It's time for Things! Here's the best stuff we got sent in June

I’m not quite sure how it’s already July, but another month has rolled by which means it’s time for a studio round-up of all things bright and beautiful. This month we’ve had everything from a spoof map of the stars set in “the most boring part of Hollywood,” a great little book of illustrations and rhyming one-liners about a stalker, and a couple of attention-grabbing alternatives to business cards and work-update emails. Here’s June!

Josh Jones: Hollywood

You might remember our recent post about Dan Wilton and Josh Jones’ Runyon Canyon project in LA. On the same trip Josh came up with the idea for a spoof star-spotting guide of LA’s Southgate area including highlights like “Bill Murray’s thinking spot,” the “site of the Chevy Chase/Anne Hathaway fist fight” and “the famous Whoopi Goldberg tree.” So good.
www.joshjoshjones.co.uk

Joe O’Donnell: Beware of the Creep

How do you make stalking socially acceptable? Make a book of illustrations and rhymes like Joe O’Donnell’s short but sweet Beware of the Creep featuring the character recurring in almost all his illustration work.
www.joe-odonnell.co.uk

Alice Bowsher: Curious

Illustrator Alice Bowsher teamed up with Hato Press for this book that turns the idea of curiosity killed the cat on its head. Curious is about woman trying to find out how her mischievous cat spends his day only to end up stuck up a tree. “I had a cat,” it says. “He was a pretty nice guy when he wanted to be.”
www.alicebowsher.co.uk

Matthew T. Shaw: Hello!

As an alternative take on giving out a business card, illustrator and designer Matthew sent us this leporello with a personalised It’s Nice That sleeve introducing himself and his work. This kind of outreach is a much more personal, tangible and effective way to demonstrate what you can do as a creative. Inside Matthew claims self-promotion has been a weak point for him but if this is anything to go by, he’s got it down to an art.
www.matthewtshaw.com

Joe Goicoechea: Average

When someone addresses a note to us “Hey Losers”, it could potentially go one of two ways. Joe sent us this fluoro-covered zine Average and what I like about this is that it’s kind of ballsy. You can either take it at total face value: “These are some average photos… I like them enough to put into a zine,” or you can take it as a wry look at self-publishing. I might have also been sucked in by the “cash your Warhol” sign photographed inside.
@joegshore

Aart-Jan Venema: Portfolio Update

Dutch illustrator Aart-Jan Venema sent in this overview of recent work in lieu of a work-update email. We’ve featured Aart-Jan before on the site and he’s added some more lovely editorial illustration to his swelling portfolio. Again, this is just a much more personal and effective way to get someone to sit up and take notice of what you’re doing.
www.aartjanvenema.com

THNKTNK Magazine: Issue One

THNKTNK Magazine is a socially minded print publication coming out of Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany. It’s a research project about enthusiastic design projects and it’s also really just really nicely designed.
www.thnktnkmag.com

Martina Paukova and Studio M E O W: 54 Cities

54 Cities is a card game and collaboration between illustrator Martina Paukova and the graphic designers at Studio M E O W which makes up a set of walks through the backroads of Kensington and Chelsea. Each suit matches up with a walking route and the challenge is to work out which one matches where you’re standing.
www.martinapaukova.com
www.studiomeow.info

MAMAMA T-Shirts

Parisian clothing brand and creative studio MAMAMA sent over a lovely selection of T-shirts emblazoned with the great work of some of the illustrators they collaborate with. This particularly summery one with Alain Pilon’s backyard barbecue scene is so appropriate for the scorcher of a week we’ve been having. Bring on the weekend.
www.mamama-paris.com
www.alainpilon.com

Hexus: Issue One

Last but not least, we received the first issue of alt-lit journal Hexus in June. Subtitled The New Black it’s compact and well put together with some great work from a solid stable of writers, as well as collage and painting, and its dark undertone is perfectly matched by experimental monochrome design.
www.hexus.info