Artist Spotlight: The Pairabirds – Art by Tabitha Bianca Brown

I’ve admired The Pairabirds shop almost from my first day of joining Etsy.  I remember doing a search for African American art, wondering if anyone else was offering art like mine and then I came across Tabitha’s work.  I loved it instantly and to me it was hip and cool and bold in a way that really encouraged me to confident and bold with my own work.

Tabitha Bianca Brown studied art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois and whilst there, she received a BFA in Illustration.  Her work is a mixture of styles including 70s soul funk, noir and minimalism.  She has been featured on many popular design blogs including Modish, Decor8 and Design Milk.

Here are my favourite illustrations from her collection:

Hello, Stranger (Graphite Portrait) 8×10 Reproduction Art Print © Tabitha Bianca Brown 2012

These graphite drawings were the first ones to catch my eye when I came across Tabitha’s work.  I love this image because of the brown speckled paper and Tabitha’s simple and effective drawing of the couple.  Can you tell they’re into each other? I love the minimalist style and I admire how so much can be portrayed with a few well placed lines and highlights.  I just love it.

March Portrait (Mixed Media) 8×10 Art Print © Tabitha Bianca Brown 2011

Big afro hair is one of the things I love most about Tabitha’s work and she hasn’t even drawn the whole afro but you just know it’s huge right?  I like how you know it’s there without her having actually drawn it!  I especially love the use of different blends of colours that help to portray the skin tone.

Yearbook Rosa Portrait 8×10 Art Print © Tabitha Bianca Brown 2012

This image is a part of Tabitha’s Yearbook Series where she creates portraits of characters who are sitting to have their yearbook photos taken.  It’s a really interesting series because of the many different characters we meet and the hint at their personalities and maybe future lives and careers.  The art has been cleverly created by using layers of hand drawn illustrations, digital drawings and scanned papers.

I’ll probably be a lifetime admirer of Tabitha’s work as it always, always inspires me!  Be sure to keep up to date with her new work  on her website, her blog, her facebook page and you can follow her on twitter too.

Valentine Themed Watercolour Art

Here is a small selection of wonderful watercolour paintings, both originals and prints which would be lovely as gifts for Valentine’s Day:

‘The Question’ Watercolor Heart Giclee Fine Art Print © Karen Faulkner 2012

I’ve always admired this artist’s work for her skill with controlling the medium.  She is able to let it flow and show all of it’s properties whilst still encouraging it to do as she wants.  I love this painting because of the mix of colours showing through and the incompleteness of the heart which reminds me of how unpredictable and wild love can be.

‘Lovebirds’ Original Watercolour Painting © S. Wan 2012

The vibrancy of the colours in this painting was the first thing that caught my eye and then upon closer inspection I saw how cute and in love the birds looked! Don’t you think?

Custom Original Illustration  © Tippmas Srisilpanundana 2012

I love the happy, whimsical feel to this illustration and even though the above is a sample, your own custom painting should definitely be as fun.

I hope I’ve given a taste of how art can be as appropriate and personal as any other Valentine’s Day Gift,  especially if you wanted to go for something a little bit different