Embracing the African Head Wrap

I was toying with the idea of the head wrap for some for sometime. It worked once when I was at varsity sometime this year, but I cannot make it work again. When I think of the head wrap, I think of Zap Mama and Erykah Badu, these ladies pulled it off, BUT then again, they have stylists and such, I just wished I had octopus limbs.

I have tried the YouTube videos and the step by step pictorial direction. I will get it eventually, practice better make perfect. I will show you some interesting head wraps, I’m afraid that if I show you my rendition it would mess this post up.

P.S. we should have Inter-African Head Wrap Day, just to celebrate beauty in our own African Style.

 

Sindiso Nyoni: Grafik design activist

He might not be fond of tea, (unless its cold….tsk tsk tsk). He is my buddy my chum, my inspiration, he is so laid back, he hates to be acknowledged to by his design success. I met him when doing my first year in design at UJ (University of Johannesburg), he automatically became my older brother and mentor. He has a passion for illustration, activism for Zimbabwe (he is Zimbabwean), he is a visionary, if he were to change the world, it would be through DESIGN.

Sheeew that’s a mouthful, but his dream is to retire from the graphic design industry, to live on a farm with his future wife and children, and to create art all day. Now that sounds like a plan.

This is just some of his work, to see more visit his Behance Network.

P.S. AND BUDDY YOU STILL OWE ME A TEA DATE…

 

Artist Feature: Jane Maxwell Collage

I fell in love with collage work back in high school, when we studied the work of Picasso. His Synthetic phase became something that I would forever liken my style in design to be. I remember that I loved the idea that an artwork could be layered with paint, paper, objects, images and much more to create and re-create textures. Art at that time became unconventional. It became interesting. It became experimental.

The older me has learned to appreciate art/design from a broader spectrum, my artistic ideology is no longer as closed or narrow as back in high school. Art has a meaning and a purpose, I’m not talking about the sake of being, I’m talking as an expressionist, design student, writer, blogger. There are far more uses for art that just to belong to a museum. Boundary lines can be broken, cultures can be infiltrated, important conversations can commence just with the use of art and design. I might be speaking as an IDEALIST but this idealist has her heart in the right place.

Every month/week (with the help of God), I would like to feature an artist/designer/creative writer/blogger. This is so that my and your exposure of all spectrum of design grows beyond what it is.

For this week I feature Jane Maxwell, a collage artist from Boston. Her subject matter is the woman, in most of her work the women is depicted as a line drawing or silhouette, to create the collage effect Maxwell uses words, textures, colour for effect.

I take a particular interest in her work, I hope it appeals to you too. ;-D