Recent Illustration, Lettering & Doodles

I realised the other day that I post lots of sketchbook illustrations and process work to Instagram but haven't been sharing that much here at all! So here's a look at a few recent Instagram posts showing you some recent illustration progress work and fun doodles, in case you're wondering what I've been up to...

One of the goals I mentioned in my last post (where I shared the March free calendar & planner) is to draw more, so what you see here is partly practice and experimentation, partly random sketchbook doodles and partly progress towards planned pieces.
If you liked this, follow me on Instagram to see more. I also share some general life pics (mainly cats and nature).

In case you missed it the other day, the March free calendar & planner is out! Go grab your copy now, share it with your friends and get planning! There's also a brand spanking new exclusive newsletter starting soon, so sign up now.

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March Free Calendar & Planner Printable

I cannot believe how fast February went by! It's already March calendar time!

For the March free calendar printable I've gone with a style that's not usual for me. I'm trying to loosen up a bit and also just experimenting with different looks and styles, and I quite like how this one turned out.
I've decided to try and have a goal or two for myself each month just as a way of trying to constantly improve, and it's also great to feel like you're progressing and accomplishing something incrementally as the months whizz by. I thought you might find it helpful too so, as well as the List section from last month, I've added in a Goals section.
I'm always interested to hear your thoughts on these calendars as I do want them to be useful for you, so if you have any thoughts you'd like to share, I'm all ears.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE CALENDAR 

In related news I've started a newsletter for these calendars! They're exclusive newsletters, which means you get the following:

• Monthly calendar printables at least a week (or more) before they're released on the blog

• Exclusive high quality free printables or giveaways from time to time for newsletter subscribers only (that won't be made available on the blog)

• Useful tips, advice or articles of interest

• A brief roundup of popular posts from the past month

• Updates on anything new happening with Happiness is...

This newsletter will only be once a month and will always contain something of value so as not to be spammy and waste your time.

Subscribe to the Happiness is... newsletter

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Monday Meow • 15

1 illustration by Aiko Fukawa  •  2 cat-shaped wooden bread board

3 gold & black cat tote bag  •  4 wooden cat clothes pins

Happy Monday!

Another week, another dose of Monday Meow! This week is going to be pretty busy since it's two days of work and then three days of Design Indaba! I'll be going to the Durban simulcast and can't wait to be inspired by amazing people. Three conference days in a week means two super busy days beforehand (and some weekend time) making sure everything's on track. Yay for productivity, busy-ness and inspiration! :)
Here's wishing you a fantastic week ahead! 

Watch out for the March free calendar printable tomorrow!

Enjoyed this post? Click here for more weird & wonderful Monday Meow posts.

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Will It Beard

Will It Beard is a super fun Tumblr blog by art director Pierce Thiot (the bearded man pictured) and his photographer wife, Stacey Thiot. They basically stick random objects into his beard to see if it ‘will beard’, and it makes for a pretty cool photo series. 

And then they video him shaking the objects out, always to the most awesomely appropriate soundtracks...


Check out the rest of the series on their Tumblr blog.

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Monday Meow • 14

1 embroidered cat purse  •  2 cat themed matte pressed powder

3 illustration by mirdinara  •  4 cat illustrations on mugs

Happy Monday!

Another week, another dose of Monday Meow! Last week was pretty rough for me thanks to a rather persistent bout of 'flu (which is still lingering, but I'm try to ignore it), so I'm hoping to really hit this week running and kick some ass! 

Here's wishing you a fantastic week ahead! 

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Valentine's Day Free Printables

While my view on Valentine's Day leans distinctly in the direction of...

...I did do a fun little printable a while ago that I thought worth re-sharing.  It's made up of some heart bunting, gift tags and cards. Here's the original post.

 • DOWNLOAD FREE VALENTINE'S PRINTABLES •

Enjoy! I'm afraid this is probably the last post this week as I've been fighting the dreaded 'flu since Monday (which you'll know all about if you follow me on twitter or instagram) and things have been going rather not according to plan. Hope to be rid of it soon and back to normal :)

The cat image above is by the lovely Mary Kate McDevitt.

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Monday Meow • 13 • The Local Edition

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Happy Monday!

This week's Monday Meow is completely local! So you can go out and buy any item that catches your eye. Lovely stockists of these items are Zana, Feral Goods, Home is Where the Heart is and Deer Hunter. 

Here's wishing you a happy and stress-free week ahead! 

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Rifle Paper Co.'s 2013 Look Book - A Magical Combination of Stationery & Floral Design

I can't believe I forgot to post this! I've had it ready for ages. Better late than never, right?
This is the amazingly beautiful 2013 look book of the highly esteemed stationery and gift brand, Rifle Paper Co. They teamed up with floral designer, Amy Merrick, to bring their strong floral designs to life by incorporating them with real flowers, and it works incredibly well. Photographed by Alpha Smoot. If you haven't heard of them before, you're about to fall in love...

Apart from creating all sorts of the most drool-worthy stationery ever, they are also an inspiring small creative business success story. Anna and Nathan bond started the company out of their one bedroom apartment, and it has grown into a worldwide brand in the past four years. Check out the rest of their amazing stationery on their site.

Recent Work: A Custom Protea-Themed Scrapbooking Pack

Last year I got to design a scrapbooking pack for a lovely client who's looking to start her own range. For this pack she wanted to go with a South African feel, but interpreted in a pretty contemporary way with the main focus being protea flowers. It was so much fun creating all the individual graphic elements to use...

The pack includes various shaped stickers, bunting, large background pages and journaling cards. Can't wait to see them produced!

If you or someone you know is looking to get some design or illustration work done, drop me a mail and let's chat about it! :) 

Monday Meow • 12

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Happy Monday!

We're already into the second month of 2014! Isn't that just crazy?! Jan went by like lightning.
If you're still reeling from the thought of that, these fun feline products will distract you enough to make everything ok.
Now let's tackle February head on with the free printable calendar planner to get ourselves organised! If you haven't got yours yet, grab yours here!
Here's wishing you a wonderful week ahead :)

Weekly Roundup: Last week's posts at a glance