Fernanda Cohen’s illustration course

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Sao Paulo based artist Fernanda Guedes is a great admirer of that beautiful party crowd that goes out every night to dance like there’s no tomorrow: ‘These night owls are eager to make a statement through their attitudes, clothes, make up and ultimately, the places they go to. It is a fascinating theme for an artist’, she says. To know what is hot at the clubs around the world, she searched the internet for the best party photo coverage, which provided her with a insidery look into this exuberant realm, inhabited by kings, queens, princess, clowns and a lot of frogs and ogres. They are all are portrayed in this series of forty illustrations, made with cheap materials such as markers and fluorescent and metallic pens. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Major Stars are another throwback ’70s rock band, playing Sabbath-flavored, guitar-driven psych tunes. But what sets them apart from the horde of Zeppelin-worshipping clones is vocalist Sandra Clarkson, whose voice is clean and feminine, but loud and aggressive — she doesn’t try to affect a Janis Joplin rasp. The band’s music also skews heavily towards the Acid Mothers Temple end of the ’70s revival thing rather than the Wolfmother side, another plus. Nope, rock still isn’t dead.

WE'RE THINKING

I’m totally digging Andrew Schoultz’s dense line-work and limited palette. The San Francisco-based artist deals with political and social issues, but isn’t overtly a topical artist — the textures he achieves are similar to what I strive for in my own work. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

I went to a Isol/Zypce concert in Buenos Aires last week and fell in love with their sound. This experimental singer-songwriter brother and sister duo proves that Argentinean music is not just about Tango. Though, of course, I love Tango, too!

Back in the day, when I was a skinny teenager on the great pedestal of life, I had a real obsession for the understated, low-fi, deliciously melodic and somewhat blurry sounds of the New Zealand Flying Nun bands. I would pool my meagre savings and canvas the local record shops, scouring the racks for the latest cassettes from The Bats, The Chills, The Clean, and, later, The Straitjacket Fits. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Australian designer Ruby Smallbone takes us into the chill of Winter with clockwork pieces and sharp cuts. This Sydney-based label is fast becoming an international hit with its distinct mix of European tailoring and street-inspired style. Ruby Smallbone’s Winter 09 collection proves there is a fine line between art and fashion, creating the perfect fusion of luxury fabrics within a creative and unexpected aesthetic.

WE'RE READING

We asked Ham and Pete, from New York band The Walkmen, to give us the rundown on the music that is inspiring them right now and they started off with a track from that elder statesmen of indie folk, Bonnie Prince Billy, Goin’ to Acapulco: ‘He did a remarkable job of putting a unique spin on a classic. It’s no small feat, and it’s a really impressive version’. Read more of The Walkmen’s Secret Playlist.