Clyda

The thing I can’t stand about Clyda is that she’s vegetarian. Whenever she is around, I automatically feel bad for having stuffed my mouth with bits of some poor, helpless farm animal. She doesn’t have to say or do anything.

Plus, she exercises regularly and can probably beat me at arm-wrestling or any other activity that requires some form of physical effort. As I’m typing this, she is probably warming down after her daily 1-hour evening jog.

I caught up with Clyda during her 3-month sabbatical. She kindly agreed to lend her time and talent to do a couple of tees for Sunday Morning. 

What do you do during your free time?
I do everything and anything under the sun (literally)! Clyda is very much solar-powered so she needs as much sun as possible to make up for her not-so-free time.  
 
What makes a good t-shirt?
Comfort is key … whether it’s 100% lycra, 30% polyester, or 200% cotton. Best if the material is thin, which is great for Singapore’s terribly hot weather! A good tee should also reflect one’s character or mood or taste. Then again, the curry stain from lunch can also reflect that …
 
Tell us about your work for Sunday Morning.
Am doing a couple of designs here and there. I think they are all really funny and cheeky, and am enjoying myself tremendously. I try to inject some fun into the work. They are all my babies … of which, my favorite is the Jonah tee. I feel a certain joy looking at the eyes of the fish, and the thought of a man being swallowed by one … argh! Arghhh! Help! Help! (Eyes looking distant, psychotic laughter).

Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Actually, I do not know him personally - am very much a free thinker. But my twin sister talks to him quite often. I feel that he is distant yet close to me. Visited him a couple of times at his home though. Must say he’s a great guy: I’ve personally witnessed the miracles he did for my sis. Maybe one day I will go have a chit chat with him like my sis. : )

Thanks Clyda. All the best and hope you find what your heart is looking for.

Special K

Kirsten is an Art Director who, unfortunately, happens to sit in the room next to mine. She gets roped in at the 11th hour to lend her touch to save a Sunday Morning illustration that has gone hopelessly, horribly wrong.

This happens because of several reasons: 1) I didn’t get an Art Director’s input before the briefing, 2) I went ahead with it anyway, and 3) The Illustrator was thinking of something else (like why isn’t there an Art Director around) the whole time.
 
In an ad agency, it is usually the Art Director who briefs the Illustrator. She would first go through several hundred drawing styles, carefully consider at least 50 different ways to set the type, and consult the colour charts incessantly to get the mood ‘just right’.

While she is busy doing all that, the writer would be at his desk, either thinking about lunch, or telling everybody that the ad idea was ‘his’.
 
So anyway, I thought I’d interview Kirsten to get her perspective on things, and why she does what she does.

What do think of Christian tees?
I think there is a big gaping hole in the market for cool Christian tees. In fact, I’ve never seen a cool one. Considering that Christian rock & pop is one of the biggest and fastest growing music segment in the US, so then by extension I think Christian t-shirts with an edgy vibe will do brilliantly well!

What makes a great t-shirt?
A great t-shirt design should be individual, creative, thought-provoking or humorous, and go with whatever shoes I’m wearing that day.

What is your favourite colour?
Pantone 519C… Pantone 334C… Pantone 201C… It changes by the second.

How do you come up with fresh and relevant ideas even after being in the business for so long?
I still ask my dad for help. He contributed the mathematical formula for this GNC ad (see below).

Will we see world peace in our lifetime?
I will watch the next Miss World to find out.

Kirsten is currently working on 3 illustrations for Sunday Morning. She is also thinking of moving to another room way down the corridor. 

Sorry, yes, I'm still figuring out how to make this ad readable ...

Gardensilly

I met Eeshaun when I was wondering around Orchard Road; Lilaine-less (she was in kl), and lost as usual. At that time, he was doing some work for Adiartist i.e. painting on somebody else’s wall and getting paid for it. Turns out he’s a pretty decent guy - whom I liked even more when he said he’ll draw something for Sunday Morning!

So tell us about your new book
My children’s book ‘The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights’, written by Farah Bagharib Kaltz , is a book about a bird who’s … afraid of heights. (Eventually, of course, he learns how to fly, but you’ll  have to read the book to find out how he did it). It’s 28 pages long, and is written for children aged 4-6 years. I used two primary colors, blue and yellow, because the sky and mangoes feature predominantly in the book, but also because I wanted the feel of old children story books which had limited color palettes.

Describe your work for Sunday Morning
I’m doing 3 designs: One’s about a talking snake, another’s about a bunch of birds living in someone’s beard, and the last is a family of teardrops, which I’m having a lot of fun drawing.

What do you think of Christian t-shirts?
Most of the t-shirts I’ve seen are very well-designed, funny, witty and sometimes thought-provoking. They also make a lot of references to pop-culture (logos, corporate culture, tv-shows, rock bands, etc), which I’m sure has great appeal for both young people and adults. It makes christianity very relevant and accessible.

And your future plans?
I like living for the moment! In future, I’d be very happy to get my work out to a wider, international audience, so exhibitions abroad would be very nice!

Eeshaun describes himself as ”… a self-taught illustrator who enjoys the immediacy of spontaneous and whimsical drawings”. He’s been involved in a host of interesting projects and was recently featured in 20/20, an exhibition celebrating 20 of Singapore’s most creative talents. (My personal invitation must have got lost in the mail). Visit his world here.

Valuable member of society

Dino is an Art Director, Designer and Typographer rolled into one. He had a set-up in London, and is now based in Singapore. Together with a buddy, he operates a shop called VMOS, or Valuable Members Of Society. I like his eye for type so one day, I called and asked if he would like to do some work for Sunday Morning. He said yes, and came back with something completely out of brief. And then he showed me two more designs with briefs he made up himself. Typical creative person.

So how is it like running your own company?
It’s been good. You enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. On the flipside, there are other worries than just being creative.

What projects are you working on?
At present, we are working on a rebranding pitch for a hotel.  We recently completed a series of projects for Formula One Singapore, Megawisra Sdn Bhd in KL and before that, a calendar for Colourscan.

Describe your style.
My style…. hmmm…. don’t really know what exactly is my style. I never did like to conform to a specific style that will make my work too predictable. I guess I like it more freeform and organic.

Tell us about your work for Sunday Morning.
One of my passions is experimenting with typography. I try to utilise type into a design language for Sunday Morning, and hope that it will resonate with its wearers.

Dino is doing three very cool designs for Sunday Morning, and will present a typograpical skew to the range. Watch this space.

Meet Jane

I met Jane many years ago when she was just a humble art student. She has since gone on to study at the Dallas Art Institute, and is now a proper designer at a boutique agency called Day 6 Creative. 

Tell us about yourself.
I am currently a full time doodler and also a full time graphic designer at a design firm in Mckinney, Texas.

Describe your art style.
I think spontaneous best describes it, although I am still a newborn baby (in the industry) to set my art style.

And the work you did for Sunday Morning?
I am currently working on the 2nd illustration, that is all I can say for now. ;p

What makes a good t-shirt?
Personally, I love t-shirts that when you read the content, you’d go, ” A-ha, thats funny,” or “A-ha, that’s really smart”. Also, colors and fabric texture, of course. :)

Thanks Jane. Am still patiently waiting for the designs! (Fingers drumming on table …) See more of Jane’s work here and here.