aka Ben The Illustrator

Illustrated portrait of Emile Sande, more pop portraits on...

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:43:15 +0100

Illustrated portrait of Emile Sande, more pop portraits on BenTheIllustrator.com!

Illustrated portrait of P!NK by Ben the Illustrator. To check...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:42:31 +0100

Illustrated portrait of P!NK by Ben the Illustrator.

To check out more Pop Portraits click here!

Illustrated portrait of Nate Ruess from FUN by Ben the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:32:23 +0100

Illustrated portrait of Nate Ruess from FUN by Ben the Illustrator.

To check out more Pop Portraits click here!

Cool products by BENTHEILLUSTRATOR

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:26:00 +0100

Thanks to Illustration Mundo for blogging the products now on my store!

illustrationmundoblog:

More about BENTHEILLUSTRATOR at: Profile / Website / Twitter / Flickr

Sunday night fabric stocktaking for the BTICollection.com week...

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:18:47 +0100

Sunday night fabric stocktaking for the BTICollection.com week ahead.

I put together a project on my Behance portfolio showing the...

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:36:55 +0100

I put together a project on my Behance portfolio showing the full range of Ben The Illustrator fabric backpacks, tote bags and pouches.

Check out the full project HERE!

New cards from @rik1p and @_GRP_ to accompany our...

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:07:18 +0100

New cards from @rik1p and @_GRP_ to accompany our BTICollection.com bags and pouches.

Illustrated portrait of Bat For Lashes by Ben the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:36:25 +0100

Illustrated portrait of Bat For Lashes by Ben the Illustrator.

To check out more Pop Portraits click here!

Illustrated portrait of Bjork by Ben the Illustrator. To check...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:58:40 +0100

Illustrated portrait of Bjork by Ben the Illustrator.

To check out more Pop Portraits click here!

Awesome fabric pouches, many sizes and patterns coming to...

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:16:37 +0100

Awesome fabric pouches, many sizes and patterns coming to BTICollection.com next week!

Working on some little extras for BTICollection.com products.

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:29:42 +0100

Working on some little extras for BTICollection.com products.

5 Things I Learnt About Hand-Crafting and Happy Collaborating.

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:02:28 +0100

When my wife and I launched our new range of backpacks and tote bags last week it wasn’t just another product for us, it wasn’t another art print or postcard set, it’s not even just a bag, it’s pure, successfully-produced happiness. We’ve collaborated a lot over the years; sets of art prints, toys, zines, exhibitions, but this was the happiest collaboration so far and with the freshest outcome. I illustrated the fabrics and Fi designed and hand-makes the bags, so it’s very much more Fi’s project than mine, which means I had to learn a thing or 5, and I’m happy that I did. Here’s the top 5 things I learnt while working on this brilliant creative collaboration…

Let go! Right from the outset be prepared to let go of something, be ready to hand over control and not get your way every time. If you’re a freelancer like me, you might also be used to doing your own thing, being your own boss, but in a collaboration there is no boss, only partners. Decisions come from discussion and results come from agreement.

Talk! When a creative project is coming from the heart you have to be prepared to talk, about everything. Talk about the production process, talk through all your ideas, if you’re not happy with something, talk about it, if you’re really happy with something, talk about it. If everyone involved wants the best end product, then be open, honest and talk, about everything.

Wait! Hand-crafting products takes ages, be patient and ready to wait, pay attention and respect the details. When we were designing our bags Fi went through a series of prototypes before she reached the perfect designs, where functionality, form and freshness were all in check. It took time, but it was worth it.

Be Super! Fi and I believe that everyone has a skill, something they are super at, whether it’s through natural talent or hard-work and a will to learn and succeed, we can all do something. Play to your super powers. I understand illustration, I know what to do, Fi understands fabric, she knows how to work with it. Whatever your skill is, use it, fit together with people who’s skills complement yours, and respect eachother in your area of expertise.

Do! We’re in the midst of an advice-culture, everyone wants to be the renowned expert, we’re surfing on waves of inspirational quotes, TED talks and ‘5 Things I Learnt’ blog posts, now these are all great, but there’s only one real way to learn, and that’s by doing, so stop wasting your time with these blog posts and go and make something.

Check out the results of our collaboration on BTICollection.com!

Hey Tumblr! Our new handmade bags are now available on Etsy!...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:27:00 +0100

Hey Tumblr! Our new handmade bags are now available on Etsy! There’s 12 to choose from, check them out on www.etsy.com/shop/BenTheIllustrator

WWW.BTICOLLECTION.COM

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:20:00 +0100

WWW.BTICOLLECTION.COM

Carry a sunny disposition with you wherever you go, our handmade...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:08:35 +0100

Carry a sunny disposition with you wherever you go, our handmade Backpacks & Totes are now ready for the taking!

Check them out on BTICollection.com!

There’s some very limited art prints available on my...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:29:40 +0100

There’s some very limited art prints available on my store, including the AlleyCats prints and Speakerdog posters!

CLICK HERE to visit the store.

Planning packaging for our new bags. (@rik1p @_GRP_ we can make...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:56:04 +0100

Planning packaging for our new bags. (@rik1p @_GRP_ we can make it fit!)

Here they go, all 12 of our new bags. Backpacks and totes, on...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:05:12 +0100

Here they go, all 12 of our new bags. Backpacks and totes, on sale next week.

A little update from our studio with some more peeks at our new...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:18:00 +0100

A little update from our studio with some more peeks at our new bags (previous updates HERE!). Here’s 3 of the new tote bags featuring our Cable Cars, Greenland and Peacocks fabric designs. All the bags are handmade by @filobrien and they’ll be available to buy from BTICollection.com from next week, Tuesday 23rd April!

I just wanted to follow-up this previous post with another...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:41:18 +0100

I just wanted to follow-up this previous post with another update on our new range of fabric bags. This is one of our tote-bags, all finished and ready to go shopping! So when the bags go on sale we’ll have backpacks and tote bags in around 7 different fabric designs/colourways. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!