EPIC PICK ME UP 2013 BLOGPOST!

Have we already mentioned how much we LOVE Pick Me Up? No?! This year was the fourth time the show has run at Somerset House in London and also our fourth annual visit....and quite possible the BIGGEST AND BEST PICK ME UP SO FAR! If you're unfamiliar, Pick Me Up is a graphic arts festival which runs for 2 weeks each year and showcases the most incredible design and illustration work by individuals and collectives. Also as I said in my previous post, Pick Me Up is also one of the main catalysts which caused us to start working together, teach ourselves to screenprint and create hello DODO! So it definitely has a special place in our hearts. But I shall stop talking and get to the pictures as I took about a billion (took HOURS to edit them!) I tried REALLy hard to make notes of all of the artist's names but if I have missed any that you want to know about just ask and I'll try to figure it out! We'll start off with the Pick Me Up Selects which is the first section of the show where up and coming individual talent is showcased...

The first thing you see when you walk in is Brighton graduate Tom Edwards's wild and domestic cats!

MaricorMaricar's stitched illustrations made us giggle! They are twins from Sydney, Australia.

Daniel Frost was one of our ULTIMATE faves! We really loved his colours and there was so much going on in what at first appear to be quite simple paintings. His miniatures were also AWESOME...

More Daniel Frost (above)

Even more Daniel Frost (above again)


LOVED this jungle scene from Ping Zhu!

Playful work by Jean Jullien

Gorgeous magical illustrations by You Byun

Crazy bright graphic work (and Eighties toys!) from Rob Flowers

A (very) naughty and totally mesmerising Kama Sutra Alphabet by one of our favourite designers and printmakers Malika Favre. Smitten!

Malika Favre close up!

Another of our most favourite of faves was the work by Sarah Vanbelle - LOVE LOVE LOVE!!


You might recognise the work of Malarky if you've ever walked around East London when the shops have their shutters down...


This stunning screenprint (yep it's a screenprint!) is by Stuart Patience


Yummy neon by Anna Lomax

William Goldsmith - love the tortoise!

Was surprising but nice to see Lazy Oaf!

Crazy things happening in the Print Club London room

Day Job was one of our favourite collectives! LOVELY work!

Risograph goodness from Day Job

Pick Me Up regulars Nelly Duff

UNBELIEVABLE three colour screenprint in the Nelly Duff room....these vase prints were HUGE.

Fatherless Print Posse were doing live screenprinting of CRAZY layered design!




All sorts of things you can get involved with at Pick Me Up!


Brothers of the Stripe collective - love this by Will Scobie

LOVE the Handsome Frank room! Soooooo varied and amazing. Sarah Maycock's HUGE dog watercolours were somehow amazingly simple and crazily lifelike at the same time. She was also one of our faves from last years Pick Me Up selects.


More magic from Malika Favre in the Handsome Frank room (above)
ARE YOU STILL WITH ME?! Honestly, this is the WELL edited version...
We were SOOOOOO excited that Brighton's very own Unlimited Edition's had their own space this year and it was AWESOME! It was also nice as so many of the artists they represent are our faves...

Imeus Design (above two screenprints) is one of our heroes!

More fabulous and familiar screenprinters in the Unlimited room - Popcorny and Hello Marine.
Every year at Pick Me Up the Soma Gallery space blows our minds and this year was no exception! Plus another chance to see even more of our favourite screenprinters - Peskimo (top left design) who we adore and a firm fave of ours Hazel Nicholls who is new to Soma (bottom two prints). We also giggled a lot at Nicholas John Frith's 'Who you calling Platy-Pussy?"

 Ok! I'm forcing myself to stop cos I'm going a bit cross-eyed! But seriously, this is barely even HALF of the awesomeness that is Pick Me Up! If you haven't been able to visit this year (it ends Sunday) then DEFINITELY put it in your diary for next year!!!

 *collapses*

PICK ME UP!

Pick Me Up 2013 is OPEN!!! We haven't actually visited yet but we're chomping on the bit to get there on Sunday. For those who may not have heard of it or visited before, Pick Me Up is a Graphic Arts Festival which takes place at Somerset House in London. Now in it's fourth year, Pick Me Up is an 11 day event which showcases work from the cream of the crop of graphic talent, hosts multiple creative workshops which you can take part in, holds late night art + music events AND you can buy UNBELIEVABLE work for CRAZY cheap prices!! Seriously, you can't leave Pick Me Up empty handed. You also can't leave Pick Me Up without a head full of inspiration and admiration!
We have visited Pick Me Up every year and we owe a great deal to it despite having never exhibited ourselves (what a dream that would be!) If we're completely honest, hello DODO probably wouldn't exist was it not for that first mind blowing visit in 2010 where we contemplated learning to screenprint, making our own designs and working together. This year we're excited to see old favourites such as Puck Studio and Soma Gallery but also REALLY excited to see Brighton based Unlimited Editions who have their first space at Pick Me Up this year and who'll be showing prints by the AWESOME Imeus. Anyway! Enough chitchat! Here are a few pics from last years show...we'll post some from this years next week! Eeeeep!

Crafty Fox round up!

Oops...a bit overdue but here are some photos from our day at Crafty Fox market in Brixton!

7am on a Sunday and it's the trek to the train station with all of our craft fair "kit". What you can't see in this photo is that it's snowing pretty heavily! Of COURSE it is.

Always get excited passing Battersea Power Station on the way in to London!

Finally at the Dog Star pub in Brixton and all set up! It's an absolutely fantastic venue with a buzzing atmosphere from the off. The organisers Sinead and Stephan are also really lovely! It's really exciting to be selling amongst so many awesome creative people, many of which we've stalked on Etsy for years! It was lovely to meet twitter friends in the flesh too such as the super talented Jenna Lee Alldread (who had an EPIC journey from Leeds in the snow!) and also the lovely Helen of Wetpaint. Sadly I completely neglected to take photos of other peoples stalls! Our stall was really close to Miwary and I'm not quite sure how I managed to resist her bunny rings...SO cute!

On the top floor Mr Wingate was running a DIY screenprinting workshop which was going down very well with visitors! Mr Wingate will also be exhibiting with us at AT Open House next month.

I liked this design!

It was an absolutely amazing day and Crafty Fox is by far one of the best events we've ever been involved with. We highly recommend applying or visiting the next one! :o) Check out this nice little film to give you more of an idea of how lovely it is!