Illustration

#WDC2014 Desktop Wallpapers! - part 2

We loved last months WDC2014 inspired downloadable wallpaper so much, that we're doing it again!

This month we have the lovely Lilian Fairall treating us to not one, but TWO gorgeous hand illustrated wallpapers:

1. Download HERE

2. Download HERE

Gorgeous or what? It's so hard to choose a favourite!

Send us a photo of how you're rocking your wallpaper this month - remember to tag it #hpwdc14, and visit the Lilian Fairall Hello Pretty store to check out more work by this talented lady: http://hellopretty.co.za/lilian-fairall

#WDC2014 Desktop Wallpapers!

So guys, it's no secret that we are privy to some pretty fantastic talent here at Hello Pretty. South Africans have some mad skillz - and we're super proud of being able to support them, see and help them grow, and revel in their general awesomeness.

One such human is Jeanine from Love Mary J - this lady specialises in geometric, linear inspired illustrations that will just knock your socks off.

We were lucky enough to have her treat us to a really gorgeous, illustrated World Design Capital inspired downloadable desktop - cool huh!? AND it involves pugs and polka dots. I mean, if that's not a recipe for success, I don't know what is.

So you should all check out her Hello Pretty store here, (especially her pet portraits) and download this super fun wallpaper right over here.

Nice right?

Our very own #WDC2014 mini project

Hello Pretty Daily Yellow WDC2014 HPWDC14 project

If you follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you would have seen us jumping into the spirit of World Design Captial feet first. We all agreed that this is an important year for everybody, whether you were a recognised project or not. It's so easy to get involved, even in a tiny way.

And so we set out to inject a teensy bit of yellow into our daily lives. And as we've been going along, we've been thrilled to see people jumping in - tagging us in something yellow that brightened up their day, or sending us yellow inspiration. It's the most satisfying feeling to have people interacting with us in that way - all of a sudden this small thing becomes much bigger and more exciting. We're not changing the world, but hopefully it brings a smile to the faces of the people who see it, and in turn directs them to the collective awesomeness that is WDC2014.

I recently received an email from Nadia, the talented illustrator and maker behind Bvbblegvm, saying that she had made us something yellow, which was just so exciting. Is this not amazing? Not only is it pretty, yellow, and generally fabulous, it imparts some solid wisdom as well.

Shorly after that I received an email from Nikita from Didzy Designs saying that she had designed some new phone covers to join the yellow madness and I just broke into a huge cheesy smile. I'm just so excited by everyone joining in. 365 yellow photos is no small feat! We value the encouragement and support so much, and so far we have yet to resort to photos of bananas.

Some sweet found #dailyyellow inpiration from Stacey of The Love Bucket and a snapshot in the life of Andrea Jane.

So thank you Nadia, Nikita, Stacey, Andrea and to all our followers that encourage our mini project - we'll be sending a lot more yellow your way!

Coffee love

Well hello gorgeous... you're good looking, serve what looks like great coffee, and you're in New York. It's as though the Classifieds Looking for Love Fairy Godparents were answering all of my deepest wishes!

The talented cads behind this handsome coffee spot are from No Entry Design, and they definitely know what they're doing.

The dreamiest part of it all is that Swallow Cafe is a twin! You can get your fix in both Williamsburg and Bushwick.

I love that all the beautiful branding was hand painted - it looks and feels so special. And is a testiment to the talent of the designers!

So Pretties, if you find yourself in the neighbourhood, go check it out and send us pics, so we can live vicariously through you!

Image souce

1000 words

Pretty Prints and Patterns

I’ll have to admit, I’m a sucker for a great print. And I’m ESPECIALLY a sucker for these digital painted illustrations by Isabel Arenas.

Being super talented and fabulous, Isabel blows us all out of the water with her work, sketching straight onto her computer via a graphic tablet - it all makes me feel somewhat inferior really… *doodles a stick man*

She’s won a whole bunch of really impressive awards too, and is well worth throwing money at. This one is on my lust list:

Fill your day with some pretty things by talented people, and hopefully it will end up being fantastic - how can it not?

Happy Wednesday Pretties!

Some street cred for the ballpoint

With only 8 ballpoint pens at hand, Samuel Silva - an attorney, if you can believe it - creates these amazing, hyperrealistic drawings.

His dedication to detail is impressive, given that one piece can take 30 to 50 hours to complete.

Although not the first to use the humble ballpoint medium, his work is pretty incredible. I do love how the man thinks: “It’s not about what you use, it’s about how you use it”.

Win with Touchee Feelee and Hello Pretty!

From Cinderella to Imelda Marcos, every shoe lover knows that a good story starts with great footwear.

We’ve teamed up with Touchee Feelee to give you a way to keep your favourite pair of shoes forever - with a custom illustration of your favourite pair of kicks! Whether they’re well-worn sneakers or sky-high stilettoes, comfy slippers or sports shoes, every pair has a history. Yours could be immortalised by following these simple steps:

To Enter:

Like Touchee Feelee on Facebook
Email info@hellopretty.co.za a pic of your favourite shoes - guys, you can enter too! (You have until midnight on Thursday 18th July)
Get people to vote for you by liking your photo in our album on Facebook!
The winner will be announced on Monday 22nd July.

Touchee Feelee makes gorgeous home and pamper products, printed with original, hand-drawn art. Being a girl after our own heart, she also loves shoes - almost as much as we love her designs!

Winner announced on Monday 22nd July. Please note that the illustration will be a watercolour done in the artist’s style.

Floyd Grey Illustrations

Why hello beautiful… behold talented Floyd Grey. Having studied at the Dasein Academy of Art in Kuala Lumpur, Floyd specializes in fashion illustration, photo manipulation and photography - and lucky for us too! I could just imagine one of these beautiful pieces hanging in my home.

To check out more work, have a look at Floyd’s page on Behance.

*first spotted here.

Prints of Wes Anderson by Laura Weiszer

Yes… a million times yes! I have a special place in my lounge earmarked for these Wes Anderson prints by Laura Weiszer.

What makes them that much more impressive is that they are painted in acrylics - guys, painting in acrylic is HARD. It’s like a constant war on time. The race to do what you need to do before it dries actually makes me anxious.

No space for prints, or your mom isn’t interested in your ambition to redecorate the house with your obvious good taste? That’s fine, you can cover yourself, your bags, lampshades and dogs collar with her Wes Anderson buttons.

This illustrator, designer and student is based in Philadelphia, and her prints are available from her etsy store.

*first spotted here.