Píccolo

Píccolo Exhibition // Paper Fun for Everyone Worksop and...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:11:15 -0400

our pop up tent with festive bunting!

this way to Píccolo!

don't forget the snacks!

we gave our Kickstarter rewards to local backers while they made thaumatropes.

Píccolo Exhibition // Paper Fun for Everyone Worksop and Backer’s Bash!

Píccolo is on exhibition! Check us out at the MICA Studio Center...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:31:13 -0400

Píccolo is on exhibition! Check us out at the MICA Studio Center now until April 14th!

Don’t forget to join us this saturday from 2-4pm! We will...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:26:39 -0400

Don’t forget to join us this saturday from 2-4pm! We will be making amazing thaumatropes, giving out Kickstarter rewards and partying with treats! Not to be missed!

Want to make your very own illustrated small thing? We will be...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:34:56 -0400

Want to make your very own illustrated small thing? We will be making thaumatropes - a Victorian paper toy that mimics animation- that you can take home!

Also if you are a local backer of our Kickstarter campaign you can pick up your rewards at this event! And there will be treats!

So join us Saturday, March 30, between 2-4 pm! See the flyer for more details.

An example of the delightful certificate of authenticity our...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:24:50 -0500

An example of the delightful certificate of authenticity our backers will receive with their petite prints!

Our funding period for our Kickstarter is over, and we EXCEEDED...

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:50:57 -0500

Our funding period for our Kickstarter is over, and we EXCEEDED our goal! Hooray!

Thanks to all of you for your support over this past month. We couldn’t have done it without you! Píccolo is looking forward to our Print Project coming to life!

Only 5 days left in our Kickstarter! You still have the chance...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:57:22 -0500

Only 5 days left in our Kickstarter! You still have the chance to pick up some awesome prints from our talented illustrators!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heypiccolo/piccolo-print-project

Píccolo Portraits: Paige Vickers

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:31:44 -0500

Through the Print Project, Píccolo has had the opportunity to work with 4 talented illustrators. But, who are the people behind the images? We interviewed them in our series, Píccolo Portraits!

If you love Paige’s work, be sure to support our Kickstarter and purchase one of her prints!

Píccolo: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

Paige Vickers: I grew up in North Texas and moved to Baltimore, MD in 2008 where I completed my BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I recently moved to New York and am working hard to balance a career in freelance illustration and as on-staff illustrator at a stationer and creative firm, Mr. Boddington’s Studio.

P: What was the inspiration behind your piece for the Píccolo Print Project?

PV: I do a lot of paintings and drawings of made-up girls who are usually bored, dirty and definitely freckled. They range from self portraits (outlets for my mood at any given point) to experiments in creating a landscape with a simple face. This drawing is about the piccolo and I built the girl’s face around it, using the piccolo as both a tool and a mouth and then referenced the girl for the pattern surrounding that. In that way, I guess you could think of this as a landscape.

P: What are your favorite techniques/mediums to use when you create your work?

PV: I typically work by doing a series of 2-10 black and white drawings in pencil and ink then combining and manipulating them digitally. I’ve worked in such a controlled and calculated way for so long that now it’s refreshing to sit down and paint in gouache, watercolor and colored inks then calling it finished.

P: Do you think the field of illustration is changing? And if so, how?

PV: The field of illustration is definitely changing! One of the most interesting and exciting aspects to me is in regard to print. Since we live in an increasingly online world, there is a lot of sad talk about the dying print industry. With this though, I see more illustrators embracing print as a fine art form. Small press books, zines, artist books and fine printmaking are all being collected, traded, and regarded as precious objects. I think these trends only refresh aesthetics of mainstream illustration and feed the world of print, publishing and advertisement.

P: What are your favorite small things in life?

PV: The thing I value most is eating tacos with close friends. I also really enjoy petting dogs on the street: a day in which you can stop and pet two hounds at once is a good day.

P: What’s on the horizon for you - any exciting projects you’re working on?

PV: I guess the most exciting thing I’m working on right now is starting at Mr. Boddington’s Studio. I’ve never had a real person job doing illustration before and I’m excited to see what kind of work it will drag me into. They are in the middle of a huge transition and will be doing a lot more publishing and packaging design work in the future. I’m still insanely grateful to be getting freelance work right now and will continue to pursue the clients I really want.

Thanks, Paige!

Paige’s website

Píccolo Print Project Kickstarter

We are so incredibly grateful to all our generous supporters and...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:20:24 -0500

We are so incredibly grateful to all our generous supporters and Kickstarter backers. So, please enjoy this very special message from 2 ladies in our lives - our pets!

Sharing is caring! Pass this along if you think someone would enjoy our Píccolo Print Project! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heypiccolo/piccolo-print-project

Píccolo Portraits: Michael C. Hsiung

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:43:27 -0500

Through the Print Project, Píccolo has had the opportunity to work with 4 talented illustrators. But, who are the people behind the images? We interviewed them in our series, Píccolo Portraits!

If you love Michael’s work, be sure to support our Kickstarter and purchase one of his prints!

Píccolo: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

Michael C. Hsiung: My name is Michael C. Hsiung and I was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles. I wasn’t always making art for a living – I actually graduated with an English Degree and was working in schools, museums, and even at a background investigation company before even thinking of making art. I’ve been really lucky to have had such a nice run so far, and I attribute it to my facial hair.

P: What was the inspiration behind your piece for the Píccolo Print Project?

MCH: My love of the circus and performers (clowns/muscle men/stiltwalkers) was the inspiration behind the Piccolo piece.

P: What are your favorite techniques/mediums to use when you create your work?

MCH: My favorite medium would probably be ink, micron pens, and rapidographs, and my favorite technique is patterning with semi circles.

P: Do you think the field of illustration is changing? And if so, how?

MCH: I think the field of illustration is changing as far as I can tell, though not really being an illustrator in the traditional sense, but I think that its easier for artists to get his or her stuff out there now with the various social sites, forums, and community groups.

P: What are your favorite small things in life?

MCH: My favorite small things are probably dice, like 20 sided dice because I’m a lover of all things fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons related. [Sara’s note - This made me very happy because I too am a D&D player.]

P: What’s on the horizon for you - any exciting projects you’re working on?

MCH: I’ll be having a two-week solo show called So Far, So Good, So What! February 8th at THIS, LA gallery in Highland Park. I’m really excited because it’ll be my first time in a long while showing works, and I plan to have lots of drawings, a print, and a reprint of a zine that recently sold out called Booze, Dudes, & Bears. Also, I’m be doing a print with Poster Child Prints sometime this year which I’m very excited about, as well as participating in a group show Out of Towners which opens sometime in April at the Seeing Things Gallery in San Jose.

Thanks, Michael!

Michael’s website

Píccolo Kickstarter campagin

We are working on our next little surprise! Check it out this...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:48:41 -0500

We are working on our next little surprise! Check it out this monday!

Píccolo Portraits: Yelena Bryksenkova

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:09:53 -0500

Through the Print Project, Píccolo has had the opportunity to work with 4 talented illustrators. But, who are the people behind the images? We interviewed them in our series, Píccolo Portraits!

If you love Yelena’s work, be sure to support our Kickstarter and purchase one of her prints!

Piccolo: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

Yelena Bryksenkova: I was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia and moved to the United States when I was eight years old. I studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the Academy of Applied and Decorative Arts in Prague, Czech Republic, receiving my BFA in 2010. Now I live in New Haven where I work as a full time freelance illustrator.

P: What was the inspiration behind your piece for the Píccolo Print Project?

YB: My little elephant is my imaginary friend and a reflection of my inner state; he symbolizes everything about the world I strive to create for myself and I consider him a harbinger of inspiration and happy coincidences that keep me moving forward. He’s the little thing I would be most afraid to lose.

P: What are your favorite techniques/mediums to use when you create your work?

YB: I work entirely be hand, using pencil, .005 Pigma Micron pens, a box of “Leningrad” watercolor cakes, very tiny brushes and and a little bit of Holbein Acryla gouache. I occasionally use Photoshop for some delicate digital assembly, but prefer not to rely on it too much because I like having finished original paintings.

P: Do you think the field of illustration is changing? And if so, how?

YB: There has been a shift in recent years toward a delicate, handmade aesthetic and so much of my favorite peers’ work is at once beautiful and emotionally powerful in a quiet and simple way. I’m aware of trends but I follow closely and try to learn from the work that I consider to be timeless. It seems like illustration is becoming more widely used, and I hope I’m right.

P: What are your favorite small things in life?

YB: A vintage satin elephant pin cushion that was a gift from my best friend, a beautifully round stone that I found in the Dead Sea, my “collection” of two found butterflies which I keep in a tiny bell jar on my desk and a whole slew of other treasures with which I like to surround myself.

P: What’s on the horizon for you - any exciting projects you’re working on?

YB: I’ve had the chance to work with a couple of dream editorial clients and I look forward to more pleasant surprises. While I like where freelancing is taking me, I am still thinking “what’s next?” and the answer is that I would like to either continue education or complete a residency in the near future. Or both! There’s a lot I want to accomplish in my life and most of it has to do with living in different places and finding new adventures to fuel my work.

Thanks, Yelena!

Wowie Zowie! The Píccolo Print Project is 75% funded!

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:57:16 -0500

Wowie Zowie! The Píccolo Print Project is 75% funded!

We’re over halfway to our $2,500 goal!! Amazing! Thank you...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:40:54 -0500

We’re over halfway to our $2,500 goal!! Amazing! Thank you all so much for your incredible support! But we still have a ways to go, so stay tuned!

Sharing is caring! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heypiccolo/piccolo-print-project

Hello friends! Today is the big day! The Píccolo Print Project...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:40:56 -0500

Hello friends! Today is the big day! The Píccolo Print Project Kickstarter is now live! Please help support us in any way you can! We are offering wonderful rewards for contributions and good vibes just for re-posting and sharing our link! Many thanks to out artists: Paige Vickers, Michael C. Hsiung, Yehteh and Yelena Bryksenkova

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heypiccolo/piccolo-print-project

Just 1 more day! Tomorrow our Kickstarter goes live! Until then,...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:34:00 -0500

Just 1 more day! Tomorrow our Kickstarter goes live! Until then, enjoy this piece by Paige Vickers!

Just 2 days until the launch of our Kickstarter! 2 days! This is...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 10:53:05 -0500

Just 2 days until the launch of our Kickstarter! 2 days!

This is another addition to our Píccolo Print Project, by Philipp Dornbierer.

Just 4 days until we launch our Kickstarter!Check out Yelena...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:17:51 -0500

Just 4 days until we launch our Kickstarter!

Check out Yelena Bryksenkova’s addition to our print project!

5 days until KICKSTARTER launch! We are launching a KICKSTARTER...

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:37:51 -0500

5 days until KICKSTARTER launch!

We are launching a KICKSTARTER for our Píccolo Print Project (if we haven’t made ourselves clear), and are excited to start sharing the awesome illustrations that are included.

This illustration is by Michael C. Hsiung!

6 inspiration images from the Píccolo Pinterest board to...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:28:44 -0500

6 inspiration images from the Píccolo Pinterest board to celebrate 6 more days until our Kickstarter launches!
To see more check out: http://pinterest.com/blanchedubun/piccolo/