The Instagram account @hardcore_decor celebrates the one thing that really matters in vintage porn – the decor. Follow the account to fall down a black hole of incredibly garish images of retro baby-makin’. Says the anonymous owner of the account; “The fun part is trying to crop enough to keep it titillating” – well isn’t that the truth!
Read more here: A chat with the anonymous archivist behind vintage smut celebration Hardcore Decor
We LOVE Jay Roeder’s Juicy posters; each one works as a piece of work alone, but put all 58 together and you have a series that brings pure joy to any Typography and Biggie fan’s heart!
Natalie Perkins is a talented young lady. We came across an illustration of hers a few years ago, and was happy to see that the rest of her work is just as wonderful. As is her motivation for producing the work that she does;
“My drawings are an avenue for meditation and self care. They are largely influenced by my embodiment as a fat woman with mental illness. My early work focused on highly detailed and repetitive line work, and commented on femininity in pop culture as much as my own feelings about my own very unpopular femininity. After suffering a significant period of mental illness in 2011 I spent a lot of time focusing on simply getting through my days and not creating much resolved work at all. As I come back into better health I’m approaching my creative practice quite differently, with more respect for my disabilities as well as the role of drawing in my personal life.
Now, I draw to recover and illustrate a femininity that moves away from aesthetic beauty, and I find my politics and art seem to mesh more naturally.”
Check out some of our favourite pieces of her work and then go over to her website to see more.
In 1904 a stunning underground station was opened in the heart of New York City featuring tall tiled arches, brass fixtures and skylights that run across the entire curve of the station. 
It was to be the original southern terminus of the first ‘Manhattan Main Line’; however the station was closed and boarded up in 1945 due to the introduction of longer subway trains.
Since then the station has been left untouched and in it’s original condition. That is, until recently. Lucky passengers of the 6 train who know of it’s existence will be allowed to stay on the train during its turnaround and see the Station from the train. 
Of course, like all underground stations, there are off-limit parts that only Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers and the more adventurous graff writer will ever see. And this station is no different. The Underbelly Project has turned these parts of this station into an off-limit art gallery, which is illegal to enter. Over a hundred murals have been accumulated over time by graffiti artists who discovered the walls and invited others to add their art. 
How utterly stunning are these illustrations by Andrea Farina?! There is something so eerie about them, yet the images sum up each story brilliantly. Check out his other work at his website to see how great it all is! 
Annick Bouvattier clearly has talent in painting the female form. However, it’s not just the fact that she’s good at depicting women in her paintings, but it’s the subtly of her details which perfectly represent the modern woman. Beautiful!
Matchboxes aren’t just handy for writing your number on, or (the obvious) to light match, they can also be a mini canvas for some lovely works of art. Be it a nice bit of typography, a cute illustration or a bangin’ logo. Don’t believe me? Check out this collection of Japanese matchbox labels from the 1920s.
Click to enlarge
Mike Monteiro is a man after my own heart. His work is simple, direct and speaks from the heart, while keeping a sense of humour about life. Click on the images below to enlarge and make yourself smile!
I do enjoy a colourful bit of illustration, especially when said illustration includes a lot of girls and greasy food. There is nothing better (apart from maybe greasy food in real life!). I’ve seen Cath Love’s stuff about for a while, and always though to myself that if I had any talent whatsoever, then I would produce work like hers. I adore the face that all the girls in her pieces look healthy, sexy and fabulous, while not being to damn skinny. Beautiful!
Graphic designer and art director Vahram Muratyan has been keep a tally of the differences between the two cities he spends most time in; Paris & New York. Seen as he’s a very talented graphic designer, his tally is in the form of beautifully simple illustrations. Luckily, Vahram has been generous enough to make these into prints, and a book. Check out his blog for more info.
What do you think of when you think of M.A.C Viva Glam? I usually think of Nicki Minaj, on a bike and Ricky Martin holding a large lipstick. What? You Don’t?! How odd..
Well, Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin have just been announced as the new faces of M.A.C Cosmetics’ Viva Glam campaign. The 2012 campaign is a collage by David LaChapelle with tones of bright colours. 100 percent of the proceeds of Viva Glam sales go to the M.A.C Aids Fund and it hits M.A.C. counters February 2012.
This weekend was the first Sampled sale that took place on Saturday and Sunday. I was down to paint some nails and check out all the cute hip – hop boys that were there to pick up a bargain (or 10). Damn was it a fun weekend, amazing tunes, incredible brands at a fraction of the price and I got to paint some gorgeous girls’ nails. As I was busy, I didn’t manage to take photos, so I stole a load from the AnyForty & Sampled blogs (sorry guys!). Peep the Sampled website and start getting excited about the next one, and check out some of the nails I did here.
I fricking LOVE Pierre et Gille. I hadn’t thought about them for a while but stumbled across a brochure from an exhibit they held in GOMA a (cough) little while ago (years!). They have worked with pretty much everyone, Warhol, Iggy Pop, Kylie (my favourite woman), Madonna (my second favourite), Grace Jones, Marc Almond – the list goes on. Their highly stylised and kitsch sensibility can only make you smile, even when the subject matter is often quite dark. If you want some glitter and gaudiness in your life have a look.
There has been the Big Book of Butts, the Big Book of Boobs and the Big Book of Penises. So, it was enevitable that Taschen would release the Big Book of Pussy. I love the description for it on Taschen’s website:
The Orders & Main Squeeze in association with www.WhoSampled.compresent SAMPLED
Midday – 6pm Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th December 2011
@ Bar Music Hall, 134 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR
£2 all day or £5 with entry to the club included!
Sampled combines a sample sale with a record fair and a club night featuring your favorite street wear brands at a fraction of their usual price, some of the UK’s best record dealers, sets of original Soul, Jazz, Funk & Disco breaks from some of the finest DJs in the UK, a nail bar and a stall selling art.
THE BRANDS
We have hand picked brands to trade on the day making sure you get your hands on your favourite street wear brands at a fraction of their usual prices. Brands trading include: Stussy, Alife, Fenchurch, Depehct. Stones Throw, Generic Surplus, Gimme Five, Any Forty, Stones Throw, DGK, Expedition One, Organika, BLVD, Osiris, Circa & more.THE RECORDS
Trading in new and classic vinyl & CDs from Hip-Hop box sets to rare Soul & Jazz LPs are Mr Thing, Crazy Beat, Rapandsoulmailorder.com, Jake BBE, JP & Nice Up making sure there is plenty to interest even the most avid collector.
THE MUSIC
Throughout the day we have an army of the finest DJs all spinning sets of original breaks as sampled by your favourite producers be they Hip-Hop, House or beyond. DJs include Spin Doctor, Mo Fingaz, Who Sampled DJs, Shepdog, JP, Jake BBE & more.
THE NAILS
One of the hottest new talents on the London nail art scene is will be setting up shop for the week end so come and get pampered by Nails By Hells.
THE ART
The Scrawl Collective are some of the most sought after artists in the land. Travelling the world for exhibitions and commissions alike you can see what all the fuss is about for yourself as they host a stall giving you the chance to get your hands on a one off piece of art.
THE CLUB
After the sale on Saturday night we are re-opening for a one off club night with an incredible line up for DJs including Mark Rae (Rae & Christian), Andy Smith (Portishead), Mr Thing, Spin Doctor, Mo Fingaz & BobaFatt all spinning sets laden with samples and the music they created.
For more information on this event or if interested in getting involved in future events please contact rod@sampleduk.com or tarl@sampleduk.com
Join the Facebook event page here. xx
Often, when someone cheats on you, you can picture the two of them at it. All the kissing, licking, positions and shit they did. Well Luke Lucas (great name right?!) has visualised cheating in a whole new way. He has created one of the most disturbing, yet funny typefaces I’ve seen in a while. Check out the “excuses” he’s used to show the typeface, then have a look at the close ups. Knida weird… But I like it…
Have a look at his other typefaces and work on his website.
I get very bored of lookbooks, it’s very rare that I find a lookbook that actually inspires me and makes me want to buy the clothes. One think I never get bored of however, are comics (yes, I know I’m a geek! I own it!). So the lookbook for Nike’s Autumn 2011 collection really took my breath away. The lookbook is a collaboration between Nike and two female comic book artists; Jan Duursema & Amanda Connor entitled “Make Yourself a Superhero.” Which is meant to take the focus off of the celebrity athlete and put it on the every day woman.
“The idea is simple — You submit a letter, word or phrase and we’ll make it look beautiful with type.”
