BOOK LOVE: INSPIRATION

i have many books that i like to turn to for my work. i find them a valuable source of inspiration...when i'm stuck in a rut and bored with trawling the internet, there is something wonderful about turning the pages of a book. i wrote briefly about some of the type books i own that help me out with my work. well i'm going to try and show you some books that are just there for inspiration. i'm starting off with these two. i love them for their sheer beautiful layouts. the repeat of pattern. and the unbelievable beauty of drawing. oh yes all DRAWN. i hope you like them too.

first up is ERNST HAECKEL ART FORMS IN NATURE. Haeckel was a biologist, a sort of german darwin if you like and his drawings are stunning. beautiful visual inspiration for artists, designers and anyone that likes pattern...

the next book is BLACKSTOCK'S COLLECTIONS. Blackstock is autistic and an artistic savant. A retired pot washer he creates visual lists of everything from wasps to hats to emergency vehicles. he has never received formal artistic training and it is very similar in it's outsider art style to someone like henry darger. totally beautiful, a real insight into the mind of a man making sense of life through his drawings.