A Mutual Bond & Beyond the Borough

Looking to add a little mod to your home? You’re in luck. Today we are releasing four playful geometric patterns from renowned fine artist and celebrated graphic designer Rex Ray. The wall graphics embody Ray’s signature mid-century modern aesthetic with abstract images and hand-cut shapes.

A Mutual Bond installation

A Mutual Bond installation

We are kicking off the initial Rex Ray/R2 Lab collection with A Mutual Bond, Skyline Rhythm, Spontaneous Horizon and Beyond the Borough. The minimalist designs are sure to add a cool modern flair to your walls.

And if you’re thinking that you’ve seen Rex Ray before – you probably have. His paintings and design work have been exhibited at galleries and museums, including The San Francisco MoMA, San Jose MoMA, The Crocker Museum in Sacramento, University Art Museum in Berkeley, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and MCA Denver. He’s also a celebrated graphic artist and has worked on a wide range of custom projects for Apple, Dreamworks, Swatch and David Bowie among others.

Spontaneous Horizon & Skyline Rhythm

Skyline Rhythm installation

Beyond the Borough installation

Beyond the Borough installation

Beyond the Borough installation

GIVEAWAY: We are such big Rex Ray fans that we wanted to give 3 copies of his Art + Design book to you! We think it’s only fair that to win a book, you’ve got to be a true Rex Ray fan. To win, leave a comment below and share your best Rex Ray fan knowledge. Three winners will be chosen at random. Just get your comments in by Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who shared with us a Rex Ray fact! We loved reading all the comments. Congrats to Beau, MJ, and Marissa! You’ll be receiving a copy of Art + Design shortly!

Rex Ray Art + Design: 3 copies to giveaway.

A look inside Art + Design.

Michael

Take a look. No, take a 2nd look. Is it real or not?

A master of visual pranks, Dan Witz, the Brooklyn-based realist and street artist has created three shocking graphic art pieces – all part of his “WHAT THE %$#@? (WTF) series. Meet WHAT THE %$#@ TAZ, WHAT THE %$#@ GOAT and WHAT THE %$#@ MICHAEL.

How did he think of that?? The idea for WTF was born while Dan was stuck in the notorious LA traffic and is named for the universal reaction the installations inspire within the viewer. Dan is known for using his mastery of the visual deception of trompe-l’oeil* and photorealistic painting techniques to create conceptual visual pranks.

*Visual illusion in art as used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object.

Goat

Taz

Taking Blik down a new path. Witz’s pieces are a new form of wall art for Blik. The printed “grate” graphic is backed by a 1/8″ thick plastic board that the art piece giving it a 3-D quality. Installation is easy with the four removable, self-adhesive 3M mounting squares.

Describing his philosophy behind his body of work, Witz explains, “I’m trying to exploit our collective tendency towards sleepwalking by inserting outrageous things right out there in plain view that are also practically invisible.”

Just ask Scott Flora, Blik co-founder about working with Dan. “Dan Witz is clever. He defines and challenges what it means to be a street artist with his mix of humor and shocking material.”

Psst…done something a little illegal? To celebrate the new wall decals, we are giving away five copies of Dan Witz’s new book, In Plain View: 30 Years of Artworks Illegal and Otherwise. The book is a 30-year retrospective of Dan’s street work and live art filled with full-color, full-page illustrations that document his expansive work.

In keeping with the theme of his book, tell us if you’ve ever done something a tiny bit illegal. We’re just looking for minor infractions here. Don’t worry, we’re not narks or your mom.  We’ll pick the five winners (illegal and otherwise) at random. Some of our own personal infractions for inspiration include: using fake ID’s in college, using the carpool lane when we’re the only one in the car, taking change from a charity coin jar and sneaking into movies without paying.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Leave your comment below by 11:59pm on Friday, August 5, 2011. Winners will be notified by Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who submitted their illegal stories. We had a laugh reviewing your comments. Congrats to Cristina, Emily, Pen, Carol and Jessica – you’ll be receiving In Plain View shortly!

In Plain View: 5 books to giveaway

Have you met Mykea? They are a super cool company from Amsterdam that allow you to personalize your standard, ubiquitous Ikea furniture with a variety of fun, vibrant decals. We’ve been a fan of Mykea since it launched and are thrilled to announce that Blik will now be manufacturing all Mykea products for the U.S.

How to Mykea: Mykea selects the most well-known Ikea furniture pieces and creates a special designers kit for each piece. Select your Ikea furniture, choose your design and redesign your Ikea furniture. No Ikea furniture? Some designs are available as wall decals too. Can’t find a design to your liking? Find out how to become a Mykea artist.

Stay tuned! In the coming months, you’ll see more collaborations between Blik and Mykea. And remember Mykea’s slogan: Say NO to NAKED furniture!

We are thrilled to announce that we’ve got not one, not two, but three winners in the Blik x Doodlers Anonymous “Doodle Our Wall” Showcase. With 99 entries, how could we pick just one winner? Problem solved. We have one winner with the most  community votes, as well as two Editor’s Picks.

Congrats to Harikrishnan Panicker (aka thumbdemon), Michelle Lasalvia (aka Pirichi), and Camila León (aka camiki.) All three will have their drawings turned into wall decals. Harikrishnan, our winner with the most votes, will have his decal printed as a limited 100-piece run. As the Editor’s Picks, Michelle and Camila’s designs will be printed as a limited 50-piece run. In addition, all three winners will receive their own Blik wall graphic, a $75 Blik gift certificate and a swanky Blik tee.

Thanks to everyone who participated. We were blown away by the amount of submissions. And a big thank you to Doodler Anonymous for inviting us to participate.

Stay tuned! The winning wall graphics will be launched in mid-April.

Popular Blik collaborator, Christy Flora, graces us with her newest design “Flutter,” inspired by her recent artwork – beautiful hand-drawn, paper butterfly boxes. Known for her playful drawings that combine clean colorful lines and happy imagery, Flutter floats into Blik with hints of spring. These delicate pastel-colored butterflies bring a subtle burst of color and whimsy as they float across the wall. Flutter is made with Blik Re-Stik enabling you to move these fluttering butterflies from wall to wall to wall…

What Christy loves about “Flutter” is the sense of movement that comes from the butterflies and how it looks like these colorful little creatures are flying through the space. A true butterfly lover, Christy believes seeing a butterfly can create an unexpected happy moment. With Flutter, Christy was aiming to bring that rare joy into an everyday experience. A tip from Christy: Layer Flutter over Anise or Rose or any Blik floral graphic to create a nature scene that really pops!

If you like “Flutter,” make sure you check-out Christy’s line of Blik graphics. It’s been a few years since we introduced Christy’s new designs and she thought it was about time that her Caterpillar had some buddies. We agree! You can also browse her Etsy store for colorful cards and wrapping paper.

GIVEAWAY: We are loving Christy’s reversible sherbet-colored notepads. They just scream spring. To celebrate the launch of Christy’s new graphic, we are giving away 10 sets of her colorful reversible notepads. Each set is a different color combination – many of which are the exact colors used in “Flutter.”

How to win: Are you a lepidopterist*? Don’t worry, you don’t need to be one to enter the giveaway. Impress us with a fun butterfly fact by commenting below by 11:59pm PST on Thursday, March 10, 2011. The 11 winners will be notified by March 15.

UPDATE: We’ve picked our 10 winners! Congrats to Misty, M Marxen, Nicole, Katie, Irene, KJ, Lizbeth, Jenny, Amie and Elizabeth! Thanks to everyone who entered. We loved reading your fun butterfly facts.

*A person who studies moths or butterflies

We at Blik are filled with excitement to add “Animal Friendlies” to Hybrid-Design’s already successful line at Blik. This charming graphic package consists of 34 cute little buggers that can be combined to create mini storytelling vignettes. “Animal Friendlies” is a “best-of” Dora Drimalas’ iconic characters including Oma and Olaf the Owl, Peter Pachyderm, Kitty Kaleidoscope, Ladies Day Out, Super Terrific Bat Cave and Love is in the Air.

With Animal Friendlies, you have one sheet of 34 small graphics, but a number of different options to create tiny scenes, be it high on a wall or low on the ground, throughout your house or office. We love the versatility of it.

What are you waiting for? Get a pack of these quirky little creatures and add some playfulness to your place today!

On the 11^th day of Blikmas your true love Blik is giving away 15 Peecol’s a-popping by eBoy. To bring a Peecol home for the holidays, tell us which is your favorite eBoy Peecol by commenting below. You can explore the world of Peecols on the eBoy blog.

In order to win, comments must be received by 11:59 pm PST on December 11. The 15 winners will be randomly selected and notified on December 13. Sorry, but you can’t request the Peecol you want to receive. Have fun!

UPDATE: We’ve picked our 15 Peecol winners. Thanks for all of the submissions!

Blik artist Craww, who just debuted three new graphics at Blik (Fox, Bear & Deer), is having his first U.S. exhibition at our neighbor, the C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice. The show, “Crooked Comfort” opens on December 10 and runs through January 7.

The series of new works featured in “Crooked Comfort” is a story without an end – a stream of consciousness ramble through the woods, populated with skulls, crows and pensive girls with conspicuous hands, individually emanating a melancholy force of beauty.

Join us at the opening night party on Friday, December 10 from 7-10pm, where we’ll have limited-editon, Craww-designed Prayer tees and five of Craww’s new wall graphics to give away. Plus, you can checkout the C.A.V.E. Gallery’s new location on trendy Abbot Kinney.

On the 8^th day of Blikmas your true love Blik is giving away 20 Craww-designed, limited-edition Prayer tees, based on his popular Prayer wall graphic. Limited sizes available.

To win, give us a shout today by 11:59 pm PST by tagging @whatisblik on Twitter and tell us the number of Blik graphics you have in your home, office or dorm. The 20 winners will be notified that their prayers have been answered and they’ve won a Craww tee on December 9.

Can’t get enough of Craww? Today is your lucky day because we’ve got three new graphics from our favorite UK graphic designer and artist: Bear, Deer & Fox. And if you live in LA, be sure to stop by Craww’s show, “Crooked Comfort” at the C.A.V.E. Gallery on Abbott Kinney this Friday.

UPDATE: Thanks for letting us know how many Blik wall graphics you have! We’ve picked the 20 winners and notified them.