torsdag 29. mars 2012

GUNVOR R ILLUSTRATION GALLERY

Gunvor R Illustration finally has a showroom. Yay! My gallery at Bryggen is now officially "ready", even if I have been open for a few weeks. The last few strokes of paint was done today, that makes it official;)

It have turned kind of garden themed, green grass on the floor and plastic flowers all around. All need now is some tacky gnomes;) The treestump seat is made by a brilliant textile artist called Hilde Franzen. Her work is inspired by comics, right up my alley.

Here be monsters:D

My gallery is open from 11 until 16, Wed, Fri and Sat. Or by appointment:) I love visits!

Just follow the white rabbit;)

onsdag 28. mars 2012

NO PRESSURE;)

I've had this blank paper in a frame in my gallery for some weeks without doing anything about it. I wanted to, but the sheet of paper was so intimidatingly white that I have prioritized otherwise.

Today the author of Sushibird came to visit (and gave me an amazingly puffed cake of a second hand wedding dress:D) and asked me about the frame.

So I have set myself another deadline, I will at least write my name in it by midday Friday. After all, it's kind of the shop's sign.

Yep!

mandag 26. mars 2012

ILLUSTRATIONS FOR UMBREALLAS

Last Friday I was asked by Festspillene if I had any good ideas about drawings to use on an umbrella. So we had some intense and creative few hours of correspondance back and forth. They settled on a drawing I did a few years ago for Samlaget, and wanted me to design a new logo to go with it.

I drew the text out in ink, and then scanned and applied color in photoshop. The blue pattern is from one of the champagne ladie's blue dress. And since someone asked earlier; the watercolor layer is then multiplied in PS on top of the black ink:)

I normally draw everything out by hand and then colour it in by hand, except from text. I like the crispness of the black lines in hand inked text, and if I use use watercolour on it straight after, it all smudges. And since we were short of time I didn't have time to let the ink dry for days.

(I did the whole visual look for my BA at KHIB based on watercolor layering to achieve a hand made feel to my animation.)

Today we kept on working with the design for the umbrellas, and about midday the designer (Eirik Johanessen from Kassett), the representative from Festspillene, and me could send the design underneath off to be printed and turned into unbreallas.

I'm very excited about the work I'm doing for Festspillene for the moment, both this and what I am designing for stage:) Time will pass way too quickly, better get started with the set building part! Until now it's all been sketches, small scale testing, and working out the script, and we could probably continue that for ages it so much fun. But May and being on stage will soon be upon us:)

lørdag 24. mars 2012

ILLUSTRATING BAJAZZ MONSTERS

Today was one of the sunniest days we've had so far in Bergen this year! I worked at Bajazz, a music festival for kids here in Bergen, giving a monster drawing course.

We all drew monsters, both grown ups and kids participated. I made everyone write their name and age, so we have pictures in the makeshift gallery from both "Monica 37 1/2 years" to "Sofie 4 yrs old." Again, this year, so many talented kids! I'm amazed at the level of comprehension about drawing and drawing terminology some of the kids possess.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see much of the shows or the kid's disco, but from what the others told me it was a success:)

I met Karl Seglem, a musician from Norway that also wrote for some of the books I've illustrated, and he is just such an inspiring guy to talk to. He told me about how he incoorporates music into his writing the same way I do with illustration, and we figured we should definately work together on something;) I really hope we'll work together in the future, because I love illustrating his stories.

And then since it was the first proper sunny day I here I just have to post a picture of our Bajazz Festival Dinner. Good festival, good festival dinner, and good festival company:)

Wheeeeee:)

fredag 23. mars 2012

MONSTERS AT BAJAZZ

Saturday and Sunday it's monster drawing with me at Bajazz!

From 12 to 15.30 Saturday and Sunday, see you there:)

More info here

mandag 19. mars 2012

BACTERIA ILLUSTRATIONS FOR TEMAFORLAGET

screenshot_gunvor_illustration2

I’m making a series of illustrations for Temaforlaget, one of them are a group of bacteria oozing around on one spread. They are illustrating an article about people becoming more resistent towards antibiotics.

temaforlaget_bakterie03 
Temaforlaget are amazing clients to work with, they understand that if you make people feel like you trust them to do their best, they will. And maybe the result will be better than trying to control every move the artist do. I’m not sure if they are aware they have this attitude, but it works like mad for me!

temaforlaget_gunvor_bakterie_farget02 
The articles are also very inspiring. The concept Temaforlaget is working from is to make heavy and difficult reads within science more entertaining, interesting and easier to read, then perhaps making science more accessible.

Yay to Temaforlaget:)

screenshot_gunvor_illustration3

søndag 18. mars 2012

KAWAII ALERT - COLORFUL SUSHI AND AARDVARKS GLOWING IN THE DARK

sushi_gunvor_illustration01
I love sushi. I love the look of sushi. It’s so easy to make it look delicious!

sushi_gunvor_illustration02

I have no idea what I’m doing though, I don’t really know anything about sushi. So when I shop for ingredients, I noticed that I went for what colour or graphic value it had.

After the colorful sushidinner yesterday I decided that me and my friends should have an excursion to go and see the aardvarks glowing in the dark. (For those of you who lost track now; There is an exhibition in Bokboden in Marken close to my house, where an artist has exhibited silicone aardsvarks lighted so that they look like they glow in the dark.)

The exhibition is best seen at night with people appreciating the joys of aardvark fascinationSmilefjes med åpen munn

jordsvin_gunvor_illustration

This morning some of us went back to have a pique-nique with leftover sushi, and to show the aardvarks to my friend’s son too.

sushi_gunvor_illustration03

I couldn’t find info about the artist online since I don’t know her name and have used a good 20 minutes today searching for “jordsvin utstilling marken”.

(Quick study of aardvark in sushi hat drinking tea.)

Photo 17 39 13 18.03.12

The funny thing is though, yesterday morning I met the artist by chance when she was buying artwork from me in my gallery at Bryggen. She told me just before she left that she also had an exhibition now, and it was the aardvarks! I forgot in my epiphany to ask for her name or webpage, only that I thought the exhibition looked greatSmilefjes med åpen munn So if anyone know her please give me shoutSmilefjes som blunker

torsdag 15. mars 2012

WHAT I DID TODAY

Sometimes people ask what a day at work for me is like. So I have made a few "What I did today posts".

Today I went to my desk at Designbryggeriet, came there half past nine because I had to buy paper before I got there. Then made a really quick webpage for our creative workspace: www.designbryggeriet.no.

I "finished" about eleven. (At least something was published.) At the same time I printed and folded pages for my fanzine "Swearing for Parents", and prepared for the course I was giving later today.

Then I left for my gallery with some pictures and other things, and spent some time there reorganizing, and continued some sketches I needed to send to different clients.

After that I left to deliver some fanzines to different shops, and by chance met the owner of the café Sakristiet downstairs. He suggested they might be interested in me decorating the walls at their café! Yay!

After delivering the fanzines I went home to finish the sketches and relax a bit before going teaching. And of course I wanted to redesign the whole webpage I did earlier, so I did a bit of that too.

The sketches I'm working on are so much fun! Here is a quick drawing of a resistant bacteria I'm drawing for Temaforlaget.

Then I had dinner and went to teach my amazingly talented students at Fana Kulturhus how to be creative. This is made in fimo by a girl in the group:)

Then home to watch Game of Thrones for the third time round;)

onsdag 14. mars 2012

THE WEEKLY MONSTER

Soon I will be moving my blog to my website www.gunvor.no, then to be powered by Wordpress. Yesterday I went to a WordPress meetup at Palografen here in Bergen to learn some tips and tricks on how to use it for what I need.

Sortenke is organizing the meetup, and it's open for whoever wants to join. As well as being filled with new and wonderful knowledge about Wordpress, we went trough some code that wasn't really my line of work. So meanwhile I went through my notes intead. That resulted in this guy underneath;)

mandag 12. mars 2012

COLOURFUL PICS FROM MY PHONE

I take pictures whenever I see random, colourful, playful, funny things, or just silly stuff.

I had to photograph the table where I made fimo jewelry with my students at Fana Kulturhus.

And the play dough monsters I made with my friend's kid at a café. I was made fun of when I didn't follow the play dough intructions on the box. "Don't you know how to make the figures from the recipe? If you try one more time you will probably make it!";)

Last night me and my boyfriend watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I love the look of the chocolate river land! I have to read the book over again and watch the film from the 70's too.

The tiny toy car on the floor of our office is there for a reason, I promise.

søndag 11. mars 2012

DUM DI DUM DI DUM

test_scene

Dum di dum di dum. (Listening to Holocene by Bon Iver.)

I had to test out my ideas for set design for Trollkrittet in small scale. The ratio is all wrong, and we certainly wont dress up as ninjas or spacemen on stage. (The ninja and spaceman are my lovely usb-drives by the way.) On Wednesday we are presenting the concept for the show for the press, so we have to work quickly planning out the design.

But now I’m going to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Have a tranquil and cozy Sunday eveningSmilefjes

fredag 9. mars 2012

MEET "LEIF" THE 2D PARROT

Today I went to a meeting with Festspillene. I brought Leif the Parrot with me to explain my idea for the visual part of the stage performance me and Adele Duus are making for them. Since the story we are telling (Trollkrittet) is set in a drawn 2D world, we decided to have all the props and set design in 2D. For now. We've only had two meetings so far about the production;)

When I came back to my gallery (that my brother in law minded for me while I was in the meeting; thank you so much again Roberto:) I started painting the celing. I intensely dislike pine wood paneling. It should be banned from sight for people of the aesthetical persuation. My mum and I worked all afternoon, but it will take days before we are finished. I'll still open the gallery tomorrow at 11;)

We actually had some really nice tourists visiting that offered to help me paint, but I got so startled that I said no thank you:D I regret that now, so if you read this, I'll give you one of the small prints each if you want to chip in an hour's work in the week some time;) If you are still here that is!

torsdag 8. mars 2012

WORKING FOR FESTSPILLENE

(In English the name for Festspillene is just Bergen International Festival for some reason.)

In May I will be on stage with actor Adele Duus to dramatize the book "Trollkrittet" by Zinken Hopp. We have just started planning, and will present our ideas for Festspillene tomorrow.

Adele and me had a meeting Monday evening at a restaurant, and when I went to bed that night I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. We had such an intense workshop! We went through the whole book planning out scenes, thinking about costumes, going through technical solutions for props and stage design, and generally bursted out laughing with mad ideas.

This is going to be so exciting to work with! My head is full of ideas I want to try out. Me and Adele were such a perfect match for this task too, I think my work on paper works great with her energy on stage.

Huzzah! :)

mandag 5. mars 2012

CHAMPAGNE!

gunvor_champagneboka

I’m working like mad to try to get as far as I can with Champagneboka today.

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Had to print some spreads just to see the progress:D

This evening I’m going to a meeting concerning my secret mission that I have been all mysterious about in an earlier post.
It’s not secret or mysterious, I was just afraid of jinxing it by giving away the news to soon. But it does seem that I’m doing illustrations for Festspillene in Bergen for one of their shows! I’ll tell you more about it when I know more myself:)

søndag 4. mars 2012

SUNDAY CALM

I had to finish some drawings for clients today, and figured I might as well work in my new gallery. I'm supposed to be there Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but I wanted to see what it would be like to sit there and draw as well. I didn't put the sign out, and didn't really promote too much that I was there on my facebook page or on twitter, so today was calmer. But still had some lovely visitors peeking in:)

I have a small desk behind a screen at the back of the room. I sat there today working with the commissioned work, going through old drawings, and generally just having an incredibly nice Sunday in my new gallery listening to good music:)

lørdag 3. mars 2012

WHOHOOOOO!:D

I opened my gallery today:D

Last week I was still dreaming about a showroom of my own. And then I applied for this room when I found it earlier this week, got the keys, moved in and opened up. I was sitting there today looking at the room going; "What happened?"

Maybe getting the keys and opening the same week would seem insane, but I figured I just have to start using the room to see what I'll do with it.

I chucked lots of boxes in yesterday and then had to leave. I did have a slight notion that maybe I wouldn't be able to put all my ideas into realization within the next 24 hours.

This is about what it looked like when I arrived about 10 today. I had told people that I would open at 11. I was at one point quite uncertain if that would happen.

I worked so quickly and all desicions about the interior were made on the spot, and pictures and shelves went up on the wall without thinking twice. Finished about half past eleven.

It felt good to see my work up on the wall. I'll probably change it around continously, so it was great to just start. The small gallery bar was of course very important to place too;)

I have a small desk behind my home made screen, it was quite cozy to sit there writing lists over what I need for the gallery and plan the continuing work with the interior.

I had several visitors today, quite a few tourists, but also people from the café downstairs that spotted my sign outside. And for those of you that were there today, thank you so much for visiting and for good ideas for further developement of the room! After today some of the new ideas are to make a secret reading room in Willy Wonka style, arrange Monster Drawing Classes there, and also dress the celing in grass and have a up-side-down-world;)

For a start I'm getting the plastic grass mat for the floor, and then going on to the secret reading room when I'm finished painting the main room.

This is so much fun:D

fredag 2. mars 2012

MY NEW GALLERY SPACE

I’m still keeping my pink office, I’m only expanding:)

gunvor_galleri 
I’m trying to get some stuff in place for Saturday when I’m going to have my first opening day:) I got the keys for the room this Wednesday, have only seen it once since then, but no problem, I’ll open on Saturday:D

On the floor I will have plastic grass. (You know like on the horrible mini-golf courses? Yes.) Don’t know if I’ll manage the grass on time, but I’ll try:D

1316604378_Heico rabbit lamp bunny lamp and nighlight_w410_h410 
Today I bought this Bunny Lamp for my grassy green gallery space.

So if you want to come along and say hello, the new gallery is at Bryggen in Bergen, up the staircase by Café Sakristiet. I’ll be there from 11.00 to 16.00.

This is so much fun:D:D

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