A collection of books and zines laid out against a blue background. Titles include “Coma Deep”, “House Paint & Other Stories”, “Only In My Dreams” and travel guides for “London”, “Berlin” and “Paris”.

Like the Christmas tombola minus the baked beans plus some zines; it's Things!

Words: Amy Lewin
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Date: 3 October 2014; Work

Mon dieu! ‘Tis Friday once again and time to collect up all the treats scattered about the studio to show off to you good folks. It’s like the conveyor belt in The Generation Game, except there’s not actually that much to remember and you don’t get to win anything and there are no toasters, hairdryers or shiny saloon cars. Instead, of infinitely more interest, we have a zine, a collection of 100 word stories, a compendium of Andy Rementer’s work, a new Eyeball Comix comic and some delightfully designed city maps. Catch all that? Good, because I’ll be testing you later…

A black and white print featuring a series of flowing, organic lines that resemble water or fabric. The words “ONLY IN MY DREAMS” are printed in a bold, sans-serif typeface across the bottom half. — Above
John Garcia & Rachel Levit: Only In My Dreams

An open booklet featuring two black and white illustrations. The left page shows two white, swirling oval shapes on a blue background, while the right page depicts a person’s face partially obscured by flowing, wavy lines. — Above
John Garcia & Rachel Levit: Only In My Dreams

A collage of two figures standing in a blue, textured sea under a black sky. A large white semi-circle rises between them like a sun or moon. — Above
John Garcia & Rachel Levit: Only In My Dreams

An open book on a blue background. The left page shows a simple illustration of a figure with blue splotches on their body, while the right page is filled with dense, horizontal black and white lines. — Above
John Garcia & Rachel Levit: Only In My Dreams

John Garcia & Rachel Levit: Only In My Dreams

In a few pages Brooklyn-based illustrator Rachel Levit has somehow captured windswept memories of salty skin from a holiday long long ago. Her risographed zine Only In My Dreams is a collaboration with John Garcia and whisks us away to a dreamy place where topless lovers plunge into indigo seas and wade like sleepwalkers towards the moon.
www.rachellevit.com

A black book cover with bold white text reads “HOUSE PAINT & OTHER STORIES”. Smaller text at the bottom reads “FELSTEAD AND WADDELL”. — Above
Felstead and Waddell: House Paint & Other Stories

An open book on a blue background. The left page shows a black and white photo of a person slumped over a table next to several empty bottles, while the right page features the bold heading “BELGIAN BEER” above a block of text. — Above
Felstead and Waddell: House Paint & Other Stories

An open book shows two black and white illustrations of a person standing against a dark background. The left page is titled “Before...” and shows the person clean-shaven, while the right page is titled “After...” and shows them with a full beard. — Above
Felstead and Waddell: House Paint & Other Stories

An open book laid flat against a blue background. The left page features the heading “BEARDS” above a block of text, while the right page reads “NICE MAN” with a blurred section of text below. — Above
Felstead and Waddell: House Paint & Other Stories

Felstead and Waddell: House Paint & Other Stories

Remember when Twitter first fluttered to everyone’s attention? “How can you possibly write anything meaningful in 140 characters?” the bemused masses cried. Well, turns out you can. In fact, you really don’t need that many words to say something quite meaningful or amusing or interesting. Performance artists Felstead and Waddell’s blog – and new book – is testament to this; they write stories, and each story is a mere 100 words long. Some are funny, some are puzzling and some, in their collection House Paint & Other Stories are partnered with funny drawings by Tony Felstead.
www.felsteadandwaddell.co.uk

The cover of a book by “Andy Rementer”, published by “Sse Book”. The illustration features colourful, stylised figures arranged to form the letters of the author’s name. — Above
Andy Rementer: SSE Book

An illustration in an open book showing a chaotic scene of colourful figures on a dark brown background. The characters, including an elephant and a giant eyeball, are entwined in surreal and grotesque actions. — Above
Andy Rementer: SSE Book

A red greeting card stands open against a blue background. The top half reads “LOVE YOU” in bold, cream-coloured letters, while the bottom half features a colourful, chaotic illustration of abstract shapes and letters. — Above
Andy Rementer: SSE Book

An open book shows two pages of bold, black and white graphic illustrations. The left page features a stylised face formed from the words “OS” and “SWEET”, while the right page contains the words “Get REAL” woven into a maze of thick, winding lines. — Above
Andy Rementer: SSE Book

Andy Rementer: SSE Book

This monograph of “creative person from USA” Andy Rementer (as he describes himself) collects his paintings, drawings, editorial work, lettering, comics and sketchbook doodles into one tremendous tome. With almost as much going on as a Where’s Wally spread, his editorial illustrations let loose creative chaos. They’re basically one brightly coloured party which even the face cream and pot plants are going to, and looking at this book, you’ll soon want an invitation as well. It’s fascinating to see his characteristic style spread across various media in one publication and would make an awesome source of entertainment and inspiration on any shelf.
www.andyrementer.com

A black and white zine cover featuring a bold illustration of a person with a strained, angry expression. The title “COMA DEEP” appears at the top, with the name “BRIGID DEACON” printed at the bottom. — Above
Brigid Deacon: Coma Deep

An open comic book showing two contrasting pages. The left page features a grid of white, undulating lines on a black background. The right page contains detailed black and white illustrations of a person and a television screen displaying “BREAKING NEWS”. — Above
Brigid Deacon: Coma Deep

An open comic book showing black and white illustrations on a blue background. The left page features panels with distorted figures and the text “AHHH!”, while the right page shows a loose arrangement of abstract floral shapes and curved lines. — Above
Brigid Deacon: Coma Deep

An open zine shows a black and white comic layout on a blue background. The right page features a grid of panels containing a face, abstract shapes and the letters “Y!” and “N”. — Above
Brigid Deacon: Coma Deep

Brigid Deacon: Coma Deep

Eyeball Comix and London-based illustrator Brigid Deacon bring us Coma Deep, a black and white comic which they describe as “like a delirious fever dream interrupted by occasional intervals of matriarchal eye gouging.” There sure are a lot of eyes rolling in it, but I’ll leave you to discover just how…
www.brigiddeacon.com
www.eyeballcomix.co.uk

Three small square books lie side by side on a blue background. Their covers feature colourful illustrations of “Berlin”, “London” and “Paris”, each with the text “Herb Lester for Instagram”. — Above
Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

An unfolded zine featuring a collage of photographs, maps and text about Paris. The pages are filled with colourful blocks of content, including images of city landmarks and a top-down view of a coffee cup. — Above
Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

A folded map of Paris on a blue background. Red numbered markers indicate various locations across the city, with a red text box in the bottom right listing suggested sites. — Above
Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

An open brochure featuring a collage of London landmarks and cultural sites. The pages include photos of the Tate Modern and Portobello Road, alongside text and a small circular mirror. — Above
Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

A folded travel brochure for Berlin, laid open on a blue surface. One side features a stylised map of the city, while the other shows a cover with a red bicycle and the word “BERLIN” in bold, multi-patterned letters. — Above
Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

Herb Lester Associates for Instagram

With a cities as massive and ancient and constantly changing as Paris, London and Berlin, it’s pretty much impossible to ever see everything they have on show. So Herb Lester Associates takes the cunning tactic of instead finding what’s fun and most distinctive about a place for their travel guides. They chat to city-folk to get their recommendations for restaurants, museums, nooks and crannies and, in these maps created with Instagram, use Instagrammers’ photos to present an even more personal take on a city.
www.herblester.com