Venice neighbor and frequent collaborator, Ilan Dei just added two new wall graphics to his existing popular collection at Blik. Ilan’s inspiration for the “Calla” and “Rose” botanical graphics came from his love of nature combined with his clean design aesthetic. Calla is towering calla lillies standing over 6ft tall that command attention on any surface, while Rose plays on the iconic shape and quality of a rose.

GIVEAWAY! To celebrate the launch of the new graphics, we are giving away two side tables from the Ilan Dei Studio. The table is perfect for indoor or outdoor summer entertaining. Retailing for $240 each, the weather-resistant plywood and acrylic side tables are part of the Studio’s Aquarium Collection. Inspired by light, the acrylic top is translucent and casts an amber glow when the table is placed in direct sunlight. Even better, the table comes with two sheets of vintage Ilan Dei for Blik “Nature” wall graphics that can easily be applied underneath the acrylic top to create a custom one-of-a-kind piece. You stick it and Blik it.

Contest Details: Comment on this blog post or like us on Facebook and let us know what you think of the table and where you’d use it this summer. On June 24, we’ll pick two design savvy winners who will each receive an Aquarium side table. The giveaway is only open to residents in the contiguous United States (excludes Alaska and Hawaii.) Contest runs from June 16, 2010 at 12:00am PST to 11:59pm PST on June 23, 2010. Winners will be notified on June 24, 2010.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who entered the Ilan Dei side table giveaway. We had so many creative entries that it was hard to make a decision, but we are thrilled to announce the two winners are: Ben from Kenosha, WI and Jeff from Harpers Ferry, WV. We thought Jeff’s reaction to learning he was a winner was priceless, but we’ll let you decide for yourselves:

“OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Are you serious? OMG! OMG! OMG! I have had the worst week ever & being a winner of this amazing table would really make me entire month! Are you serious? OMG! I think I’m going to faint! Thank you SOOOO much Blik! I love your stuff & now I love you more!!!!! Have an amazing day!”

LA-based surrealist painter, Greg “Craola” Simkins created three new dark and mysterious graphics for Blik: “Raptor,” Parrot” and “Charon.” The graphics embody a fantasy world of vivid nature images coined by Simkins as the eco-structure of “The Outside.” According to Simkins, “The Outside” is a world in which to escape and inhabit, and for others to enjoy.

Now that you’ve seen all three new graphics - what’s your favorite? Follow @whatisblik on Twitter and tweet about your favorite Craola graphic from Wednesday, June 2 until Thursday, June 3 at 11:59pm PST. Five lucky followers will be randomly selected to win a 7” Cap’n Rothclaw vinyl toy, hand-signed by Simkins in a collector’s box.

Who you ask is Cap’n Rothclaw? His treasure is only the most elusive booty in these briny seas – with working claws for extra scuttling poseability and menace. Aye! He’s the perfect companion for Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Details: Make sure you include @whatisblik in your tweet. One entry per person.

Today we are featuring two videos of interesting design projects by Blik licensed artists: Ilan Dei and Saelee Oh with Eric Nakamura of Giant Robot. In addition to creating a line of decals for Blik, these artists have loads of other cool stuff going on.

Water Ripple Fireplace by Ilan Dei Studio

Inspired by the always changing surfaces and textures of water, Ilan Dei created this private residence fireplace to capture the same interplay of light and shadows that you see in smooth water ripples. The video documents the process from the initial sketches, through 3D modeling in Rhino, to building the finished fireplace using 3D milling, fiberglass molding and plaster as the finished material.

Scion Installation 6 Video: Eric Nakamura & Saelee Oh Interview

Saelee Oh and Eric Nakamura discuss their animated paper art video piece that is currently featured in Scion’s Installation 6: Video national art tour. They give great insight into how they painstakingly created their short - lots of freestyle scissor work, late nights, a little complaining and of course, fun. The Scion Installation 6: video national art tour heads next to Minneapolis opening on Friday, May 7 at the Pink Hobo.

Now in its 6th year, this revolutionary art tour is designed to expose established and emerging artists and their work to audiences across the country. “Installation 6: Video” challenged 10 artists to create non-narrative video installations that will eventually transform five unique exhibitions around the country.

To all the Keith Haring fans who’ve been patiently waiting for new Keith Haring for Blik wall graphics - you are in luck! On Tuesday, May 4, we’ll be releasing four spanking new graphics from the pop art icon. May 4th is also Haring’s birthday and to celebrate, we’ll be giving away five Radiant Baby watches to the first five people who order one of the new graphics.

Mark you calendars, put your party hats on and get ready because Keith Haring graphics are coming to Blik!

Blik is happy to announce a new partnership with San Francisco-based design duo Hybrid Design. The non-traditional design firm created four graphics for Blik: Visible Ghost, Visible Robot, Heart Breakout and Bike Love. To celebrate this new collaboration, we have 20 Hybrid Design prints to giveaway. (The prints are different images than the wall graphics.)

HOW TO WIN: In 100 words or less, come up with a short story about one of the Hybrid Design for Blik graphics. Get creative and be entered to win one of 20 limited edition prints. Each print is hand silk-screened on heavyweight paper stock, signed by either Brian Flynn or Dora Drimalas and numbered. The prints are a great complement to the wall graphics. The retail value of each print is $40 each.

CONTEST DETAILS: Submit your 100 word entry via: Email (giveaway@whatisblik.com), or comment on this blog post or follow Blik on Facebook and comment. The contest ends on May 4 at 11:59pm PST. The 20 winners will be picked at random and notified by May 6. Sorry, this contest is limited to US and Canada.

Good luck!

Blik is proud to announce a new partnership with 2×4, Inc., an award-winning design firm. The design collaborative created three graphics for Blik: “Modular Icons,” “Thought Bubbles” and “Punctuation Flowers.” 2×4 drew from their early design projects using typography to create large graphic flowers and shapes for Blik.

Blik is giving away 7 copies of 2×4’s “IT IS WHAT IT IS” book —an exposé of 1,000 design artifacts executed by 2×4 over the course of the studio’s 15-year history. Customers who order a 2×4 by Blik graphic before June 1, 2010 will be entered to win the book, a $45 value. The 7 winners will be selected at random.

One of our favorite Blik artists, Saelee Oh was selected for the “Women Making History” column on M.I.S.S., the premier women’s online lifestyle magazine covering fashion, art, beauty, music and design. In the interview, Saelee discusses her most recent solo exhibit, Infinite Roots at the prestigious Jonathan LeVine Gallery, introduces her new works on paper and talks about designing products, like her graphics for Blik. The interview also gives insight into where she finds inspiration, how she began painting and her unmistakable feminine aesthetic. Read the article and find your own inspiration.

Discover Saelee’s imaginative collection of fairy-tale story graphics at Blik. And stay tuned; we will be launching additional Saelee Oh designs later this summer.

Pretty things in dark places or wicked things masquerading in beauty? That question is the essence of Craww, the newest artist in our line of fine art partnerships. This UK-based graphic designer’s interest lies in the ambiguity of images. A closer look at his three pieces for Blik reveal melancholy girls with big hands surrounded by crows and spilled ink. The dark, sleepy graphics in “Prayer,” “Rain” and “Ascend” capture the subtle nature of his work.

We asked Craww to adapt his figurative work into bold self-contained graphic shapes that still retain the depth and atmosphere that is becoming his trademark. We are thrilled with the results and think you will be too. We will be launching more Craww designs later this year, but in the meantime, if you can’t get enough of Craww, check out his site at www.craww.com.