A Seeker of Magic

That's how this week's ecollustrator refers to herself. I'm talking about Karen Michel, who does beautiful mixed media ecollustrations, and book arts. She's also the amazing writer of Green Guide for Artists (A favorite of mine). Each work is a beautiful collaboration of everything nature, paper, found objects, everyday objects, her own paints and of course her magic. Here are some of my favorites works of hers:

I love the message she delivers with her artwork, I'll let her say it with her own words, she says it all:
"In general my work is about bringing something into the world that enhances and elevates the environment in which it lives (hopefully with a touch of grace thrown into the mix). Much like magical charms and spells of intention that give voice to our inner magicians and collective histories. I am endlessly inspired by nature, seeking the wild in urban environments, native folklore, moon lore, sustainability and sweet soul music..... i am most certainly a seeker of magic"- KarenMichel.com
It doesn't stop here, she also has a blog , a shop and along with her husband she runs a non-profit organization , where they help other kids to seek their magic.


Visit her website at WWW.KARENMICHEL.COM there's so much to see 

Experimental Packaging

Today's from my library to yours we have:

Compiled by Roger Fawcett-Tang and Daniel Manson. The reason I have this book is because of the wacky collections and ideas of packaging it contains. It proves you can really push a crazy idea. Some of the packaging actually looks a bit futuristic. It covers great points such as proportions, packaging, printing, interaction and materials. I love it more mostly because it comes with templates for your own packaging ideas. As to the reading its pretty short, each chapter has an introduction and there's the description about each packaging and the information of its designer. Here's a peek to some of my favorite pages:

You can also take a peek through google books. Enjoy!.

Sharing is caring

Well this blog will now be updated everyday because from the usual posts of "From my library to yours","Ecollustration of the Week", "Ecollustrator of the week" and "D.I.Y Recycling" comes a new category "Sharing is Caring". "Sharing is Caring" is me   sharing great news, inspirations and anything worth sharing.
Today's Sharing is:

WWW.TWOLEAVESANDABUD.COM: It's winter and Texas is a bit colder than what I'm used to from when I lived in Los Angeles. Then Also I wake up at 7:30 in the morning and something warm is appreciated. I asked a tea guru( a good friend of mine who's quite a tea-fanatic) what sort of tea is good and she recommended me Loose tea, not dusty Tea from the grocery store. I came across this tea sampler at Homegoods. It's packaging caught my attention (a company that shows good and creative packaging, will always beat the others not so beautiful packagings)I love how each bag, where the tea is stored, its clear so you can see the tea and it gives you the the recommended time to steep your tea to get the best of the flavor. I was a fan of the organic chamomile, the alpine berry, and the peppermint teas. When you are done with your sampler you end up with a lovely bamboo box you can reuse as a mini file cabinet or address file cabinet( I plan to use it to file the business cards I collect).



So tea lovers and tea-beginners I recommend to check out their website as well as their blog .


Have a good day everyone

A favorite of mine.

It is such a pleasure to introduce the first book of the new year in "From my Library to Yours". This book has a special spot in my heart, so yes is a favorite of mine. Here it is:

Karen Michel is a mixed media artist that lives in New York. She wrote this amazing book that will inspire you right away to green your studio, and she is not talking about recycling but much more. She starts from how to green your studio from paint and mediums to even the type of canvas and paper you use. Then she talks about green recipes (My favorite part of the book) she shows you how to make your own watercolor, milk paint, egg tempera,and much more by using natural ingredients, dyes and even natural pigments. She shares some green projects to inspire you and it ends with a chapter on other green artists out there. She also gives you a whole list of resources as to where to order green materials or organizations you'll be interested on. I'm really excited I plan to really use natural pigments on my artwork and make my own watercolors and I plan to try milk paint, I of course trying to finish the store-bought watercolors I have, before I move on ( I will of course document those happenings here in the blog)

Here is a peek to the inside of the book:

I loved how nicely the book layout was done, good use of white space and I love how when they used to show the materials all the jars and labels matched and very good pictures. so you'll really enjoy reading this wonder book.
A bit more on the author: 
Karen Michel also runs a nonprofit organization along with her husband, is called The Creative Art Space for Kids Foundation. Visit her website at www.Karenmichel.com to see her work, shop and blog.

Happy New Year! Happy New Post!

Happy 2010!!!!!!

Welcome to a new year of exciting things.

2009 was a great year for me. I graduated college, learned about the person I am and discovered my strengths, lived on my own, learned to cook, was reminded of my blessings and it was an amazing journey. Now this new year, I start a new adventure, ready to enjoy the journey.

Also welcome to the new ECOLLUSTRATION where no only you can follow my blog, but also check out my illustration portfolio. You can also visit the shop where both my mother and I contribute wonderful objects to brighten your day :)

Now I share with you my 5 new year's resolution

• To always be grateful of God's blessings.
  
• To dedicate 100% to my freelance business and shop.
  
• To be more health conscious and active.
  
• To share wonderful ideas on this blog.
  
• To Spread good karma to those that deserve it.