I love this guy’s work. 

He’s older now though.

Do you know him?  Christopher Silas Neal?  I first saw his work on Thumbtack Press a couple of years ago (a great site for affordable art, by the way).  But he’s everywhere really.

 He does most of the illustrations for the New York Times Modern Love section on Sundays too.

We were lucky enough to collaborate with him on dishtowels.  Please Feed The Birds, What’s For Dinner and Just A Nibble.

He works in an old Pencil Factory in Brooklyn and in fact when you send him things, you send it to the Pencil Factory.  What a cool place to work.  (All photos by Colby Bird).

Here’s a great article on Christopher from Communication Arts - I just wouldn’t do it justice so….enjoy the pics, click on the links, read the article and buy all of his stuff.

 Every Pencil Factory needs a pencil sharpener.

Do you know Colin Johnson?

We didn’t – before we saw his work on Thumbtack Press.  And when we did, we kinda went gaga.

That’s how Blue Q works.  Happy Accidents…..a quote from Mitch Nash, Blue Q’s Art Director.  And when New Product Development seeks out new designers, new artists – we surf the web, visit our regular blogs and websites that show great work…. We’re routinely plowing through volumes of graphic books, magazines, tomes - Mitch  is an avid reader of everything.  There’s always something new to research, find out more about, follow up from a snippet under a photograph that intrigues us.

And that’s how it was with Colin.  We told him that we adored his piece, Flotsam and Jetsam.  And would he want to make a bag with us?

Guess what he said?

Oh!  And we did a new piece with him now available too.  

These are beautiful bags indeed.  Am I allowed to say that?