Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

Hidden away down a little alley deep in Notting Hill is the fantastic Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising. I have been several times before when studying for my Graphics MA and found it an excellent resource, but I really enjoyed visiting again for fun and having a meander through the extensive, colourful collection of wrappers, boxes, toys and products from the Victorian period right through to today. Its a treasure trove of nostalgia, and I find the sheer density of exhibited objects very enticing. Every time I go I discover something I hadn't spotted before. The exhibits are presented in a time tunnel, so you literally walk through the different eras in chronological order and its so interesting to see how the packaging and the branding, and the products themselves, reflect the social and political climate of the time.

For anyone interested in creative arts and design, or indeed history or sociology this should definitely be on your list of must-sees! Being a self confessed logo geek I particularly enjoy the displays at the end of the time tunnel, which track the progression of the design of certain brands all in one window. There's something very satisfying about seeing a whole host of examples of the same product side by side and looking at the brand development, via subtle typographic tweaks and the shifting of lines and shapes. Go and check it out! More info here

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
Adult ticket £7.50
(Closed Mondays)

Photos © Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

Geometric frosty windows

Well the tree is up and its officially time to get festive - so I bought some trusty old spray snow and thought I'd decorate the window with a snowflake inspired geometric, frosty pattern using nothing more than a roll of masking tape. Quick, cheap and very cool - have a go!

Exhibition Double Bill: The Enchanted Page at London Print Studio & Sigmar Polke at Tate Modern

Last week I was lucky enough to catch 2 very different exhibitions in one day. Juggling 2 gallery visits with nappy changes, lunch and nap times was quite a mission but well worth the effort and I came home with an exhausted but contented toddler after a days visual stimulation!

The Enchanted Page - an Exhibition of Children's Illustration at London Print Studio was first on the bill. Being an avid collector of children's picture books I was really interested to see this display of imagery from 15 contemporary illustrators. The gallery space is relatively small, in front of the working print studios, but has been fashioned into a fun and welcoming, creative area. Both the walls and the ceiling are dotted with characters and bold imagery from the books, and several page spreads adorn the base of the wall at child height. There are tables with chalks, crayons and activity sheets, comfy bean bags and book tables.

 My daughter loves her books and was in her element here, its well worth a visit if you're out and about in West London. There's a lovely little gift shop selling various print and design related goods, and I picked up the latest copy of Wrap magazine too - bonus!

More information on the LPS website here
Until the end of January 2015: Free entry

In contrast to the morning's gallery visit, the second exhibition of the day was Sigmar Polke at Tate Modern. I had done a quick read up on Polke before I went, but was unsure what to expect and had been warned 'some of the imagery may be considered challenging' at the exhibition entrance.. so off I went with toddler in tow, ready to avert her eyes when necessary!

This retrospective displays the broad variety of Polke's work from painting and drawing to sculpture and video-art. Polke worked in many mediums, and used all kinds of unorthodox materials in his image making. His work is highly experimental and often controversial, and I found it very interesting to explore. Its a huge collection, and every room has a different theme as they have attempted to cohesively arrange the vast styles and subject matters in a meaningful way. Quite hard to describe Polke's work concisely - you need to go and see the exhibition with your own eyes!

I could have done with a whole day at the Tate, as there is so much to see and its an awesome building. There's plenty to see for free if you don't want to pay for the special exhibitions. Less crowded midweek its a great place to take your kids for some creative exposure, the Turbine Hall alone is a pretty impressive space for a little one to experience.

More information on the Tate website here
Until Feb 8th: £13.10 adult ticket 

Sneak peak - new linoprint

This week I have been working on an illustration of an armadillo. I love their bold shape and naturally graphic patterning and thought it would make a really neat linoprint.

I will have a small run of the finished posters in the Make Play Do shop soon, but here's a quick peak of what I've been working on so far...

"Oh hi Waterstones, nice cards!"

So excited to see my Make Play Do cards in Waterstones yesterday!

2 colour linoprints in the Make Play Do shop now!

I have been busy printing my festive pets illustrations and have some 6'' x 8'' original 2 colour linoprints in the shop now. They come including a mount so are ready to frame, and also come with free postage. Would make a lovely unique gift this Christmas!

Make your own Boj toy

For anyone living in a toddler-free house, Boj is a small Aussie creature from a new tv show on Cbeebies. Its a really good cartoon and is a favourite in our house! You can't yet buy a Boj toy in the shops so I figured I'd make her one - and was happily surprised to find a downloadable pattern and tutorial on the official Boj website. I therefore won't detail all the steps as its not my own pattern, but you can download the pattern and the instructions here and have a go yourselves: Boj Sewing Pattern

Granted it took me about 5 hours to complete so it wasn't quite as quick and easy as they suggested - but seeing my little one find Boj sitting on the sofa this morning was priceless. And at least if Boj gets lost I can rustle up another one overnight! It was great to get my puppet making head back on. Watch this space for some of my own design Make Play Do toy patterns and tutorials to come soon.