Category Archives: Textile

Emi Takazawa

May 24, 2021 12:03 AM \

Emi Takazawa was born in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.  She attended Bunka Fashion College studying and chasing fashion but had a longing for old things.  She worked at a company specializing in the traditional craft of ‘yokofuri’ embroidery.  In 2006 she became independent creating horizontal embroidery of corsages, earrings, headdresses and bouquets popular in bridal. On Beauty News Tokyo she explains how she became an embroidery artist:

“After graduating from a vocational school, I got a job at a company that handles horizontal embroidery of local (Kiryu) wedding costumes and stage costumes, but at that time I was assigned to the department in charge of wedding costumes. There were two traditional craftsmen there, and thanks to the fact that they taught me directly, it was said that “normally it takes several years of training to work on a sword.” In about a year, I was able to master the technique until I started working on it. About two years after that, after working at the company for embroidery such as embroidery and stage costumes, something happened and I became independent.”

More of her work can be viewed on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Emi Takazawa.

Posted in: Embroidery, Japan, Textile \ Tagged: , ,

Glenn Jones

April 7, 2021 12:03 AM \

Glenn Jones is a graphic designer and illustrator from Auckland, New Zealand.  His brand name GLENNZ mean GLENN from NZ.  Glenn is a graphic designer and illustrator who, for over 18 years, has worked in the design industry focusing on packaging, illustration and corporate identity.  On his spare time he started creating t-shirt art and then became was one of the best selling designers on Threadless.  He then started his own shirt company selling a range of t-shirts, calendars and laptop skins.  He gives us these incites on his info page:  

Where do you get your ideas from? “It’s my most asked question. The best ideas come when you’re not trying to think of ideas. A lot of it is about nostalgia and trying to look at everyday stuff in a different way.“

Do you ever get creative blocks? How do you get over these? “All the time, so I do something else, go for a run, go take photos, go get a coffee. Any one of those options always seems to work.“

You can view more of his work on his website, Facebook, Dribble and Instagram. You can purchase his t-shirts here on Threadless.

Images:  Courtesy of Glenn Jones.

Posted in: Graphic Design, Illustration, Textile \ Tagged: , ,

Julie Arkell

April 5, 2021 12:03 AM \

Julie Arkell is one of England’s best recognized contemporary folk artist.  Born in London, she studied at West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham before gaining a diploma in textiles at St Martin’s School of Art.  Julie works in papier mache, mixing vintage fabrics, scraps of poems and words she loves as well as knits and stitching to her imaginative creatures, full of wit and whimsy.  She is inspired by books, toys, clothes, fabric, wool, the radio, walking and being on the constant look out for whatever catches her eyes.

Her work can always be seen at Contemporary Applied Arts, the Loop in London and online on Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Julie Arkell.

Posted in: Mixed Media, Paper-Mache, Textile \ Tagged: , ,
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