Kate Sutton-Artist in Residence

 

Kate Sutton has illustrated many products for us at Galison; Thank You Notes, Labels, Journals, etc. And now she is partnering with another Galison favorite, LeSportsac.

LeSportsac has an “Artist in Residence” program, and their current artist is Kate Sutton. She has created unique patterns for 10 different LeSportsac products. You can hang with your “garden pals”, go on a “happy camping” trip or take a roller coaster ride at the “fairground”. And these are just some of the many patterns Kate Sutton has created. You can see all the products and patterns on LeSportsac’s website.

Good luck picking out just one item!

~Shannon

NYIGF Sustainability Display

 

 

 

Galison has been chosen for inclusion in this year’s “Sustainability: design for a better world” display at the New York International Gift Fair.

Three Galison Products; Avian Friends 1000 Piece Puzzle, Van Gogh Floral Writers’ Note Cards and Van Gogh Floral Writers' Journals, will be on display for the duration of the New York International Gift Fair.

You can see all the eco-friendly products on display and vote for your favorite to win an award at the end of the show; “Most Innovative”, “Most Sensitive Use of Materials” and “Most Sellable”.

We are thrilled to be included this year and help the world be a little more eco-friendly!

 

~Shannon

Illustrator Spotlight: Brian Biggs

 

Our second "Illustrator Spotlight" installment comes from the Mudpuppy side of Galison/Mudpuppy!

You can get to know him a little just by looking at his illustrations, but you may be surprised to learn a few things.....like he lived in Paris, France; twice!

Brian answered a few questions for us about his life and working with Mudpuppy; we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Did you always want to be an artist/illustrator?

Oh certainly. I never realized that an illustrator is what one could be as far as a job goes, so I had other intentions at times. For a while I thought I’d be an NFL quarterback. Much later I wanted to work as a designer and art director. I actually did that for a while until I finally realized that, really, all I want to do is draw pictures and tell stories.

What was the process of creating for Galison/Mudpuppy like?

I surround myself with candy bars and ice cream, first. Then I close my eyes as I eat candy bars and ice cream  until I get a good idea. At that point I draw this idea in pencil and hope that the people at Galison/Mudpuppy like it. It’s important that they like it because I can only eat so much candy and ice cream. If the idea is approved, I then re-draw the idea but this time with ink; and then I add color using the computer. I could do all this without the candy bars and ice cream, but why?

What did you create for Galison/Mudpuppy?

I have made several puzzles featuring cars and trucks, dinosaurs, astronauts and aliens, and kids playing sports, as well as a journal with a monster on the cover.

Something else you might want to add?

Just a note about how much I love making these puzzles for Mudpuppy. It’s also worth
mentioning that the Air, Land, and Sea puzzle I made several years ago was a biginspiration in creating the series of books I’m currently working on called Everything Goes, which is all about various forms of transportation, much like that puzzle. There are three books in the Everything Goes series: On Land, In the Air, and By Sea.

Do you have a favorite memory?

I’m not certain if it’s my favorite, but…..

When I was ten years old, we were planning to drive from our house in Little Rock to my grandmother’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is a trip we often made, and my siblings and I were quite familiar with the route. About three hours into it, my sister spoke up that we were nearing the Mississippi River, and we weren’t supposed to be nearing the Mississippi River, since it was on the other side of the state from where my grandmother’s house was. My mom and step-dad asked us to try to guess where we were going. My sister and brother were into the game, guessing the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Atlanta, and probably other weird stuff. Eventually someone guessed Disneyworld, at which point mom gave us each a Mickey Mouse hat with our names on them. It was around then that everyone noticed that I wasn’t guessing destinations nor was I interested in wearing a hat. Instead, I was beside myself, crying that we weren’t going to Grandma’s house and how were we possibly going to have Christmas? All our gifts were there!

Of course, in the end, I had a fantastic time and learned that it is entirely possible to have Christmas in Florida. Plus, that trip really got me into Disney, which is probably partly responsible for what I currently do.

What is a favorite place you have traveled to?

I lived in Paris France twice, for almost a year each time. I love Paris. It is such a fun, creative city.

Is there something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I had a pretty distinct southern accent until I moved to New York City in college. Arkansas and Texas, you know. It’s a long story, but it was because of Al Pacino that I got rid of it.

For more information about Brian and his illustrations you can follow him on: mrbiggs.com, Facebook, Twitter and FlickR.

We hope you enjoy this video of Brian putting together his Crossroads 42 Piece Puzzle he did for us.

 

 

~Shannon

Illustrator Spotlight: Geninne Zlatkis

 

Many of you probably already know Geninne from her work on our Galison Avian Friends collection, but did you know she grew up in five different countries and her love of birds started at an early age?

Our illustrator spotlight is on Geninne Zlatkis who graciously answered questions about her life and working with Galison.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I was born in New York. My dad is from Argentina and my mom is from Chile. I was brought up in 5 different countries (USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina & Chile) and settled in a beautiful colonial city called Queretaro in central Mexico.

What is your favorite memory?

I have so many! But if I had to chose just  one it would have to be a family road trip we took up the California coastline to visit the Monterey Sea Aquarium when our two boys were five and six years old. The aquarium just took our breath away and our boys were so excited and happy to see all the marine life. The orange jellyfish tanks were our favorite! I will never forget the drive back home down the Big Sur in the afternoon enjoying the sunset and ocean with my husband Manolo & our boys.

Did you always want to be and artist/illustrator?

 
My love for arts and crafts began at a very early age; my mom tells me that I started drawing when I was two years old and that it continued to be my favorite activity through my childhood and teenage years. I studied architecture for two years before I switched to graphic design. There’s never been a time in my life where I’ve stopped creating some kind of art.

What did you create for Galison? 

We’ve done so many beautiful products in the Avian Friends line! I made an original  
illustration for the Christmas Stocking Parcel Notes, an Avian Friends Little Keep it Box, Tin Coasters, Gift Notes, Thank You Notes, Magnetic Note Pad and my favorite has been the Avian Friends Pocket Planner. There are new products coming out at the end of the year!

 

What was the process of creating for Galison like?

We did licensing of some of my existing illustrations and I created original pieces commissioned for a couple of products. I absolutely love working with Galison, the 
process has always been enjoyable and professional.

 

Is there something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I nearly died when I was thirteen from an accidental gas poisoning. My mom’s husband at the time saved my life with CPR. I’ll never forget it.

 

You can see more about Geninne on her blog, Facebook, Flickr, Pintrest and Etsy pages. And of course browse all her beautiful creations for Galison on our website!

 

~Shannon

Drumming up Business

History buffs, take note! Recently, Galison’s Private Label team developed two custom projects for the Pennsylvania Heritage Society; a Drum Puzzle and Correspondence Set. They will use both items to complement traveling exhibits and programs that commemorate Pennsylvania’s 150^th anniversary of the Civil War.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania is home to a vast collection of historic memorabilia, including a period drum used during the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). Our task was to create a puzzle container that would replicate the design and shape of this historic drum. To accomplish this, our first step was to tweak the dimensions of our popular Mudpuppy 63 Piece Puzzle format to make the packaging squatter and wider.  We then had to seam 32 individual pictures of the drum together to simulate a 3D image. Finally, we increased the dimensions, 18" x 14" to 29" x 14", and piece count, 63 to 425, of the puzzle, to make it more challenging for its adult audience. The puzzle stored inside the newly designed drum depicts Peter Rothermel's painting, "Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge".

In addition to the Drum, we designed a Civil War Correspondence Set utilizing our Galison Stationery Set format. As we learned, soldiers of the Civil War were prolific letter writers. Decorated stationery and envelopes were widely used and often featured patriotic designs and slogans. Using ephemera from The Library Company of Philadelphia, a collage design was created to serve as the packaging artwork. Our in-house designer then created a pattern to simulate aged and faded paper for the sheets and envelopes in the interior.

For more information about Pennsylvania’s statewide anniversary programming, visit: http://www.pacivilwar150.com.

Have a look at the National Park Service’s Gettysburg Battle Field web site for a virtual tour and a lot of interesting information. http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/main-ms.htm

 

~Lauren & Shannon