Search results for ""Author PAPERBLANKS""

Harmonious flowers, balanced colours and highly precise details create the eye-catching, high-impact effect of this Japanese kimono design.Originally designed as a costume for the theatrical style known as Noh, our Kara-ori pattern leaves little doubt why Noh is derived from the words for “skill” and “talent.” With silk and gold lacquered stripes, this is one of the best examples of Japanese textile design we have found. It comes from the Edo period (1615–1868) when Noh theatre, known for the sumptuousness of its costumes, was at its height.Noh theatre is one of the world’s oldest performing arts and has been handed down through generations of Japanese composers and performers. The plots draw from legend, history and contemporary events and are structured around song and dance. Though the thematic tone is often poetic yet monotonous, the costumes are anything but. In fact, Noh is often referred to as “mask drama” due to the importance placed on masks and costumes within the form.The term karaori, for which this design is named, refers specifically to the exquisitely embroidered traditional woman’s kimono like the one reproduced here. Karaori are regarded as some of the most beautiful theatrical costumes in the world, thanks in part to the Japanese aristocracy’s embrace of the theatre style – as both viewers and performers.Though Noh is a Japanese art, karaori means “Chinese weave,” as the fabric has its roots in China. And like the costume reproduced in our Peking Opera Embroidery series, this too would have been crafted for a male performer playing a female role. Both the material itself and the pattern shown would have helped tell the story of the character. In this case, the stiff brocade technique created a thick, glossed fabric that would not drape easily – this was used to create an angular effect evoking the spirit of a noblewoman. The flowering grasses depicted served to emphasize the woman’s femininity.By the Meiji period (1868–1912) Noh had reached such heights that it was introduced overseas, influencing artists far and wide. William Butler Yeats, for example, wrote an essay on Noh in 1916 that he titled “Certain Noble Plays of Japan.” And even more contemporarily, David Byrne of the Talking Heads discovered Noh while touring Japan and, according to American music critic Josh Kun, was inspired by the highly stylized, stiff costumes to “design the oversize business suit that became a visual staple of Talking Heads live shows.”Today there are more than 70 Noh theatres throughout Japan and it has been deigned an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. This beautiful example of karaori costuming can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the Otto C. Deering gift. It is our great pleasure to work with such a gorgeous and culturally important piece of history to craft this Paperblanks design.

Read more less

A lifelong artist, Gary Grayson’s affinity for both antique prints and modern graphic design is on display in the digital artwork behind this bookmark. His distinctive style is an eclectic mix of vintage vector, impressionism and pop art.

Read more less

Let a swirl of turquoise inspire you to write your chronicles. This cover design is based on the binding for a book titled Chroniques, originally published by Salel Binder in Paris in 1514. The exuberance of the design reflects the splendour of the Renaissance approach to decoration that influenced architecture, art and all facets of cultural life. In the glittering green-blue of this cover you may see the intricacies of your own stories.

Read more less

Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) was a Lebanese American writer, poet and artist. He is most famous for his great work, The Prophet – one of the bestselling books of all time. The Prophet, a collection of 26 prose poetry fables, is thematically similar to the theological musings of William Blake, Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, while also being influenced by traditional Arabic writing and modern surrealism.Since its publication in 1923, The Prophet has been translated into more than 100 languages and has never gone out of print. Reproduced for our cover is one of Gibran’s handwritten English drafts of the work, currently held at Princeton University Library’s Special Collections, Manuscripts Division.

Read more less

Vincent van Gogh was one of the great Post-Impressionist painters. After admitting himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum following a severe mental health crisis, he recuperated by painting the asylum’s garden. We are honoured to partner with Getty to bring Van Gogh’s stirring Irises study to our collection.

Read more less

This delicate foliage pattern was originally crafted to adorn a 17th-century binding of the Passion Series. The original work was created in 1521 by the northern Renaissance painter Lucas van Leyden, one of the greatest engravers of his time.This edition does not contain Van Leyden’s 1521 version, but rather a copy of it done by Jan Harmensz. Muller, an artist best known for his skillful reinterpretations of the work of his predecessors. So exactly replicated were his engravings, that Van Leyden’s original dates and monogram appear in Muller’s woodcut plates. Though there is no indication that Muller himself attempted to pass off his work as that of the earlier master, scratched-out marks in this edition suggest that previous owners tried to make it appear as though they owned an original Van Leyden. It is only thanks to a small engraving of Muller’s name that we know this is a reproduction.With a complicated history not unlike the tangled branches depicted on the cover, this Tree of Life binding stands out amongst the British Library’s collection of antique tomes.

Read more less

Let a swirl of turquoise inspire you to write your chronicles. This cover design is based on the binding for a book titled Chroniques, originally published by Salel Binder in Paris in 1514. The exuberance of the design reflects the splendour of the Renaissance approach to decoration that influenced architecture, art and all facets of cultural life. In the glittering green-blue of this cover you may see the intricacies of your own stories.

Read more less

Reproducing an original work by designer Pierre Legrain (1889–1929), this cover brings a sense of movement to the heavy geometric elements of its Art Deco influence.Legrain was a key figure in early 20th-century French bookbinding. After leaving the French Army in 1916, Legrain became recognized for his eye for design and was commissioned by Jacques Doucet, a French bibliophile and collector, to create unique bindings for Doucet’s impressive library. Adopting an attitude of experimentation, Doucet encouraged Legrain to be “freely inspired by contemporary artists’ vibrantly coloured mosaics, bold play with geometric forms and straight-lined bands.”

Read more less

Tiptoe through the tulips with us as we discover the vibrantly detailed gardens of Gary Grayson’s artistic world.A lifelong artist, Grayson’s affinity for both antique prints and modern graphic design is on display in the digital artworks behind our Nature Montages series. His distinctive style is an eclectic mix of vintage vector, impressionism and pop art – all combined to create a layered and vibrant world. Here, butterflies and birds invite you to explore the garden together, and the bursting blooms bring promises of warm summer days.Grayson is an artist who defies the limitations of genre. May his boundless creativity so inspire your own expressions of imagination.

Read more less

Our Safavid Indigo design reproduces a leather filigree pattern incorporating handtooled motifs, retaining the elegance and style of the Islamic Golden Age even in our modern context. Originally released in a classic brown leather look, this new deep blue colour scheme pays tribute to the darkest tone of Persian Blue.

Read more less

Our Safavid Indigo design reproduces a leather filigree pattern incorporating handtooled motifs, retaining the elegance and style of the Islamic Golden Age even in our modern context. Originally released in a classic brown leather look, this new deep blue colour scheme pays tribute to the darkest tone of Persian Blue.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. The earliest known Moldavian carpets can be dated to the late 18th century, though archaeological findings suggest the craft tradition goes back to the 14th- and 15th-century weaving mills of the Moldavian countryside. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. Over the centuries, these beautiful, handcrafted carpets have been cherished and passed down through generations, keeping this artistic tradition alive even with the advent of modern technology.This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways. They originally named this carpet pattern Medina, and its intricate pattern and warm colouring makes it feel both exciting and familiar all at once.We hope this magical carpet will help transport your thoughts and imagination to whole new worlds.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. The earliest known Moldavian carpets can be dated to the late 18th century, though archaeological findings suggest the craft tradition goes back to the 14th- and 15th-century weaving mills of the Moldavian countryside. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways.

Read more less

This Baroque-inspired cover comes from a 1725 binding of The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, a masterpiece of Italian literature. Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was an Italian writer and poet who helped lay the foundations of Renaissance humanism. With its scope from humour to tragedy and its vivid narrative structure, The Decameron – his defining work – remains an affirmation of humanity and moral values even when read today.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. The earliest known Moldavian carpets can be dated to the late 18th century, though archaeological findings suggest the craft tradition goes back to the 14th- and 15th-century weaving mills of the Moldavian countryside. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. Over the centuries, these beautiful, handcrafted carpets have been cherished and passed down through generations, keeping this artistic tradition alive even with the advent of modern technology.This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways. They originally named this carpet pattern Medina, and its intricate pattern and warm colouring makes it feel both exciting and familiar all at once.We hope this magical carpet will help transport your thoughts and imagination to whole new worlds.

Read more less

Published in 1969, Maya Angelou’s coming-of-age memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was an immediate national bestseller and a critical success. The book, the first in a series that chronicled her early life through the 1960s, helped to establish Angelou (1928–2014) as a major figure in American letters.On this manuscript page from the book, Angelou captures the moment when she and her brother, Bailey, arrived in Arkansas to be raised by their paternal grandmother and presages the personalities that she and Bailey would later develop. We are honoured to partner with The New York Public Library to bring this important document to our Paperblanks collection.

Read more less

The kimono pattern that inspired this Hishi softcover Flexi notebook was originally a woodblock print created by Japanese art publishers for theatrical costumes. This genre of artwork, known as “ukiyo-e,” dates to the Edo period (1603–1868), and this particular design was created sometime during the early 1900s.

Read more less

Before Dutch still life painting developed, artists illuminated handwritten manuscripts to add emotional power to a written work. A celebrated practitioner of this style was Joris Hoefnagel. Reproduced for our Flemish Rose journal cover is a page he illuminated for the Mira calligraphiae monumenta, a mid-16th-century manuscript by Georg Bocskay.

Read more less

New York City’s Chanin Building was built by Irwin S. Chanin in the late 1920s. Representing some of the finest Art Deco in the city, the lobby was styled around a “City of Opportunity” concept. With a geometric design symbolizing human thought and emotion, a bronze ventilator grille from the building is reproduced for this black and gold journal cover.

Read more less

New York City’s Chanin Building was built by Irwin S. Chanin in the late 1920s. Representing some of the finest Art Deco in the city, the lobby was styled around a “City of Opportunity” concept. With a geometric design symbolizing human thought and emotion, a bronze ventilator grille from the building is reproduced for this black and gold journal cover.

Read more less

Inspired by a 17th-century Italian book binding, our Oceania journal showcases a floral pattern and rosette motif. Book bindings from this period are characterized by the ornamental richness of the cover’s central area. Featuring sweeping tendrils in a centralized diamond shape, this cover is a classic example of the era’s bookbinding style.

Read more less

The kimono pattern that inspired this Hishi softcover Flexi notebook was originally a woodblock print created by Japanese art publishers for theatrical costumes. This genre of artwork, known as “ukiyo-e,” dates to the Edo period (1603–1868), and this particular design was created sometime during the early 1900s.

Read more less

The kimono pattern that inspired this Hishi softcover Flexi notebook was originally a woodblock print created by Japanese art publishers for theatrical costumes. This genre of artwork, known as “ukiyo-e,” dates to the Edo period (1603–1868), and this particular design was created sometime during the early 1900s.

Read more less

Our Arabic Artistry cover design dates to the 17th century, when luxurious Arabic court life helped to inspire a supremely refined design aesthetic. The original binding our Zahra Flexi softcover notebook reproduces is emblematic of an era when books were major investments, used as valuable donations, treasured gifts to heads of state and status symbols.

Read more less

Our Blue Velvet journal design is inspired by a piece of a 15th-century velvet dalmatic. It is decorated in brocaded gilt metal thread with a seven-lobed shield, an artichoke-like botanical shape and tiny floral patterns. Creating a velvet design such as this would have been a painstaking procedure, making this a luxury fabric during the Renaissance.

Read more less

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, physicist, futurist and engineer. This journal features a sketch of his turbine research, reproducing a document held in the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade. Today, Tesla’s legacy endures mostly notably in Tesla, Inc., which specializes in electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries.

Read more less

Discover Gary Grayson’s vibrantly detailed gardens in this Moon Garden journal design. A lifetime artist, Grayson’s affinity for both antique prints and modern graphic design is on display in this book cover. Grayson is an artist who defies the limitations of genre. May his boundless creativity so inspire your own expressions of imagination.

Read more less

Our Gulabi journal urges you to imagine yourself walking along the winding lanes that are home to the weavers of Varanasi, India. At one time there were as many as 300,000 weavers in the area, but today there are no more than 40,000. This book has been named for the Urdu word for “pink,” reflecting the delicate piece of silk it reproduces.

Read more less

Our Paperblanks Mystique soft cover notebook is inspired by a cover said to have been designed by Le Gascon, a legendary but little-known 17th-century bookbinder. The original cover that inspired this Flexi journal was made of red Moroccan leather embossed and gilded with rosettes, spirals and dotted lines.

Read more less

Taking their slightly sullen cues from previous artistic movements, the New Romantics of the 1980s brought their hairstyles and attitudes to new prominence. Our Midnight Rebel journal celebrates the drama that made the New Romantic movement some of the most ironic good times popular culture has ever had.

Read more less

Olena Skytsiuk is one of the foremost practitioners of Ukrainian Petrykivka painting, a technique in which brushes crafted from cat hairs are used to create a visual effect unlike any other. In each design, like that reproduced on this Moonlight journal cover, thousands of small brush strokes combine to create miniature landscapes and floral scenes.

Read more less

Olena Skytsiuk is one of the foremost practitioners of Ukrainian Petrykivka painting, a technique in which brushes crafted from cat hairs are used to create a visual effect unlike any other. In each design, like that reproduced on this Dayspring journal cover, thousands of small brush strokes combine to create miniature landscapes and floral scenes.

Read more less

Capturing the flavour of finely wrought Renaissance-style leather bindings, Paperblanks Midnight Steel Address Book pays homage to the craft of delicate gold tooling, originally introduced to Europe via the flourishing trade routes to the East. The timeless beauty of an antique leather binding is brought into the present on the cover of this deep blue book.

Read more less

This satin black Nova Stella Nox journal, with its central star shape, exerts an emotional pull like the North Star. The free space around the focal object is as important as the ornamentation, just as deep space is part of what makes stars so inspiring. Let this Paperblanks book design guide your imagination into a universe of possibilities.

Read more less

The boundless dreams of childhood are within reach in the enchanting works of Victor Nizovtsev, such as the painting reproduced on our Imagination journal cover. The artist’s stated hope is that his paintings “will give people a small taste of their childhood and will inspire their own stories.”

Read more less

In our Your Move journal, we feature a classical character from children’s literature drawn by artist Tim Bowers. With his timeless use of colour and line, Bowers captures the charm of iconic characters from folk and fairy tales. One is never too old or too young to enjoy playtime and the company of legendary characters.

Read more less

The 20th-century Canadian artist Alistair Macready Bell is revered for his moody, expressionistic woodprints. An Alistair Bell work is instantly recognisable for its angularity, bold tones and innovative use of natural textures. Paperblanks Mooring journal reflects the characteristic attention to line and internal rhythm of this celebrated printmaker.

Read more less

The 20th-century Canadian artist Alistair Macready Bell is revered for his moody, expressionistic woodprints. A gifted student of wild places, Bell travelled the world to sketch boats, birds and animals. Paperblanks Solitary Oryx journal reflects the characteristic angularity, attention to line and internal rhythm of this celebrated printmaker.

Read more less

This Paperblanks Silver Filigree Aubergine journal cover was originally designed in Germany in the early 1800s. To achieve the gilded motif, a base layer of silver sheets was first die cut, and elaborate grooves were then etched into its surface. Our silver and deep purple notebook celebrates the technique of filigree, an art form that is a testament to the human drive to ornament.

Read more less

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), long considered the greatest of English writers, left few traces of his handwriting. The banned play Sir Thomas More (1595) was written and revised by five different playwrights, of whom scholars now believe Shakespeare to be one. The handwritten manuscript on this Paperblanks journal cover portrays his passionate defence of refugees and displaced people.

Read more less

The Lindau Gospels’ bindings were designed to inspire awe when the book was carried in processions or displayed on an altar. Paperblanks Lindau journal depicts the back cover of this bookmaking masterwork, created near Salzburg between 750 and 800 AD. It was tooled in gilt, silver and enamel and adorned with jewels, making for a powerful manifestation of art as a vehicle for belief.

Read more less

Combining the Latin words “filum” (thread) and “granum” (seed), silver “filigree” describes an art form that is achieved by first die cutting a base layer of silver sheets and then meticulously etching elaborate grooves into its surface. The binding pattern seen on Paperblanks Silver Filigree Blush Pink journal is inspired by a 1697 French binding of Johann Arndt’s Paradiesgärtlein.

Read more less

Ancient spiritual practices meet modern digital art in the work of Android Jones. His art asks the viewer to focus on the potential for awakening, the power of the third eye and the early reverberations of the time that lies before us. With colours both psychedelic and hyper-modern, and imagery combining Eastern iconography with a science fiction aesthetic, Jones is an artist who draws on old traditions and those yet to be born.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. The earliest known Moldavian carpets can be dated to the late 18th century, though archaeological findings suggest the craft tradition goes back to the 14th- and 15th-century weaving mills of the Moldavian countryside. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways.

Read more less

Photographer Gérard Degeorge has travelled the world, capturing grand pieces of architectural design through the scope of his lens. This cover design comes from his vast collection of photography and is reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The geometric pattern, floral design and arabesque setting are all suggestive of the art and architecture styles found in the western Islamic world.

Read more less

Virginia Woolf wrote with insight about the uncertainty of everyday life. Her novel The Waves, drafted in a series of notebooks including the one reproduced here, is made up of soliloquies spoken by the main characters. Today, the notebooks are a part of The New York Public Library’s Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature and are featured in the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures.

Read more less

A lifelong artist, Gary Grayson’s affinity for both antique prints and modern graphic design is on display in the digital artwork behind this cover. His distinctive style is an eclectic mix of vintage vector, impressionism and pop art.

Read more less

This lovely, organic pattern comes from the illustrious carpet-making traditions of the Moldavian people. By mixing ideals of beauty and harmony with folk mysticism and mythology, Moldavian craftspeople elevate everyday carpets to works of spiritual and cultural expression. This particular design comes from a contemporary rug manufacturer, Floare Carpet, who design their floor coverings in the traditional ways.

Read more less