a song and everything. Unfortunately, I was moved to Lingerie after the managers decided that we weren't doing any work. But I digress...
     High school art lessons involved sketching still lives in 6B pencil, painting big self portraits on giant boards, or experimenting with mark-making techniques. I'm glad I did all this- I'm not saying that schools shouldn't teach these vital skills. I continued to draw observationally through college (and I still do)- I attended life drawing classes- I am actually pretty decent at drawing in a realistic style. I believe that it absolutely underpins every illustration style. Being able to draw well gives one the freedom to draw in any medium, in any style. My work is about narrative and context, beyond simply drawing. All good illustration conveys some kind of message, that's the very point!
Anyway, isn't every illustration style equally valid? If everybody drew (or painted, or collaged... etc) in the same way, it would be very boring. And I include the naïve style in this statement. Yes, a lot of illustrators do draw in this way these days and yes, it is somewhat trendy - which is why I admire any young illustrators who choose to work in a completely different (and therefore presumably untrendy) style. On Formspring recently, I received a question from a concerned student who wasn't getting much attention (ie. Tumblr notes, Flickr favourites and all the instant gratification that comes with being Internet famous for 5 minutes) for his/her artwork because it was detailed pencil drawings. The question asker wondered if he/she should give up. Of course I said no- in my opinion, I'd rather see young illustrators doing different things, trying so-called "old fashioned" or unfashionable techniques, instead of following the crowd. I often find my work blogged on places like Tumblr, and yes, it's nice to get lots of "notes" but it's not the be-all and end-all. It's so much more important to enjoy what you do- it will show in your work.
     I'll shut up now, I have some faux naive drawing to do.

Made by White... and Gemma

2011-07-03T15:14:00.001+01:00

I collaborated with the lovely ladies at Made by White to make these beautiful wooden brooches, available in my shop and online at madebywhite.com --- In other news, I am engaged! My name will soon be the almost-impossible-to-pronounce Gemma Correll Zinonos... and yes, Mr Pickles will be wearing a tux for the occassion ...

Cat Rabbit Dog Bear ...

2011-06-29T22:21:00.005+01:00

My exhibition "Graham is a Weirdo ..." at Tatty Devine, Brick Lane, is now up and running, until July 31st /// Look at the amazing stuff that Cat Rabbit sent me - all the way from Australia! ///

Sticky stuff

2011-06-23T14:28:00.001+01:00

Like sticking things to other things? Like animals wearing hats? Then you might like this decorative parcel tape wot I designed for Betty & Dupree - now available in my shop.

exhibitions!

2011-06-20T23:00:00.002+01:00

I'm taking part in two exhibitions next week. The first is a solo show at the wonderful Tatty Devine shop on Brick Lane- starting on Thursday (June) 30th. Then there's the Looking for Trouble show, curated by Amy Blackwell and featuring such talented ladies as Lizzy Stewart and Helen Entwisle- starting on Saturday July 2nd, in Nottingham...

Polly and Me... and You

2011-06-16T18:35:00.002+01:00

One of my favourite projects from last year was designing some handbags for Polly & Me - a social enterprise focused on designing and creating accessories made by women's embroidery collectives with over 500 women in Chitral, Pakistan. Here are a couple of the designs. --- Check out the Polly & Me Facebook page for more ---

It's a Wrap, folks!

2011-06-10T16:19:00.006+01:00

--- Here's something I drew for the undeniably wonderful Wrap magazine --- I seem to have a new web-based obsession every week. This week's is GoodReads --- Bon weekend!

Nor-Folk

2011-06-03T15:57:00.004+01:00

Good news and Bad news

2011-05-27T15:51:00.001+01:00

The good news - What I Wore Today is going to be a book! and you can be a part of it --- The bad news - I discovered a company in China selling bags with designs by loads of illustrators (myself included. --- and everything else - Please note, the date of my talk at the Apple Store has changed! --- Have a great weekend everybody!

Did I mention...

2011-05-22T20:57:00.002+01:00

... that I love Instagram? (oh, I did? sorry) --- I'll be talking about my work at the Apple Store (London) in July. Come along if you want to see me at my most nervous. Yay! ---

Monday

2011-05-16T15:08:00.003+01:00

Poor Mr Squirrel is confused (you and me both, Mr Squirrel, you and me both) --- A new distraction - Pinterest --- Check out Vinny's T-shirt --- & the NUCA Degree Show 2011 ---

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-01T17:58:00.008+01:00

So, after a month in Berlin and a week in Antwerp, we're back in Norwich... I loved both cities but, for various reasons, we decided to come 'home' for now... (Here are a few pics from our travels) /// currently obsessed with : Svpply /// have been busy working on my book (keep an eye on the WIWT blog for details & your chance to be featured in the book) /// Happy Birthday Dad! ///

Tattoos and News

2011-04-22T10:06:00.004+01:00

--- Ragnheiður's tattoo /// Get it on a tote bag --- ps. Sorry for the lack of posts recently... A combination of moving around & bad internet facilities! --- More news very soon ---

miau miaow miauw

2011-04-01T16:23:00.007+01:00

--- My print for L'Affiche Moderne is now up for sale --- (Today only) Type "Helvetica" into google* --- I love Instagram. Be my friend? --- * sorry.

A Postcard from Berlin

2011-03-26T19:06:00.004Z

Hallo! --- A Postcard from Berlin for my lovely blog readers * --- We are doing some work and not just sitting in the sun drinking beer, honestly! --- Wish You Were Here!
* I actually took this photo in the Netherlands (Nijmegen) though. shh.

Auf Wiedersehen, England!

2011-03-13T18:18:00.004Z

We're off to Berlin this week... Hopefully we like it enough to stay there for a while... Tschüss!
(PS. I know this is more Bavarian than Berlin-ian but wouldn't Mr P. look cute in lederhosen?)

om nom nom

2011-03-04T19:23:00.004Z

--- My first "Sky Cats" comic for Emirates Airlines --- A nice post about me by lovely Memi the Rainbow --- Have a nice weekend y'all and eat lots of cake! ---

Last Chance Saloon

2011-02-24T14:21:00.005Z

So, this is it. I'll be closing my Etsy shop tomorrow*. My website shop, however, will remain open a little longer.

* Why? Well, firstly, because I'm moving to Berlin... Secondly, I have had SO many problems with the postal services and some rude customers recently, which has made me very stressed - and I don't really need that right now... Thank you to all of my lovely customers over the last couple of years (and the majority of you HAVE been wonderful). I appreciate your custom!

Tote Bags and Talkin'

2011-02-19T20:40:00.006Z

--- Jitesh Patel's excellent book, The Tote Bag, is out now... and it comes with a free tote that I designed! --- Come down to the Strongroom, Shoreditch on Wednesday to hear me talk about stuff at a Behance / Why! event --- I move to Berlin in one month! eeeeeeek! ---

Shedonismmm

2011-02-17T23:47:00.007Z

Un'intervista ... //// SHEDONISM ////
(It's in Italian, but there's an English translation underneath...)

Valen-times

2011-02-14T18:12:00.007Z

Happy Valentines Day, blog readers! I love you all in a strictly platonic manner.

Kuretake, A-OK!

2011-02-09T21:36:00.001Z

The lovely folks at Kuretake sent me some new pens to try out. It was like Christmas when they arrived. Actually, it was better than Christmas because I didn't have to watch boring TV or eat christmas pudding...

ANYway. I had a go with some of them today* and here's the result. I'm trying to get some more colour into my work and I think these new friends of mine are going to be immensely helpful... and I had a lot of fun using them...

What, you don't call your pens your friends...? Oh... Right, neither do I...

* Namely: "Wink of Stella" (the brown in her hair. You can't tell in these photos but it's SPARKLY. yes!!! and I think that's the best name I ever heard for a pen... )

Millennium fineliners (the black outline and purple details. I am so pleased to have at last found coloured fineliners with good quality, archival ink.)

and : "Clean Colour" real brush pens (the pink and turquoise... these are just amazing. Seriously. I love watercolours but they make me a bit nervous... these pens have all the subtleness of watercolours with the ease of using a pen. Love.)

birthdays and bargains

2011-02-05T20:27:00.016Z

----- birthday cake and coffee at my favourite café, The Little Red Roaster --- lovely gifts --- get an extra 10% off everything in my etsy shop* with the coupon code BIRTHDAY ---

* closing on or before February 28th in preparation for my move to Berlin

Pugs 'n' Kisses

2011-01-31T17:30:00.003Z

Puggy kisses are the best --- exclusively available at Mama San ---

GIVEAWAY - Cats or Dogs?

2011-01-24T17:15:00.007Z

I'm quite often asked the perennial question "Cats, or Dogs?" For Mr Pickles' sake I have to choose dogs, but I am a cat fan too (as you might have guessed). I have 3 "Cat Lovers" gift sets and 3 "Dog Lovers" gift sets to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, just comment below with your preference (Cats, or Dogs?) ...

~~Winners will be chosen at random and announced on Friday.~~
Comments are now closed and the winners are being contacted.

Z-Z-Z-Zines

2011-01-22T23:10:00.003Z

In happier news, here's something wot I drew for the excellent Broken Pencil magazine.

Pride and Plagiarism

2011-01-16T15:56:00.006Z

It's no secret that big High Street stores steal ideas from independent designers. It's one of the reasons why I avoid the High Street like the plague. (With the exception of Marks & Spencer... where else would I buy my socks?) You'd think that, with all the money that they make, chain-stores like Topshop and Gap would be able to hire designers with the talent to come up with their own ideas... but apparently not.

Stealing ideas from designers and artists is commonplace- you only have to look at the blog youthoughtwewouldntnotice to see that.

This isn't the first time my designs have been stolen and printed onto T-shirts. Urban Outfitters carried a whole range of "Doggy Greetings" T-shirts which were all very similar to my Bonjour/Hola/etc designs. The company who produced the T-shirts (not UO, although I'm still uncertain as to how much input they had in that case) eventually pulled them from sale after an internet outcry.

I drew the "Bonjour" design in 2009. It is, I'll admit, not the most sophisticated of concepts. A French Bulldog, wearing a beret and stripy T-shirt, with the word "Bonjour"; all in the red, white and blue of the French flag. Anyone could have thought of that, right?
New Standard, the company to which I license designs for T-shirts, printed my Bonjour design in 2010 and it has sold pretty well. It is for sale through various online stores as well as on the NS site. It's no huge stretch of the imagination to think that a company like Junk Food might visit the site of a smaller company like NS to find "inspiration"... but at least they changed the concept and the design to a point that I'm almost not bothered by it. They even went one step further... "BONE-jour"? Why didn't I think of that? So, I wasn't hugely upset by the Junk Food T-shirt.

What I am upset by, however, is the baby Gap T-shirt (above). A friend sent me this photo yesterday, having spotted the T-shirt for sale in the US. It is very similar to my design, from the markings on the dog's body, to the pink underbelly... It's not the same, which in a way is more annoying. If they had literally just traced my design, I might have been able to do something about it. Although... a company in the Philippines traced my "Pugs Not Drugs" design and printed it on a tote bag and there was sod-all I could do about that, mostly due to the sketchy copyright laws that cover China and most of Asia.
Because Gap (is it THE Gap, or just Gap? I'm not sure, so sorry for the inconsistencies in this mini-essay) haven't exactly copied my design, but made their own version, I can't do anything about it except quietly seethe and write short essays on the subject on my blog. It's incredibly frustrating. I feel like I'm at the bottom of a design-foodchain (along with all the other illustrators and artists that this has happened to) when we're the ones thinking of the ideas, only for the bigger companies to steal them and make their own crappy versions. We make pennies, they make billions. It isn't fair.

brr! it's cold in here ...

2011-01-12T15:14:00.003Z

Mr Pickles demonstrates how to stay warm and cozy --- A new print for Whale & Pine ---

snow... and surprises!

2011-01-09T19:36:00.007Z

mr pickles goes for a walk in the snow --- and provides me with cuddles while i work --- some lovely surprises came in the mail this week! beautiful earrings, chocolates and coffee from sweet parisa in iran and a fantastic zine from lovely liz ---

ten percent

2011-01-06T16:49:00.003Z

There's 10% off everything in my ETSY shop for the entire month of January.

Yes, siree ... Just use the code JANUARY at the checkout.

The 2011 Blues

2011-01-04T15:21:00.003Z

I don't know about you, but this time of year makes me feel a little blue...
I think it's the cold and the dark and the tax return...
So, I made a "Happy 2011" playlist on Spotify*. Have a listen if you like!

* Sorry, doesn't work outside Europe, apparently.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T16:02:00.004Z

Happy New Year! What are your Resolutions?
Mine are to practice Yoga regularly and take more Photographs ... Which I will share on this blog! I'm looking forward to 2011, lots of change afoot... Exciting!

I Like Murals.

2010-12-21T21:59:00.006Z

Here I am drawin' a big old mural at Chapter, Cardiff.
Design Week wrote a nice blog post about it, here.

Wishing you all...

2010-12-15T16:37:00.004Z

... a Christmas that is merry and joyous and festive and all those other words that we only use once a year. Thank you for reading my blog in 2010.

A very Royal Tea Towel

2010-12-12T15:29:00.002Z

My friends at To Dry For asked me to design a Tea Towel to commemorate what is surely to be the wedding of the century (ahem) ... It was featured today in The Independent's Royal Wedding memorabilia feature and will be available to buy next year.

In the NUDE (haw haw)

2010-12-07T20:46:00.004Z

Here's a sneaky-sneaky peek at my interview in the superfantastic NUDE magazine...
You can buy a copy here.

Rydw i'n mynd i Gymru.

2010-12-05T16:50:00.005Z

I'm off to Cardiff this week to paint a mural at the wonderful Chapter Arts Centre.
Any tips? (I've never been there before)
On another note - here's my coaster design for AGM's Christmas Coaster promo...

Happy December the First!

2010-12-01T17:17:00.005Z

Goodness gracious... How is it December already?!