I absolutely love the illustrations of Nicoletta Ceccoli. Her childlike characters and surreal dreamlike landscapes create a colourful but Gothic mood. It is her own sweet twist on the innocence meets grotesque style popularized by artists such as Mark Ryden. Lately, she has been making award winning illustrated children’s books. Her strength lies in her ability to capture the imagination with her beautiful other-worldly imagery.

Gelskins for your laptop!

There seems to be no end to the talent of McQueen, This season he delved into a futuristic world of aliens and reptile-like creatures. The silhouettes were signature McQueen, cinched at the waist with couture tailoring. His acid-coloured, digital prints were impressive as they teetered uneasily down the runway on dizzyingly high shoes. The shoes themselves were a show in their own right and came in several platform styles; reptile-skinned, ballerina points, heels of aged mechanical parts and showy Giger inspired sculptures. Meanwhile robotic cameras moved down either side of the runway capturing every glitzy detail. The end result was something uniquely McQueen; a testament to a man who knows how to put on a show. See his collection here.

More detailed shots

I have been mesmerized by the works of Marina Bychkova for some time now and wanted to share with you a little of my obsession with these remarkable dolls. Marina is truly one of the most talented doll makers out there. Unique and beautiful her intricate dolls display a painstaking attention to detail. Each doll is hand painted with layers of glaze, the garments are hand-stiched, dyed and embellished with pearls, sapphires and rubies and she also creates the most amazing metallic accessories which are gilded with silver and gold. Just check out these beautiful gold stilettos, corset and bra set! The dolls themselves are entirely poseable, internally fitted with wires and springs.

Marina is producing a much anticipated book on her dolls and will be traveling to Europe at the beginning of October where she will be showing a few of her dolls at Art Fair 21. If you are interested in purchasing one of her dolls or want to see more visit her website click here. Her blog is located here.

1. Irene Maria Jacobs – Amazing illustrator from the Netherlands.
2. Richard Gray – One of the greats, stylistic and detailed. Some of his illustrations are reminiscent of another favourite illustrator of mine, Aubrey Beardsley.
3. Sophie Leblanc – French artist with a very cute and colourful style.
4.Adam Lowe – beautiful and delicate illustrations, adam lowe is a master at line and knowing when to leave an illustration unfinished for more impact.
5. Danny Roberts – amazing and young artist who has been gaining a lot of popularity in recent months working for big names such as Gwen Stephani. I am in love with his style and wonky lines.

Laura Laine – Gothic and beautiful, Laura Laine draws inspiring creations in black and white. Edward Gorey anyone?

Cecilia Carlstedt – Her work speaks for itself. Clever and beautiful.

I was blown away when I first saw Marit Jujiwara’s textiles on Style Bubbles blog, incidentally a fashion blog worth checking out. Her innovative approach to dyeing, folding and intricate stitches is a technique that is a mystery to me even at close inspection. I could find very little information about her other then her having graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design with a BA but with work like this I imagine we will be seeing a lot more of her in the future. More Portfolio pieces here.

I came across Maide, a german lady who makes the most pretty spats. Spats, a turn of the century footwear accessory has been making a comeback. They are easy to tie around any shoe or boot to instantly make a unique fashion statement. Visit her Myspace page to see some of amazing creations. Click Here.

Make your own spats! Threadbanger explains how..

I chanced upon Elena Kalis’ photography today. I have always been inspired by underwater photography. The way the hair and fabric sways in surreal slow motion gives this type of art a beautiful flow and a special spontaneity. I love these pictures in particular, the muted tones and the haunting, dreamy quality of an underwater world captures my imagination and make me want to pick up my paintbrush and paint. Visit her site here to see more.

Gibbous has taken recycling to a whole new level of artform. From their trunk of stained silks, lace and lost trinkets they create tattered, one of a kind pieces reminisient of something right out of a Victorian novel or fairytale. They make their designs without the use of patterns and have described it as a process likened to putting a puzzle together ~ ‘a myraid of different matierals histories forged together in a sea of stitches’. Each garment is sculpted to the body and adorned with flowers, buttons or other treasured finds. For more information on where to find Gibbous garments please visit their site here.

Yaxin, or Man Arenas, Is Spanish comic book artist/graphic designer who freelances from Europe. His beautiful watercolour and digital images are beautifully inspiring to me. He is a talented artist I check on frequently and has published a graphic novel with French publisher Soleil. I am a huge fan of French graphic novels.. They really do make the best! Check out his blog here.

I love this unfinished watercolour he did too.

Oregan artist, Christine, is the talent behind Du Buh Du Dolls. She creates the most beautiful hand-made and painted dolls in a variety of personalities each with classic joints for moveable arms and legs. The dolls have delicate fashionable clothing and their own personal accesories such as animal masks or miniature painted self portraits. Notable creations include her Louise Brooks doll, her Mexican day of the dead dolls and the beautifully photographed Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in a floating hot air baloon. Check out her site here!