bologna, burton and bunnies.

BOLOGNA 

We were very lucky to have been invited to the unmissable Bologna Children's Book Fair this year to be part of the jury to award Chinese Excellence in Illustration. It's hard to put into words how much of an experience this packed week of celebrating artists, authors and books was. We met many brilliant illustrators whose work you will soon see gracing the pages of our Happy Mags!


Despite a packed schedule, we got an extra day to enjoy the city, which is also full of buzz! We particularly enjoyed Wallbook, a picture book story playing out in a large format on the walls of the Fondazione Del Monte by the artist Paul Cox. 

TIM BURTON 

If you happen to be in London before the end of May, run to the excellent Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum. It is a packed treasure trove of the celebrated film-maker's work, spanning across many different mediums: film, animation, books, drawings and fashion. We were reminded of how in awe we are of Mr Burton's universe, with his unique mix of humour and darkness, how his imagination invites us in weird and wonderful journeys and how boredom can be an essential tool to fire up our own creativity. A must-see for all creative minds. 


BUNNIES 

Tis the season of bunnies with Easter approaching. We are in love with these standing bunny pencil cases by PuniLabo

Cute bunny bags by our friend Julia Staite to carry all our essentials like notebook, pencils and lollipops. 

OTHER HAPPY THINGS: 

"Picasso (…): He's one painter who really talked, wisely at times. (…) but, to paraphrase it, he said 'self-trust'. It sounds like nothing, but it's a very hard thing to achieve, for me. To trust yourself. We depend on a lot of structures outside. Teachers, books, everything, History. So, how do you trust your instincts? In other words, if you have an impulse and you make a painting, you do it." This made us reflect on how not only we need to encourage children with the practise of 'self-trust' but also ours. 

Quote spotted reading “I paint what I want to see” by artist Philipp Guston.

Our Happy Mags used as creative tools in Dutch art club Miset Art



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