First look at fall...

The fall issue (October/November/December) is nearly done. Just some proofing and final touches and this baby is off to the printer. The cover is by Australian artist Amy Joy Watson who used watercolour-tinted balsa wood laced together with embroidery thread to cradle balloons in this piece entitled Pop.

Here's a closer view:

It's always a challenge to find or commission one iconic image for the cover, something that encapsulates the themes and ethos of the magazine. But what I love about this image is that it has a sense of wonder and of surprise... you can just imagine those balloons lifting and spilling forth from the exterior capsule. It speaks to both themes: performance and costuming/garment-making. The artwork is in the act of becoming. Whether those balloons spill out, pop or eventually deflate—there is a performance at work. And, to my mind at least, the threaded container is like a jacket of sorts, protecting what lies within.

I also love how the facets and folds echo the cover of issue 29. I try to have some repeated element or motif; this helps to keep them all part of the same visual family.

And the background pattern?

I started with a simplification of the form of Amy's sculpture, the centre balloons represented by a circle with a triangle base and cover. The horizontal lines were inspired by her linear threads and the spine pattern from issue 28. Finally, the dots represent the balloons, but also the holes within a button, my nod to the garment-making theme.

As ever, UPPERCASE is a labour of love. Please subscribe, renew and tell your creative friends!