KEY POINTS:
There are a lot of furnishings and homewares in illustrative artist and designer Annette Lauder's life that have personality. And by personality, we mean actual faces.
"I like quite quirky things," says the self-confessed maximalist. "For instance, I've got cushions that actually have grumpy bear faces, if you look closely."
Maybe this is hardly surprising. Lauder holds the pen and ink behind the Nut and Bee series of stationery. Lauder's drawings (available from www.nutandbee.com), feature a whimsical array of characters going about their fantastical business on notepads, stickers and cards. So do her surroundings. Lauder reckons this kind of thing - that is, something with character - is becoming more popular.
"I know that the handmade and handcrafted is getting more respect. I think a lot of it is fuelled by the internet. It has allowed people who make things, and who might only appeal to a smaller percentage, to reach a much larger audience," says the former librarian who gave up working with books to devote herself to her online, illustrative business.
1 Japanese character goods. Japan is full of illustrated characters, which are a key influence for my own work. I'm a fan of the full spectrum, from the classic cute Sanrio designs of the 70s to the more bizarre recent creations from companies like San-X. Many types of product are emblazoned with these characters, but I try to limit my collecting to paper stationery and stickers.
2 Julie West. Her paintings and prints have an amazing graphic style, bold and stylised but also gentle and engaging. I love her colour palettes and unbelievably neat line work.
3 Edward Gorey. You would hardly guess from looking at my work now but I was a teenage goth, and one of my enduring fascinations from that time are Edward Gorey's humorous, macabre drawings and writings. His Victorian world is ominous yet appealing and I relish his experiments with format and structure.
4 Meomi. The illustration duo of Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy primarily make digital art featuring the most delightful characters and scenes imaginable. I especially love their Octonauts children's book series and the mascots they designed for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
5 Re-Ment miniatures. I adore tiny things. The Re-Ment miniature series from Japan contains diminutive replicas of food, furniture and household goods in themed series, perfect for setting up in dioramas. I own a lot of pieces but the crate of pea-sized fuzzy peaches is especially sweet.
6 Web comics. I greatly admire the discipline and productivity of web comic authors. Web comics are self published comics and cartoons, available online. My current favourites, which combine engaging characters and storytelling with fantastic artwork, are Anders Loves Maria by Rene Engstrom, Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques and American Elf by James Kochalka.
7 Kozyndan. I've been a fan of Kozyndan's artwork for a long time and was very excited to meet them and purchase an original piece at their Auckland gallery show last November. They use a variety of media, first becoming known for complex digital panoramas and now also working with paint, graphite and installations. I have one of their iconic acrylic-on-wood sculpted bunnyfish.
8 Sad Ghost salt and pepper shakers by Marcel Dzama. I can't bring myself to use these salt and pepper shakers because I would be too sad if they got chipped! Luckily they look great on display.
9 Yoshitomo Nara's Pup Cup. Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara's kinetic sculpture of a serene, sleepy puppy in a white cup is utterly delightful. When switched on it turns and spins in lazy meandering circles and reminds me of leaves blowing in the breeze. Just a peek at the pup's sweet face can cheer me up.
10 Indie Plush. There are so many crafters making amazing plush toys that are art pieces as well as playthings. I'm constantly amazed by their innovation within the form and their ability to make objects like campfires and poltergeists out of fabric and stuffing.
My latest acquisition is a beautiful fuzzy yeti by Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars.
