The Tattoo Style: September 2010

Thursday, 30 September 2010

dkny

Yes I work for them. Yes I love them.

My favorite looks at the dkny show included a grouping of the most amazing greens and blues I've seen in a while. The colors were really unexpected and when they came out everyone was in awe. Even the most classic pieces in the collection had thoughtful details. This is why I am proud to be , even a small part, of the DKNY team.
If you don't already follow @dkny on twitter you are missing out... on my illustrations ;)

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Quote of the week: Naomi Campbell

"I am a woman of color and I will always be proud of that." Naomi Campbell in the October issue of Interview Magazine, 2010.

Exclusive interview with Anne Fenninger, Digital Manager, Peugeot

According to Peugeot, what does emotion mean?

This year Peugeot celebrates its 200 years of shared emotions.

Touch, see, smell… the car offers a whole host of sensations. According to Peugeot, emotion is at the centre of the car experience, which can be seen as a unique alliance of skills and emotional intensity.

Driving can be a core issue, a critical base for car values, but Peugeot’s priority is to put emotions back into driving today and tomorrow’s cars.

Is emotion expressed in the design of the cars or rather through the marketing campaign?

Both, emotion is part of the global strategy and it is in the DNA of the company. The SR1 is the most representative car of Peugeot’s style. Cars such as the 508 or the RCZ embody the brand’s new expression, as they combine strong design and emotion with their streamlined, prestigious and dynamic appearance, their quality and interior comfort, their unique drivability, all based on Peugeot’s longstanding expertise.

The emotion is embodied in the automotive experience: we believe it’s the translation of driving pleasure. Emotion is in the campaign strategy too. It is always part of the brief.

Have you ever thought about doing a partnership with a contemporary artist such as Jeff Koons for BMW, or any celebrities?

Peugeot already set this kind of partnerships with a design agency directed by Olivier Saguez: the hall of our headquarters, called the Peugeot Avenue, has been completely redesigned in association with a guest artist, Felice Varini, who worked on the outlook.

Other projects are planned, but they are still confidential at this time.

The new platform is really creative, where does the idea come from?
In 2010, after 200 years of inspiration, we are renewing Peugeot’s style and visual identity, broadening our mobility range and affirming our international ambition.

With this website (www.new-peugeot.com) Peugeot is responding through videos and users generated contents to the challenges of the automotive industry through the prism of motion and emotion, in a 3D immersive interface. The idea was to share with the users the strategy of the brand and the changes in an original way. Emotion and motion are at the heart of the strategy. We wanted to have videos so as to showcase movement. Videos are also much more emotional than pictures or text. We also wanted to give a more open-minded image of the brand and give the possibility to the users to share their vision with us. This unique environment is based on 6 emotionally expressive themes (required skills, Environment, Emotions, Movement, Connectivity and Vision). Each theme represents a face of a cube which provides visitors a really fluid navigation combined with a very interactive experience.

Emotion described with three words according to you:

Passion + sensuality + Seduction or hedonism + inspiration + pleasure

Maison Scotch

A new favorite of mine this week is Maison Scotch. (guys, don't miss out on scotch & soda) Very simply put- here are a few reasons why:

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

rue magazine

Thank you rue magazine- I am so happy to be a part of such an amazing new online publication. Along with my illustrations, many of you caught this little ad in rue, thank you for your amazing notes, emails, tweets etc. I am happy you like where things are headed!
Things are changing (new additions to etsy, new canvases, new projects, new clients) so check the website, blog, twitter for updates- or please feel free to email me and say hello!!

Björk graces the cover of AnOther Magazine

Monday, 27 September 2010

Please vote for my blog

To vote for Art is Alive, just click, from your Facebook page, on the banner located on the right-hand corner of this page! And if you could ask your friends to vote too, that would be fantastic!

Many thanks for your support!
Nicolas.

Tilda Swinton / David Bowie and vice versa

back to fashion week- chris benz

One of my favorite presentations at fashion week, other than Reem, was the one and only Chris Benz. I always enjoy Chris' collections b/c they are always very bright and cohesive.

Chris clearly has major celeb support, and he is just so amazingly friendly (spent the entire evening saying hello to everyone he possibly could).

The models danced to the loud music- and sometimes posed for photos. Their moods matched the cheery music that filled the room.

Some of you know, I have been a fan of all things Benz for a while now. That you so much Chris, and my good friends at Krupp for inviting me to see this collection in person this year!

The Inherent Sexiness of Sexy Tattoo Designs

People sporting sexy tattoos attract our sense of excitement and adventure. Only the most daring among us would have the guts to subject ourselves to the ritual of the 5 needles and the many colored inks, the pigments to be pierced into the layers of our skin. Fashion and style are the main reasons for these permanent skin decorations. It is an edgy sort of style that used to belong to the Samoans, the Japanese, the Maoris, some tribes in the African terrains, and in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

Ancient and tribal tattoos were administered not merely to decorate the body, but also for sacred purposes. Some were symbols of rank and prowess. In Western history, sailors and servicemen were well known regulars of the tattoo parlor. Nowadays, anybody could be sporting a tattoo. The practice has developed into an art form. Practitioners are called artists, as well they should be. Today's tattoo artists work with an array inks, dyes, and pigments. There are now high tech machines that help with the process. Skin and the human body is the canvas. A good sense of design and style are most needed in this field, not to mention technical know-how and some training in related health issues. This has injected professionalism into the practice. Competitions are regularly held, as well as conventions and get-togethers.

In popular culture, sexy tattoos could be of any single thing. There is a vast array of designs to choose from. The old meanings of most designs have been lost or blurred by their appropriation into modern culture. What used to be tribal, sacred, or prison and gang symbols are now seen everywhere as marks of fashion and style. Therefore the zigzag lines and other ethnic patterns as anklets, the cobweb tattoos at the elbows as fashion statement and heretofore religious symbols as body decoration. In the theme of the sexy, there are the single-stemmed rose designs, strategically placed in the hidden parts of the body. Roses are a symbol of romantic love. Star patterns are also popular, usually seen in the lower back, erotically peeking from pants or underwear. The heart has become a very common symbol of love, ordinary in its familiarity. However, when tattooed into a precise area in the body it is an effective sexy symbol.

Sunday, 26 September 2010

Asian Tribal Tattoo Design

For years now, people from around the world have appreciated the art of tribal tattoos. But in the past, the natives were the first to have discovered and used it for different purposes. Over time, it has been passed on from one generation to another. And now, the westerners have loved this kind of body art.

So where did it first originate? How did it come to be? Well, during the ancient times, these tribal designs were not just body decorations. They often mean something. The symbols may signify rank, status, or power of the individual bearing it. Various people from different cultures have adapted this kind of tribal tattoo before as an aspect of human life. However, various cultures have different tribal tattoo designs.

It is said that the first style was found in Egypt, way back then, when pharaohs were on the throne. Hieroglyphics is one of the most popular tribal tattoo designs and even though the symbols were very meaningful to the ancient people, some see it as a form of art. However, Egyptians have also used it to represent religious and cultural scenes. The Egyptians were firm believers of the afterlife and so they drew half animal and half human tattoos to symbolize life after death. Next to that are the Asian tribal tattoos.

Friday, 24 September 2010

my fall obsession. camel.

what I'm craving this fall: camel

prada & miu miu , at bergdorfs.

psst) FOR YOU! xo the new dace dolls launched! hope you love them! for us creative types- this one's got coffee!!!

Thursday, 23 September 2010

pretty pinks

Before I get back to more fashon week stories, I am taking a day to mix in some pretty favorites on the blog. Today I am working on 3 fashion illustrations as well as the new press kits. Will share soon!

shelly steffee, chocolate editions, peonies and polariods

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Best Tribal Tattoo Designs

Tribal tattoos
have been the choice of more and more people these days. This form of body art has been there since the ancient times and it carries different meanings and symbolisms. Nearly 50% of the people who get a tattoo prefer tribal designs. So how did it come to be and where did it originate? For people back then, tribal tattoos were a form of marking to signify different things. Archaeologists have found tribal tattoos on various ancient countries like Egypt, Greece, Rome, and in Asia. During those days, tribal tattoos meant more than art.

Ancient people have used these tribal tattoos to depict symbol of rights, rank and devotion. They also use it as a form of symbols for award or security. People also used these tribal tattoos those days as an amulet, a talisman or a mark of seniority. However, for some it may be regarded as a medal but for those slaves who have been marked with a tattoo, life is not that easy. Until now, there are still some religions or societies which require their followers to have a certain tribal tattoo as a symbol of loyalty and brotherhood.

But nowadays, tribal tattoos act as body art and a way to express oneself. Some people really find it cool and hip. It is even considered as a fashion symbol and not just a marking. Trying to find a tribal tattoo that suits you best? Well, there are many tattoo shops out there and they have a wide variety of gallery that you can choose from. Remember, the design of your tattoo may show something about your personality and could make a lasting impression. So better think it through first before getting one.

pretty

I love this photo. Just letting everyone know. I'm obsessed.

stockholm street

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Giveaway- from Shopbop and Dallas Shaw

Got an email from some friends at shopbop recently telling me about these new maxi dresses, sweater dresses and print dresses... you know I love shopbop so I had to see what was new. Here are my favorite choices in each of those catgories:

print dress by Brian Reyes, Maxi dress by calvin klein, sweater dress by nanette lepore.

There is alot more to choose from and also more on sale at shopbop. If you are a blog follower please just comment below for your chance to win a $100 Shopbop giftcard!

Contest ends Oct 1st- you have ten days to enter. Good luck- and thank you for always supporting my work.

Monday, 20 September 2010

Reem Acra

I'll mix in some regular posts soon, But stll so much to share with you from my trip to NY. One highlight this year was a trip ro Reem Acra. I have been a fan for years so seeing this collection up close and personal was just breathtaking. A friend and I even got a little escort backstage to see additional looks. Hope you love as much as I did!!

Tattoo Art

Tattoo Art

How to acquisition the absolute tattoo art for you is the abutting footfall afterwards you accept absitively that you appetite a tattoo. You will by now accept a few account of the architecture of tattoo that you are after. However, to acquisition that absolute tattoo architecture can alpha to account a few problems.

Where do I alpha to look?

The best on action is massive, so you charge to attenuated your account bottomward to what absolutely you are analytic for. It can be a circuitous and alarming process, so what do you charge to do to get that absolute design. Think of what you do not appetite as a tattoo can help.

Also accept a attending at a few of the online tattoo galleries to get your account activity and to attenuated the possibilities of accepting the absolute tattoo art. The Internet has become a superb ability of advice and abnormally beheld images. So you can acquisition photographs, assets and activated images that all somehow chronicle to your absolute tattoo vision.

Magazines, old books and added types of media can advice you acquisition the tattoo art you are analytic for. The added beheld advertence you can get to booty to the tattoo artisan the more good for you and your tattoo. Get as abundant abundant advertence as possible. But accumulate in apperception the actuality that the tattoo art needs to assignment able-bodied aback it is translated to your skin, so some of the detail of a called tattoo art could be absent aback put assimilate your skin.Tattoo Art

Once you accept aggregate all your tattoo advertence actual calm you can them access a tattoo artisan and altercate the designs further. Whether the tattoo art is accessible and will backpack over to the bark well. It is account aback you see the tattoo artisan to accept a few aback up account for designs in apperception in case the aboriginal architecture is not suitable. As continued as you are astute about the admeasurement and complication that can be accomplished you will end up with absolute tattoo art that you will be appreciative to abrasion forever.

Exclusive interview with Caroline Bénech, artist

I have the pleasure to introduce you to the amazing Paris-based artist Caroline Bénech who shares with us her vision of cities. She agreed to answer my questions. Here is the interview for you...

Can you introduce yourself please?
Young French born artist, aiming to share idealistic visions of the contemporary world, as a way of life. I’m keen on offering a vision of art with positive values, a sublimation of reality and emotions. I’m living with phantasmagoric ideas appearing intuitively in my mind, often invading places and situations. My artwork finds it's origins in the combination of mediums : photography, numerical drawing, painting and textures, and also installations.

Where do you take your inspiration from?
As expected, primarly cities. Especially cites by night, when lights appear above urban-scapes transforming architectures and shapes, and when reality fades. Then my dreams fill with new wild ideas and surreal worlds. Everything around me provides constant inspiration, essentially music, people, sciences. And last but not least, art !

What is so fascinating in the concept of urbanity and cities?
Cities are alive, infinitely transforming. Urbanities mirror everything about the world, presenting fascinating personality portraits reflecting periods, cultures, societies, technologies.

Which is the best city to live in according to you?
I can’t limit my choice. Discovering new places is the most exciting. An utopic city beyond the bounds, possibly. And a great Paris/NYC amalgam is a possible option.

Any current or coming projects ?
I’m working on installations with motion, videoprojection and sound design, that all come together to create a more intense sensation of immersion for the spectator. The urban universe of my pictures awakes and moves in and around ad infinitum.

If you were not an artist what would you do?
Hard to figure out… If I had skills, I would have sought scientific research, especially in biology and other living systems.

To finish with, what would you wish to this blog?

That Art Is Alive will win over new art lovers, generating interest like a real showcase of art culture, easy to access. That it will keep growing as a real alternative to art exhibitions in galleries or museums. And that contributions will continue to provide new ideas, applications of imagination and creativity.

Thank you so much Caroline!

More info on: http://www.benech.fr/