We had a really brilliant time at the BUST Craftacular on Sunday, it was great to meet everyone who came along!!!

We made this 'Grotto' (from a borrowed gazebo frame and some foamboard cut-outs!) and set up shop on the stage.

…what it takes to decide from Charlotte Vogel on Vimeo.

Here is the winning video for our Christmas competition - not bad hey!!?!?

As if 'The Truth About Christmas' wasn't enough, Rob's also done the cover for 'The Truth About Love'!!

Earlier this year, I was asked to illustrate the cover for Phillip Ardagh's 'The Truth About Christmas' and here is the finished book!

Its printed on uncoated stock and has gold foil details which make it really special, available now on HERE!

Rob has made a playlist for We Are Spilt Milk, joining the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley and Bernard Butler to play his favourite songs of the moment and why he loves them.

Thank you to everyone who entered the international competition, we have now announced the winner as Daniel Wong who commented on Facebook.

However, we were so impressed with all the answers and decided to give away runner-up prizes to a few of our favourites.

From the blog, the post by Peter Lorimer made us chuckle, so Peter, if you could send an email to info@misterrob.co.uk with your address, we'll get a little runner-up prize sent out to you too.

Thanks again!

For the past few years, we've printed wrapping paper to sell at various Christmas markets and this year is no different!

Rob will be selling this beautiful wrapping paper in 3 different colours at BUST's Craftacular at York Hall in Bethnal Green, Sunday 16th December. Last year sold out pretty quickly so make sure you get down early!! There's also tonnes of brilliant stalls by designers and artists which you won't want to miss!!

Wrapping paper is printed on lightweight newsprint and signed by Rob. Come down and meet us!!

For all our lovely followers who are unable to enter the Christmas competition as they do not live near enough to pick up the prize - we are now launching an international competition too!
The prize includes a 'Can We Shall We' lasercut, 'Dear Santa' tape, 'Small Girl' tile, 2013 lasercut Calendar, 'Dear Santa' teatowel/stocking and some other exciting bits and bobbles!!

All you'll have to do is think of the best caption for the picture below.

We'll announce the winner in the next few days.

GOOD LUCK!!

This blog is mainly used to update you all with news and work from the studio, but Rob also has a personal blog in which he writes about what he's up to - exhibitions, trips, ideas and his life outside of the studio. It makes for a brilliant read so take a look!

www.youcanstilldoalotwithasmallbrain.blogspot.co.uk

For the Ryantown shop, we always screenprint our shop bags and here's the latest design!!!
Jackie and Tom, our printers did a brilliant selection of colours and we had some beautiful outcomes, check them out!!!

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION!!!!!!

From now on, we will be setting competitions and here is our first. We're giving Rob's fans in the UK the chance to win this incredible prize including A signed screenprint, lasercuts, books, tapes, teatowels, bunting, tiles, eggcups YOU NAME IT!!!

To win this prize, we ask that you make a short film (no longer than 2 minutes) inspired by the subject:
'I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS......'

You can interperet this any way you like. The film can be stop-motion, animation, acted, drawn, computerised (It doesn't have to be good quality or professional) - just make it interesting/funny or heartfelt!

The deadline for entry is Monday 10th December, which gives you two weeks. Burn your film onto a cd and post it to us at:
Ryantown HQ
5-6 Teesdale Yard
Teesdale St
London
E2 6QE

Please include your name and your details - email/phone number/address.

We'll be announcing the winner on 13th December.

PLEASE NOTE: AS THIS PRIZE IS TOO BIG TO POST, THE WINNER WILL NEED TO BE AVAILABLE TO PICK UP THEIR PRIZE FROM THE STUDIO, SO PLEASE DO NOT ENTER IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT TO LONDON. WE WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH THE WINNER TO ARRANGE A SUITABLE DATE.

Sorry to international fans, we will definitely be launching competitions for people outside the UK too, we haven't forgotten you!

NEW TEA TOWELS JUST PRINTED!!!

Every year since 2008 we've brought out a lasercut desk calendar - and here's the latest!!!

Printed in a beautiful deep blue and tan, the lasercut reads:

'My home will have no windows, doors or floors nor bricks or mortar. My only home is in your arms and nowhere else'

Now available from etsy

Its just over one month until BUST magazine's Craftacular at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
Those of you who have been before will know that its a great craft fair, filled with brilliant artists and designers including our good friends Tatty Devine and the brilliant Hazel Nicholls!!
Rob will be signing his very own wrapping paper - screen printed here at the studio.
Last year was a brilliant success and its a great opportunity to get some original Christmas presents!!
Sunday 16th December at York Hall. See you there!
http://www.bust.com/craftacular/vendors-london.html

A couple of pieces of Rob's work are being shown at the Ben Penreath shop in Bloomsbury for the 'Artists of Spitalfields Life' exhibition.
Spitalfields Life is a brilliant blog all about the everyday goings-on in this particular part of East London. The Gentle Author writes every day and it makes for a brilliant read - he also has a book (of the same name) which Rob was asked to create a one-off pair of Staffordshire dogs for to illustrate the cover.
The show runs from 7th - 24th November at 17 Rugby St, Bloomsbury, WC1N 3QT.

You may love it, you may hate it, but which ever way you look at it, CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!
To welcome in the festive season, we've created these tea towels - you can use them to dry your Christmas dishes, or with a bit of simple sewing you can make them into a Christmas stocking!!! You can even save up all the remnants to re-make into a TINY tea towel if you like....

They are hand-printed in our studio by Error Solutions and the brilliant Barbarabearo has done a step-by-step guide of making the stocking. But you have to be quick, you only have 46 days left to make them!

Available to buy in Ryantown or Etsy

For the next two weekends, one wall of Ryantown will be taken over by the brilliantly talented Sarah Lippett.

Sarah is a freelance illustrator based in London. Over the years
she has worked with the likes of The New York Times, The Guardian, Time
Out and Wichita Records. She is currently studying for her Masters at
the Royal College of Art.

The exhibition 'Ceramics and Drawings' brings together a collection of
pots and pencil drawings.

'High-Rise', a new series of drawings are a imaginary lively response to
sounds and observations of everyday life from the 7th floor of a tower
block.

The ceramics on show are favourites gathered together from a
collaboration with potter Emma Gaston, including a series based on the
Greek myth Leda and the Swan.

Check out Sarah's blog here

Its an incredibly special day here at the studio as its ROB'S 50TH BIRTHDAY!!! As the majority of us are big Harry Potter fans (Rob especially), we decided to lay out a Great Hall spread as a surprise.... Jackie made some incredible hand-painted banners, Libby made the Sorting Hat cake and everybody chipped in to make the table look incredible and cook a brilliant Roast Chicken lunch in our tiny kitchen. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!!!!!

One of our biggest jobs here at Ryantown HQ is posting out all of our Etsy shop orders. Michelle and Louise from the studio work hard to post out every week day from the studio and make our packages the best they can be with little presents for our lovely customers!
Here's a little photo montage of how your purchases are packaged!

We've just moved in to our new studio (next door to the old one!) and the blank walls are a perfect opportunity for Rob to start his new book!!!

I can't reveal too much this early into the writing, but we've decided to document the stages of writing on this blog.

So here it is, step one, Post-It stage.....

My exhibition at Charleston is almost over and I've decided to make an edition of one my favourite pieces in the show - this jug!!!

Each one starts as a blank and we screenprint the different elements of the design onto decal paper. Once dry, the decals are immersed in water and applied to the blank jug by hand - the same goes for all of our mugs/plates/money boxes - you name it! I then paint the handles black and they are fired so I can apply another layer of.....GOLD!!!!

Each one is signed in gold and they are in a small edition of 25 - available in Ryantown this weekend!!!

The show in Manchester has now been on for a couple of weeks and I'm getting lots of nice comments about the work, so thanks guys!!! I made this print especially for the show and its now available to buy in their online shop here!!!

For the FIRST TIME EVER.....I've done a christmas tape!!! Its all very exciting, they're now available on etsy along with some new colourways of old favourites.

The First Cut

I've spent the last few months working on my largest papercut to date. This is just a small detail of a picture which measures 1.5m x 3m. It's going to be exhibited as part of Manchester Art Gallery's 'First Cut' exhibition which runs from Oct 4th - 27th January 2013. As well as this huge papercut I have also produced a limited edition print which will be available to buy exclusively from the gallery for the duration of the show. You can find out more about the exhibition and opening times here

Only 5 days until my solo show in NYC!!! There's 12 papercuts and 12 prints on show, so come and see it!!! September 18 - 30, 2012 SOHOTEL Artspace Gallery, 345 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013

The Gentle Author visited Charleston the other day and has written a lovely piece about my show there. You can read it on the Spitalfields life blog here If you haven't made it down to Charleston yet don't worry, the show has been extended until October 28th so there's still time! I can't recommend a trip to the farmhouse and gardens enough.

Well.... we're a bit slow on the uptake and were generally a bit reluctant but I've finally joined Twitter!!! Me and team Ryan will be updating with new products, news, exhibitions and general studio stuff. If you want to follow, my thing(?!?) is @RobRyan_Art

I'm pretty excited as in just a couple of weeks, I'm going to NYC for my exhibition!!! I will be exhibiting papercuts and screenprints from the (2013) Calendar I produced earlier this year. They are a selection of my 12 favourite pictures, and we've even produced a portfolio of 12 screenprints which come in this beautiful red portfolio!!! You can now buy the portfolio from TAG Fine Arts click here for the link! If you're in town, come on down!!!

I have been nominated for a British Design Award!!!!! If you would like to vote, you can do so from tomorrow morning by visiting this website www.thebritishdesignawards.com THANKS!!!!

My exhibition at Charleston Gallery opened last week!!! If you want to take a trip down, the show runs from 20th July – 28th October at Charleston, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LL. I can't recommend a tour of the house enough, its a brilliant day out and such an inspiring place. Open Wednesdays to Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Wednesdays – Saturdays: Guided tours only 1pm – 6pm (12 – 6pm July and August). Last tour 5pm. Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays: Freeflow, timed tickets 1pm – 5.30pm. Last entry 4.30pm. Photograph of Charleston House by Penelope Fewster © The Charleston Trust.

Rob is currently hanging his show at Charleston Gallery so I'm afraid he's absent for this blog post!! Its a very exciting day at Ryantown HQ as we've just received a delivery of the second S.P.Q.R Newspaper!!! This is the summer edition and is dedicated to the exhibition at Charleston and features lots of peices from the show. Sort of a home-made exhibition catalogue (but a lot more interesting!) so if you can't make it down to Charleston, get yourself one of these guys!!! For those of you who can make it, the show runs from 20th July – 28th October and the newspaper will be available from the gallery shop. There will also be a selection of handmade bits and bobs available in the shop. This edition is now available from etsy